Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
A dominant victory over a late replacement, a subsequent 10-month layoff and breakthrough victories from contemporaries Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili were the only things of late holding former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev back from keeping the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings over the past year.
All of that changed, however, at UFC 322 in November when Makhachev moved up to welterweight to decisively commandeer the 170-pound title from Jack Della Maddalena to become the 11th two-division champion in promotional history.
The 34-year-old Makhachev, who also equaled Anderson Silva’s UFC record for consecutive wins with 16, appeared slightly reborn at the new weight after recently saying that years of hard weight cuts down to 155 pounds had left him at only 70 to 80% of his potential. If his shutout victory over JDM was any indication, the rest of the welterweight division should beware of the task ahead of them moving forward.
Not only did Makhachev look solid and strong at welterweight, his new gas tank allowed him to become a relentless force on the ground as he controlled Della Maddalena in top position for 18 of the fight’s 25 minutes. Makhachev also relied on his hand speed and technique to completely neutralize Della Maddalena’s well-respected boxing skills.
UFC 322 fight fallout: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria at the White House among top fights to make
Shakiel Mahjouri
As UFC CEO Dana White said it himself at the post-fight press conference, the 28-1 Makhachev is approaching G.O.A.T. consideration and now rules over a division that is the deepest in the sport, with no shortage of tough challengers in line. And if UFC 323 was a message to the rest of the division, that message essentially amounted to: step up your grappling skills or else.
Makhachev also revealed the less taxing weight cut at welterweight should allow him to take more fights each year, which is something the division badly needs with so many hungry and deserving contenders at the ready.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev — Welterweight champion
Record: 28-1 | Previous ranking: No. 3
Makhachev turned UFC 322 in November into a night of historical conquest as the former lightweight champion dominated Jack Della Maddalena with his grappling over five rounds to become the 11th two-division champion in UFC history. The 34-year-old also equaled Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive wins with 16. Makhachev now must deal with a hungry group of contenders in the sport’s deepest division at 170 pounds.
2. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight champion
Record: 17-0 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Topuria took a massive step forward in becoming the new face of the promotion by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to capture the vacant lightweight title. The first unbeaten, two-division champion in UFC history just might have the most technical and explosive boxing skills the Octagon has ever seen. Topuria appears on his way toward becoming the biggest MMA star since Conor McGregor.
3. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Record: 21-4 | Previous ranking: No. 2
It’s scary to think about but, at age 34, “The Machine” only continues to get better as his 135-pound title reign continues. Following a third title defense of 2025 in October when he outpointed Cory Sandhagen, Dvalishvili looks to become the first UFC champion to make four defenses in a calendar year when he faces Petr Yan in a rematch at UFC 323 in December.
4. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight
Record: 13-3 | Previous ranking: No. 4
Talk about a comeback victory. The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger had looked sluggish in a decision loss against the technical Magomed Ankalaev in March. Vowing to return at full health after competing at just 40% of himself, Pereira wasted no time in finishing Ankalaev in their October rematch at UFC 320 to regain the title and call for a much-anticipated move up to heavyweight and a third title in as many divisions.
5. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight champion
Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: No. 5
Despite years of inactivity due to injury, illness and bad luck, Chimaev proved at UFC 319 in August just how dangerous he truly is when fully healthy. He also shut up any critics wondering if he possessed five-round cardio by utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground in a shutout decision. While many fans referred to the gameplan that Chimaev executed against DDP as boring, the performance sent a stern message to the rest of the pack at 185 pounds that Chimaev is ready to begin a new era.
6. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Record: 30-5 | Previous ranking: No. 6
Aging like a fine wine, the 35-year-old native of Brazil recorded his fourth title defense with a submission of Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 in June. The victory moved Pantoja into first place for most victories, finishes and submissions in flyweight history. A showdown against red-hot contender Joshua Van is next in December at UFC 323 as Pantoja continues to add on to his legacy during this late career renaissance.
7. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion
Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: No. 7
A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power.
8. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight
Record: 22-3 | Previous ranking: No. 9
As impressive as du Plessis’ first nine trips to the Octagon truly were, he proved quickly out of answers in yielding his middleweight title to unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. DDP simply had nothing for Chimaev on the ground and looked like a novice despite showing toughness and a willingness to keep fighting. A late rally in the closing seconds, aided by two referee standups, wasn’t enough to save face in a one-sided dismantling.
9. Tom Aspinall — Heavyweight champion
Record: 15-3 (1 NC) | Previous ranking: No. 10
The 32-year-old British slugger with some of the fastest hands the division has seen finally earned undisputed champion status when Jon Jones vacated his title and briefly retired earlier this year. Aspinall, who previously defended his interim title last summer, returned in October to defend the belt against Cyril Gane at UFC 321. Unfortunately, a double eye poke late in Round 1 comprised Aspinall’s vision and led to a no contest.
10. Umar Nurmagomedov — Bantamweight
Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: NR
The 29-year-old cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov appears to be on the verge of a second crack at the 135-pound title. Nurmagomedov, who fought through a broken hand in a close decision loss to champion Merab Dvalishvili in January, rebounded in October when he snapped the eight-fight win streak of top contender Mario Bautista. Nurmagomedov is among the most skilled and complete fighters on the roster, particularly on the ground, but needs to become more of a finishing threat at the elite level.
Dropped out: Jack Della Maddalena
Just missed: Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Magomed Ankalaev, Della Maddalena, Lerone Murphy, Max Holloway
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Record: 26-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
If there was any lingering debate as to who was most deserving of being called the pound-for-pound queen, Shevchenko reminded us of her greatness at UFC 322 in November by relying on her grappling to completely neutralize two-time strawweight champion Weili Zhang. The only question now for the 37-year-old is whether she will move back up to 135 pounds to seek a second UFC title and deeper consideration within the G.O.A.T. debate.
2. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight champion
Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: No. 3
Despite enduring an insane cut to make championship weight of 135 pounds, Harrison dominated two-time champion Juianna Pena at UFC 316 in June to capture the women’s bantamweight title. A showdown against former champion (and former teammate) Amanda Nunes could to be next as MMA’s female G.O.A.T. returns to the sport at age 37. Harrison also called out flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko for a possible fight in June at the White House.
3. Zhang Weili — Strawweight/Flyweight
Record: 26-4 | Previous ranking: No. 2
After two title reigns at strawweight, the 35-year-old Chinese star vacated her title in search of cementing her legacy by moving up to flyweight. Unfortunately for Zhang, her attempt to capture a world title in a second division came up definitively short in a wide 5-round decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko. Zhang was soundly dominated by the grappling and defensive skills of her larger foe and now must decide whether to stay at 125 pounds or move back down.
4. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Record: 13-2 | Previous ranking: No. 4
The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. But, to Fiorot’s credit, her October return against a streaking Jasmine Jasudavicius was a stark reminder at how talented and title-ready she remains. Fiorot recorded a first-round TKO in a showcase of her explosive boxing skills.
5. Natalia Silva — Flyweight
Record: 19-5-1 | Previous ranking: No. 5
Unbeaten in seven trips to the Octagon, Silva earned a decision in May at UFC 315 against former champion Alexa Grasso to put the 28-year-old native of Brazil in position for a possible title shot. The dynamic striker has won 13 fights in a row overall since a 2017 loss on the regional scene to Marina Rodriguez and remains a difficult test for any flyweight given her speed, feints and accurate strikes.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Erin Blanchfield, Mackenzie Dern (c), Julianna Pena, Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez
