Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

While it wasn’t necessarily the type of performance that one envisions from a BMF champion, Charles Oliveira won’t be apologizing for his dominant victory against Max Holloway at UFC 326.

The former lightweight champion grounded his opponent in all five rounds, threatening with a variety of chokes and face cranks throughout the 25-minute affair en route to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Holloway was in survival mode from the opening stanza, and if there was a moral victory to be had, it’s that the Hawaiian fan favorite made it to the final bell against the promotion’s all-time submission leader.

Though Oliveira’s path back to the lightweight title remains unclear as long as Ilia Topuria reigns atop the division, he can now call himself a BMF champion. Thanks to his latest effort, “Do Bronxs” also returns to the pound-for-pound poll at No. 13. Holloway, meanwhile, falls from 11th to 15th, but he won’t be lacking for intriguing matchups when he’s ready to return.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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. After taking the first portion of 2026 off to attend to personal issues, Topuria will face Justin Gaethje in the main event of the UFC White House card on June 14.

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

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. Pereira will vacate the light heavyweight belt ahead of UFC 327 and face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight crown at UFC White House on June 14.

4. Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) | UFC [4]

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.

5. Petr Yan (20-5) | UFC [5]

After being overwhelmed by Merab Dvalishvili’s wrestling in their 2023 matchup, Yan got his revenge at UFC 323, where he displayed stout defensive wrestling while battering and bloodying his Georgian rival en route to a unanimous decision triumph. “No Mercy” begins his second reign as bantamweight champion with the momentum of a four-fight winning streak, and the 32-year-old Russian appears to be at the peak of his powers. Given Dvalishvili’s credentials and their history, it’s entirely possible that a trilogy between the two could be on the horizon.

6. Merab Dvalishvili (21-5) | UFC [6]

As it turned out, Dvalishvili might have taken on too much by attempting to defend the bantamweight crown four times in a calendar year. In a rematch with Petr Yan in the UFC 323 headliner, the Georgian’s trademark cardio and pressure were not enough make his Russian foe wilt, as “No Mercy” emerged with a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph to reclaim 135-pound gold. That ends a 14-bout winning streak for “The Machine,” who likely has a legitimate claim to a trilogy bout with Yan in the near future.

7. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) | UFC [7]

It’s a testament to Volkanovski’s overall greatness that he made a rematch with Diego Lopes seem relatively uneventful, as he cruised to a unanimous decision triumph at UFC 325 in front of his home fans in Sydney, Australia. Volkanovski has now tied Jose Aldo for the most all-time featherweight title victories with eight, further cementing his legacy in the division. Volkanovski will look ahead to a future matchup with the likes of either Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev.

8. Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) | UFC [8]

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.

9. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6) | UFC [9]

After authoring four successful flyweight title defenses, Pantoja’s reign ended in unfortunate fashion, as he fell to Joshua Van via technical knockout in just 26 seconds after suffering an arm injury in the UFC 323 co-main event. Prior to that defeat, “The Cannibal” had been victorious in eight straight Octagon appearances dating back to 2021 and was well on his way to cementing his place as one of the top 125-pound talents of all time. Given the nature of the loss, it’s difficult to imagine Pantoja not being given a chance to regain the title when he returns to full health.

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

Ankalaev’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: Jack Della Maddalena, Dricus Du Plessis, Charles Oliveira, Francis Ngannou, 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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.