Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Lightweight

1. Islam Makhachev (28-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev appeared to be quite comfortable in his new weight class, as he grounded and controlled Jack Della Maddalena for the better part of five rounds in a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph at UFC 322. The Dagestani standout was rarely threatened as he earned his 16th consecutive promotional triumph, tying Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history. He also becomes the 11th fighter to win a belt in two weight classes. With a thriving welterweight division, Makhachev figures to have no shortage of interested suitors for his first 170-pound title defense.

2. Ilia Topuria (17-0) | UFC [2]

Topuria called his shot and delivered, as he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner. With the victory, “El Matador” becomes the first undefeated fighter to be a two-division UFC champion. Topuria now has successive knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Oliveira — a run that’s as impressive as any in recent memory. Topuria won’t fight during the first quarter of 2026 due to personal matters, but a matchup against the Justin Gaethje-Paddy Pimblett winner could be imminent when he is ready to return.

3. Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) UFC [3]

After more than a year and a half on the sidelines, Tsarukyan didn’t miss a beat in the UFC Qatar headliner, where he secured a second-round submission victory over all-action Kiwi fighter Dan Hooker. Tsarukyan has won five straight in the Octagon and 10 of his last 11 UFC outings overall — which would seemigly be enough to earn him the next title shot against 155-pound kingpin Ilia Topuria. “Ahalkalakets” made his intentions clear in the aftermath of his latest triumph. Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see what the UFC’s next move will be.

4. Max Holloway (27-8) | UFC [4]

The third time proved to be the charm for Holloway, who played the role of spoiler by defeating Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision in the UFC 318 headliner in New Orleans. While Poirier bids the sport farewell, “Blessed” looks capable of making a run at 155 pounds at this stage of his UFC career. Holloway will next put his BMF belt on the line in a rematch against Charles Oliveira — more than 15 years after their first meeting — in the UFC 326 main event.

5. Charles Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

Oliveira added another chapter to his legendary résumé at UFC Rio, steamrolling Mateusz Gamrot for seven minutes and change before securing the finish with a nasty face crank near the middle of Round 2. While the 35-year-old former champ still lacks a clear route back to the title picture thanks to recent losses against Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan, he set his sights on a different strap with his respectful callout of onetime featherweight foe and current BMF belt holder Max Holloway. “Do Bronxs” will get his wish when he faces “Blessed” in the UFC 326 main event.

6. Justin Gaethje (26-5) | UFC [6]

Once again, Gaethje got the better of Rafael Fiziev, this time winning a hard-fought unanimous decision in the UFC 313 co-headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After a devastating knockout loss to Max Holloway in his previous outing, the former World Series of Fighting champion’s chin held up under duress as he continued to solidify his place as one of the promotion’s most fan-friendly fighters. “The Highlight” has won three of his last four outings and could be a candidate for a lightweight title shot against new champ Ilia Topuria.

7. Dustin Poirier (30-10, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Poirier fought admirably in his swan song at UFC 318, but a storybook ending wasn’t meant to be, as “The Diamond” dropped an entertaining unanimous decision to Max Holloway in a trilogy bout at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Though the result certainly wasn’t what he envision, Poirier will go down in history as one of the sport’s most beloved all-action performers. Assuming his retirement sticks, Poirier’s rankings eligibility will expire on July 19, 2026.

8. Dan Hooker (24-13) UFC [8]

Hooker had a chance to fast track himself to lightweight championship contention at UFC Qatar, but he was ultimately no match for Arman Tsarukyan, as he fell to the Russian contender via second-round submission in the evening’s main event. “The Hangman” sees a three-bout winning streak snapped in defeat, but as one of the UFC’s most entertaining lightweight talents he figures to have no shortage of intriguing options for his next Octagon appearance.

9. Mateusz Gamrot (25-4, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Gamrot ran into a buzzsaw at UFC Rio, stepping up on two weeks’ notice to face Charles Oliveira in the most hostile environment imaginable. While he may have dreamed of playing spoiler to the Brazilian icon and jumping the queue of lightweight title contenders, he never got out of first gear, as “do Bronxs” laid one of the biggest UFC main event beatdowns of the year on him. Once he finishes licking his wounds, the 34-year-old former KSW champ will have plenty of options as he seeks to rebound from the first stoppage loss of his 30-fight career.

10. Paddy Pimblett (23-3) | UFC [10]

Pimblett extended his promotional winning streak to seven with a third-round technical knockout victory against Michael Chandler at UFC 314 on April 12. Since then, “The Paddy” was on hand to square off with Ilia Topuria following the Georgian-Spaniard’s victory in a lightweight title tilt at UFC 317 in June. While Pimblett is in the mix for a title shot due to his history with Topuria, he could still use a signature Top 10 victory to solidify his spot as a serious contender at 155 pounds.

Other Contenders: Usman Nurmagomedov, Rafael Fiziev, Benoit St. Denis, Alfie Davis, Beneil Dariush.

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