Ranking the top 20 UFC pound-for-pound fighters heading into 2026

UFC 323 was the last pay-per-view event of the year, and it marked the end of PPVs as fight fans know them. While the way that the UFC operates will look a little different starting in 2026, the final PPV event of both the year and the foreseeable future certainly shook up the pound-for-pound rankings. Merab Dvalishvili and Alexandre Pantoja, two of the most dominant fighters in the world for quite some time now, suffered shocking losses. The upset defeats create massive ramifications for pound-for-pound rankings.

There are new champions who lack elite resumes, and there are also some non-champions whose record-breaking runs before losing the belt can’t be forgotten. Furthermore, there are still some dominant champions who are well on their way to becoming or are already established among the best UFC fighters in history. Even Ilia Topuria is in a weird spot, as he has the talent to be the best MMA fighter in the world, but he is currently taking a leave of absence to deal with personal issues. As of now, not a single men’s champion has a title defense during their current reign. All of this craziness has led to fight experts being all over the place on where fighters belong in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, but who does ClutchPoints view as the 20 best male fighters in the promotion?

20. Shavkat Rakhmonov

A year ago, Shavkat Rakhmonov ranked 12th in ClutchPoints’ UFC pound-for-pound rankings and second among the undefeated fighters. Rakhmonov, who is 19-0, was supposed to fight Belal Muhammad for the Welterweight Championship. Instead, an injury to Muhammed forced Rakhmonov to take on Ian Machado Garry in a title eliminator fight of sorts. Rakhmonov won that event and kept his zero, but he has been plagued by injuries ever since.

The fighter nicknamed Nomad didn’t fight at all in 2025, and he only has one fight to his name since 2023. This inactivity has allowed a number of fighters to surpass him in P4P rankings and a bunch of welterweight contenders to leapfrog him in line for a title shot. For example, Machado Garry has impressed since that aforementioned loss, Jack Della Maddalena became the 170-pound champion, Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight and earned gold, and Michael Morales became the new undefeated darling in the division.

It is quite the unfortunate turn of events for a fighter who has finished 18 of his 19 opponents and had a great chance to be crowned champion if his planned title shot had actually happened. Still, Rakhmonov has all the potential to skyrocket up this list if he can get back in the octagon. Rakhmonov’s streak of finishing opponents, which ended when he took on Machado Garry, was highlighted by both knockout wins and submission victories. He can do it all, but fans have to hope he will look like the same fighter after numerous surgeries have kept him sidelined.

Muhammad, Nassourdine Imavov, Sean O’Malley, Ciryl Gane, Charles Oliveira, Anthony Hernandez, Diego Lopes, Tatsuro Taira, Jiri Prochazka, and Movsar Evloev just narrowly missed out on taking the last spot in these pound-for-pound rankings.

19. Lerone Murphy

Lerone Murphy is 17-0-1. Although he has yet to suffer a loss, many fans and MMA experts considered him to be too boring of a fighter. Murphy changed that narrative with a spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319 that was one of the highlight finishes of the year.

It was somewhat surprising that Lopes was given another title shot at featherweight after recently losing to Volkanovski, but with unbeaten records, Murphy or Evloev could be fighting for the belt very soon.

18. Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan is in Dana White’s dog house and must prove himself over again in order to get another title shot. That is why arguably inferior talents in Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje are fighting for the Lightweight Interim Championship and will be next in line to take on Topuria upon his return.

That doesn’t change the fact that Tsarukyan is one of the most talented fighters in the UFC, though. The 23-3 fighter was tasked with facing Makhachev in his first UFC fight, and he suffered a defeat at the hands of Mateusz Gamrot in 2022. He had five-fight winning streaks before and after that, though.

Tsarukyan is a versatile fighter who can take opponents to the ground and submit them, or he can use unique striking methods to win on the feet. He showcased his talent at UFC 300 in a win over Charles Oliveira in one of the biggest UFC cards ever. There, his flexibility and unpredictability were displayed with an axe kick that nearly connected with Oliveira’s skull. He most recently beat the always dangerous and aggressive Dan Hooker. Tsarukyan might be the only fighter at 155 pounds who has more than just a “fighter’s chance” to defeat Topuria.

