Makhachev and Shevchenko Climb to the Top of Alofoke Deportes’ P4P Ranking
In a day full of emotions for the world of mixed martial arts, Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko rose to the top of Alofoke Deportes’ pound-for-pound ranking. Both fighters achieved resounding victories at UFC 322, solidifying their position as the best in their respective categories.
Makhachev, who started the day as number two in the rankings, demonstrated his superiority by dethroning Jack Della Maddalena in the welterweight category. For her part, Shevchenko, flyweight champion, defended her title with a unanimous decision over Zhang Weili, who had previously vacated her strawweight championship to move up a category.
The difference in the performance of both fighters lies in the difficulty of their fights. Shevchenko faced Zhang Weili, who at that time was number one in the Alofoke Deportes ranking, which turned their fight into a clash between the two best women in MMA. Makhachev, on the other hand, faced Della Maddalena, who was ranked eighth in the men’s ranking.
These victories not only secured them the top spot in the ranking, but also place them in the conversation as some of the best MMA fighters of all time.
Men’s Pound-for-Pound Ranking
UFC Welterweight Champion. Previously ranked #2. Record: 28-1. Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Jack Della Maddalena, November 15. Next fight: To be determined.
Makhachev fulfilled his promise to become a two-division champion by defeating Della Maddalena at UFC 322, tying Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history with 16 victories. With a large number of talented welterweight competitors, Makhachev will have many opponents. However, the fight everyone wants to see is against Ilia Topuria, the current lightweight champion.
UFC Lightweight Champion. Previously ranked #1. Record: 17-0. Last fight: KO victory in the first round against Charles Oliveira, June 28. Next fight: To be determined.
After knocking out two of the best featherweights in UFC history (Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway) in 2024, Topuria captured the vacant title by knocking out Oliveira at UFC 317.
UFC Bantamweight Champion. Record: 21-4. Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Cory Sandhagen, October 4. Next fight: December 6 against Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili is performing impressively in the UFC bantamweight division. He defeated Sean O’Malley for the second time in nine months at UFC 316, and demonstrated a new facet of his game by finishing O’Malley with a guillotine in the third round. Since August 2022, Dvalishvili has defeated José Aldo, Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov, and Sandhagen. He will defend his title again in December in a rematch with Yan, becoming the only champion in UFC history to defend a title four times in one year.
UFC Heavyweight Champion. Record: 15-3, 1 NC. Last fight: No contest 1 against Ciryl Gane, October 25. Next fight: To be determined.
Aspinall is the most dynamic, skilled, and talented heavyweight the sport has seen. He dominates his opponents in an unparalleled way. He was hoping to demonstrate his supremacy against Jon Jones, but Jones chose to withdraw, which elevated Aspinall from interim champion. His first defense of the undisputed title ended disappointingly when an eye poke caused his fight with Gane at UFC 321 to be declared a no-contest.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Record: 13-3. Last fight: Victory by TKO in the first round against Magomed Ankalaev, October 4. Next fight: To be defined.
An excellent 2024 consolidated Pereira as a star in the UFC, but he faced his toughest test as a light heavyweight champion when he faced Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira kept the fight standing, but lost by unanimous decision. He changed that result violently when he faced Ankalaev in a rematch at UFC 320.
UFC Middleweight Champion. Record: 15-0. Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Dricus Du Plessis, August 16. Next fight: 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 fight 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.
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 amassed 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 lapping the 125-pound division.
UFC Featherweight Champion. Previously ranked 9th. Record: 27-4. Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Diego Lopes, April 12. Next fight: 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 took notice and made a point of showing everyone that he still has a lot to give by recapturing the featherweight belt at UFC 314. His age (36) will likely remain a topic before the fight, which is fine because Volkanovski likes to prove people wrong.
UFC Welterweight. Previously ranked 8th. Record: 18-3. Last fight: Loss by unanimous decision against Islam Makhachev, November 15. Next fight: To be determined.
Holding a spot in the top 10 for Della Maddalena might be a surprise, but it speaks volumes. 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 drastically changed because of it.
UFC Middleweight. Record: 23-3. Last fight: Unanimous decision loss against Khamzat Chimaev, August 16. Next fight: To be defined.
Before being defeated 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). Can he fight again for another opportunity against Chimaev?
UFC Lightweight. Record: 27-8. Last fight: Victory by unanimous decision against Dustin Poirier, July 19. Next fight: To be defined.
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
UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion. Previously ranked #2. Record: 26-4-1. Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Zhang Weili, November 15. Next fight: 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. Shevchenko has reasserted herself as the best flyweight in the world, and now she has affirmed herself as the number 1 in the world, period. It wasn’t surprising that she beat Zhang, but it was surprising how easy she made it.
UFC Flyweight/Strawweight. Previously ranked 1. Record: 26-4. Last fight: Lost by unanimous decision against Valentina Shevchenko, November 15. Next fight: To be determined.
It’s difficult to move up in weight, especially at the highest level. That seems 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 pounds. UFC 322 was a bad night for Zhang, but she doesn’t have many of those. And if she decides to stay at 125 pounds, it certainly seems reasonable that she’ll do better in the future.
UFC Bantamweight Champion. Record: 19-1. Last fight: Victory by technical submission in the second round against Julianna Peña, June 7. Next fight: To be defined.
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 hardware to add to her two Olympic judo gold medals. However, she will not have it easy in her first title defense, because Nunes returns with the belt in sight.
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.
It had been a while since Cyborg had fought an elite MMA opponent until she faced Pacheco in 2024. That was a legitimate fight, and many within the industry predicted Cyborg’s downfall. Instead, she eliminated the PFL two-weight champion, nullifying all of Pacheco’s momentum. One of the original pioneers of women’s MMA is still going strong, and she will seek the vacant PFL title against Collins, an Australian with a 6-0 record but with little high-level experience.
UFC Flyweight. Record: 13-2. Last fight: TKO victory in the first round against Jasmine Jasudavicius, October 18. Next fight: To be determined.
Fiorot failed to overcome the challenge of 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.
UFC Strawweight Champion. Record: 16-5. Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Virna Jandiroba, October 25. Next fight: To be determined.
Dern’s ascent to the 115-pound throne was truly a changing of the guard. She is the division’s first-time champion 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.
UFC Flyweight. Record: 19-5-1. Last fight: Unanimous decision victory against Alexa Grasso, May 10. Next fight: To be determined.
Silva looks like a future UFC champion after a dominant showing against Grasso at UFC 315. Silva’s hit-and-move style has frustrated even the highest-level opponent, 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 15. Next fight: 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 a suffocating grip. She will have to wait her turn for a title shot, with Natalia Silva likely next, but Blanchfield’s turn will certainly 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 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 begin 2026 with a matchup against fellow kickboxer Kielholtz.
UFC Bantamweight. Record: 12-6. Last fight: Submission loss in the second round against Kayla Harrison, June 7. Next fight: To be defined.
Peña is a two-time women’s 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 made for the 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. Pena.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Fiorot; 6. Silva; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Tatiana Suarez; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Dern.
