Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 1 day, 9 hrs ago  |  All By Hellowhosthat

1. 1

   

   Leon Edwards

   "Rocky"

   22-3-0, 1 NC

   1991 - England - UFC Champion
   
   Kind of developing into the perfect anti-wrestler. Disengaged brilliantly from Kamaru in their second fight and Colby didn't seem to even see any angles to really try and engage him in it. Striking is poised and accurate, patience and ring generalship is there, dude is a fully evolved fighter.
   

2. 2

   

   Shavkat Rakhmonov

   "Nomad"

   18-0-0

   1994 - Kazakhstan - UFC
   
   Man on a mission to get to 20-0 with 20 finishes. Seems to handle every step up in competition in his stride. A killer both on the feet and on the ground. Can work in most ranges of striking, great grappling, back takes and finishes from there. Seems destined to take the title sooner rather than later.
   

3. 3

   

   Kamaru Usman

   "Nigerian Nightmare"

   20-4-0

   1987 - Nigeria - UFC
   
   Not sure if the former champ is going to stay at middleweight after the Khamzat fight or continue at welterweight. Difficult to see him getting a third fight with Leon but he's still got to be considered elite until proven otherwise. Overcame a tough first round against Khamzat to make it more competitive than people thought it would be on short notice.
   

4. 4

   

   Jason Jackson

   "The Ass-Kicking Machine"

   18-4-0

   1990 - Jamaica - Bellator Champion
   
   I had Jackson pegged pretty firmly as a crotch sniffer but he's showed a different dimension to his game lately by roundly taking guys like Amosov and Cooper out on the feet. Sits down on his punches more than he used to and has the ability to genuinely hurt guys. Can use wrestling in reverse to keep it on the feet and Amosov had no luck getting him down at all. Still has the crotch sniffing route to go down in fights if he wants.
   

5. 5

   

   Belal Muhammad

   "Remember the Name"

   23-3-0, 1 NC

   1988 - USA - UFC
   
   Should eventually get his title shot after a hell of a run. First fight with Leon didn't look like it was going to go his way but he deserves another go. Some of the best cardio in the division and developed into a very good pressure fighter who's not just a grappler and can pressure with the striking too. Fight against Brady showed he might even be able to finish people, although obviously we need him to do that on a much more consistent basis before we can start calling him a finisher.
   

6. 6

   

   Colby Covington

   "Chaos"

   17-4-0

   1988 - USA - UFC
   
   Utterly bizarre performance against Leon probably puts an end to adding a full UFC title to his interim one. Assuming he goes back to trusting his ability to put a pace on people and mix his striking with his wrestling but primarily using it to get to his wrestling and his mat returns he should still be a problem but his next fight will be pretty telling.
   

7. 7

   

   Yaroslav Amosov

   "Dynamo"

   27-1-0

   1993 - Ukraine - Bellator
   
   Uncharacteristically bad performance against Jackson. Seemed to panic when he couldn't impose his gameplan, but who knows what kind of camp he can get in at the moment. Prior to that he'd looked the best he ever had against Storley, beating him up on the feet and shrugging off all his takedowns.
   

8. 8

   

   Sean Brady

   16-1-0

   1992 - USA - UFC
   
   Rebounded from the shame of getting knocked out by Belal with a great performance against Kelvin, taking down a good wrestler when he wanted and just dominating on top. When he can get to it he's one of the best offensive grapplers in the division.
   

9. 9

   

   Jack Della Maddalena

   17-2-0

   1996 - Australia - UFC
   
   Impressive win over Gilbert continued his upwards trajectory. Fantastic MMA boxer, mixes things up to the body and the head really well and lands with good power. Cardio fine, keeps pace and lands consistently throughout a fight. Takedown defence not amazing but is a very good scrambler, occasionally at risk of giving his back, but generally able to get back to his feet. Kept pulling gilly in the Hafez fight for some reason, but hasn't really done that before or since.
   

10. 10

    

    Ian Machado Garry

    "The Future"

    14-0-0

    1997 - Ireland - UFC
    
    Top level version of Garry seems to be a patient range striker who wins point fights and takes a KO if he can. Very good at looking for weaknesses in opponents striking games and just picking at them constantly throughout a fight. Does have power if he chooses to use it and used to be a good grappler in Cage Warriors days too even if he hasn't used that much in the UFC yet.
    

