For those unfamiliar with my rankings, I don’t stop at the UFC’s top 15, I rank every fighter on the roster. For the purposes of these articles I usually cut my rankings off at 25. I usually update the rankings every 2 weeks, but with the new Meta rankings dropping I decided it was a great time to sit down and look at all my rankings, not just the fighters who just fought.
In a true Elo model, a fighter’s rating is determined by the totality of their results and the quality of their opposition. Forcing every winner to immediately jump the fighter they defeated introduces a head-to-head rule that can outweigh the broader body of work. Even if an upset occurs due to an injury, a controversial decision, or some other unusual circumstance, the winner is automatically elevated above the loser. Once that happens, every previous win over that newly elevated fighter also becomes more valuable, creating a chain reaction throughout the rankings.
The current flyweight division provides a good example. Kevin Borjas entered his fight with Andre Lima carrying a 1-4 UFC record, but after upsetting the previously undefeated prospect, he surged all the way to No. 10 in the Meta rankings. That rise doesn’t just affect Borjas. Fighters who have beaten Borjas, such as Su Mudaerji, also receive a significant boost. Mitch Raposo, who scored an upset of his own and has a loss to Su Mudaerji, benefits as well. A single upset can therefore have a dramatic impact on an entire network of interconnected fighters.
The issue is that this effect compounds over time. As more upsets occur, more fighters are artificially elevated, which in turn inflates the value of wins and losses throughout the system. Rather than functioning like a traditional Elo model that continuously balances a fighter’s complete résumé, the rankings gradually become driven more by chains of head-to-head results. The longer the system operates, the more pronounced this effect is likely to become.
Every ranking system has strengths and weaknesses, and most can be adjusted to produce better results. However, if the Meta rankings continue to prioritize automatically placing winners above the opponents they defeat, I expect them to drift further away from both public perception and media rankings as time goes on.
Heavyweight (C: Tom Aspinall)
- Ciryl Gane (Interim)
- Sergei Pavlovich (+1)
- Alexander Volkov (+1)
- Alex Pereira (-2)
- Josh Hokit (+1)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-1)
- Curtis Blaydes
- Rizvan Kuniev (+1)
- Serghei Spivac (-1)
- Valter Walker (+1)
- Brando Peričić (+1)
- Ante Delija (-2)
- Tyrell Fortune (+1)
- Vitor Petrino (+4)
- Derrick Lewis (-2)
- Marcin Tybura (-1)
- Mick Parkin
- Mário Pinto (+2)
- Shamil Gaziev (-3)
- Ryan Spann (+1)
- Tallison Teixeira (-2)
- Gable Steveson
- Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Jhonata Diniz
- Thomas Petersen
There was plenty of movement in the heavyweight rankings despite no fights taking place at Kape vs. Horiguchi. After giving it more consideration, I decided that the jump to heavyweight is a bigger challenge than I had previously accounted for, leading me to drop Alex Pereira behind a pair of proven veterans in the division. I’ve long been higher than consensus on Vitor Petrino and have advocated for his inclusion in the rankings, but even I can’t justify placing him at No. 10, especially ahead of the more established Valter Walker.
While I understand why many fighters fell out of the rankings, one omission that stands out to me is Ante Delija, who remains in my top 15. I can understand the reasoning behind removing Marcin Tybura from the top 15, but I don’t understand keeping Mick Parkin there. Parkin is coming off a 15-month layoff, and his most recent fight was a loss to Tybura, making it difficult to justify ranking him ahead of the man who beat him.
Just outside my top 25, Steven Asplund and Gokhan Saricam are two names I’m watching closely. I’m also keeping an eye on Danylo Voievodkin, who could enter the conversation once he completes his suspension.
Light Heavyweight (C: Carlos Ulberg)
- Alex Pereira
- Magomed Ankalaev
- Jiří Procházka
- Khalil Rountree Jr.
- Paulo Costa (+1)
- Jamahal Hill (+1)
- Jan Błachowicz (-2)
- Volkan Oezdemir
- Dominick Reyes
- Azamat Murzakanov (+1)
- Bogdan Guskov (-1)
- Johnny Walker (+2)
- Alonzo Menifield (+2)
- Nikita Krylov (-2)
- Navajo Stirling (+4)
- Dustin Jacoby
- Aleksandar Rakić (-4)
- AbdulRakhman Yakhyaev (-1)
- Iwo Baraniewski (-1)
- Zhang Mingyang
- Jimmy Crute
- Modestas Bukauskas
- Billy Elekana (+2)
- Ion Cutelaba (-1)
- Oumar Sy (-1)
Navajo Stirling’s victory over Ion Cutelaba in the lone light heavyweight bout of the week resulted in some movement within the rankings. Stirling makes the biggest leap, debuting in my top 15 following the win. On the other end of the spectrum, Aleksandar Rakic is the biggest loser of this update, dropping four spots and falling out of the top 15 altogether.
I ultimately decided to keep Jan Blachowicz ranked relatively high. His recent losses have come against Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg, and he also has two respectable draws during that stretch, making it difficult for me to penalize him too heavily. Johnny Walker and Alonzo Menifield each climb two spots in the rankings, while Ion Cutelaba drops one position following his loss to Stirling. Oumar Sy also falls one spot, largely due to his previous defeat to Cutelaba.
Outside of the top 25, Rodolfo Bellato, Uran Satybaldiev, and Magomed Tuchalov are all fighters worth monitoring as potential future entrants into the rankings.
Middleweight (C: Sean Strickland)
- Khamzat Chimaev
- Dricus Du Plessis
- Nassourdine Imavov
- Caio Borralho
- Brendan Allen
- Anthony Hernandez
- Joe Pyfer
- Israel Adesanya (+1)
- Reinier De Ridder (-1)
- Gregory Rodrigues (+2)
- Robert Whittaker (-1)
- Jared Cannonier (-1)
- Christian Leroy Duncan
- Bo Nickal
- Ikram Aliskerov
- Roman Dolidze
- Nursulton Ruziboev
- Roman Kopylov (+1)
- Sharabutdin Magomedov (+2)
- Brunno Ferreria (-2)
- Marvin Vettori (-1)
- Ateba Gautier
- Vicente Luque
- Abus Magomedov (+1)
- Edmen Shahbazyan (-1)
There were no middleweight fights on this card, but the division still saw some movement in the rankings. Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker were among the biggest losers in the Meta rankings, though I felt both had been ranked fairly to begin with, so I only moved them down slightly. Similarly, I chose not to drop Caio Borralho despite his decline in the Meta rankings.
Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues climbs two spots, passing a pair of fellow veterans. Roman Kopylov also receives a modest boost, as his recent run of performances has aged better than I initially anticipated. Shara Magomedov and Abus Magomedov each earn slight bumps as well.
Outside of my top 25, Michał Oleksiejczuk, Cezary Oleksiejczuk, Cam Rowston, Yousri Belgaroui, and Baisangur Susurkaev are the names I’m watching most closely. That said, the division remains filled with intriguing prospects, and there are plenty of other fighters steadily working their way up the ladder.
Welterweight (C: Islam Makhachev)
- Ian Machado Garry
- Carlos Prates (+1)
- Michael Morales (-1)
- Sean Brady
- Jack Della Maddalena
- Gabriel Bonfim
- Conor McGregor (+1)
- Kamaru Usman (-1)
- Belal Muhammad
- Leon Edwards
- Michael Page
- Mike Malott (+2)
- Joaquin Buckley (-1)
- Yaroslav Amosov (-1)
- Uroš Medić
- Daniel Rodriguez (+1)
- Geoff Neal (-1)
- Stephen Thompson
- Joel Álvarez
- Neil Magny (+1)
- Kevin Holland (-1)
- Myktybek Orolbai
- Gunnar Nelson
- Rafael dos Anjos
- Chris Curtis
The only welterweight bout on the card saw Levan Chokheli score a quick finish over Leon Shahbazyan, though neither fighter is currently close to my top 25 rankings. One of the most common criticisms of the latest Meta rankings was Carlos Prates being ranked ahead of Ian Machado Garry. I agree that placement is difficult to justify, but it did lead me to reevaluate Prates’ standing. While I wasn’t willing to move him above Garry, I did bump him ahead of Michael Morales.
Most of the changes in the division were minor, though Mike Malott was a notable exception, climbing two spots in my rankings. Outside of the top 25, Jake Matthews, Li Jingliang, Randy Brown, Nicolas Dalby, Islam Dulatov, and Jacobe Smith are the names I’m watching most closely as potential future entrants.
Lightweight (C: Justin Gaethje)
- Ilia Topuria
- Arman Tsarukyan
- Charles Oliveira
- Max Holloway
- Benoît Saint Denis
- Mateusz Gamrot (+1)
- Paddy Pimblett (-1)
- Maurício Ruffy
- Dan Hooker
- Quillan Salkilld (+1)
- Renato Moicano (+1)
- Rafael Fiziev (-2)
- Manuel Torres
- Tom Nolan (+1)
- Grant Dawson (+1)
- Beneil Dariush (-2)
- Ľudovít Klein
- Farès Ziam
- Drakkar Klose
- King Green
- Chris Duncan
- Rafa García (+3)
- Mike Davis (-1)
- Drew Dober (-1)
- Ignacio Bahamondes (-1)
There were no lightweight fights on this card, but the latest Meta rankings still led to a few adjustments. The most notable change was the drop of Paddy Pimblett. While he fell several spots in the Meta rankings, I only moved him down one position, as I believe those rankings are a bit too high on both Quillan Salkilld and Renato Moicano relative to Pimblett’s current résumé.
Rafa Garcia was another notable mover, coming in as a surprising No. 15 in the Meta rankings. That was enough to earn him a bump in my rankings as well, though he remains comfortably outside of the No. 15 spot. Outside of my top 25, Joaquim Silva, Chris Padilla, Esteban Ribovics, Nazim Sadykhov, and Terrance McKinney are among the most intriguing names to watch. Each has the potential to make a push toward the rankings with another strong performance.
Featherweight (C: Alexander Volkanovski)
- Movsar Evloev
- Diego Lopes
- Lerone Murphy
- Jean Silva
- Aljamain Sterling
- Arnold Allen
- Youssef Zalal (+1)
- Kevin Vallejos (+1)
- Steve Garcia (+1)
- Vinicius Oliveira (New)
- Yair Rodriguez (-4)
- Aaron Pico (+2)
- Melquizael Costa (+2)
- Brian Ortega (-2)
- Pat Sabatini (+3)
- David Onama (-3)
- Nathaniel Wood (+5)
- Josh Emmett (-2)
- Giga Chikadze (-2)
- Patrício Pitbull (-1)
- Dan Ige (-1)
- Jose Delgado (+6)
- Doo Ho Choi (-2)
- Calvin Kattar (-1)
- Joanderson Brito (+12)
There were five featherweight bouts on this week’s card, though only one had a direct impact on my top 25 rankings. Shane Collins defeated Otari Tanzilovi in his UFC debut and climbed the rankings, but he remains well outside the top 25. Gaston Bolaños also picked up an upset victory over Michael Aswell, though both fighters remain outside the rankings picture. Andre Fili suffered a loss to Vinicius Oliveira and dropped several spots, falling further outside the top 25. Murtazali Magomedov made a significant leap after defeating Melsik Baghdasaryan, but both men are still on the outside looking in. Christian Rodriguez also improved his standing by defeating Hyder Amil, allowing him to move ahead of Amil in the rankings.
The only fight that directly affected the top 25 was Oliveira’s victory over Fili, which was enough to earn Oliveira a debut in the rankings. The latest Meta rankings also produced some notable movement. Pat Sabatini, Nathaniel Wood, Jose Delgado, and Joanderson Brito all received substantial boosts. While I’ve long been a fan of Sabatini, I can’t justify ranking him as high as No. 7. The elevated positions of Wood, Delgado, and Brito are easier to understand given the interconnected nature of their résumés, with losses to either Sabatini or one another helping create a tightly packed cluster in the rankings. Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Meta rankings was Yair Rodriguez falling out entirely. I lowered Rodriguez even further than before, but I still believe his body of work is strong enough to keep him comfortably inside my top 15.
