Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

Sign up for ESPN+ and order UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett

Advertisement

Jiri Prochazka snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in perhaps the most memorable fashion possible at UFC 275.

Down on the scorecards with time winding down in the fifth round of his light heavyweight title bout against Glover Teixeira, Prochazka secured a rear-naked choke submission with 28 seconds remaining in their headlining bout in Singapore on Saturday night. It was the Czech Republic native’s 11th consecutive finish in professional MMA competition, but the stakes were undeniably higher than in any of those previous 10 victories for “Denisa.”

As a result, Prochazka makes his pound-for-pound debut at No. 10, adding new intrigue to the light heavyweight division in the process. Whether it’s a rematch with Teixiera, an all-Europe clash with Jan Blachowicz or a showdown with the Magomed Ankalaev-Anthony Smith winner, options abound for the newly-crowned 205-pound champion. If his first title defense is anywhere near as exciting as what went down at UFC 275, we’re all in for a treat.

Note: Previous ranking in brackets.

1. Kamaru Usman (20-1) | UFC [1]

Usman kept on trucking at UFC 268, earning a unanimous decision triumph over Colby Covington in a championship rematch at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 6. “The Nigerian Nightmare” dropped Covington twice in the second round then survived a late push in the championship frames from his opponent to close the book on his rivalry with the controversial Covington. Usman now has 15 consecutive UFC triumphs under his belt, a streak that is only surpassed by middleweight great Anderson Silva. Usman’s next title defense will come against Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 main event on Aug. 20.

2. Alexander Volkanovski (24-1) | UFC [2]

At UFC 273, Volkanovski authored the type of leave-no-doubt performance that Hall of Fame legacies are built upon, as he overwhelmed Chan Sung Jung en route to a fourth-round technical knockout victory in the evening’s main event at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 9. That makes three successful featherweight title defenses and 21 straight professional triumphs overall for Volkanovski, who has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport. A trilogy with Max Holloway, who was supposed to face the City Kickboxing representative at UFC 272, is expected for UFC 276 on July 2.

3. Israel Adesanya (22-1) | UFC [3]

He took a far different route to get there, but Adesanya is nonetheless 2-0 against Robert Whittaker after defeating his rival via unanimous decision in the UFC 271 headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 19. With four title defenses and 11 consecutive triumphs overall at 185 pounds under his belt, “The Last Stylebender” will look ahead to his next challenge in the division. That will come during International Fight Week against No. 1 contender Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event on July 2.

4. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [4]

Ngannou displayed a significant step in his evolution at UFC 270, as he relied on takedowns and positional control to grind out a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to unify the heavyweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22. While it wasn’t the most thrilling performance, the effort speaks volumes about Ngannou’s resolve, when in previous fights he struggled to do anything of note when forced to go past the second round. “The Predator” now faces an uncertain future, as he is unhappy with the way he has been treated by the UFC and seems willing to sit out for a significant period of time unless the two sides are able to come to terms. Regardless of how that happens, Ngannou will be sidelined for much of the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery.

5. Charles Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

After missing weight by 0.5 pounds one day prior, Oliveira lost his lightweight crown as soon as his UFC 274 headlining bout against Justin Gaethje began. That didn’t prevent “Do Bronx” from putting together yet another masterful performance, as he survived some early adversity before rallying to drop and submit the former World Series of Fighting champion in the opening round of their bout at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. The victory, which was Oliveira’s 11th straight, assures the Brazilian of a spot in the next 155-pound title fight. The Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative only seems to be getting better, with finishes of Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in his last three promotional appearances.

6. Patricio Freire (33-5) | Bellator [6]

“Pitbull” earned arguably the most important win of his storied career on April 15, defeating A.J. McKee by unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator 277 to take back his featherweight belt. With the hard-fought rematch behind him, Bellator’s first ever four-time champion should have plenty to keep him busy, including a potential rubber match with McKee — even if it takes place at lightweight — and rising contenders like Adam Borics and Aaron Pico stringing together impressive win streaks.

7. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1) | UFC [7]

After relocating to Fight Ready in Arizona, Figueiredo evened the score with Brandon Moreno at UFC 270, winning a closely contested unanimous decision in the evening’s co-main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22. In a bout where each round was difficult to score, Figueiredo’s more powerful offense might have made the difference and allowed him to regain the UFC flyweight crown. With the series against Moreno knotted up at 1-1-1, a fourth bout seems well within the realm of possibility. First, Moreno and Kai Kara France will square off for interim gold at UFC 277.

8. Stipe Miocic (20-4) | UFC [9]

When his wrestling failed against Francis Ngannou in the UFC 260 headliner, so did Miocic’s bid to make another successful heavyweight championship defense. Miocic saw his reign end in a second-round KO defeat at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 27, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Ohio-based firefighter has already established himself as the organization’s most consistent heavyweight king with records for most victories in title bouts and consecutive title defenses. Though requesting a trilogy wouldn’t be out of line for the 38-year-old, Miocic’s Octagon forays have become less frequent in recent years, making it unclear when he might be willing to return for another matchup with Ngannou – or anyone.

9. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) | UFC [10]

Poirier entered UFC 269 as the uncrowned lightweight champion in many people’s eyes, but he left the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas empty handed following a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The American Top Team representative started well, as he landed powerful punches and floored his opponent in Round 1, but that momentum gradually faded as the bout progressed. Poirier was on the verge of a memorable 2021 campaign that could have included two wins over Conor McGregor and a championship belt, but instead “The Diamond” comes up short for the second consecutive time in a title bout.

10. Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1) | UFC [NR]

There were more than a few times when Prochazka appeared to be dead in the water against Glover Teixeira in their light heavyweight title bout at UFC 275, but ultimately the resilient Czech prevailed with a rear-naked choke submission at the 4:32 mark of Round 5. Had the bout gone to the scorecards, Prochazka would have likely been on the wrong end of a decision defeat. Instead, the former Rizin Fighting Federation titlist claims 205-pound gold and extends his professional winning streak to 13. “Denisa” has also finished his last 11 opponents inside the distance.

Other Contenders: Max Holloway, A.J. McKee Justin Gaethje, Aljamain Sterling, Glover Teixeira.

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.