Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

Charles Oliveira may no longer be the champ, but he’s a formidable obstacle for anyone on the path to the top of the lightweight division.

Oliveira dashed Beneil Dariush’s title hopes in emphatic fashion in the UFC 289 co-headliner, ending his opponent’s eight-fight winning streak with a first-round technical knockout victory at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Saturday night. If there were any questions as to how “Do Bronx” would rebound from seeing his own lengthy winning streak come to an end at the hands of Islam Makhachev, those doubts exist no longer. Oliveira is still one of the top threats at 155 pounds, and he may have very well secured himself a rematch with Makhachev in his next UFC appearance. With wins in 12 of his last 13 outings — including the latest impressive thumping of a potential No. 1 contender in waiting — the Chute Boxe Diego Lima standout climbs from eighth to sixth in Sherdog’s latest pound-for-pound rankings. The coming months should be interesting indeed for the former lightweight king.

Note: Previous ranking in brackets.

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

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. In victory, “Bones” staked his claim to GOAT status while adding heavyweight gold to his trophy case. The longtime light heavyweight king has set his sights on a showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic for his first title defense, with Madison Square Garden targeted as an ideal landing spot for the bout.

2. Islam Makhachev (24-1) | UFC [2]

Though he was hardly dominant, Makhachev found a way at UFC 284, earning a five-round verdict against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the evening’s main event at the RAC Arena, in Perth, Australia. While the size advantage wasn’t as big a factor as expected, Makhachev nonetheless extended his winning streak to 12 and retained his 155-pound belt in the process. While he may yet have unfinished business with Volkanovski down the road, Makhachev will now devote his focus to a full cadre of contenders in the UFC’s always-crowded lightweight division.

3. Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) | UFC [3]

Volkanovski performed admirably in the UFC 284 headliner, giving Islam Makhachev everything he could handle for five rounds before ultimately falling in a closely-contested unanimous decision defeat. The reigning UFC featherweight champion undeniably raised his stock in the loss, and he has a legitimate claim to a rematch against his Dagestani rival. However, there’s also business to attend to in his weight class, where Yair Rodriguez claimed interim gold with a dominant performance in the UFC 284 co-main event. While Volkanovski can clearly hang with the world’s best at lightweight, he will turn his attention to a 145-pound title unification bout next against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

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 can move on from his rivalry with Usman, but his next challenge may already be looming: Colby Covington weighed in as an alternate for the main event and was tabbed by Dana White as the No. 1 contender in waiting.

5. Israel Adesanya (24-2) | UFC [5]

Adesanya restored order to the middleweight division with a massive second-round knockout of Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 headliner. Not only did “The Last Stylebender” regain the belt he lost to his rival at UFC 281 last November, but he earned his first victory in the pair’s combat sports series — which now spans four bouts across kickboxing and MMA. Adesanya’s eight title fight victories rank second all-time at 185 pounds, and he has victories over the top five UFC middleweights currently ranked below him: Pereira, Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa.

6. Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC??) | UFC [8]

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. By ending the eight-fight winning streak of his opponent, Oliveira makes a strong case for receiving a rematch with Makhachev at a future event.

7. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [6]

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. After being sidelined for the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery, Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC for a deal to defend his heavyweight crown against Jon Jones. As a result, he was stripped of his belt and granted his release, making him one of the most coveted free agents in combat sports. That process concluded in May 2023, when Ngannou signed a deal with the Professional Fighters League. “The Predator” isn’t supposed to compete for the organization until 2024 as he pursues a pro boxing match, so his rankings eligibility will expire on July 22.

8. Patricio Freire (35-5) | Bellator [7]

Freire was methodical in victory against Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin 40, as he denied his foe’s takedown attempts and landed solid offense on the feet en route to a unanimous decision triumph against the Japanese promotion’s featherweight champion. “Pitbull,” who is currently on his third reign as Bellator’s 145-pound king, has won 10 of his last 11 professional appearances dating back to 2017. After previously holding the lightweight belt, Freire will make his second bid to become a two-division champ when he meets bantamweight king Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297.

9. Brandon Moreno (21-6-2) | UFC [9]

Moreno got the last laugh against Deiveson Figueiredo, as he improved to 2-1-1 against the Brazilian with a doctor stoppage victory at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. Moreno now begins his second reign as flyweight champion with the Figueiredo rivalry clearly in his rearview mirror. It seems quite likely that Alexandre Pantoja — who owns wins over Moreno at UFC Fight Night 129 and on “TUF 24” — will be next on the fight itinerary for “The Assassin Baby.”

10. Aljamain Sterling (20-3) | UFC [10]

Sterling held serve—and held onto his UFC title—at UFC 288 on May 6, taking a hard-fought decision over returning former two-division champ Henry Cejudo. While it may not have been the emphatic result he hoped for, his third title defense breaks a three-way tie with T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz for the most in UFC bantamweight history. Sterling has made noises about moving up to featherweight, but should he elect to stay at 135 pounds, his next title challenger would appear to be set, as Sean O’Malley entered the cage after the UFC 288 main event for a face-off that ended up having to be broken up by security. That bout has already been announced for UFC 292, though some questions remain regarding Sterling’s health.

Other Contenders: Kamaru Usman, Alex Pereira, Dustin Poirier, Vadim Nemkov, Jiri Prochazka.

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.