Makhachev Ascends to the Welterweight Throne and Shakes Up UFC Rankings
Islam Makhachev has made a strong impact in the world of mixed martial arts, climbing to the top of the UFC welterweight rankings. After a dominant victory over Jack Della Maddalena, Makhachev has positioned himself as number one in a division that is 15 pounds heavier than his previous lightweight reign. The rise of Makhachev is just one part of the significant changes that occurred at UFC 322. The impressive knockout victories of Michael Morales and Carlos Prates boosted their position among the top ten in the category. The only other notable movement in the rankings occurred in lightweight, where Makhachev’s move to 170 pounds allowed several 155-pound competitors to advance. Ilia Topuria, current UFC champion, now leads the division. Furthermore, Beneil Dariush’s 16-second knockout loss to Benoît Saint Denis at UFC 322, led to the entry of Saint Denis and Renato Moicano into the rankings. Regarding the women’s rankings, after Zhang Weili lost to Valentina Shevchenko in her attempt for the flyweight title, Zhang has not confirmed which division she will compete in the future. For the moment, her position in the strawweight division, at number one, is maintained.Below, we present the pound-for-pound MMA rankings and a list of the current UFC champions in all weight classes.
The results are current; the rankings correspond to November 18th. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter must have competed in the last 12 months or have a scheduled upcoming fight. Fighters who have been removed for inactivity can only be reinstated after competing.HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 265 pounds)- Tom Aspinall
- Ciryl Gane
- Curtis Blaydes
- Alexander Volkov
- Sergei Pavlovich
- Jailton Almeida
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Renan Ferreira
- Serghei Spivac
- Derrick Lewis
- Alex Pereira
- Magomed Ankalaev
- Jiří Procházka
- Carlos Ulberg
- Khalil Rountree Jr.
- Azamat Murzakanov
- Dominick Reyes
- Aleksandar Rakić
- Jamahal Hill
- Corey Anderson
- Khamzat Chimaev
- Dricus du Plessis
- Nassourdine Imavov
- Sean Strickland
- Israel Adesanya
- Anthony Hernandez
- Caio Borralho
- Brendan Allen
- Reinier de Ridder
- Robert Whittaker
- Islam Makhachev
- Jack Della Maddalena
- Belal Muhammad
- Shavkat Rakhmonov
- Ian Machado Garry
- Michael Morales
- Kamaru Usman
- Sean Brady
- Carlos Prates
- Joaquin Buckley
- Ilia Topuria
- Charles Oliveira
- Max Holloway
- Justin Gaethje
- Usman Nurmagomedov
- Paddy Pimblett
- Mateusz Gamrot
- Rafael Fiziev
- Benoît Saint Denis
- Renato Moicano
- Alexander Volkanovski
- Movsar Evloev
- Diego Lopes
- Yair Rodriguez
