Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Heavyweight

1. Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [1]

After defending the interim heavyweight belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, Aspinall waited well over a year to return to action. His first undisputed title defense didn’t go as planned, however, when the Brit was rendered unable to continue by an accidental eye poke from opponent Ciryl Gane at the 4:35 mark of Round 1 in the UFC 321 headliner. Depending on how Aspinall heals, it’s quite possible that the matchup with Gane will be rebooked at a later date.

2. Francis Ngannou (18-3) PFL [2]

Competing in MMA for the first time in more than two years, Ngannou looked as dangerous as ever as he pounded out Renan Ferreira in the PFL “Battle of the Giants” headliner on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia. It was an emotional evening for “The Predator,” who had to endure the death of his son earlier in the year and was coming off losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in pro boxing. It’s unclear what the future might hold for Ngannou, but he’s set up as the PFL’s biggest star by a considerable margin should he continue fighting on a regular basis. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman has won seven straight fights dating back to November 2018.

3. Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

Gane appeared to be an intriguing foil for Tom Aspinall in the UFC 321 headliner until an accidental eye poke from the Frenchman rendered the heavyweight champion unable to continue at the 4:35 mark of Round 1. The anticlimactic conclusion was undeniably disappointing for all parties, and especially for Gane, who was getting his third opportunity at a UFC belt. A rebooking seems to be the most likely outcome, though a lot can change in a short time in the promotion’s matchmaking landscape.

4. Alexander Volkov (39-11) | UFC [4]

After coming out on the wrong side of a controversial split decision against Ciryl Gane at UFC 310, Volkov turned the tables by taking a closely-contested split verdict over Jailton Almeida at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. While “Drago” didn’t display the greatest defensive wrestling, he landed the most significant offense of the fight to win for the fifth time in six UFC outings. Afterward, Volkov called for the next title opportunity at heavyweight.

5. Sergei Pavlovich (20-3) | UFC [5]

Pavlovich ended Waldo Cortes-Acosta’s five-bout promotional winning streak at UFC Shangahi, taking a three-round verdict over the Dominican heavyweight at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on Aug. 23. The 33-year-old Russian has gone the distance in back-to-back triumphs over Cortes-Acosta and Jairzinho Rozenstruik after finishing his first five UFC wins inside of a round.

6. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (16-2) UFC [6]

Just three weeks after earning a controversial finish of Ante Delija at UFC Fight Night 263, Cortes-Acosta secured another victory, as he knocked out Shamil Gaziev in the opening stanza of their heavyweight clash at UFC Qatar. “Salsa Boy” is now 4-1 in 2025, with additional victories over Serghei Spivac and Ryan Spann to his credit. Cortes-Acosta didn’t get his sixth Octagon appearance of 2025 as desired, but he’ll make a relatively quick turnaround to face Derrick Lewis at UFC 324.

7. Curtis Blaydes (19-5, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

It was hardly a definitive performance, but Blaydes did just enough to capture a split-decision triumph over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku on June 21. The Illinois native struggled to secure takedowns against his opponent, which could potentially be attributed to a knee injury Blaydes said he suffered early in the bout.

8. Jailton Almeida (22-4) UFC [8]

Almeida was able to take Alexander Volkov down with relative ease at UFC 321, but his output on the canvas left plenty to be desired. As a result, the Brazilian dropped a split decision in a bout that could have solidified his position as a top heavyweight contender had he been victorious. Instead, “Maladhinho” falls to 2-2 in his last four Octagon appearances.

9. Phil De Fries (28-6, 1 NC) KSW [9]

De Fries continued his roll at KSW 111, where he scored a third-round technical knockout of Stefan Vojcak on Oct. 18. That’s 16 consecutive victories for the former UFC talent, a winning streak that dates back to Oct. 27, 2017. Perhaps even more impressive, “And Still” has finished 12 of those triumphs inside the distance.

10. Serghei Spivac (17-6) UFC [10]

It was a closely contested fight — and some observers even thought he won — but Spivac ultimately couldn’t match the striking volume of Waldo Cortes-Acosta in their bout at UFC 316. “The Polar Bear” has last three of his last four promotional outings — with his lone win coming over Marcin Tybura during that stretch. He’ll look to recapture some momentum against Shamil Gaziev at UFC Qatar.

Other Contenders: Ante Delija, Marcin Tybura, Derrick Lewis, Renan Ferreira, Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

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