Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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Alexandre Pantoja remains the gold standard in the flyweight division.

Facing a larger opponent with championship credentials in another promotion, Pantoja delivered the goods with a second-round submission of Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. “The Cannibal” has three successful title defenses to his credit and 13 career victories at 125 pounds — tying him for the most in the history of the division. Pantoja has already vanquished many of the top contenders in the weight class, but he made an intriguing callout of the retired Demetrious Johnson in the aftermath of his latest triumph. While it’s unclear whether such a bout would tempt “Mighty Mouse,” or if he still has contractual ties to One Championship, give Pantoja credit for getting creative with his post-fight time on the microphone.

In the meantime, the American Top Team standout’s current run allows him to move one spot up to No. 5 ahead of Alexander Volkanovski, who has lost three of his last four fights.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Islam Makhachev (26-1) | UFC [1]

It was far from an easy night at the office for Makhachev at UFC 302, but the reigning lightweight champion weathered a spirited test from Dustin Poirier, ultimately submitting his opponent with a brabo choke in the fifth round of their encounter at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Makhachev’s winning streak currently sits at 14, the third-longest in UFC history. While another lightweight title defense looms in the form of a rematch against top contender Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311, the Dagestani standout has repeatedly expressed interest in a two-division championship bid at 170 pounds.

2. Ilia Topuria (16-0) | UFC [2]

Topuria added another significant feather to his cap in the UFC 308 headliner, as he became the first person to knock out Max Holloway in 34 professional fights at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With back-to-back knockouts of Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski on his ledger — and eight consecutive triumphs in the UFC overall — “El Matador” is the unquestioned king of the featherweight division. A rematch with Volkanovski, who was in attendance at UFC 308, could be on the horizon for the Georgian-Spaniard.

3. Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

In his second foray at heavyweight, “Bones” was utterly dominant once again at UFC 309, hammering former champ Stipe Miocic with brutal ground-and-pound and pelting him with kicks, punches and elbows on the feet before closing things out with a spinning back kick to the ribs late in the third round. While many fans questioned the UFC’s decision to match Jones with the long-inactive Miocic rather than interim champ Tom Aspinall, there can be no questioning the former light heavyweight kingpin’s work in the cage, as he has looked flawless since returning to action last year.

4. Alex Pereira (12-2) | UFC [4]

In the headliner of UFC 307 on Oct. 5, “Poatan” added another chapter to his remarkable story, weathering a stern challenge from Khalil Rountree before destroying him with an onslaught of punches in Round 4. With the win, Pereira ran his record to 5-0 at light heavyweight and set a new UFC record for the fastest run to three successful title defenses. The towering Brazilian has taken the sport by storm over the last three years, and while he understandably called for some time off after his latest win, he appears to have quite a bit left in the tank.

5. Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) | UFC [6]

Pantoja made short work of former Rizin bantamweight king Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner, winning via second-round submission at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Cannibal” now has three successful flyweight title defenses to his credit and for the first time during his reign, he didn’t need the full 25 minutes to get the job done. In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Pantoja issued an interesting callout to retired flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the Brazilian is the current gold standard in the division.

6. Alexander Volkanovski (26-4) | UFC [5]

Volkanovski couldn’t overcome Father Time at UFC 298, as the 35-year-old Aussie suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in the evening’s main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Regardless of what the future holds, Volkanovski will go down as one of the sport's all-time great featherweights and given his previously perfect record at 145 pounds, he has a solid case for a title shot in his next Octagon appearance.

7. Belal Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Muhammad’s patience paid off, as his 10-fight, four-and-a-half-year unbeaten streak culminated in a chance to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 304. Whereas their first meeting had been trending in favor of Edwards before ending due to an untimely eye poke, in the rematch Muhammad was the superior fighter in the cage from start to finish. Muhammad was slated to make his first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but a foot infection forced him to withdraw from that booking.

8. Max Holloway (26-8) | UFC [8]

Holloway looked sharp for two rounds against Ilia Topuria, but “Blessed” ultimately succumbed to his opponent’s otherworldly power at the 1:34 mark of Round 3 in the UFC 308 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Holloway is now winless in his last four bids for featherweight gold, but his status as perpetual fan favorite and reigning BMF champ likely means there will be no shortage of interesting matchups in the future for the Hawaiian star.

9. Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Given the chance to defend his UFC welterweight title in front of an arena packed with his countrymen, Edwards came up short, as he was soundly outwrestled and outstruck by Belal Muhammad over five rounds in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. With the unanimous decision loss, Edwards sees his division-leading 13-fight unbeaten streak come to an end. While there may not be much clamor for an immediate rematch, the 32-year-old does not figure to fall far from the title picture, and with undefeated young guns such as Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry scaling the ladder behind him, there should be no shortage of chances to prove he is still among the top fighters in the sport.

10. Dricus Du Plessis (22-2) UFC [10]

Despite an unorthodox style that often borders on ugly, Du Plessis continues to prove the doubters wrong. “Stillknocks” successfully defended his middleweight title for the first time at UFC 305, as he submitted Israel Adesanya with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round of their headlining encounter at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Du Plessis’ UFC winning streak now sits at eight, and he’ll next face Sean Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in Sydney.

Other Contenders: Tom Aspinall, Merab Dvalishvili, Francis Ngannou, Vadim Nemkov, Sean O’Malley.

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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.