Outside of the top 25, Mairon Santos, Sean Woodson, Chepe Mariscal, Muhammad Naimov, Gabriel Santos, and Luke Riley are among the names I’m watching most closely as potential future entrants.
Bantamweight (C: Petr Yan)
- Merab Dvalishvili
- Sean O’Malley
- Umar Nurmagomedov
- Cory Sandhagen
- Mario Bautista (+1)
- Song Yadong (-1)
- David Martinez
- Aiemann Zahabi
- Payton Talbott
- Deiveson Figueiredo
- Marcus McGhee (+2)
- Raul Rosas Jr.
- Raoni Barcelos (+3)
- Farid Basharat (+1)
- Bryce Mitchell (-1)
- Marlon Vera (-5)
- Montel Jackson (+1)
- Charles Jourdain (+2)
- Rob Font (-2)
- Kai Asakura (-1)
- Kyler Phillips
- Ricky Simón
- Jonathan Martinez
- Aleksandre Topuria
- Elijah Smith (+1)
There were no new bantamweight fights this week, but the latest Meta rankings still resulted in some movement throughout the division. The Meta rankings were notably lower on Aiemann Zahabi, Payton Talbott, Raul Rosas Jr., and Marlon Vera, while giving more favorable placements to Marcus McGhee, Farid Basharat, Bryce Mitchell, Raoni Barcelos, Montel Jackson, and Charles Jourdain.
Despite those differences, I chose to keep my rankings relatively stable. In particular, I remain higher than consensus on both Talbott and Rosas, and I wasn’t persuaded to make any major adjustments to their positions. While the Meta rankings raised some interesting points, I felt the overall hierarchy of the division remained largely intact.
Outside of the top 25, Cody Garbrandt, Adrian Yañez, Jean Matsumoto, Ethyn Ewing, Bernardo Sopaj, and Cody Haddon are among the most intriguing names to watch. Each has a realistic path to breaking into the rankings with another strong performance or two.
Flyweight (C: Joshua Van)
- Alexandre Pantoja
- Manel Kape
- Tatsuro Taira
- Brandon Royval
- Kyoji Horiguchi
- Lone’er Kavanagh (+1)
- Asu Almabayev (-1)
- Brandon Moreno
- Amir Albazi
- Steve Erceg
- Alex Perez (+1)
- Tagir Ulanbekov (-1)
- Charles Johnson
- Tim Elliott
- Ramazan Temirov
- Édgar Cháirez
- Rei Tsuruya
- Bruno Silva (+2)
- Sumudaerji (+9)
- Jose Ochoa (+1)
- Joseph Morales (+1)
- Mitch Raposo (+12)
- Alden Coria
- André Lima (-5)
- Allan Nascimento (-7)
3 fights at Flyweight on this card, including the Main Event. Mitch Raposo upset Allan Nascimento and made a big jump in the rankings into the top 25. Kevin Borjas pulled off the biggest upset on the card over undefeated Andre Lima, but stays outside of my top 25, while Lima drops 5 spots but hangs on. Borjas is up to number 10 in the Meta rankings which is insane to me when he sits at just 2-4 in the UFC. Sumudaerji also gets a big jump in the Meta rankings due to his wins over Borjas and Raposo. Manel Kape beat Kyoji Horuguchi despite losing on the scorecards prior to the finish. He remains at #2 behind Pantoja. Horiguchi also avoids falling due to his won rounds. I don’t want to punish him too much for losing to the #2 ranked Flyweight by KO while winning rounds. Alessandro Costa, Imanol Rodriguez, Hyun Sung Park, Kevin Borjas and Jafel Filho are the most intriguing names outside of the top 25.