11+

11. 11

    

    Magomed Magomedkerimov

    34-6-0

    1990 - Russia - PFL
    
    Multi-time champion in PFL who's only lost one fight nearly a decade. Good wrestling as you'd expect from the name and decent striking too.
    

12. 12

    

    Shamil Musaev

    "The Silent Assassin"  |  17-0-1

    1994 - Russia - PFL
    
    Improved a lot during time off after being unable to get fights in KSW. Turned into an excellent counter puncher with some of the best spinning body kicks in the business. Counters really hard and has accuracy and power in everything he throws which he links into combination punching to boot. TDD is solid, able to hold off good wrestlers. Used to wrestle quite well offensively himself but unless he's against a really good striker I don't know that he'll bother.
    

13. 13

    

    Murad Ramazanov

    12-0-0, 1 NC

    1995 - Russia - PFL
    
    Superb top grappler, great at keeping position, moves from half guard, to mount, to back and rinse and repeat if need be, never really expect guys to get up once they're underneath him for the rest of the round. Hasn't always seemed to be in a rush to finish guys but seems to have adapted to PFL format to get finishes and more points. Very good Dagi style cage wrestling, with the usual cage pushing, moving towards the back and looking for trips, hooks and drags. Not sure how comfortable he looks on the feet, but it's difficult to keep the dude there.
    

14. 14

    

    Geoff Neal

    "Handz of Steel"  |  15-6-0

    1990 - USA - UFC
    
    Consistent and hard hitting. Good wrestling and strong in the clinch. When losing against higher level guys he's usually making it competitive.
    

15. 15

    

    Gilbert Burns

    "Durinho"  |  22-7-0

    1986 - Brazil - UFC
    
    I think Durinho is on the slide, but he still looks to be competitive enough. Developed some power in his hands and the ability to deliver it. Wrestling not bad and top BJJ is obviously really good if he can get there.
    

16. 16

    

    Logan Storley

    "Storm"  |  15-3-0

    1992 - USA - PFL
    
    Very good wrestler, who likes to get pressure on and strike way into shots. Works fine against most people, good positionally on top, sometimes content to cruise there. Kryptonite seems to be guys with really good TDD who start countering him well as he panics a bit and tries to get forward. Had a very hard time with that in both the Amosov and Musaev fights.
    

17. 17

    

    Stephen Thompson

    "Wonderboy"  |  17-7-1

    1983 - USA - UFC
    
    Getting old but doesn't really seem to be slowing down in terms of striking. Kind of only seems to win when people are stupid enough to agree to stand and trade with him, but if his opponents want to do that then that's on them.
    

18. 18

    

    Michael Page

    "Venom"  |  22-2-0

    1987 - England - UFC
    
    Great UFC debut against a pretty good style matchup in Holland. Fast as **** on the feet and closes distance to land strikes more quickly than just about anybody in the division. Takedown defence is okay against generalists but liable to get taken down by wrestlers. Does a decent job of tying hands up with wrist grips to minimise damage but could be better at get ups as liable to allow himself to get flattened out too often.
    

19. 19

    

    Magomed Umalatov

    "Prince"  |  15-0-0

    1992 - Russia - PFL
    
    Good power on the feet and good wrestling. Seems like he can tire late in fights, at least did against Lopez. Good bullying of Koreshkov in close to pick up the biggest win of his career.
    

20. 20

    

    Rinat Fakhretdinov

    "Gladiator"  |  22-2-1

    1991 - Russia - UFC
    
    Very good offensive wrestler and top control dude with a very powerful overhand. Definitely a problem for most people. Were some questions about his gas tank in the Zaleski fight if everything isn't going his way, will be interesting to see how he deals with another cardio comeback guy in Dalby.
    

21. 21

    

    Kevin Holland

    "Trailblazer"  |  25-11-0, 1 NC

    1992 - USA - UFC
    
    Solid everywhere apart from takedown defence but a bit hard to trust sometimes. Good striking, solid chin, good BJJ, has a habit of fighting his opponents fight and even when he isn't sometimes spends too much time playing about rather than doing what he needs to do to score points. Gets by most people just based on talent though.
    

