UFC Pound-for-Pound Fighter Rankings: Savor the greatness of Alex Pereira while you can

Despite a whirlwind of whispers and doubts that his prime was behind him at age 38, Alex Pereira returned with a vengeance last Saturday to regain his light heavyweight championship at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. 

Seven months after a sluggish decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira showed just how dangerous he can be in their immediate rematch when he isn’t accepting fights on short notice or pushing through training camps despite injuries. A fully healthy Pereira looked as dominant and dangerous as ever in overwhelming Ankalaev with pressure and the threat of his one-punch knockout power en route to an 80-second TKO win. 

While the victory was redemptive to Pereira’s standing as, quite possibly, the biggest star in all of UFC, it seemed to do even more in regards to his critical ranking among the pound-for-pound best following what now appears to be a hiccup against Ankaalev in their first meeting when Pereira was reportedly battling a broken hand and a case of norovirus. 

Gone was the worldwide travel and life as an ambassador between fights as Pereira chose to hunker down at his Connecticut gym alongside mentor (and former UFC champion) Glover Teixeira. The renewed focus was visible from the opening bell as Pereira raced across the cages to pressure Ankalaev and force him into a defensive posture. 

All it eventually took was a single mistake from Ankalaev and the opening was filled by a rocket right cross to drop him before Pereira caused a halt to the bout with elbows and hammer strikes from top position on the ground. 

Through less than four years as a UFC fighter, Pereira has accomplished more as a two-division champion than most Hall of Famers do over an entire career. “Poatan” has a 10-2 record in the UFC with seven wins against current or former champions and eight title bout appearances in just 12 fights overall. He also holds the distinction of having defeated every fighter he has faced inside the Octagon.

Even though he’s approaching 40 following a lengthy kickboxing career which saw him win titles in two divisions with GLORY and get inducted into its Hall of Fame, Pereira’s age might not be an immediate factor toward his continued pursuit of greatness now that he is openly pushing for a move up to heavyweight. 

Pereira, who will need some time to rest following what appeared to be a broken foot suffered against Ankalaev in their rematch, has said he covets a super fight against Jon Jones next June at the UFC event planned for the White House in Washington, D.C. The even bigger move available to him, however, could be a shot at the winner of the October heavyweight title bout between Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gane that would give Pereira the first shot at becoming a three-division UFC champion. 

No matter what happens, Pereira’s ability to hide his projected weaknesses on the ground has been a huge part of his history making success. And should he find similar results in a third weight class, there’s a legitimate opportunity for “Poatan” to one day exit the sport as the greatest and most accomplished fighter in history. 

Savor Pereira’s all-time greatness while you still can. He is a truly unique fighter and pay-per-view superstar. 

Men’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight champion

Record: 18-0 | Previous ranking: No. 1

Topuria took a massive step forward in becoming the new face of the promotion by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to capture the vacant lightweight title. The first unbeaten, two-division champion in UFC history just might have the most technical and explosive boxing skills the Octagon has ever seen. Topuria appears on his way toward becoming the biggest MMA star since Conor McGregor and could be in line to face Justin Gaethje in early 2026. 

2. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion

Record: 21-4 | Previous ranking: No. 3

It’s scary to think about but, at age 34, “The Machine” only continues to get better as his 135-pound title reign continues. Five months after he outpointed unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov despite an injured back, Dvalishvili submitted former champion Sean O’Malley in their June rematch at UFC 316. A third title defense of 2025 came in October when he outpointed Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili’s cardio might be unlike anyone else in UFC history.

3. Islam Makhachev — Welterweight

Record: 27-1 | Previous ranking: No. 2

Makhachev chose to vacate his 155-pound title despite the presence of former featherweight king Ilia Topuria moving up to his division. At 33, Makhachev is looking to add to his increasingly legendary résumé by competing for a title in a second weight class. He will challenge new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena this fall with a shot at equaling Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins at November’s UFC 322 card  in New York.

4. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight

Record: 12-3 | Previous ranking: No. 8

Talk about a comeback victory. The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger had looked sluggish in a decision loss against the technical Magomed Ankalaev in March. Vowing to return at full health after competing at just 40% of himself, Pereira wasted no time in finishing Ankalaev in their October rematch at UFC 320 to regain the title and call for a much-anticipated move up to heavyweight and a third title in as many divisions.

5. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight champion

Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: No. 4

Despite years of inactivity due to injury, illness and bad luck, Chimaev proved at UFC 319 in August just how dangerous he truly is when fully healthy. He also shut up any critics wondering if he possessed five-round cardio by utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground in a shutout decision. While many fans referred to the gameplan that Chimaev executed against DDP as boring, the performance sent a stern message to the rest of the pack at 185 pounds that Chimaev is ready to begin a new era.

6. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion

Record: 31-5 | Previous ranking: No. 5

Aging like a fine wine, the 35-year-old native of Brazil recorded his fourth title defense with a submission of Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 in June. The victory moved Pantoja into first place for most victories, finishes and submissions in flyweight history. A showdown against red-hot contender Joshua Van is next as Pantoja continues to add on to his legacy during this late career renaissance.

7. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion

Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: No. 6

A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power. A title defense against unbeaten Lerone Murphy appears to be next in December.

8. Jack Della Maddalena — Welterweight champion

Record: 24-4, 1 NC | Previous ranking: No. 9

Despite a 14-month layoff and close victories in his previous three fights, the Australian slugger became the class of the 170-pound division with his hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Della Maddalena showed elite boxing and footwork yet it was his takedown defense which played the biggest role in JDM conquering such a deep division. His first title defense comes against Makhachev in November at UFC 322. 

9. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight

Record: 22-3 | Previous ranking: No. 10

As impressive as du Plessis’ first nine trips to the Octagon truly were, he proved quickly out of answers in yielding his middleweight title to unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. DDP simply had nothing for Chimaev on the ground and looked like a novice despite showing toughness and a willingness to keep fighting. A late rally in the closing seconds, aided by two referee standups, wasn’t enough to save face in a one-sided dismantling.

10. Tom Aspinall – Heavyweight champion

Record: 15-3 | Previous ranking: NR

The 32-year-old British slugger with some of the fastest hands the division has seen finally earned undisputed champion status when Jon Jones vacated his title and briefly retired earlier this year. Aspinall who previously defended his interim title last summer, returns in October to defend the belt against Cyril Gane at UFC 321. The stalling and injury breaks from Jones did nothing but stall Aspinall’s career. It’s time for him to make up for lost time.

Dropped out: Magomed Ankalaev

Just missed: Ankalaev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Lerone Murphy, Reinier de Ridder

Women’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion

Record: 24-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1

The future Hall of Famer only continued to cement her legacy even further at UFC 315 in May when she outpointed the red-hot Manon Fiorot over five rounds. The 37-year-old Shevchenko, who improved her UFC record for title wins by a female with 10, also achieved her eighth title defense by making the championship adjustments when it mattered most. A superfight against strawweight queen Zhang Weili is on tap for UFC 322 in New York

2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion

Record: 25-3 | Previous ranking: No. 2

Zhang improved to 10-0 in the UFC against everyone not named Rose Namajunas when she dominated unbeaten Tatiana Suarez over five rounds at UFC 312 in February. At 35, Zhang only continues to round out her game and plans to attempt to prove so by moving up to 125 pounds in hopes of becoming a two-division champion. Zhang will challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title at UFC 322 in November.

3. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight champion

Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: No. 3

Despite enduring an insane cut to make championship weight of 135 pounds, Harrison dominated two-time champion Juianna Pena at UFC 316 in June to capture the women’s bantamweight title. A showdown against former champion (and former teammate) Amanda Nunes appears to be next as MMA’s female G.O.A.T. returns to the sport at age 37. Either way, Harrison’s inspirational story of persevering provided a true feel-good moment.

4. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight

Record: 12-2 | Previous ranking: No. 4

The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. Fiorot, who rebounded from a disastrous first round in which her nose was battered to rely on her size and clinch work against Shevchenko in a close chess match, will look to bounce back in October when she takes on a streaking Jasmine Jasudavicius in Vancouver.

5. Natalia Silva — Flyweight

Record: 19-5-1 | Previous ranking: No. 5

Unbeaten in seven trips to the Octagon, Silva earned a decision in May at UFC 315 against former champion Alexa Grasso to put the 28-year-old native of Brazil in position for a possible title shot. The dynamic striker has won 13 fights in a row overall since a 2017 loss on the regional scene to Marina Rodriguez and remains a difficult test for any flyweight given her speed, feints and accurate strikes. 

Dropped out: None

Just missed: Virna Jandiroba, Erin Blanchfield, Julianna Pena, Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez