The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rankings, introduced in February 2013, are generated by a voting panel of media members. These members vote for the top fighters in the UFC by weight class and pound-for-pound.
A fighter is only eligible for voting if they are active in the UFC and can appear in more than one weight division. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in top positions and are not eligible for voting by weight class.
Here's a breakdown of the top male UFC fighters in the pound-for-pound rankings, reflecting their achievements and recent performances as of December 16, 2025, following UFC on ESPN: Royval vs. Moreno:
Top 15 UFC Pound for Pound Rankings
How do the best mixed martial artists on the planet measure up against each other, regardless of division? That's the question our USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie men's pound-for-pound rankings aims to answer.
The results from UFC 323, where two new champions were crowned, caused a shakeup near the top of the rankings and resulted in one of those new champs claiming a spot at the expense of Shavkat Rakhmonov, who hasn't fought now in more than a year.
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Note: Results are through Dec. 13.
1. Islam Makhachev
Record: 28-1
Division: Welterweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision, Nov. 15
Next fight: TBD
How do you replace Ilia Topuria at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings? You move up a division and make the sitting champion look silly over the course of 25 minutes for a clean sweep on the judges' scorecards. That's exactly what Makhachev did to Della Maddalena at UFC 322, dominating him for his 16th win in a row, a streak that dates back to 2016. Now we wait and see what happens with Makhachev's first title defense, which won't be booked until some time after Ramadan ends March 19, although the widespread expectation is a fight with former 170-pound champ Kamaru Usman.
2. Ilia Topuria
Record: 17-0
Division: Lightweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Charles Oliveira via first-round KO, June 28
Next fight: TBD
Topuria was named the 2024 Male Fighter of the Year following his two knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway to win and then defend the UFC featherweight title before vacating to moving up to lightweight to claim the vacant 155-pound title with a knockout of former champ Oliveira. Unfortunately that was his only appearance of 2025, and Topuria is out indefinitely while he takes time off to deal with a personal family matter.
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3. Khamzat Chimaev
Record: 15-0
Division: Middleweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision, Aug. 16
Next fight: TBD
Thanks to a run of unfortunate circumstances, which included multiple withdrawals, a bad weight miss that resulted in changing divisions, and an injury layoff, Chimaev's run to a UFC title came later than expected, but it happened earlier this year when he dominated Du Plessis to claim the middleweight championship. Chimaev has been talking about a move up to light heavyweight to face champ Alex Pereira, but he's got a list of contenders at 185 pounds he should focus on instead.
4. Alex Pereira
Record: 13-3
Division: Light heavyweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Magomed Ankalaev via first-round TKO, Oct. 4
Next fight: TBD
Just when it seemed like the end of the "Poatan" Era had arrived, Pereira came through in a big way by dismantling Ankalaev in their rematch to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title seven months after losing it. What comes next for the two-division champ remains to be seen, but a move to heavyweight isn't out of the question.
5. Alexandre Pantoja
Record: 30-7
Division: Flyweight
Last fight: Loss, Joshua Van via first-round TKO, Dec. 6
Next fight: TBD
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Pantoja had been the steadiest UFC flyweight champion since Demetrious Johnson lost the title and left the promotion in late 2018. That is, until he lost the belt to Van in a most unfortunate fashion as he suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds into the bout that forced the TKO stoppage. The timing of his return, and whether or not he'll be the first to challenge Van in a rematch, are unclear.
6. Merab Dvalishvili
Record: 21-5
Division: Bantamweight
Last fight: Loss, Petr Yan via unanimous decision, Dec. 6
Next fight: TBD
Thanks to a Stellar performance from Yan, Dvalishvili came up short in his quest to become the first UFC champion to ever defend their title four times in a calendar year. Still, after three 135-pound title defenses against Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen in less than nine months, Dvalishvili was named MMA Junkie's Male Fighter of the Year. It remains to be seen if he'll receive an immediate title rematch with Yan.
7. Alexander Volkanovski
Record: 27-4
Division: Featherweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Diego Lopes via unanimous decision, April 12
Next fight: Jan. 31, 2026 vs. Diego Lopes
With Topuria vacating the UFC featherweight title, Volkanovski capitalized on his opportunity to reclaim the belt by defeating Diego Lopes earlier this year at UFC 314. The win came after Volkanovski had lost three of four fights, including two in a row, and now we wait to see how long this reign at 145 pounds can last. It'll start with an immediate rematch in the UFC 325 headliner.