22. 22

    

    Joaquin Buckley

    "New Mansa"  |  18-6-0

    1994 - USA - UFC
    
    Moving down to 170 was a great decision for this dude as his strength and athleticism can still shine through while having less big reach discrepancies. Still pretty short even at this weight, but if he's getting countered trying to get inside quickly to deliver his power he's going to be facing less power coming back the other way.
    

23. 23

    

    Andrey Koreshkov

    "Spartan"  |  27-5-0

    1990 - Russia - PFL
    
    Looked like he might have lost a step against Umalatov. Still a decent striker, still has the spinning kicks. TDD wasn't all that hot and I'm not sure why he kept trying to throw up omaplatas from the bottom so hopefully he stops doing that going forward.
    

24. 24

    

    Neil Magny

    "Haitian Sensation"  |  29-11-0

    1987 - USA - UFC
    
    Still holding onto that role as the gatekeeper to the UFC rankings. Loads of experience and ring IQ. Takedown defence not great and doesn't like being pressured back against the cage, but if people can't do that to him he's generally solid, tough and able to make fights close.
    

25. 25

    

    Goiti Yamauchi

    29-6-0

    1993 - Brazil - PFL
    
    Fast and powerful at the weight, gets inside well and height difference against most guys at the weight doesn't seem to be too much of an issue.
    

26. 26

    

    Abdoul Abdouraguimov

    "Lazy King"  |  18-1-0, 1 NC

    1995 - France - PFL
    
    Absolutely incredible grappler with a wide array of submissions and multiple sub wins with a variety of different holds. Some concern with his ability to get it to the mat against good wrestlers as his striking is pretty limited. Happy to pull guard and can sweep and throw up subs from there, but guys with a really solid base might be a problem.
    

27. 27

    

    Nicolas Dalby

    "Danish Dynamite"  |  23-4-1, 2 NC

    1984 - Denmark - UFC
    
    Getting close to 40 but somehow seems to be getting better with age. Always looks tired but actually has excellent cardio which he's used to come back and get wins against some very good fighters. Sometimes has the occasional weird off night but consistency seems to have improved. A very tough third round if you haven't got him out of there.
    

28. 28

    

    Vicente Luque

    "The Silent Assassin"  |  22-10-1

    1991 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Doesn't seem to have the same ability to take punishment as he used to. The way he kind of curled up and accepted ground and pound to a finish against Buckley was worrying. Been through a lot of wars and seems they're taking it's toll. Still good offensively, dangerous from front headlocks and with decent takedowns.
    

29. 29

    

    Randy Brown

    "Rudeboy"  |  18-5-0

    1990 - Jamaica - UFC
    
    Bit frustrating sometimes, has a habit of fighting close but then when he looks good he can sometimes look really good. Very long for the weight and capable in all areas but also capable of falling apart a bit.
    

30. 30

    

    Michael Morales

    16-0-0

    1999 - Ecuador - UFC
    
    Super talented prospect not having any issues with the step up to the UFC at this point. All the physical tools in the world, needs to prove it against better competition as he's only really fought to the mid level but I don't have any doubts he's a future contender myself.
    

31. 31

    

    Neiman Gracie

    12-5-0

    1988 - Brazil - PFL
    
    Obviously high level BJJ, happy to pull guard to get there if need be as wrestling isn't that great. Serviceable Cordeiro striking, simple but fairly effective. Not so great defensively but tough and fights through it when he gets tagged.
    

32. 32

    

    Alex Morono

    "The Great White"  |  24-9-0, 1 NC

    1990 - USA - UFC
    
    Generally struggles when the athleticism gap is too big for him to overcome but absolutely makes the most out of what he has physically. Not fast, not strong, not explosive but just technically very solid, finds the right opportunities and makes the right decisions to win fights.
    

33. 33

    

    Baysangur Chamsoudinov

    "Baki"  |  8-0-0

    2001 - France - Ares
    
    Phenom who PFL signed but only on a one fight deal and he seems to have no intention of staying permanently. The best trips in the sport, good double leg, great at keeping connection and pushes a really good pace. Doesn't always keep guys down that well but as long as he keeps taking them down who cares? More competitive on the feet with Doumbe than you would think he would have been.
    