17. Michael Morales

In Michael Morales’ last three fights, he knocked off one of the UFC’s best gatekeepers in Neil Magny, he bested a steady veteran in Gilbert Burns, and he beat a premier grappling threat in Sean Brady. All three of those wins came via first-round knockout. Morales is now 19-0, and he has the potential to become one of the very best fighters in the promotion.

The welterweight division is one of the deepest and most star-studded in MMA, and Morales is quickly climbing up the rankings at 170 pounds. Morales is still likely a win away from a title shot because of the depth at welterweight. He is tied with Rakhmonov and Evloev for the best undefeated records in the UFC, but Morales has as many knockouts (14) as those two do combined.

16. Umar Nurmagomedov

The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, does a lot of winning in his own right. At 19-1, Nurmagomedov’s lone loss came to Dvalishvili after he reportedly broke his hand in the first round. Like his relatives and close friends, Nurmagomedov is an elite sambo wrestler.

He has underrated striking, too, and with Dvalishvili unexpectedly losing the bantamweight title, the 135-pound division suddenly becomes wide open again. Nurmagomedov bounced back from the only loss of his career by beating Mario Bautista, who was in the midst of an eight-fight winning streak.

15. Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev previously held a nine-fight winning streak inside of the UFC. He didn’t lose his first title shot at UFC 282, but when that bout ended in a draw, it took a while until Ankalaev was awarded another shot at gold. He eventually became the Light Heavyweight Champion at UFC 313, dethrowing Alex Pereira in the process.

At the time, Pereira was on one of the greatest championship runs in UFC history. The win established Ankalaev has one of the most talent mixed martial artists in the world. He combines Dagestani wrestling with great leg kicking power, but he lost the rematch fight against Pereira in the first round. Rumors suggest the UFC doesn’t want to schedule an immediate trilogy, but it has to be assumed that Ankalaev will be fighting for the belt again at some point.

14. Ian Machado Garry

The lone blemish on Machado Garry’s resume is his loss to Rakhmonov, but Machado Garry was the only fighter to ever really challenge Rakhmonov, and he has looked even better ever since. The 17-1 fighter has since beaten Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad, both of whom just narrowly missed this list. Prates is a fringe title contender with elite striking in his own right, and Muhammad is a former champion.

Machado Garry has a technical approach in which he uses timing and precision to win striking exchanges. He is nicknamed The Future, and he is well on his way to living up to that title. Machado Garry could be next in line to fight for the Welterweight Championship.

13. Jack Della Maddalena

Many thought that Jack Della Maddalena could give Makhachev a run for his money because Makhachev uses striking to set up takedowns, very similar to how Belal Muhammad fights. Della Maddalena beat Muhammad to become the Welterweight Champion. However, JDM was beaten pretty handily in his first attempt at a title defense.

Della Maddalena has plenty of time to work his way back to the top, though. He is just 29 years old and has some of the best striking in the UFC.

12. Joshua Van

Rarely throughout UFC history could it be justified for a champion to rank outside the top 10 in pound-for-pound rankings. Joshua Van, who became the Flyweight Champion at UFC 323, just hasn’t done enough to warrant being any higher than this, though. Van won the belt in 26 seconds only because his opponent, Alexandre Pantoja, broke his shoulder in a freak incident.

Still, Van has done quite a lot over the last year and change. His UFC 323 victory made him the second youngest UFC champion ever, only trailing UFC G.O.A.T. Jon Jones in that regard. He has seven wins since 2024, and his activity and production in a limited time deserve to be rewarded. Van’s signature fight was a win over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 that earned him a title shot.

There, Van and Royval set the three-round record for significant strikes (419) in what was one of the most entertaining fights in UFC history. During an era in which a number of fans complain about the frequency in which a lot of fighters are looking for control time, Van’s willingness to stand up and bang has to be respected. Van is a young fighter who has a long career ahead of himself. The 24-year-old could build quite a resume for himself, considering just how much time is ahead of him.

11. Max Holloway

Speaking of premier boxers, Max Holloway is the greatest punch artist in UFC history. That is evidenced by his record 3,655 career significant strikes landed. Holloway has an earlier-career 13-fight winning streak to his name. He has since lost to a couple of legends, but he has knocked out plenty, too.

Notably, in his most recent matchup, Holloway avoided losing all three of his fights to Dustin Poirier when he spoiled Poirier’s retirement bout in what was truly a dominant performance that reminded fans that Holloway still has plenty left in the tank. He has been fighting in the UFC since 2012, but he started his career at such a young age that he has had plenty of time to become an icon.

Holloway’s combinations are unmatched, and his knockout of Justin Gaethje is perhaps the most iconic in UFC history. He became the BMF Champion with that win, and he truly is the perfect representative of that distinction.

10. Dricus du Plessis

Dricus du Plessis has an unpredictable and unorthodox fighting style that nobody was able to figure out at middleweight. That was until Khamzat Chimaev bested him in one of the most lopsided championship bouts in UFC history. That may say more about Chimaev’s dominance than any weakness du Plessis may have, though.

The former Middleweight Champion attacks his opponents with reckless abandon. He displays toughness in every one of his fights, and before the loss to Chimaev, he had beaten former champions in four straight bouts.

9. Petr Yan

Petr Yan ended what looked like an unstoppable force in Merab Dvalishvili. Not only that, Yan was pretty dominant in that win, as two of the three judges had him winning four out of five rounds before he was crowned the new Bantamweight Champion. Even before the impressive win, Yan was both an undisputed Bantamweight Champion and an Interim Bantamweight Champion.

He’d only lost the belt the first go around because he was disqualified for an illegal knee. Furthermore, many think Yan’s loss to Sean O’Malley was a scorecard robbery. Yan has moved past his previous three-fight losing streak and established himself as one of the very best fighters in the UFC.

8. Alexandre Pantoja

It long looked like nobody could truly beat Pantoja, and that may still be the case. He wasn’t bested at UFC 323; he just happened to suffer a fluke injury just seconds into the contest against Van. It is unclear when Pantoja will return to the octagon, but he deserves an automatic rematch when he is back to health.

Prior to his injury, Pantoja was on a tear. He had won eight straight fights, including five straight championship bouts. Pantoja has a ways to go to catch up to Demetrious Johnson, who has 12 title fight wins at flyweight. Pantoja is pretty clearly the second-best 125-pounder ever, though.

7. Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski is back on top in the featherweight division. His only losses in the UFC came against Makhachev when Volkanovski was competing for double champion status at lightweight, and against Topuria just before he was set to move up to lightweight. Volkanovski has always dominated true 145-pounders, though.

He has won seven lightweight title fights, including most recently against Diego Lopes when he regained the championship belt. Volkanovski is no spring chicken, but he seemingly still has plenty left in the tank. His next fight will be a rematch against Lopes.

6. Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall has the potential to become the greatest heavyweight ever. In a division full of lumbering fighters who are just as likely to be knocked out as they are to knock someone else out, Aspinall has a complete skill set. He has plenty of power for the division, but he also has elite speed and takedown talent.

Unfortunately, Aspinall’s prime years haven’t contributed as much to his heavyweight G.O.A.T. chase as most would have liked. He spent far too long as the Interim Champion waiting on Jon Jones, and his first title defense once he was promoted to the undisputed champion ended in a no-contest. Some even say that Aspinall was losing before Ciryl Gane poked him in the eye.

Regardless, if things go according to plan, Aspinall could very well top pound-for-pound rankings one day. He is a freak athlete who also has a high fight IQ. Aspinall is historically dominant, as only one of his UFC fights has gone to the second round. His 2:18 average fight time is the shortest in UFC history, and he has only been in bottom position for one second during his entire UFC career.

5. Merab Dvalishvili

The top-ranked non-champion on this list is Dvalishvili, who would have ranked third if he had not suffered a shocking loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323. Dvalishvili had previously 50-45’d Yan, and he looked completely unbeatable during his championship reign. Dvalishvili was on a 14-fight winning streak, which was the third longest in UFC history. That included three championship defenses.

The Machine has arguably the best stamina in MMA history. He pursues takedowns with nonstop aggression, which is why he is the all-time leader with 119. When he fails to land one, he simply tries again and again. Once he gets his opponents down, he barrages them with ground-and-pound, which is evidenced by his 2,782 total strikes landed. That only trails Holloway on the all-time list.

Perhaps what is most impressive about Dvalishvili is just how active he is and wants to be. While most championship fighters get into the octagon twice or so a year, Dvalishvili defended his belt four times in 2025. The regularity in how often he cut weight this year may have played a part in his loss to Yan, so perhaps he will have to slow down going forward. It is unclear if he will get one, but Dvalishvili is certainly deserving of an immediate rematch, especially because he already has a win over Yan under his belt. Even though he is no longer the Bantamweight Champion, Dvalishvili is still the bantamweight G.O.A.T.

4. Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the scene in the UFC. He won two fights inside of 10 days to start his career, and three fights in a two-month period. The expectation was that Chimaev would quickly climb to the championship ranks, but weight cutting, health, and travel issues prevented that from happening for far too long.

Chimaev proved just how good he is when he finally made his way to a title shot. His UFC 319 win was one of the most dominant championship performances ever, and it made du Plessis look like an amateur. Chimaev is an explosive athlete, and that is most on display in Chimaev’s wrestling. The Middleweight Champion could very well have a long run with the belt around his waist, but fans must hope that he is able to stay active.

3. Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira didn’t join the UFC until 2021, when he was already 34 years old. He has accomplished so much in so little time, though. Pereira is a former Middleweight Champion who got the better end of his rivalry against Israel Adesanya, who was a staple of pound-for-pound rankings for years and years. He then moved up to light heavyweight and has won five of his six title fights at 205 pounds.

Pereira is 38 years old, but he is always active and is arguably the face of the UFC right now. He bested Jiri Prochazka twice, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree, all in highlight knockout fashion. While he stumbled against Ankalaev, he found revenge and regained control of the belt in their UFC 320 rematch. Now, a move up to heavyweight and a chance to become the first-ever triple champion have been rumored.

Pereira’s calf kicks come with extreme power. He can also knock anybody out with his hands, most frequently with a violent left hook. Fans were worried that he wouldn’t have what it takes to beat Ankalaev, but Pereira proved that nobody is safe from hitting the canvas face-first when they share an octagon with the fighter nicknamed Poatan.

2. Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria doesn’t appear to have any in-octagon weaknesses. His power was unmatched at featherweight, and it has translated quite well since he became a double champion at lightweight. Topuria is the first unbeaten two-division champion ever. He has become somewhat of a legend killer of sorts. At 17-0, El Matador has the potential to push to become one of the best UFC fighters ever, too.

Unfortunately, Topuria is dealing with some personal issues, but hopefully that will be resolved soon. His next step will be defending his Lightweight Championship against Gaethje or Pimblett, and there are a few other 155ers that Topuria seems poised to dominate, as he has done against anyone else who has shared the octagon with him so far. Fans can’t help but wonder if/when a superfight with the next athlete on these pound-for-pound rankings will eventually take place.

1. Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC he is working his way up the all-time ranks, and he is one of the best two-division champions in promotion history. The 28-1 fighter is tied with Anderson Silva for the most consecutive wins with 16. He is also just one win away from tying his coach and friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, for total wins, although Nurmagomedov retired without suffering a loss.

Even so, it could be argued that Makhachev had a better lightweight resume, and he now seems poised to run through the welterweight division. The 170-pound division is the best in the UFC, so if Makhachev eliminates all the contenders vying for his belt, fans will have to have some uncomfortable conversations on where he ranks all-time. For now, it is just safe to say that he is the best active fighter in the UFC.

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