Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko Reach the Top in MMA Rankings
In a day full of emotions for mixed martial arts fans, Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko starred in meteoric rises in the ESPN ranking. Both fighters, who started the day in second position in their respective categories, achieved resounding victories at UFC 322, catapulting themselves to the coveted number one.
While their paths to the top were not identical, both proved their worth and solidified their position as benchmarks in the world of MMA.
Shevchenko Defends Her Title with Authority
Valentina Shevchenko, current women’s flyweight champion, defended her title with a unanimous decision victory over Zhang Weili. The fight, which pitted two of the best female fighters in the world against each other, demonstrated Shevchenko’s superiority and her ability to stay on top.
Shevchenko proved his worth and consolidated his position as a benchmark in the world of MMA.
Alofoke Deportes
Makhachev Crowned Champion in Two Divisions
For his part, Islam Makhachev achieved a historic feat by dethroning Jack Della Maddalena in the welterweight category. This victory allowed him to become a champion in two divisions, demonstrating his versatility and talent in the octagon.
The difference in the ranking of their opponents also set the tone. While Shevchenko faced the number one, Makhachev defeated the eighth-ranked fighter, which could explain why some voters kept Topuria at the top.
Men’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking
Below, we present the ranking of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the men’s category:
UFC Welterweight Champion.
Record: 28-1
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Jack Della Maddalena (November 15).
Makhachev fulfilled his promise to become a two-division champion, demonstrating his power against Della Maddalena at UFC 322. With this victory, he equaled Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history, with 16 consecutive wins, and positioned himself among the greatest of all time. The expected fight against the current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, could be the next big battle.
UFC Lightweight Champion.
Record: 17-0
Last fight: KO victory in the first round against Charles Oliveira (June 28).
After knocking out two featherweight greats, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria sought to challenge Makhachev at lightweight, but Makhachev’s rise changed the landscape. Topuria was crowned champion by knocking out Oliveira at UFC 317.
UFC Bantamweight Champion.
Record: 21-4
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Cory Sandhagen (October 4th).
Next fight: December 6 against Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili is performing impressively in the bantamweight division, defeating Sean O’Malley for the second time at UFC 316 and showcasing a new facet of his game with a guillotine in the third round. Since August 2022, he has defeated José Aldo, Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov, and Sandhagen. He will defend his title against Yan in December, which will make him the only champion in UFC history to defend a title four times in a year.
UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Record: 15-3, 1 NC
Last fight: No contest against Ciryl Gane (October 25th).
Aspinall is considered by many to be the most dynamic and talented heavyweight in the history of this sport. His dominance over his opponents is unmatched, and no one has managed to last a round against him. He hoped to prove his superiority against Jon Jones, but Jones’s withdrawal made him interim champion. His first defense of the undisputed title ended unexpectedly due to an eye poke in his fight against Gane at UFC 321, which was declared a no-contest.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Record: 13-3
Last fight: Victory by TKO in the first round against Magomed Ankalaev (October 4th).
Pereira consolidated his position as a UFC star in 2024, but faced his biggest challenge as light heavyweight champion against Ankalaev at UFC 313. Although he kept the fight standing, he lost by unanimous decision. However, he decisively changed the result by defeating Ankalaev in the rematch at UFC 320.
UFC Middleweight Champion.
Record: 15-0
Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Dricus Du Plessis (August 16).
After five years of anticipation, Chimaev finally fought for a championship at UFC 319, with one of the most dominant performances in UFC history. Although he did not manage to finish the fight, Chimaev outmatched Du Plessis in their five-round bout and answered doubts about his endurance. If Chimaev stays healthy and competes frequently, he has plenty of time to climb to the top of this list.
UFC Flyweight Champion.
Record: 30-5
Last fight: Submission victory in the third round against Kai Kara-France (June 28).
Next fight: December 6 against Joshua Van.
The UFC flyweight king has accumulated four title defenses, including two in pay-per-view main events in 2024. He extended his winning streak to eight in his victory over Kara-France at UFC 317, whom he had already defeated before. He will defend the belt against Yan at UFC 323. Pantoja is rapidly dominating the 125-pound division.
UFC Featherweight Champion.
Record: 27-4
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Diego Lopes (April 12).
After his knockout loss to Topuria in February 2024, it seemed the sport was writing Volkanovski’s obituary. But Volkanovski proved he still has much to offer by reclaiming the featherweight belt at UFC 314. His age (36 years old) will continue to be a topic of debate before fights, which doesn’t bother him, as he enjoys proving people wrong.
UFC Welterweight.
Record: 18-3
Last fight: Unanimous decision defeat against Islam Makhachev (November 15).