Women’s Bantamweight (C: Kayla Harrison)
- Amanda Nunes
- Julianna Peña
- Joselyne Edwards (+2)
- Norma Dumont (+2)
- Ailín Pérez (-1)
- Luana Santos (+6)
- Raquel Pennington (-4)
- Yana Santos
- Irene Aldana (-2)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti (+1)
- Bia Mesquita (+5)
- Macy Chiasson (-2)
- Karol Rosa (-4)
- Michelle Montague
- Nora Cornolle (-2)
- Melissa Croden (-1)
- Dariya Zheleznyakova
- Chelsea Chandler
- Miesha Tate
- Klaudia Syguła
- Josiane Nunes
- Melissa Mullins
- Priscila Cachoeira
- Montserrat Rendon
- Alice Pereira
Both women’s bouts on this card took place in the bantamweight division, resulting in a few notable changes to the rankings. Bia Mesquita climbed five spots following her victory over Melissa Mullins, aided by a favorable placement in the latest Meta rankings. Luana Santos also made a significant move, jumping ahead of Karol Rosa and several others after her win.
Women’s bantamweight continues to feature some of the largest discrepancies between the media and Meta rankings. The most striking example is Raquel Pennington, who sits at No. 2 in many media rankings but comes in at just No. 15 in the Meta rankings. That kind of gap highlights the very different philosophies driving the two systems.
Outside of the top 25, Nina Milošević, Tainara Lisboa, and Hailey Cowan are the rest of the names. The talent pool at women’s bantamweight has become increasingly shallow in recent years, making it the least populated division in the UFC and leaving just barely enough fighters to fill my top 25.
Women’s Flyweight (C: Valentina Shevchenko)
- Natália Silva
- Manon Fiorot
- Alexa Grasso
- Erin Blanchfield
- Rose Namajunas (+1)
- Maycee Barber (-1)
- Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Tracy Cortez
- Wang Cong
- Miranda Maverick (+1)
- Casey O’Neill (-1)
- Karine Silva
- Eduarda Moura
- JJ Aldrich
- Carli Judice
- Gabriella Fernandes
- Veronica Hardy
- Katlyn Cerminara
- Jamey-Lyn Horth (+1)
- Dione Barbosa (-1)
- Tereza Bledá
- Regina Tarin
- Vanessa Demopoulos
- Jeisla Chaves
- Juliana Miller
There was very little movement in the women’s flyweight division this week, as no fights took place and the latest Meta rankings did little to change my overall view of the weight class. Most fighters remained in roughly the same positions, with only minor adjustments throughout the rankings.
One notable decision was leaving Zhang Weili out of the rankings entirely. While her accomplishments would easily warrant inclusion, I don’t expect her to compete at flyweight again. If I had to rank her here, she would slot in at No. 4, ahead of Erin Blanchfield.
Outside of my ranked fighters, Kennedy Freeman, Yuneisy Duben, Melissa Gatto, Ernesta Kareckaite, and Sofia Montenegro round out the rest of the division.
Women’s Strawweight (C: Mackenzie Dern)
- Zhang Weili
- Tatiana Suarez
- Virna Jandiroba
- Gillian Robertson (+1)
- Yan Xiaonan (-1)
- Loopy Godinez
- Tabatha Ricci
- Amanda Lemos
- Denise Gomes (+2)
- Jéssica Andrade (-1)
- Alexia Thainara (+1)
- Amanda Ribas (-2)
- Fatima Kline (+1)
- Piera Rodriguez (+1)
- Iasmin Lucindo (-2)
- Mizuki (+2)
- Talita Alencar (+2)
- Jaqueline Amorim (+2)
- Ketlen Souza (-3)
- Angela Hill (-3)
- Loma Lookboonmee
- Luana Pinheiro
- Yazmin Jauregui
- Julia Polastri
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Finally, we come to women’s strawweight, another division that saw no new fights this week. Despite the lack of action, there was still a fair amount of movement in the rankings, particularly in the middle of the division as the latest Meta rankings prompted several adjustments.
Denise Gomes was the biggest beneficiary of the update, making a notable climb in the rankings. On the other hand, Ketlen Souza and Angela Hill each fell three spots, making them the most significant movers in the opposite direction. Most of the remaining changes were relatively minor, reflecting just how competitive and tightly packed the division has become.
Outside of the top 25, Sam Hughes, Elise Reed, Carol Foro, and Shanelle Dyer are among the most interesting names to watch. Women’s strawweight remains the deepest division in women’s MMA, with a large number of legitimate contenders and prospects competing for ranking positions. As a result, even fighters on the fringe of the rankings are often just one or two strong performances away from breaking into the top 25.
