Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 23 hrs, 1 min ago  |  All By Hellowhosthat

1. 1

   

   Israel Adesanya

   "The Last Stylebender"

   24-3-0

   1989 - Nigeria - UFC
   
   Out of character performance against Strickland aside I think Izzy is probably the best 185er in the world and will likely be a betting favourite against DDP. Obviously one of the best MMA strikers in history, precise, manages range well, picks his opportunities, solid chin and fighting spirit. Can someone else crowd him like Strickland did and beat him by taking his space away? Time will tell.
   

2. 2

   

   Dricus Du Plessis

   "Stillknocks"

   21-2-0

   1994 - South Africa - UFC Champion
   
   Shouldn't make things work but somehow does. Power, aggression and pressure gets the job done, strong and tough to take down. Looks tired but doesn't seem to actually be tired as still pushes a pace deep into a fight.
   

3. 3

   

   Robert Whittaker

   "The Reaper"

   25-7-0

   1990 - Australia - UFC
   
   Former champ still seems a viable threat at the top of the division aside from the DDP blowout. Rebounded from that to show that he's still got it. Still quick hands, hard to read, has that high kick combo, solid fighting spirit and hard to impose a wrestling gameplan on.
   

4. 4

   

   Khamzat Chimaev

   "Borz"

   13-0-0

   1994 - Russia - UFC
   
   Seems to be getting a lot of grief for beating the **** out of Usman for a round before having a closer time in the next two rounds against an all time great, but I find that pretty difficult to hold against him. Obviously an absolute destroyer early, has proved he can go deep when need be against Gilbert and Usman. I mean lets face it if the dude can ragdoll Kamaru around for even a round then other fighters are likely to be in a lot of trouble in that regard.
   

5. 5

   

   Jared Cannonier

   "Killa Gorilla"

   17-6-0

   1984 - USA - UFC
   
   Physical monster who seems to get better as he gets older. Hits super hard, has a chin that allows him to push in and land his power and seems like a wall when people try and take him down with nasty ground and pound when people try and get on top of him. Only knock on him really is he sometimes ends up having low volume striking fights when it feels like it would work better for him just to push forward to try and end the dude.
   

6. 6

   

   Johnny Eblen

   "Pressure"

   15-0-0

   1991 - USA - Bellator Champion
   
   Kind of been left as the king of what's barely a real division in what's left of Bellator after the PFL takeover. Had to dig a bit deeper than usual against Impa and Fabian but did what he needed to do to win. Wrestling obviously very good, has pop on feet and good cardio to grind guys out if need be.
   

7. 7

   

   Sean Strickland

   "Tarzan"

   28-6-0

   1991 - USA - UFC
   
   Surprising champ lost the belt in his first defence but in a close fight which showed he's certainly still relevant at championship level. Getting knocked out by Poatan looks less and less of a negative by the day. Constant sparring means he's ready for a high paced 5 rounds on the feet, very technical and able to fight pretty well on both front and back foot. Only real issues are that he doesn't have much power and he tends to fight close a lot of the time, so vulnerable to losing splits.
   

8. 8

   

   Magomedrasul Gasanov

   20-2-0

   1994 - Russia - ACA champion
   
   This dude is a ******* bear. Just hunts people down, takes them down and beats the **** out of them. Striking is perfectly fine to allow him to throw and close the distance before dragging them down too. Difficult to see him losing any time soon unless he somehow gets a UFC offer.
   

9. 9

   

   Marvin Vettori

   "The Italian Dream"

   19-6-1

   1993 - Italy - UFC
   
   Maybe reached his level a bit, seems to have stopped developing as much as he used to. One of the absolute best chins in the world and insane toughness but has the usual pillow fists trade off. Great cardio to allow him to push his solid wrestling and top BJJ. Excellent intangibles.
   

10. 10

    

    Paulo Costa

    "The Eraser"

    14-3-0

    1991 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Always a challenge to actually get Paulo to a cage but he's a very good fighter when he actually gets in there. Very good high kick, tough, pushes forward well, cardio is very good for someone with his muscle mass. Usually takes a decent technical effort or someone who can match his output to beat him.
    