8. Dricus Du Plessis
Record: 23-5
Division: Middleweight
Last fight: Loss, Khamzat Chimaev via unanimous decision, Aug. 16
Next fight: TBD
Du Plessis' 11-fight winning streak, which included nine UFC appearances, came to halt when he ran into the buzzsaw that is Chimaev to lose the middleweight title. But that streak included wins over former champs Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and Robert Whittaker, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
9. Magomed Ankalaev
Record: 20-2-1
Division: Light heavyweight
Last fight: Loss, Alex Pereira via first-round TKO, Oct. 4
Next fight: TBD
Ankalaev couldn't follow up his brilliant performance against Pereira in their first encounter with an encore, and now it's back to the drawing board for the Russian, who hadn't tasted defeat since his second UFC appearance in September 2018.
10. Petr Yan
Record: 20-5
Division: Bantamweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: Win, Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision, Dec. 6
Next fight: TBD
How can you not appreciate the long road Petr Yan endured to reclaiming the UFC championship at 135-pounds? After losing the belt by disqualification to Aljamain Sterling in March 2021, Yan went 1-3 with a three-fight losing skid before stringing together three wins in a row to secure a rematch with Dvalishvili. Thanks to a stellar performance, Yan got his revenge and the bantamweight title back, and he's now waiting to see what comes first in his second title reign.
11. Jack Della Maddalena
Record: 18-3
Division: Welterweight
Last fight: Loss, Islam Makhachev via unanimous decision, Nov. 15
Next fight: TBD
While Della Maddalena did well taking the fight to Belal Muhammad and beating him at his own game, wrestling, to claim the welterweight championship in May, the same could not be said for his performance against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. Della Maddalena looked like a fish out of water while suffering his first defeat since his second professional bout in May 2016.
12. Arman Tsarukyan
Record: 23-3
Division: Lightweight
Last fight: Win, Dan Hooker via second-round submission, Nov. 22
Next fight: TBD
It had been 19 months since Tsarukyan competed before he ran through Hooker at UFC Fight Night 265, which puts him in the title conversation after having to withdraw from a title fight in January. Although, he'll have to wait longer with Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett booked to fight for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324.
13. Tom Aspinall
Record: 15-3
Division: Heavyweight (UFC champion)
Last fight: No contest, Ciryl Gane, Oct. 25
Next fight: TBD
After enduring all the Jon Jones heavyweight title-unification drama for what seemed like forever, we ended up with Aspinall finally returning and his first fight as undisputed champion ending in a no contest thanks to a nasty eye poke by Ciryl Gane. Whomp whomp, better luck next time. An immediate rematch is what appears to be next.
14. Michael Morales
Record: 19-0
Division: Welterweight
Last fight: Win, Sean Brady via first-round TKO, Nov. 15
Next fight: TBD
Morales made his best case for a shot at the UFC welterweight title by taking out top-contender Brady at UFC 322. That performance, combined with his overall resume, was enough to propel him to this debut spot in the rankings.
15. Max Holloway
Record: 27-8
Division: Lightweight
Last fight: Win, Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision, July 19
Next fight: March 7, 2026 vs. Charles Oliveira
A former featherweight champion, Holloway is now testing the waters at lightweight, which got off to a good start with his performance against Poirier at UFC 318.
Why Islam Makhachev is the best fighter alive
Detailed Analysis of Top Fighters
Islam Makhachev (28-1, Welterweight Champion): The current king of the pound-for-pound list, Makhachev, has proven his dominance by moving up to welterweight and defeating Jack Della Maddalena. His impressive 16-fight winning streak speaks volumes about his capabilities. He achieved four title defenses after winning the belt in 2022. Makhachev claimed the gold by submitting Charles Oliveira and also has wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier.
Ilia Topuria (17-0, Lightweight Champion): Topuria's rise has been meteoric, with knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Vacating his featherweight title to chase multi-division glory, he clinched the lightweight title by knocking out Charles Oliveira. But his next move is unclear, with Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje set to vie for an interim version of his belt while Topuria takes a short break for personal reasons.
UFC Rankings Explained
The UFC rankings are updated regularly, reflecting fighters' performances and providing a dynamic view of the top contenders in each division. These rankings influence matchmaking and title opportunities, making them a crucial aspect of the sport.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rankings, which were introduced in February 2013, are generated by a voting panel made up of media members. These media members are asked to vote for whom they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight class and pound-for-pound.
A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are of active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight class.
Conclusion
The UFC pound-for-pound rankings offer an exciting perspective on the best fighters in the world of mixed martial arts. As the sport evolves, these rankings will continue to spark debate and highlight the incredible talent within the UFC.