Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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Here’s a scary thought: Merab Dvalishvili is still getting better.

That certainly looked to be the case at UFC 316, where “The Machine” gradually broke down Sean O’Malley en route to a third-round submission in Saturday’s headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While much was made of O’Malley’s improved health and lifestyle changes heading into the bout, it was Dvalishvili who looked even better than before after needing five rounds to vanquish “Suga” in their first meeting at UFC 306 last September.

Dvalishvili has won 13 straight UFC appearances —12 at 135 pounds — and at this point deserves to at least be in the discussion for bantamweight GOAT. After closing the book on his rivalry with O’Malley in emphatic fashion, Dvalishvili will look ahead to a likely title defense against Cory Sandhagen later this year. He’s also remains entrenched in the Top 5 of the pound-for-pound rankings.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Islam Makhachev (27-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev left no doubt in the UFC 311 headliner, submitting last-minute opponent Renato “Moicano” with a brabo choke in the opening stanza of their lightweight championship bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The late shift from Arman Tsarukyan to “Moicano” did little to faze Makhachev, who won his 15th consecutive outing and set the UFC lightweight record for most championship victories with five. Makhachev has since vacated the lightweight throne and will face 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena at an as yet to be determined date.

2. Ilia Topuria (16-0) | UFC [2]

Topuria added another significant feather to his cap in the UFC 308 headliner, as he became the first person to knock out Max Holloway in 34 professional fights at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With back-to-back knockouts of Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski on his ledger — and eight consecutive triumphs in the UFC overall — “El Matador” established himself as the unquestioned king of the featherweight division. However, Topuria vacated his title in February and will now vie for the vacant lightweight championship against Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner.

3. Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

In his second foray at heavyweight, “Bones” was utterly dominant once again at UFC 309, hammering former champ Stipe Miocic with brutal ground-and-pound and pelting him with kicks, punches and elbows on the feet before closing things out with a spinning back kick to the ribs late in the third round. While many fans questioned the UFC’s decision to match Jones with the long-inactive Miocic rather than interim champ Tom Aspinall, there can be no questioning the former light heavyweight kingpin’s work in the cage, as he has looked flawless since returning to action.

4. Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) | UFC [4]

Pantoja made short work of former Rizin bantamweight king Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner, winning via second-round submission at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Cannibal” now has three successful flyweight title defenses to his credit and for the first time during his reign, he didn’t need the full 25 minutes to get the job done. Pantoja will look to continue his reign against former “TUF” foe Kai Kara-France in the UFC 317 co-main event.

5. Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) | UFC [5]

While much of the talk ahead of UFC 316 revolved around the changes Sean O’Malley made, Dvalishvili ultimately proved to be the more improved athlete, as he gradually wore down his rival en route to a third-round submission victory on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Dvalishvili has won 13 consecutive Octagon appearances — including a pair of title defenses — and warrants serious consideration as the bantamweight GOAT. “The Machine” already appears to be eagerly looking ahead to a future date with top contender Cory Sandhagen next.

6. Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

Anakalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle for Alex Pereira to solve, as the Dagestani outstruck the former Glory Kickboxing champion en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Ankalaev’s victory was that he was unable to land a single takedown against “Poatan,” but that only makes the performance more impressive. Ankalaev will take a 14-bout UFC unbeaten streak into his first title defense at light heavyweight.

7. Alex Pereira (12-3) | UFC [7]

Pereira wasn’t taken down in the UFC 313 headliner, but he also struggled to get his vaunted striking going against a defensively sound opponent in Magomed Ankalaev. The end result was a closely contested unanimous decision defeat that ended the Brazilian’s reign after three successful title defenses. The now former two-divison champion remains perhaps the promotion’s most popular star, but the latest setback might have stifled the momentum behind a potential move to heavyweight.

8. Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) UFC [8]

After a somewhat contentious result the first time around, Du Plessis left no doubt in his rematch with Sean Strickland, as he cruised to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 312 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. “Stillknocks” outstruck his opponent for the majority of the contest and even busted up Strickland’s nose in Round 4 to bring an emphatic conclusion to their rivalry. Du Plessis has won nine straight fights at 185 pounds. He’ll look to extend that streak against Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event.

9. Tom Aspinall (15-3) | UFC [9]

Aspinall furthered his case to be considered the top heavyweight in the sport, smashing Curtis Blaydes with first-round punches in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England. As one of the rare fighters to defend an interim UFC title, Aspinall looms larger than ever as a potential opponent for Jon Jones, who defended his half of the belt in brutal fashion on Nov. 16. While Aspinall has grown frustrated waiting for Jones, UFC CEO Dana White seems confident that title unification bout will happen at some point in 2025.

10. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [10]

Della Maddalena made the most of his golden opportunity at UFC 315, as he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds to capture the welterweight crown at the Bell Centre in Montreal on May 10. The Australian has won 18 straight professional outings — including eight in the UFC — and earned his spot atop the division with precise boxing, stout takedown defense and timely scrambling. It now appears that he’ll get an even bigger stage for his first title defense: a showdown with lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

Other Contenders: Alexander Volkanovski, Belal Muhammad, Max Holloway, Francis Ngannou, Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.