Pound For Pound Rankings
As Nurmagomedov seemingly rides off into the sunset, he ascends to No. 1 status in the pound-for-pound ranks with an absolutely scintillating win over Justin Gaethje.
Already considered one of the greatest fighters of all-time, Jones said he wants to turn his attention to heavyweight in hopes of building an even more impressive legacy – though he seems awfully caught up in Israel Adesanya at the moment.
Adesanya looked phenomenal in a one-sided win over a previously undefeated Paulo Costa and believes Jared Cannonier is likely his next challenge.
After fulfilling his dream of adding a global belt to his collection of championships, ‘Mighty Mouse’ now looks to add ONE’s flyweight belt to the grand prix title he already earned.
Usman may not be the most popular figure on the UFC roster, but he’s certainly effective and is starting to put his name in the history books with his dominant run.
With his trilogy win over Daniel Cormier secured, Miocic is widely considered the greatest heavyweight in UFC history – and perhaps even all of MMA.
Bader was certainly disappointed to lose his Bellator champ-champ status, but he does still have one belt and promises to return in top form.
It wasn’t as convincing as the first time around, but Volkanovski picked up a second win over Max Holloway and says he wants to continue taking out top contenders.
Upcoming Fight: vs Alex Perez | Nov 21, 2020 – UFC 255
Figueiredo debuts on the list after claiming the UFC flyweight title with an incredibly one-sided victory over perennial contender Joseph Benavidez.
Poirier continues to be one of the most exciting fighters in the game, and his grit is immeasurable – qualities he hopes will net him another UFC title shot in the near future.
Gaethje debuts on the pound-for-pound list after an absolutely brilliant dismantling of Tony Ferguson and could take an even bigger leap if he’s able to unseat Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Holloway was all-class following a razor-thin loss to Alexander Volkanoski and now must decide what to do next.
Whittaker’s recent journey has been full of challenges, but at just 29, he promises there are still plenty of good days ahead.
Costa has made clear his disdain for UFC champ Israel Adesanya, and the two are set to meet at UFC 254 to work out their differences.
Honorable Mentions
USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 27: Does Khabib overtake Jon Jones as P4P No. 1?
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made it look relatively easy this past weekend, moving his undefeated record to 29-0 after he submitted Justin Gaethje in the second round of their UFC 254 headliner.
Afterward, Nurmagomedov, 32, shocked everyone when he announced he was retiring. But he also had a request: to be ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound, a distinction that’s belonged to Jon Jones for quite some time in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
Was Nurmagomedov’s performance against Gaethje enough for him to move from No. 2 into the top spot? Here’s what our rankings chair, “Gorgeous” George Garcia, had to say:
“Khabib looked great in his title unification bout, probably never better against a formidable interim champ who was fighting at his peak, too. That’s just what it takes to overtake Jones at No. 1. Jones’ last title defense against Dominick Reyes in February was arguably a loss. The one before that against Thiago Santos was a split decision win. Khabib has strangled interim champs in his last two fights. And I know that sounds more dramatic in a way. It’s not that Santos and Reyes weren’t deserving of their title shots. I just think Khabib took some heat early on by facing Iaquinta and McGregor, and NOT Tony Ferguson, but Ferguson’s injury (and other karma) prevented that fight from ever happening. But this is the time for Khabib to go out on top.”
Now, the MMA GOAT debate can rage on forever, and Jones has made it clear he should be No. 1 in that department. But as far as these current pound-for-pound rankings go, did we get it right?
You can check out the full list of rankings by division in the dropdowns above. With Bellator 250 and UFC on ESPN+ 39 coming up this week, there’s sure to be some movement in the next edition.
Ranking Criteria
The rankings take into account a fighter’s wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they’ve been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they’re not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter’s primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, non-titleholders can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won’t be ranked in a new weight class until they’ve had their first fight at that weight.