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The reigning lightweight champion brought his rivalry with Alexander Volkanovski to an emphatic close at UFC 294, as he knocked out his Australian opponent with a head kick and follow-up punches 3:06 into Round 1 of their headlining bout at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. After a closely contested decision triumph in their first meeting at UFC 284 in February, Makhachev left no doubt in the rematch. It’s the type of victory upon which pound-for-pound legacies are built, and the Dagestani now has a pair of wins over a Top 3-ranked fighter in the poll. Couple that with a 13-bout winning streak, and it’s enough to propel Makhachev past Jon Jones and into the top spot in Sherdog’s latest pound-for-pound rankings.
Elsewhere, Kamaru Usman performed admirably against Khamzat Chimaev on short notice in the UFC 294 co-main event, but he nonetheless suffered his third consecutive defeat. While “The Nigerian Nightmare” is still competitive against top-flight talent, his recent skid means that he exits the pound-for-pound poll. Max Holloway will take over the No. 15 spot, because Chimaev still has more to prove before he is deemed pound-for-pound worthy.
Note: Previous ranking in brackets.
1. Islam Makhachev (25-1) | UFC [2]
Makhachev made a statement at UFC 294, knocking out featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a head kick and follow-up punches in the opening round of their lightweight title clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Dagestani standout has won 13 straight fights in the Octagon and thanks to consecutive title defenses against Volkanovski, can close the book on his rivalry with the Australian star. Makhachev’s next assignment could come against either Charles Oliveira, who pulled out of UFC 294 due to a cut, or Justin Gaethje, who has been lobbying hard for a title shot in interviews and on social media.2. 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.3. Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) | UFC [3]
No one was surprised when Volkanovski agreed to a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, but the City Kickboxing product couldn’t replicate his efforts from the first meeting, when he pushed the reigning lightweight champ to the brink of defeat. The rematch ended in much more emphatic fashion, as Volkanovski fell victim to a Makhachev head kick in the opening stanza. A featherweight title defense is presumably next for Volkanovski, who angled for an Octagon return as soon as January in his post-fight interview.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 will move on from his rivalry with Usman for a main-event clash against Colby Covington at UFC 296.5. Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) | UFC [5]
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. Unfortunately, a cut suffered in training forced Oliveira to pull out of a rematch against Makhachev at UFC 294.6. Justin Gaethje (25-4) | UFC [6]
Gaethje picked up a statement win — and the UFC’s BMF belt — in style at UFC 291, getting the better of Dustin Poirier for six minutes before flattening him with a head kick. In avenging his 2018 loss to Poirier, “The Highlight” reaffirmed his status as a top contender in the UFC lightweight division. Gaethje believes he should be next in line for a title shot against reigning champion Islam Makhachev, though he could still have to wait for Charles Oliveira to get his rematch first.7. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [7]
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.8. Alexandre Pantoja (26-5) | UFC [8]
Pantoja nearly made short work of Brandon Moreno in the UFC 290 co-main event before settling in for an epic five-round battle that saw him crowned as the fifth flyweight champion in promotion history. Including an exhibition win on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” Pantoja is now 3-0 against Moreno — though the latest triumph was by far the most difficult. “The Cannibal” will take a four-fight winning streak into his first 125-pound title defense against Brandon Royval at UFC 296.9. Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) UFC [9]
O’Malley silenced the doubters in emphatic fashion at UFC 292, as he finished Aljamain Sterling with an exquisite right hand and follow-up ground-and-pound in their bantamweight championship clash at TD Garden in Boston. “Suga” already had all the makings of the promotion’s next big superstar, and now he has the hardware to go with it. Next up could be a rematch with Marlon Vera — the only man to defeat him — or a clash with Sterling training partner Merab Dvalishvili.10. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) | UFC [10]
Sterling was unable to impose his will in the UFC 292 headliner, as he fell victim to a beautiful Sean O’Malley right hand to relinquish the bantamweight crown at the TD Garden in Boston. That brings an end to Sterling’s nine-fight winning streak, but with a title reign that included three successful defenses, “Funk Master” has established himself as one of the sport’s top 135-pound talents. While Sterling indicated that UFC 292 would be his last fight at bantamweight, he admitted in the aftermath of his latest defeat that he might have to reconsider that decision.Other Contenders: Alex Pereira, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jiri Prochazka, Max Holloway.
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.