Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 2 years, 4 months ago  |  All By JPdachamp27

1. 1

   

   Jon Jones

   "Bones"

   27-1-0, 1 NC

   While personal issues (stop getting arrested and drinking) as well as a weight class change, kept Bones on the shelf in 2021, the fact that he is in talks for a title shot in a new weight class and is still considered the GOAT by many, is more than enough reason to justify this spot.
   

2. 2

   

   Joanna Jędrzejczyk

   16-5-0

   The former five-time defending strawweight queen had her ranking removed for inactivity. However, the boogiewoman's last fight was perhaps the greatest women's fight of all time against Weili Zhang. Time for a rematch now that Zhang has lost twice to current champ Rose Namajunas?
   

3. 3

   

   Zabit Magomedsharipov

   18-1-0

   Violent Abe Lincoln was last seen defeating current #5 featherweight Calvin Kattar. While his gas tank is questionable, his submissions threats and striking are not. Now that his health battles are supposedly behind him, hopefully, we can see the Dagestani fighter take on the likes of Yair Rodriguez or Korean Zombie in the coming year.
   

4. 4

   

   Germaine de Randamie

   "The Iron Lady"

   10-5-0

   The Iron Lady had to pull out of a Nov. matchup with Irene Aldana, but her 2020 win over current bantamweight champ Julianna Pena in her last match in 2020 shows the former feathweight queen is not going anywhere, and with two losses to Amanda Nunes being her only blemishes in her past ten fights, GDR could be one good win away from another title shot.
   

5. 5

   

   Holly Holm

   "The Preacher's Daughter"

   15-7-0, 1 NC

   A knee injury kept Holm out of a 145 matchup with Norma Dumont. In an already starved division, Holm, who won both of her 2020 fights over Aldana and Racquel Pennington, may be one win away from a rematch with Nunes. The former 135 champ is still a great boxer, and could pose a threat should the UFC keep expanding their 145 division (not a given).
   

6. 6

   

   Bryce Mitchell

   "Thug Nasty"

   16-2-0

   The camo shorts-wearing fighter from Arkansas is 14-0 and currently ranked #11 in the featherweight division. With a matchup with Edson Barboza booked for early March, the 27-year-old submission specialist will be looking to add to his 4-0 UFC resumém that includes wins over Andre Fili, Charles Rosa, and a rare twister submission over Matt Sayles.
   

7. 7

   

   Luke Rockhold

   16-6-0

   The former middleweight champ retired in 2019 following brutal losses at the hands of Yoel Romero and Polish Power Jan Blachowicz. At age 37, the 16-5 fighter was set to return to competition and was booked against top 10 middleweight Sean Strickland for UFC 268 before being forced out with a herniated disc. While unclear who his competition will be now, (Strickland has been rebooked for February), a fighter such as Rockhold, with names like Chris Weidman, Jacare Souza, Michael Bisping, and Lyoto Machida on his hit list, still holds clout against the new guard of the UFC.
   

8. 8

   

   Tatiana Suarez

   10-0-0

   The former TUF 23 champion seemed destined for stardom going 5-0 in her UFC run through 2019, (and 8-0 overall). Unfortunately, injuries have reared their ugly head, including in 2021, where Suarez was forced to pull out of a Sept. matchup with Roxanne Modafferi. With notable wins over Carla Esparza, Nina Nunes, and Alexa Grasso, the 31-year-old Brazilian wrestler has plenty more good years ahead of her if she can remain healthy.
   

9. 9

   

   Alex Perez

   25-8-0

   The last time we saw Perez, he got choked out in just under two minutes by then flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. Prior to that, however, Perez had racked up three wins, including two performances of the night against Jussier Formiga and Jordan Espinosa. While Matt Schnell's illness and missing weight both hindered a potential UFC 269 return, Perez is a surefire top 10 contender still in a thin flyweight division.
   

10. 10

    

    Blagoy Ivanov

    "Baga"

    19-7-0, 1 NC

    While I was split between Sergei Pavlovich and Ivanov for this final spot, I went with the Bulgarian due to the reputability of his chin and resumé. His past two fights were both competitive split decisions against Derrick Lewis and Augusto Sakai. Holding wins over Ben Rothwell and Junior Dos Santos, no heavyweights has ever averaged a longer fight time than Ivanov, with all five of his UFC fights going the distance. The former WSOF champ (which he defended four times) may not be ranked currently, but with such a top-heavy heavyweight division, one win should get him back in the rankings.