John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
After coming up just short in his bid to become a two-division champion at UFC 284 in February, Volkanovski got back to business at 145 pounds with a third-round stoppage of Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 headliner on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. With six victories in featherweight championship bouts to his credit, the City Kickboxing representative is the unquestioned king of his division. With just one loss in his last 24 professional outings, the Aussie also remains very much in the running for the No. 1 pound-for-pound spot. For now, he checks in at No. 3, but with a potential rematch against Islam Makhachev still in play, there could be plenty of opportunity for upward movement.
Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja makes his pound-for-pound debut at No. 11 following a split-decision triumph over Brandon Moreno in the UFC 290 co-main event — a bout that will go down as an all-time classic in the flyweight division. After that closely contested defeat, Moreno falls from No. 8 to 15th, but his overall stock still remains high.
Finally, Robert Whittaker, who only recently returned to the pound-for-pound rankings, leaves the poll following a surprising second-round technical knockout loss to new middleweight No. 1 contender Dricus Du Plessis. Once a staple of these rankings, Whittaker’s most recent setback could signal the end of his status among the sport’s elite.
Note: Previous ranking in brackets.
1. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
After a three-year absence, Jones looked as strong as ever in a new division, authoring a first-round submission triumph against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 headliner on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In victory, “Bones” staked his claim to GOAT status while adding heavyweight gold to his trophy case. The longtime light heavyweight king will next focus on a UFC 295 showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden for his first title defense.2. Islam Makhachev (24-1) | UFC [2]
Though he was hardly dominant, Makhachev found a way at UFC 284, earning a five-round verdict against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the evening’s main event at the RAC Arena, in Perth, Australia. While the size advantage wasn’t as big a factor as expected, Makhachev nonetheless extended his winning streak to 12 and retained his 155-pound belt in the process. While he may yet have unfinished business with Volkanovski down the road, Makhachev will now devote his focus to a full cadre of contenders in the UFC’s always-crowded lightweight division.3. Alexander Volkanovski (26-2) | UFC [3]
After a near-miss in his bid to become a two-division champion, Volkanovski returned to 145 pounds with a dominant performance at UFC 290, where he overwhelmed Yair Rodriguez with sheer physicality in a third-round technical knockout victory at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Volkanovski now has six victories in featherweight title bouts, No. 2 all-time behind Jose Aldo, the man he is chasing for the title of 145-pound GOAT. After his latest victory, Volkanovski revealed that he may need to undergo surgery for an arm injury. After that, a title defense against Ilia Topuria or a return to 155 pounds for a rematch against Islam Makhachev are both in play.4. Leon Edwards (21-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
While Edwards needed a last-minute knockout to wrest the welterweight crown from Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, “Rocky” authored a much more complete performance in their trilogy, taking a five-round, majority-decision triumph over “The Nigerian Nightmare” in the UFC 286 headliner at the O2 Arena in London. Edwards outlanded Usman on the feet, showcased solid defensive wrestling and weathered a third-round point deduction to extend his unbeaten streak to 12 within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Edwards can move on from his rivalry with Usman, but his next challenge may already be looming: Colby Covington weighed in as an alternate for the main event and was tabbed by Dana White as the No. 1 contender in waiting.5. Israel Adesanya (24-2) | UFC [5]
Adesanya restored order to the middleweight division with a massive second-round knockout of Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 headliner. Not only did “The Last Stylebender” regain the belt he lost to his rival at UFC 281 last November, but he earned his first victory in the pair’s combat sports series — which now spans four bouts across kickboxing and MMA. Adesanya’s eight title fight victories rank second all-time at 185 pounds, and he has victories over the top five UFC middleweights currently ranked below him: Pereira, Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa.6. Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC??) | UFC [6]
After relinquishing his belt to Islam Makhachev in October 2022, Oliveira made an emphatic statement in his return, as he defeated top contender Beneil Dariush via first-round technical knockout in the UFC 289 co-main event. “Do Bronx” held his own with Dariush on the canvas, but it was on the feet that he did his best work, rattling the Kings MMA product with head kicks and heavy punches before sealing his victory with ground-and-pound. By ending the eight-fight winning streak of his opponent, Oliveira makes a strong case for receiving a rematch with Makhachev at a future event.7. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [7]
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. After being sidelined for the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery, Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC for a deal to defend his heavyweight crown against Jon Jones. As a result, he was stripped of his belt and granted his release, making him one of the most coveted free agents in combat sports. That process concluded in May 2023, when Ngannou signed a deal with the Professional Fighters League. “The Predator” isn’t supposed to compete for the organization until 2024 as he pursues a pro boxing match, so his rankings eligibility will expire on July 22.8. Aljamain Sterling (20-3) | UFC [10]
Sterling held serve—and held onto his UFC title—at UFC 288 on May 6, taking a hard-fought decision over returning former two-division champ Henry Cejudo. While it may not have been the emphatic result he hoped for, his third title defense breaks a three-way tie with T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz for the most in UFC bantamweight history. Sterling has made noises about moving up to featherweight, but should he elect to stay at 135 pounds, his next title challenger would appear to be set, as Sean O’Malley entered the cage after the UFC 288 main event for a face-off that ended up having to be broken up by security. That bout has already been announced for UFC 292, though some questions remain regarding Sterling’s health.9. Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1 NC) | UFC [13]
Poirier proved there’s still a clear pecking order at lightweight, as he weathered a strong early push from Michael Chandler to secure a third-round submission victory at UFC 281 in New York. “The Diamond” has won four of his last five Octagon appearances and continues to prove that he ranks among the best lightweights in the sport. His next assignment will be a rematch with Justin Gaethje in the UFC 291 headliner — this time with the “BMF” title at stake.10. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [11]
Nemkov was largely dominant in his latest title defense, as he earned a clear-cut unanimous verdict over former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero in the Bellator 297 main event. The Fedorteam representative battered his adversary with straight punches and an arsenal of kicks while surviving a late Romero takedown in the final stanza. While a finish would have been an ideal punctuation to the night, Nemkov still had to respect the explosive ability of his opponent. The Russian standout is unbeaten in his last 12 professional outings, a stretch that also includes a victory in the Bellator 205-pound grand prix.Other Contenders: Alexandre Pantoja, Kamaru Usman, Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, Brandon Moreno.
Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.