Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

Alex Pereira has proven to be a quick study when it comes to mixed martial arts.

In just his seventh Octagon appearance, “Poatan” became a two-division champion by virtue of his second-round technical knockout victory against Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 headliner at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. The revered New York venue has been kind to Pereira, who has now captured belts at 185 and 205 pounds there in consecutive years. The Brazilian, who was previously a two-division champion in Glory Kickboxing, is already one of the most interesting competitors in the sport, and he’s also one of the pound-for-pound best. On the heels of his latest effort, Pereira ascends to fifth in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall’s quick knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in the UFC 295 co-headliner also makes a dent in the pound-for-pound poll, as the newly-crowned interim heavyweight king debuts at No. 15. His placement in both the divisional and pound-for-pound rankings was a heated topic of debate among Sherdog staff, and there was a case for him to be higher in this poll. Given recent events, he should have plenty of opportunity to improve his standing in the months to come.

Note: Previous ranking in brackets.

1. Islam Makhachev (25-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev made a statement at UFC 294, knocking out featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a head kick and follow-up punches in the opening round of their lightweight title clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Dagestani standout has won 13 straight fights in the Octagon and thanks to consecutive title defenses against Volkanovski, can close the book on his rivalry with the Australian star. Makhachev’s next assignment could come against either Charles Oliveira, who pulled out of UFC 294 due to a cut, or Justin Gaethje, who has been lobbying hard for a title shot in interviews and on social media.

2. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) | UFC [2]

After a three-year absence, Jones looked as strong as ever in a new division, authoring a first-round submission triumph against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 headliner on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The longtime light heavyweight king was scheduled for a UFC 295 showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden for his first title defense before a torn pectoral forced him to withdraw from the bout. The hope is that Jones vs. Miocic can be rebooked at some point in 2024.

3. Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) | UFC [3]

No one was surprised when Volkanovski agreed to a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, but the City Kickboxing product couldn’t replicate his efforts from the first meeting, when he pushed the reigning lightweight champ to the brink of defeat. The rematch ended in much more emphatic fashion, as Volkanovski fell victim to a Makhachev head kick in the opening stanza. A featherweight title defense is next for Volkanovski, who will lock horns with top contender Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 headliner.

4. Leon Edwards (21-3, 1 NC) | UFC [4]

While Edwards needed a last-minute knockout to wrest the welterweight crown from Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, “Rocky” authored a much more complete performance in their trilogy, taking a five-round, majority-decision triumph over “The Nigerian Nightmare” in the UFC 286 headliner at the O2 Arena in London. Edwards outlanded Usman on the feet, showcased solid defensive wrestling and weathered a third-round point deduction to extend his unbeaten streak to 12 within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Edwards will move on from his rivalry with Usman for a main-event clash against Colby Covington at UFC 296.

5. Alex Pereira (9-2) | UFC [11]

Pereira has proven to be a quick study in MMA, as he became the ninth two-division champion in promotion history by virtue of a second-round stoppage of Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 295 headliner. It only took “Poatan” seven UFC appearances to capture gold at 185 and 205 pounds after conquering two divisions in Glory Kickboxing, making him one of the most accomplished combat sport athletes in recent memory. In the aftermath of his latest triumph, the Brazilian encouraged longtime rival Israel Adesanya to move up to light heavyweight for an MMA trilogy.

6. Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

After relinquishing his belt to Islam Makhachev in October 2022, Oliveira made an emphatic statement in his return, as he defeated top contender Beneil Dariush via first-round technical knockout in the UFC 289 co-main event. “Do Bronx” held his own with Dariush on the canvas, but it was on the feet that he did his best work, rattling the Kings MMA product with head kicks and heavy punches before sealing his victory with ground-and-pound. Unfortunately, a cut suffered in training forced Oliveira to pull out of a rematch against Makhachev at UFC 294.

7. Justin Gaethje (25-4) | UFC [6]

Gaethje picked up a statement win — and the UFC’s BMF belt — in style at UFC 291, getting the better of Dustin Poirier for six minutes before flattening him with a head kick. In avenging his 2018 loss to Poirier, “The Highlight” reaffirmed his status as a top contender in the UFC lightweight division. Gaethje believes he should be next in line for a title shot against reigning champion Islam Makhachev, though he could still have to wait for Charles Oliveira to get his rematch first.

8. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [7]

Nemkov was largely dominant in his latest title defense, as he earned a clear-cut unanimous verdict over former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero in the Bellator 297 main event. The Fedorteam representative battered his adversary with straight punches and an arsenal of kicks while surviving a late Romero takedown in the final stanza. While a finish would have been an ideal punctuation to the night, Nemkov still had to respect the explosive ability of his opponent. The Russian standout is unbeaten in his last 12 professional outings, a stretch that also includes a victory in the Bellator 205-pound grand prix.

9. Alexandre Pantoja (26-5) | UFC [8]

Pantoja nearly made short work of Brandon Moreno in the UFC 290 co-main event before settling in for an epic five-round battle that saw him crowned as the fifth flyweight champion in promotion history. Including an exhibition win on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” Pantoja is now 3-0 against Moreno — though the latest triumph was by far the most difficult. “The Cannibal” will take a four-fight winning streak into his first 125-pound title defense against Brandon Royval at UFC 296.

10. Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) UFC [9]

O’Malley silenced the doubters in emphatic fashion at UFC 292, as he finished Aljamain Sterling with an exquisite right hand and follow-up ground-and-pound in their bantamweight championship clash at TD Garden in Boston. “Sugar” already had all the makings of the promotion’s next big superstar, and now he has the hardware to go with it. Next up is a rematch with Marlon Vera — the only man to defeat him — in the UFC 299 headliner.

Other Contenders: Aljamain Sterling, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Max Holloway, Tom Aspinall.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.