11+

11. 11

    

    Nassourdine Imavov

    "Russian Sniper"  |  13-4-0, 1 NC

    1996 - France - UFC
    
    Really good striker, gets a little wilder than he needs to sometimes but volume is great and accuracy is good too, mixes the body kicks in really well and takedown defence is pretty solid. Only real knock on him is he can get pushed up against the cage a bit and end up losing minutes there.
    

12. 12

    

    Brendan Allen

    "All In"  |  24-5-0

    1995 - USA - UFC
    
    Superb BJJ when he can get people down. Frequently outclassing black belts on the ground. Really outstanding at back takes and finishing from there. Striking not as good as his grappling but pretty serviceable, might get into issues with really high level strikers who are hard to take down.
    

13. 13

    

    Michel Pereira

    "Demolidor"  |  30-11-0, 2 NC

    1993 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Middleweight Pereira is a scary ************. No longer with any gassing issues and now fighting on max power too. Seems to have abandoned pointless flashy stuff and now uses his explosive energy to just flatline people instead.
    

14. 14

    

    Anthony Hernandez

    "Fluffy"  |  12-2-0, 1 NC

    1993 - USA - UFC
    
    Not much mystery to what Fluffy is gonna do. Dude is a cardio machine and he's going to try and break you. Probably the best cardio in the division in fact. You can expect shot after shot after shot after shot and if he doesn't get them early, he'll start getting them later.
    

15. 15

    

    Caio Borralho

    "The Natural"  |  15-1-0, 1 NC

    1993 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Poised fighter working way up UFC rankings. Nice karate style striking, manages distance well and hard to catch. High level BJJ and gets to the back and locks on body triangles really well. Would like to see more finishes though.
    

16. 16

    

    Ikram Aliskerov

    15-1-0

    1992 - Russia - UFC
    
    Looking great in UFC tenure so far and aside from getting flattened by Khamzat and having a tough scrap with Burrell he's looked tough to beat in general. One shot power on the feet mixed with good quality sambo is always going to be an issue.
    

17. 17

    

    Derek Brunson

    "The One"  |  24-9-0

    1984 - USA - PFL
    
    Doesn't look done just yet. Losses towards end of UFC tenure were against good guys and now he's not feeling pressure to get exciting finishes to build interest in a title shot he can use his wrestling to dominate as he did against Cooper.
    

18. 18

    

    Jack Hermansson

    "The Joker"  |  24-8-0

    1988 - Sweden - UFC
    
    Reliable gatekeeper to the top spots in the UFC, Solid striker from range, good grappler and tough and aggressive. Defence isn't always the best and can be clocked clean but more than willing to fight through adversity. Loss against Dolidze I doubt happens if they were to fight again.
    

19. 19

    

    Anatoly Tokov

    32-4-0

    1990 - Russia - ACA/Bellator
    
    Not sure if he's just on loan to ACA or whether PFL let him go when they took over. Either way Tokov's a very good all round guy who's good everywhere and his only loss in years is to Eblen. He seems to struggle to get fights and stay active for whatever reason, but when he can get in there, he's good.
    

20. 20

    

    Chris Curtis

    "The Action Man"  |  31-11-0, 1 NC

    1987 - USA - UFC
    
    Very experienced and technical, kind of guy who's very hard to hit clean on the feet and very hard to finish on the ground. Does give back a bit but hard to RNC. Hits hard and looks for good timing on counters although can sometimes get a bit behind on points doing it. Good body work and good fight IQ.
    

21. 21

    

    Roman Dolidze

    "The Caucasian"  |  12-3-0

    1988 - Georgia - UFC
    
    Big brute who's not technical at all on the feet but commits forward with power which drives some guys off but does make him open to getting pieced up by technical strikers. Very good scrambler on the bottom and excellent leg lock entries and will go after any subs he can see any entry for with an intent to snap ****.
    

