Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Heavyweight

1. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [1]

Ngannou displayed a significant step in his evolution at UFC 270, as he relied on takedowns and positional control to grind out a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to unify the heavyweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22. While it wasn’t the most thrilling performance, the effort speaks volumes about Ngannou’s resolve, when in previous fights he struggled to do anything of note when forced to go past the second round. “The Predator” now faces an uncertain future, as he is unhappy with the way he has been treated by the UFC and seems willing to sit out for a significant period of time unless the two sides are able to come to terms. Regardless of how that happens, Ngannou will be sidelined for much of the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery.

2. Stipe Miocic (20-4) | UFC [2]

When his wrestling failed against Francis Ngannou in the UFC 260 headliner, so did Miocic’s bid to make another successful heavyweight championship defense. Miocic saw his reign end in a second-round KO defeat at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 27, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Ohio-based firefighter has already established himself as the organization’s most consistent heavyweight king with records for most victories in title bouts and consecutive title defenses. Miocic’s Octagon forays have become less frequent in recent years, though UFC president Dana White piqued the MMA community’s interest when he hinted at a potential meeting with Jon Jones. A date for that bout remains unknown, however.

3. Ciryl Gane (10-1) | UFC [3]

Gane appeared to be on cruise control through 10 minutes against Francis Ngannou, as he relied on his technical striking acumen to rack up a lead on the scorecards in the UFC 270 headliner. However, once his former MMA Factory stablemate shifted gears to a wrestling-based attack, Gane struggled to remain upright, which led to a unanimous decision loss in the most unlikely of fashions. Heading into UFC 270, the French heavyweight was touted as someone who could potentially reign for years atop the heavyweight division. That could still be possible, but in the immediate future “Bon Gamin” has questions to answer following his first career defeat. He’ll attempt to turn things around in a clash with Tai Tuivasa on Sept. 3.

4. Tai Tuivasa (14-3) | UFC [4]

Tuivasa went head-to-head with Derrick Lewis and got the better of “The Black Beast,” sending his opponent face first to the canvas with a standing-elbow KO in the second-round of their heavyweight co-main event at UFC 271 on Feb. 12. After suffering a three-bout losing streak from December 2018 to October 2020, “Bam Bam” has resurrected his career with a five-bout winning streak that has seen him finish all of his victims via knockout or technical knockout. Up next for the affable Australian is a showdown with ex-interim champ Ciryl Gane on Sept. 3.

5.Sergei Pavlovich (16-1) | UFC [5]

Pavlovich made a statement at UFC 277, stopping two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis with punches just 55 seconds into the opening round of their encounter at American Airlines Center in Dallas on July 30. While the stoppage was controversial, Pavlovich deserves credit for rocking and dropping “The Black Beast” to force the referee’s hand. The Eagles MMA representative has won four straight promotional appearances since falling to Alistair Overeem in his Octagon debut in 2018.

6. Derrick Lewis (26-10, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

While the stoppage was controversial, Lewis nonetheless was on the wrong end of a first-round technical knockout loss against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277 in Dallas on July 30. The two-time heavyweight title challenger has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances — all inside the distance. The Houston native remains one of the promotion’s most popular fighters, but his days as a championship contender could very well be behind him.

7. Curtis Blaydes (17-3, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

For the second consecutive fight, Blaydes faced a rising contender in the heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 208 in London. Though he was once again victorious, the method was not what “Razor” would have preferred, as the bout ended when Tom Aspinall suffered an apparent knee injury just 15 seconds into Round 1. That unfortunate ending aside, Blaydes is still 7-1 in the UFC’s heavyweight division since 2019 — with his lone loss during that stretch coming via KO against Derrick Lewis.

8. Tom Aspinall (12-3) | UFC [8]

Aspinall entered UFC Fight Night 208 with a chance to cement himself as perhaps the top contender in the heavyweight division with a victory over Curtis Blaydes. Instead, a knee injury short-circuited those hopes 15 seconds after the headlining bout began. Not only does Aspinall see an eight-fight professional winning streak — including five victories in UFC competition — come to an end, but he could be facing a lengthy road to recovery before he returns to the Octagon.

9. Alexander Volkov (35-10) | UFC [9]

Volkov returned to the win column in emphatic fashion at UFC Fight Night 207, when he dispatched Jairzinho Rozenstruik with power punches 2:12 into the opening round of their heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The former Bellator and M-1 Global champion flashed the power in his hands in earning his 23rd career KO/TKO victory, and he maintains his relevance in the division. Volkov has alternated wins and losses in his last four UFC outings, but his two defeats — Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane — have come against two of the top new talents in the weight class.

10. Ryan Bader (30-7) | Bellator [10]

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Bader’s wrestling-heavy approach was plenty effective in propelling him to a five-round verdict over Cheick Kongo in the Bellator 280 main event in Paris on May 6. Not only does Bader gain some closure in his rivalry with Kongo after their first meeting ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke, but he has two successful heavyweight title defenses to his credit after fending off interim champ Valentin Moldavsky earlier in 2022. It appears that Bader will remain at heavyweight for the foreseeable future after a run in the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix did not go as hoped.

Other Contenders: Marcin Tybura, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Valentin Moldavsky, Chris Daukaus, Philip De Fries.

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