34. 34

    

    Cédric Doumbé

    "Le Meilleur"  |  5-1-0

    1992 - France - PFL
    
    One of the best kickboxers on the planet and adapting well to MMA. Obviously standing he's going to beat just about anyone. Has power on the feet and as such his kickboxing translates well. Has a solid enough sprawl on him, defends takedowns well against the cage and works back up well. Was doing better than I thought he would against Baki before the glass in foot stoppage.
    

35. 35

    

    Don Madge

    "Magic Man"  |  11-4-1

    1990 - South Africa - PFL
    
    Looked fine at the weight against Ward. Good Muay Thai, nice clinch with good knees from there. Back takes good and attacks RNC fast and well.
    

36. 36

    

    Uros Medic

    "The Doctor"  |  10-2-0

    1993 - Serbia - UFC
    
    Really good power hitter, can put people out with one shot. Lengthy dude and good at cracking guys as they try and come in. Wrestling isn't too bad, got stuck on his back a bit against Orolbai but that's a good quality guy. Still feel he has a lot of potential if he can put it all together.
    

37. 37

    

    Nikolay Veretennikov

    12-4-0

    1989 - Kazakhstan - United Fight League Champion
    
    US based Kazakh killer who usually gets the job done early, won the UFL grand prix with three early finishes. Gets wins both by strikes and by sub, hits hard and grapples well. Unlucky to run into Michael Morales on the Contender Series and is a UFC level guy for me.
    

38. 38

    

    Jack Grant

    19-8-0

    1992 - England - PFL
    
    Probably the front runner for the PFL Europe title this year in my opinion. Jack's a good grappler and decent striker who's settled at welterweight after some big cuts to 155. Very hard to finish and went the distance with both Garry and Lazy King with the Lazy King fight being very close. Good offensive grappling and top control and does damage from top.
    

39. 39

    

    Jaleel Willis

    "The Realest"  |  16-5-0

    1992 - USA - Bellator
    
    A bit inconsistent, but pretty decent all round fighter. Good fast hands on the feet and can wrestle offensively quite well, just not quite good enough at either of those things to dominate someone who's a specialist in one area who can defend the other area pretty well, but good enough that he can beat one dimensional dudes like Crutchmer. Kind of like a poor man's Phil Hawes but with a bit of a better chin.
    

40. 40

    

    Tim Means

    "The Dirty Bird"  |  33-16-1, 1 NC

    1984 - USA - UFC
    
    Still a dog, just an old dog. Fights more of a wrestling based style than he used to which he needs to as his chin has eroded a bit. Still cracks and will push as long as the fight is going on, just the losses are piling up a bit for him at the moment.
    

41. 41

    

    Thad Jean

    "The Silverback"  |  7-0-0

    1998 - USA - PFL
    
    Top prospect
    
    Big for weight, nice sniping striking, good power, calm and waits for opportunities well Good straight punches and high kick. Clearly beating the lower level guys he's fought, seems ready to take on a higher level of competition, should be in the 2025 PFL season.
    

42. 42

    

    Michael Chiesa

    "Maverick"  |  16-7-0

    1987 - USA - UFC
    
    Seems to be fading fast and I don't have much hope for him getting anymore wins against decent competition unless they give him a gimme. Seems to be preparing to switch to his broadcasting career full time.
    

43. 43

    

    Islam Dulatov

    "The Ripper"  |  10-1-0

    1999ish - Germany - Oktagon
    
    Fast improving prospect who's very aggressive and beats the **** out of people in on the feet with hard, accurate and straight punches. Prepared to go into the guard of BJJ players so he can beat the **** out of them there too. Looks ready for better competition.
    

44. 44

    

    Kyle Crutchmer

    10-2-0

    1993 - USA - PFL
    
    Boring one dimensional wrestler who grinds out most guys he's faced but has lost fights against guys that aren't really very high level so I think he's really going to struggle if he moves up the ranks and starts fighting better guys who deal with crotch sniffing without too much problem. Had to pull out of this PFL season, which might not have been a bad thing for him.
    

45. 45

    

    Justin Burlinson

    8-2-0

    1997 - England - Cage Warriors
    
    Kill or be killed fighter that comes out swinging but doesn't have great defence and gets clocked hard sometimes which cost him in both his Contender Series and Cage Warriors title shots. When he's a bit more cerebral and mixes in the wrestling he looks very good, just has a tendency to want to go down swinging at any time.
    