22. 22

    

    Reinier de Ridder

    "The Dutch Knight"  |  16-2-0

    1990 - Netherlands - ONE Championship
    
    Dared to suggest he might have been interested in leaving ONE when he was double champ so Chatri sent Anatoly Malykhin on an assassination mission after him through multiple weight classes. Now that seems to be over hopefully things go back to normal for him. Has a very good top game and if he can guys there it's going to be a wrap a lot of the time. Relies on trips for takedowns which didn't work at all on someone bigger and stronger than him like Anatoly but had been reliable before. Striking is below par but seems to have worked on leg kicks somewhat. Hopefully didn't take too much damage during the assassination attempts.
    

23. 23

    

    André Muniz

    "Sergipano"  |  24-6-0

    1990 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Limited striking but excellent grappler. Very good armbars, wrestling is decent but liable to run into trouble against really solid defensive wrestlers and can be prone to committing too much to a shot and ending up on bottom.
    

24. 24

    

    Gregory Rodrigues

    "Robocop"  |  15-5-0

    1992 - Brazil - UFC
    
    Comes for war and can bring it on the feet or on the ground. Occasionally backfires into him getting chinned but usually comes out on top of them. Hits hard, has good grappling, excels when the fight starts to get tough and both guys have to dig deep and he seems to be able to dig a bit deeper.
    

25. 25

    

    Fabian Edwards

    "The Assassin"  |  13-3-0

    1993 - England - Bellator
    
    Boring but kind of effective even if nowhere near as effective as his brother. Decent offensive wrestler, pretty strong in cage pushing and a decent back taker even if doesn't really finish from there. Most losses fairly close and was doing okay against Eblen until he wasn't. Doesn't really do much to separate himself on the cards, so a lot of fights will end up being close decisions.
    

26. 26

    

    Gegard Mousasi

    "The Dreamcatcher"  |  49-9-2

    1985 - Netherlands - Bellator
    
    I think Gegard's prime has finally gone, looked old and frustrated in his last two. Any takedown defence he'd built up over the years looks like it's faded. Probably still has something left on the feet.
    

27. 27

    

    Kiamrian Abbasov

    "Brazen"  |  24-6-0

    1993 - Kyrgyzstan - RCC
    
    Former ONE welterweight champ doesn't seem to think he can make that weight under normal weight cutting conditions. Pretty strong first performance after leaving ONE, using his wrestling to dominate an experienced vet in Yasubey Enomoto.
    

28. 28

    

    Jacob Malkoun

    "Mamba"  |  8-3-0

    1995 - Australia - UFC
    
    Seems to have an improving jab after previously being very one dimensional. Developed a very good wrestling game for someone who didn't grow up a wrestler. Likes to work for singles and doubles against the cage and get on top. Decent power, pretty low output on the feet.
    

29. 29

    

    Bo Nickal

    6-0-0

    1996 - USA - UFC
    
    Top prospect
    
    Still not sure how good striking is although does seem to have one shot power at least against lower level guys. Wrestling obviously good, doesn't always get initial shot but good at chaining attempts together to get the takedown when the opponent is congratulating themselves for fending off the initial attempt. Improving BJJ, a little sloppy on some of his sub finishes but very good control.
    

30. 30

    

    Virgil Augen

    7-0-0

    1997ish - France - Ares Champion
    
    Top prospect
    
    Very good wrestling style against most people, plows into the clinch, works for doubles and trips and holds position well for extended periods of time. Had to show a more well rounded game against another wrestler in Gutu and did so, outstaying the early charge comfortably and showing patience, much improved striking and very good fight IQ to gradually take charge of the fight and drown his man. Just very calm and professional in there, manages cardio well and very strong.
    

31. 31

    

    Sharaf Davlatmurodov

    "Wolfhound"  |  19-5-1

    1992 - Tajikistan - ACA
    
    Pretty solid all round fighter who keeps taking fights with a slightly better all round fighter in Anatoly Tokov and losing. Outside fighting Tokov he's generally winning, solid enough striking, decent wrestling and top control. Winning record in Bellator but didn't seem to get picked up by PFL for whatever reason.
    

32. 32

    

    Alain Van De Merckt

    "Top Boy"  |  8-0-0

    1993 - Belgium - Levels Fight League Champion
    
    Great prospect
    
    Good kickboxer with a good highkick, good grappler with a good double leg, goes for the back well and gets a lot of damage off on the ground. Swings over hard sometimes but uses it to fall into a double. Hasn't really faced tough competition yet but it's probably hard for a guy like this to get fights when he's just killing everyone.
    

