Makhachev and Shevchenko, new P4P kings in UFC: Absolute Domination

Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko Reach the Top in MMA Rankings

On Saturday morning, Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko were in second place in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. However, by the end of the day, both ascended to number one after decisive victories at UFC 322. Although their journeys were not completely parallel, both achieved significant milestones. Shevchenko, women’s flyweight champion, defended her title with a unanimous decision over Zhang Weili, who had vacated her strawweight championship to move up a weight class. On the other hand, Makhachev, former lightweight champion, had no problem dethroning Jack Della Maddalena at welterweight.

A key difference between both performances was the ranking level of their opponents. Zhang, Shevchenko’s rival, was number one in the ESPN rankings at the time, making their fight a clash between the top two women in MMA. Meanwhile, Della Maddalena, whom Makhachev defeated, was ranked eighth among men. This difference in ranking could explain why one voter kept Makhachev at number two, below the current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria. Shevchenko, for her part, was a unanimous number one.

Men’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking

• Islam Makhachev

UFC Welterweight Champion

Previous ranking: 2

Record: 28-1 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Jack Della Maddalena, November 15 Next: To be determined Makhachev fulfilled his promise to become a two-division champion by neutralizing Della Maddalena’s striking threat with relative ease at UFC 322. This victory tied him with Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history, with 16 wins, and placed Makhachev on the list of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. With an incredibly talented group of welterweight contenders, he won’t lack opponents. However, the fight everyone wants to see is a showdown with the current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria.

• Ilia Topuria

UFC Lightweight Champion

Previous ranking: 1

Record: 17-0 Last: Victoria (KO1) vs. Charles Oliveira, June 28th Next: To be determined After knocking out two of the best featherweights in UFC history (Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway) in 2024, it would be difficult for Topuria to surpass that in 2025. He moved up to lightweight with the goal of challenging Makhachev, but with Makhachev moving up a division, Topuria captured the vacant title by knocking out Oliveira at UFC 317.

• Merab Dvalishvili

UFC Bantamweight Champion Record: 21-4 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Cory Sandhagen, October 4th Next: December 6 vs. Petr Yan Dvalishvili is on one of the most impressive streaks in the UFC bantamweight division. Not only did he defeat Sean O’Malley for the second time in nine months at UFC 316, but he also showed a new facet of his game, finishing O’Malley with a guillotine in the third round. Since August 2022, Dvalishvili has beaten José Aldo, Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen. And he will defend his title again, in a rematch with Yan, in December, becoming the only champion in UFC history to defend a title four times in a year.

• Tom Aspinall

UFC Heavyweight Champion Record: 15-3, 1 NC Last: NC1 vs. Ciryl Gane, October 25th Next: To be determined It can be argued that Aspinall is the most dynamic, skilled, and talented heavyweight the sport has ever seen. He is dominating his opponents in an unparalleled way. No one can last a round with him. He hoped to demonstrate his supremacy against Jon Jones, but Jones chose to withdraw, elevating Aspinall from interim champion. His first defense of the undisputed belt ended anticlimactically, as an eye poke resulted in his fight at UFC 321 with Gane being declared a no-contest.

• Alex Pereira

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Record: 13-3 Last: Victoria (TKO1) vs. Magomed Ankalaev, October 4th Next: To be determined A stellar 2024 consolidated Pereira’s place as a star in the UFC, but he faced his toughest test as light heavyweight champion when he entered the octagon with Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira had dealt with strikers, but the question was whether he could get the job done against a talented grappler. Pereira kept the fight standing, but did not achieve victory by unanimous decision. He changed that result violently when he faced Ankalaev in a rematch at UFC 320.

• Khamzat Chimaev

UFC Middleweight Champion Record: 15-0 Last: Victoria (Unanimous Decision) vs. Dricus Du Plessis, August 16th Next: To be determined After five years of anticipation, Chimaev finally fought for a championship at UFC 319, and the result was one of the most dominant title fight performances in UFC history. Chimaev did not manage to finish, but completely demolished Du Plessis in their five-round bout and answered questions about his endurance along the way. If Chimaev can stay healthy and compete frequently, he still has plenty of time to climb to the top of this list.