46. 46

    

    Anderson Nascimento

    "Astro da Maldade"  |  17-3-0, 1 NC

    1986 - Brazil - Jungle Fight Champion
    
    Very physical dude who's a late bloomer and seems to be peaking in his late 30's. Strong BJJ, solid chin and comes forward behind hard shots to get into his grappling. Wore out and finished an undefeated Cesar Mendes to take the Jungle Fight belt.
    

47. 47

    

    Brennan Ward

    "Irish"  |  17-8-0

    1988 - USA - PFL
    
    Very aggressive, kill or be killed. Comes out throwing hard, good throws. Can be careless and get himself caught. Sub defence questionable.
    

48. 48

    

    Michael Lombardo

    "The Don"  |  13-4-0, 1 NC

    1990 - USA - Bellator
    
    Kind of mediocre once he gets to a decent level. He's not a bad wrestler, he's pretty strong and can cage push people quite well and his leg kicks aren't bad. He just runs out of ideas if his first plan doesn't work.
    

49. 49

    

    Tahir Abdullaev

    "Tank"  |  16-2-0

    1997 - Welterweight - AMC Fight Nights
    
    Tank is a pretty apt nickname, dude comes forward and throws as hard as he can and wrestles as hard as he can. Had a period where he was mowing through people but looked frustrated trying to find Josh Togo as he outpointed him on the back foot.
    

50. 50

    

    Laureano Staropoli

    "Pepi"  |  13-6-0

    1993 - Argentina - PFL
    
    Improved since getting cut from the UFC and started training with Glover. Got a decent run in beating solid mid tier Euro guys in Ares. Return to high level competition against Murad didn't go well, but has always struggled with cage pushes so was always going to find that hard.
    

51. 51

    

    Court McGee

    "The Crusher"  |  21-13-0

    1984 - USA - UFC
    
    Seems pretty shot to me, still has the workrate and desire but chin starting to let him down and the game seems to have caught up with him in terms of being able to impose pretty average wrestling with good cardio on most fighters.
    

52. 52

    

    Kody Steele

    6-0-0

    1995 - USA - Fury FC
    
    Good prospect
    
    Seems to be getting there, striking improving, getting some decent accumulative power behind his shots now and wearing guys down. Grapples at a decent level, likes to try and stick to people on the cage and try and get to the back. Rounding his game out nicely.
    

53. 53

    

    Mark Lemminger

    12-6-0

    1993 - USA - Free Agent
    
    Chinny and mistake prone wrestler. Pretty decent when he's not making mistakes as he's decently athletic, has well timed entries and pretty good ground and pound and offensive sub attempts, he's just prone to ******* up a lot.
    

54. 54

    

    Alan Domínguez

    "Tiburón Blanco"  |  11-6-0

    1996 - Mexico - Lux Fight League Champion
    
    Developed a pretty solid BJJ games over the years after getting subbed a lot early on. Relies on chin to get inside but it's pretty good and I've seen him take a few shots square to it without flinching. Dude is good at back takes and hunting for chokes. On a loss avenging tour as Lux champion having got losses against Antonio Suarez and Nayib Lopez back.
    

55. 55

    

    Marif Piraev

    "Piranha"  |  33-5-1

    1993 - Russia - AMC Fight Nights
    
    Tough dude who doesn't seem to be able to stick to one sport for very long. Took a bit of a shellacking in the Abbasov fight but hung in there for a good while. Recently got a solid win over Maxim Butorin on return to MMA.
    

56. 56

    

    Daniel Skibiński

    "Skiba"  |  21-9-0

    1990 - Poland - Khan Fight
    
    My gassy boi is now well and truly past the win streak that looked like it had him on the cusp of the UFC at one point. He's good early and hits hard but he's a little bit chinny his gas tank is pretty terrible if the fight goes deep. Back winning again and surprised he hasn't just cashed in his chips and gone to KSW at this point.
    

57. 57

    

    Donovan Desmae

    "Vegas"  |  18-10-0

    1991 - Belgium - Interim Levels Fight League Champion
    
    Solid journeyman with good boxing, gets good combos off with nice forward pressure and is nicely balanced with a bit of pop. Very tough to finish and has taken a bunch of good prospects the distance.
    