33. 33

    

    César Almeida

    "Cesinha"  |  5-0-0

    1988 - Brazil - UFC
    
    High level kickboxer, obviously skilled there. Seems confident in his defensive cage wrestling and has used that a couple of times to keep himself on his feet or work up when he's taken down and tire his opponent out before taking over on the feet when they can't keep up the same workrate. I kind of think the approach will only work up to a certain level of the division, but we'll see.
    

34. 34

    

    Andre Petroski

    10-3-0

    1991 - USA - UFC
    
    Quite strong and athletic, decent striking for a wrestler. Gas tank not the best, seems to struggle to carry out a gameplan where has to shoot a lot. Chin looked questionable after getting knocked out shooting into someone's hip.
    

35. 35

    

    Cody Brundage

    10-6-0

    1994 - USA - UFC
    
    Kind of a weird fighter to get a bead on, very inconsistent. Takes short notice fights then really struggles in them. Seems to do better on a full camp, solid wrestler and has decent enough pushy forward loopy punch wrestling striking. Seems to be an absolute idiot fight IQ wise, loves pulling guillotines he can never finish and even did it against Rodolfo ******* Vieira.
    

36. 36

    

    Mikhail Dolgov

    "Misha"  |  12-6-0

    1996 - Russia - ACA
    
    Been matched up very tough and better than his record suggests. Good striking with accurate punches and starting to learn how to deal with the wrestlers. Feels like he's starting to come into his prime after holding off the cage wrestling of Honeycutt and landing enough damage to win.
    

37. 37

    

    Yasubey Enomoto

    "The Swiss Samurai"  |  23-15-0

    1983 - Switzerland - RCC
    
    Veteran who flits between 170 and 185. Starting to decline a bit, still a good sharp striker but now starting to struggle to stop the takedowns which is an issue when you primarily fight in Russian promotions. I think he could easily have had a multi year run as a UFC fighter when he was younger, but he's at the tail end of his career now.
    

38. 38

    

    Dylan Budka

    "The Mindless Hulk"  |  7-3-0

    2000 - USA - UFC
    
    Looked seriously one dimensional in the Almeida fight. You can always rely on him to work hard, keep trying to wrestle and to keep trying to get mat returns. He has good cardio assuming it's working and he is good at forcing himself forward into a range to get connected to people. Just doesn't really seem to have a plan B if he can't get plan A to work.
    

39. 39

    

    Mick Stanton

    "The Huyton Hammer"  |  13-8-0

    1987 - England - Oktagon
    
    Just an awkward dude to fight, doesn't really do anything in an orthadox way and has turned into an unorthadox grappler, wrestling isn't great or explosive but he's really persistent with it and seems to find a way on top. Good sweeps, likes to give his back and try and roll guys over him to take top side. Puts himself in **** positions at times but trusts his ability to grapple out. Striking is mainly just piling forward throwing as hard as he can.
    

40. 40

    

    Chris Honeycutt

    "The Cutt"  |  14-8-0, 1 NC

    1988 - USA - ACA
    
    Terribly boring wrestler who just wants to cage push people and slowly work towards double legs. Very stiff on the feet and tends to get tagged a lot coming in to try and wrestle, seems to have hit the juice heavily since his Bellator days but it's just made him slower.
    

41. 41

    

    Vlad Gutu

    2-1-0

    2001ish - France - Ares
    
    Very aggressive wrestler, kind of a bit of a poor man's Cutelaba. Always comes out hard, very strong, can rag guys around in the clinch and can crack too, likes a spinning back elbow in close. Not so good defensively and wasn't a very good nail against Virgil once he started losing. Looks like a handful for most people in the first but unless he matures a bit good quality fighters should be able to outlast him.
    

42. 42

    

    Kamil Wojciechowski

    "Gleba"  |  8-2-0

    1989 - Poland - Oktagon
    
    Average wrestler with poor striking defence and a bad chin. Not good from the bottom and kept getting double legged by a non wrestler in Stanton.