• Alexandre Pantoja

UFC Flyweight Champion Record: 30-5 Last: Victoria (Sum3) vs. Kai Kara-France, June 28th Next: December 6 vs. Joshua Van The UFC flyweight king has accumulated four title defenses, including two in pay-per-view main events in 2024. He built 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 quickly circling the 125-pound division.

• Alexander Volkanovski

UFC Featherweight Champion

Previous ranking: 9

Record: 27-4 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Diego Lopes, April 12th Next: To be determined It seemed that the sport had begun to write Volkanovski’s eulogy after his knockout loss to Topuria in February 2024. Volkanovski noticed this and made a point of showing everyone that he still has a lot left to recapture the featherweight belt at UFC 314. His age (36) will likely remain a pre-fight topic, which is fine because Volkanovski likes to prove people wrong.

• Jack Della Maddalena

UFC Welterweight

Previous ranking: 8

Record: 18-3 Last: Defeat (Unanimous Decision) vs. Islam Makhachev, November 15th Next: To be determined Della Maddalena’s retention of a top 10 spot might be a surprise, but it speaks to a few things. One, of course, is that there’s no shame in losing to Makhachev. And two, this might be the deepest welterweight division in MMA history. Della Maddalena’s eight-fight win streak in this division still means a lot. And while Della Maddalena had a bad night at UFC 322, the perception of his talent hasn’t changed drastically because of it.

• Dricus Du Plessis

UFC Middleweight

Record: 23-3 Last: Defeat (Unanimous Decision) vs. Khamzat Chimaev, August 16th Next: To be determined

Before being submitted by Chimaev and losing the belt, Du Plessis was dominating the middleweight division with 11 consecutive victories, including four in a row over champions or former champions (Sean Strickland twice, Israel Adesanya, and Robert Whittaker). Will he be able to fight again for another opportunity against Chimaev?

• Max Holloway

UFC Lightweight

Record: 27-8 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Dustin Poirier, July 19th Next: To be determined 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.

How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhacgev; 2. Ilia Topuria; 3. Merab Dvalishvili; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alex Pereira; 6. Alexandre Pantoja; 7. Khamzat Chimaev; 8. Alexander Volkanovski 9. Max Holloway; 10. Umar Nurmagomedov. Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Aspinall; 5. Pereira; 6. Chimaev; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Dricus Du Plessis; 10. Holloway. Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Chimaev; 5. Pereira; 6. Pantoja; 7. Jack Della Maddalena; 8. Aspinall; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Holloway. Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Topuria; 2. Makhachev; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Pereira; 5. Pantoja; 6. Chimaev; 7. Aspinall; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Della Maddalena; 10. Arman Tsarukyan. Andrew Davis: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Chimaev; 5. Aspinall; 6. Pereira; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Magomed Ankalaev; 10. Du Plessis. Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Chimaev; 6. Pereira; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Du Plessis; 10. Holloway.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking

• Valentina Shevchenko

UFC Flyweight Champion

Previous ranking: 2

Record: 26-4-1 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Zhang Weili, November 15 Next: To be determined Shevchenko’s dominance was questioned in 2022 and 2023, when she had a 1-1-1 record in a trilogy with Alexa Grasso. Now, that seems like a long time ago. Shevchenko has reasserted herself as the best flyweight in the world, and has now asserted herself as the number one in the world, period. It wasn’t surprising that she beat Zhang, but it was surprising how easy it seemed.

• Zhang Weili

UFC Flyweight/Strawweight

Previous ranking: 1

Record: 26-4 Last: Defeat (Unanimous Decision) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, November 15th Next: To be determined It’s difficult to gain weight, especially at the highest level. That sounds obvious, but Zhang had been dominant at 115 pounds for so long that some of us might have taken for granted how big a challenge it would be to move up to 125. UFC 322 was a bad night for Zhang, but she doesn’t have many. And if she decides to stay at 125, it certainly seems reasonable that she’ll do better in the future.