Della Maddalena’s staying in the top 10 is surprising, but it shows several things. There’s no shame in losing to Makhachev, and the welterweight division could be the most competitive in MMA history. Della Maddalena’s eight-win streak in this division is still very significant, and although he didn’t have his best night at UFC 322, the perception of his talent hasn’t changed drastically.
UFC Middleweight.
Record: 23-3
Last fight: Unanimous decision defeat against Khamzat Chimaev (August 16).
Before being defeated by Chimaev and losing the belt, Du Plessis dominated the middleweight division with 11 consecutive victories, including four in a row against champions or former champions (Sean Strickland twice, Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker). Will he be able to have another opportunity against Chimaev?
UFC Lightweight.
Record: 27-8
Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Dustin Poirier (July 19).
Holloway has won four of his last five fights, alternating between lightweight and featherweight. The only loss was against Ilia Topuria, who now reigns in Holloway’s current division, lightweight.
Other fighters who received votes: Magomed Ankalaev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Arman Tsarukyan.
Women’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking
Below, we present the pound-for-pound ranking of the best female fighters:
UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion.
Record: 26-4-1
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Zhang Weili (November 15).
Shevchenko has proven to be the best flyweight in the world and has now established herself as the number one worldwide. Her victory over Zhang was forceful and demonstrated her dominance.
UFC flyweight/strawweight.
Record: 26-4
Last fight: Unanimous decision defeat against Valentina Shevchenko (November 15).
Gaining weight is a challenge, especially at the highest level. Zhang was dominant at 115 pounds, but the move to 125 was a big challenge. Although he had a bad night at UFC 322, he has the potential to improve in the future if he decides to stay at 125.
UFC Bantamweight Champion.
Record: 19-1
Last fight: Victory by technical submission in the second round against Julianna Peña (June 7).
Harrison, a former PFL star, is quickly becoming the face of the UFC women’s divisions. With her dominant victory over Peña at UFC 316, Harrison has a 4-0 record in the UFC and has added a title to her two Olympic judo gold medals. It won’t be easy for her in her first title defense, as Nunes returns with the belt in her sights.
PFL featherweight.
Record: 28-2, 1 NC
Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Larissa Pacheco (October 19, 2024).
Next fight: December 13 against Sara Collins.
Cyborg hadn’t fought an elite MMA opponent until she faced Pacheco in 2024. Although many predicted Cyborg’s defeat, she defeated the PFL two-weight champion, ending Pacheco’s momentum. One of the pioneers of women’s MMA remains strong and will fight for the vacant PFL title against Collins, an Australian with a 6-0 record but little high-level experience.
UFC Flyweight.
Record: 13-2
Last fight: TKO victory in the first round against Jasmine Jasudavicius (October 18th).
Fiorot failed to overcome Shevchenko at UFC 315. However, by defeating Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her previous fights, she has shown that she has the tools to become a champion.
UFC Strawweight.
Record: 16-5
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Virna Jandiroba (October 25th).
Dern’s rise to the 115-pound throne marked a changing of the guard. She is the first champion of the division since 2019, as the previous three champions (Zhang Weili, Carla Esparza, and Rose Namajunas) had had previous reigns. Dern, with almost a decade-long MMA career after several world jiu-jitsu championships, has won three consecutive fights.
UFC Flyweight.
Record: 19-5-1
Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Alexa Grasso (May 10).
Silva looks like a future UFC champion after her dominance over Grasso at UFC 315. Her “hit and move” style has frustrated high-level opponents, and she has youth on her side, as she won’t turn 30 until 2027.
UFC Flyweight.
Record: 14-2
Last fight: Submission victory in the second round against Tracy Cortez (November 15th).
Blanchfield avenged her 2019 defeat against Cortez emphatically at UFC 322, submitting her in the second round of their rematch. At only 26 years old, Blanchfield continues to evolve with improved striking and suffocating grappling. She will have to wait her turn for a title opportunity, likely after Natalia Silva, but her time will surely come.
PFL Flyweight.
Record: 14-0
Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Sumiko Inaba (July 19).
Next fight: February 7 against Denise Kielholtz.
Ditcheva not only won the PFL flyweight season last year, but she did it spectacularly, with a TKO victory over Taila Santos, who once challenged for the UFC title. Ditcheva began her 2025 campaign by dominating Inaba in the co-main event of the first PFL Champions Series card in Cape Town, South Africa. She will start 2026 with a match against Kielholtz, also a kickboxer.
UFC Bantamweight.
Record: 12-6
Last fight: Submission loss in the second round against Kayla Harrison (June 7).
Peña is a two-time bantamweight champion, and one of those reigns was made possible by one of the biggest upsets in UFC history: her submission victory in 2021 over Amanda Nunes. Peña’s four most recent appearances have been in title fights, so she is prepared for big moments.
Other fighters who received votes: Alexa Grasso, Virna Jandiroba, Rose Namajunas, and Tatiana Suarez.
