Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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After what transpired on Saturday, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that the UFC’s heavyweight division might be cursed.

The UFC 321 headliner ended in disappointing and frustrating fashion, as an eye poke from Ciryl Gane rendered Tom Aspinall unable to continue just 4:35 into their heavyweight championship clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. After being kept in limbo for more than a year due to the Jon Jones saga, it was a cruel twist of fate for Aspinall that his first undisputed championship defense ended prematurely.

While the result won’t improve Aspinall’s pound-for-pound standing, it obviously won’t hurt it, either. The most logical next step would seemingly be to rebook Aspinall vs. Gane at a future event. That, of course, assumes that the heavyweight champion didn’t suffer any lasting damage as a result of the accidental foul.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Ilia Topuria (17-0) | UFC [1]

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. There already appears to be plenty of momentum building for a 155-pound title defense against Paddy Pimblett, who entered the Octagon to face off with Topuria after the UFC 317 main event.

2. Islam Makhachev (27-1) | UFC [2]

Makhachev left no doubt in the UFC 311 headliner, submitting last-minute opponent Renato “Moicano” with a brabo choke in the opening stanza of their lightweight championship bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The late shift from Arman Tsarukyan to “Moicano” did little to faze Makhachev, who won his 15th consecutive outing and set the UFC lightweight record for most championship victories with five. Makhachev has since vacated the lightweight throne and will face 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on Nov. 15.

3. Merab Dvalishvili (21-4) | UFC [3]

Dvalishvili continued his impressive run through the bantamweight division at UFC 320, as he outworked Cory Sandhagen for a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph in the evening’s co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Machine” nearly called his shot by knocking out his opponent in Round 2, but the Georgian ultimately did what he always does: overwhelm through pace, pressure and grappling. Dvalishvili has 14 consecutive UFC triumphs — including three title defenses in 2025 — to his credit, making a credible case for consideration as bantamweight GOAT. He’ll go for defense No. 4 when he faces Petr Yan in the UFC 323 headliner on Dec. 6.

4. Alex Pereira (13-3) | UFC [4]

Pereira was a man on a mission in his rematch with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. “Poatan” dropped his Dagestani adversary with a right hand, then proceeded to pummel him with vicious elbows on the canvas to earn a stoppage just 80 seconds into the opening round of their light heavyweight championship rematch at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 4. After a lackluster outing in their first meeting at UFC 313, Pereira re-established himself as perhaps the top star in the Las Vegas-based promotion. If he remains at light heavyweight, a potential showdown with Carlos Ulberg looms large, but Pereira has also admitted that the weight cut to 205 pounds is growing more difficult — so a move to heavyweight could also be in the cards.

5. Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) | UFC [5]

Pantoja was masterful in his latest outing, as he outclassed Kai Kara-France on the feet and on the mat en route to a third-round submission victory in the UFC 317 co-main event. After wresting the belt from Brandon Moreno in July 2023, “The Cannibal” has authored successful title defenses against Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kara-France. A showdown against surging young contender Joshua Van will be next for the Brazilian in the UFC 323 co-main event..

6. Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) | UFC [6]

Chimaev delivered a dominant performance in the UFC 319 headliner, as he grounded and controlled Dricus Du Plessis for the better part of five rounds in a unanimous decision triumph. While a finish would have been the perfect punctuation, no one in the UFC has been able to manhandle Du Plessis in the way that Chimaev did. “Borz” could face the Nassourdine Imavov-Caio Borralho winner for his first title defense, though he has also expressed interest in making title runs at either 205 pounds or 170 pounds.

7. Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

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.

8. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [8]

Della Maddalena made the most of his golden opportunity at UFC 315, as he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds to capture the welterweight crown at the Bell Centre in Montreal on May 10. The Australian has won 18 straight professional outings — including eight in the UFC — and earned his spot atop the division with precise boxing, stout takedown defense and timely scrambling. He’ll get an even bigger stage for his first title defense: a showdown with former lightweight king Islam Makhachev in the UFC 322 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.

9. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) | UFC [9]

Even at 36 years old, Volkanovski showed he still has something left in the tank, as he reclaimed featherweight gold with a hard-fought decision triumph against Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 headliner. It was a much-needed return to the win column for the Aussie on the heels of back-to-back knockout losses against Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev, but having a lengthy second title reign will be more challenging than ever in a talented division.

10. Magomed Ankalaev (20-2-1, 1 NC) | UFC [10]

Anakalaev’s championship reign proved to be short-lived, as he was stopped by Alex Pereira just 80 seconds into the UFC 320 headliner on Oct. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After outdueling “Poatan” over five rounds in their first meeting at UFC 313, Ankalaev suffered his first defeat in more than seven years in extremely emphatic fashion. The Dagestani’s long-running track record of success should keep him on the short list of contenders at 205 pounds, but whether a trilogy with Pereira is in his future remains to be seen.

Other Contenders: Max Holloway, Belal Muhammad, Dricus Du Plessis, Francis Ngannou, Shavkat Rakhmonov.

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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.