• Kayla Harrison

UFC Bantamweight Champion Record: 19-1 Last: Victoria (TechSub2) vs. Julianna Peña, June 7th Next: To be determined The face of PFL for a long time is also quickly becoming the face of the UFC women’s divisions. With a dominant victory over Peña at UFC 316, Harrison has a 4-0 record in the UFC and has the trophy to add to her two Olympic judo gold medals. However, she won’t have it easy in her first title defense, as Nunes returns with the belt in her sights.

• Cris Cyborg

PFL Featherweight Record: 28-2, 1 NC Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Larissa Pacheco, October 19, 2024 Next: December 13 vs. Sara Collins It had been a while since Cyborg had fought an elite MMA opponent until she faced Pacheco in 2024. That was a legitimate matchup, and many in the industry predicted Cyborg’s downfall. Instead, she eliminated the PFL two-weight champion, reversing all of Pacheco’s momentum. One of the original pioneers of women’s MMA is still going strong somehow, and she will seek the vacant PFL title against Collins, an Australian with a 6-0 record but with little high-level experience.

• Manon Fiorot

UFC Flyweight Record: 13-2 Last: Victoria (TKO1) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, October 18th Next: To be determined Fiorot did not succeed in her challenge against Shevchenko, the champion, at UFC 315. But by defeating Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her two previous fights, Fiorot has shown that she has the tools to become a champion.

• Mackenzie Dern

UFC Strawweight Champion Record: 16-5 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Virna Jandiroba, October 25th Next: To be determined Dern’s ascent to the 115-pound throne was truly a changing of the guard. She is the first first-time champion of the division since 2019, because the previous three champions (Zhang Weili, Carla Esparza, and Rose Namajunas) were in their second reigns. Dern, almost a decade into her MMA career after multiple world jiu-jitsu championships, has won three fights in a row.

• Natalia Silva

UFC Flyweight

Record: 19-5-1 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Alexa Grasso, May 10 Next: To be determined Silva appears to be the candidate for future UFC champion after a dominant performance against Grasso at UFC 315. Silva’s “hit and move” style has frustrated even the highest-level opponents, and youth is on her side, as she won’t turn 30 until 2027.

• Erin Blanchfield

UFC Flyweight

Record: 14-2 Last: Victoria (Sum2) vs. Tracy Cortez, November 15th Next: To be determined Blanchfield avenged her 2019 defeat to 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, with Natalia Silva likely next, but Blanchfield’s turn will certainly come.

• Dakota Ditcheva

PFL Flyweight Record: 14-0 Last: Victory (Unanimous Decision) vs. Sumiko Inaba, July 19th Next: February 7 vs. Denise Kielholtz Ditcheva not only won the PFL flyweight season last year, but she did so in spectacular fashion: a TKO finish over Taila Santos, who once challenged for a UFC title. Ditcheva opened 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 open 2026 with a matchup against fellow kickboxer Kielholtz.

• Julianna Peña

UFC Bantamweight Record: 12-6 Last: Defeat (Sum2) vs. Kayla Harrison, June 7th Next: To be determined Peña is a two-time women’s bantamweight champion, with one of those reigns 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 made for big moments. Other fighters who received votes: Alexa Grasso, Virna Jandiroba, Rose Namajunas, and Tatiana Suarez.

How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Valentina Shevchenko; 2. Zhang Weili; 3. Kayla Harrison; 4. Cris Cyborg; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Mackenzie Dern; 7. Natalia Silva; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Rose Namajunas; 10. Virna Jandiroba. Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Fiorot; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Dakota Ditcheva; 9. Dern; 10. Namajunas. Ian Parker: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Dern; 6. Julianna Peña; 7. Fiorot; 8. Jandiroba; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Silva. Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Harrison; 3. Cyborg; 4. Zhang; 5. Ditcheva; 6. Dern; 7. Alexa Grasso; 8. Peña; 9. Fiorot; 10. Silva. Andrew Davis: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Harrison; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Dern; 6. Silva; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Peña. Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Fiorot; 6. Silva; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Tatiana Suarez; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Dern.