58. 58

    

    Nayib López

    "Cachorro"  |  16-2-0

    1993ish - Mexico - Lux Fight League
    
    Pretty one dimensional dude who likes to get on top and hold guys down while slowly working for submissions. His own takedown defence isn't too great so he can end up on his back against better grapplers and he's not a bottom game wizard so he ends up stuck there. Really tough guy though, he'll hang in there all fight and make the other guy really work to try and get him out of there. Umalatov was tiring trying to finish him and in his recent Lux title fight he won the 5th round after getting dominated the rest of the time.
    

59. 59

    

    Romain Debienne

    10-5-0

    1997ish - France - PFL
    
    Alright striker, throws most stuff hard and is a finisher Good snappy high kick. Got tagged up by Jean, but that was a high level prospect. Maybe a bit impatient if against a good counter striker. On a good run before that, only losing to uber Middleweight prospect Matej Penaz before PFL in his post covid run, other losses were early in career.
    

60. 60

    

    Joseilton Santos

    "Mazola"  |  8-0-0

    1996 - Brazil - Demo Fight Champion
    
    Fast hands, has a habit of just following guys around throwing a fast 1-2 though. Cardio seems fine, slows down a bit but not too badly for an explosive guy. Looks fine on the bottom, gets feet on hips and looks to get up. Seems competent in the wrestling. Not overly impressive, but looks okay if a bit limited.
    

61. 61

    

    Ashley Reece

    "The Beast"  |  9-3-0, 1 NC

    1988 - England - United Fight League
    
    Pretty small for the weight, likes to try and out cardio guys, does okay but has lost against anyone decent he's fought. Got to final of UFL GP but got cracked early in the final.
    

62. 62

    

    Andreeas Binder

    "Judoka"  |  9-2-0, 1 NC

    1996 - Ireland - Levels Fight League
    
    Pretty average fighter, struggling a bit to get low level guys out of there. Limited in the striking, pretty rudamental MMA style, quite small at 155 and going to struggle with long guys. Better in the grappling with an okay double leg, reasonable control and attempts to flatten guys out.
    

63. 63

    

    Jamie Richardson

    "Young Gun"  |  11-10-0

    1996 - England - Cage Warriors
    
    Really good gas tank but pretty limited and not athletic. Can rely on him to make a scrap of it as long as he's able to and he'll always make the opponent work to beat him so he's a decent bet against flaky guys.
    

64. 64

    

    Jordan Zébo

    "Le Fauve"  |  5-1-0

    2000 - Welterweight - Ares
    
    Very strong and athletic but also very spazzy. Can throw guys about but makes a lot of positional mistakes and tends not to be able to hold them down for extended periods. Better than he looked when he decided to open with a low kick against Doumbe, but seems he's always going to rely on his physical gifts.
    

65. 65

    

    Ali Zebian

    "V.I.P."  |  10-5-0

    1994 - USA - Combat FC
    
    Meat and potatoes regional dude. Not a bad wrestler, serviceable striking and cardio. Not particularly good anywhere but not bad anywhere either. Was beating Oliveira before DQ.
    

66. 66

    

    John Palaiologos

    "Greek Emperor"  |  20-13-1

    1987 - Greece - Oktagon
    
    Mid Euro level gatekeeper. Has a pretty dangerous guard which he can catch low level guys with, throws a lot of stuff up, but he's not defensively tight with it and good guys will just beat him up or pass off it.
    

67. 67

    

    Leonardo Blasco

    "Blastrigger 5000"  |  21-8-0

    1995 - Venezuela - Levels Fight League
    
    Pretty average dude who pads record with low level fighters and generally gets finished by higher level guys. Wants to try and wrestle, striking defence not sophisticated enough to avoid decent shots.
    

68. 68

    

    Yann Oliveira

    6-0-0

    USA - Combat FC Champion
    
    Looks pretty garbage to me. Main plus point is he does blast leg kicks in pretty hard, but he has one of those standup games that looks like it's something he thinks is good from sparring **** people in the gym, but just not very quick and doesn't cover his head. Likes takedowns but not that great at them and sloppy positionally, gets reversed and really bad on the bottom. Was losing to Zebian before the eye poke and feels ripe for being exposed.