Even though Zhang Weili has been nothing short of sensational since recapturing the women’s strawweight title in 2022, she arrived at her UFC 312 title defense against Tatiana Suarez as the underdog. She didn’t take well to that. In fact, Zhang beat the proverbs out of Suarez for 25 minutes as if to make a statement.
In what was the crown jewel in a string of dominant performances, Zhang showed that the gap between herself and the rest of the strawweight field is more like the San Andreas Fault. Zhang proved that she’s not only the best 115-pounder going, but the best pound-for-pound fighter in the women’s ranks. She moves into the top spot this month in the official Uncrowned rankings.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side of the ledger, if you had any doubts about Dricus du Plessis’s reign as the middleweight champion, you shouldn’t anymore. It was nose-crunching, one-sided traffic for five rounds in du Plessis’s rematch against Sean Strickland. He too is on a northbound trek in the pound-for-pound rankings.
The panel of Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, Shaheen Al-Shatti, Petesy Carroll, Drake Riggs, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks have ranked both the men’s and women’s pound-for-pound best, one through 10, using a weighted points system to determine the final rankings (being voted No. 1 equals 10 points, No. 2 equals nine points, down to No. 10 equaling one point).
Our only criterion for these monthly rankings is that a fighter has competed within at least a calendar year of the publication date or has at least had a fight booked within that window. If a fighter hasn’t competed in a year and books a fight after that time, he or she is once again eligible to be voted back in. Fighters who retire are no longer eligible for the rankings.
Though most of the best fighters are currently in the UFC, these rankings are not UFC exclusive. We take into consideration all the major promotions, from the Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.
Without further ado, the MMA pound-for-pound rankings for February!
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Islam Makhachev — UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 1)
It’s been a rough year so far for MMA tyrannies, as we’ve seen both the “Female Khabib” (Suarez) and Umar Nurmagomedov fall for the first time in their careers, with Usman Nurmagomedov even getting the scare of his life against Paul Hughes. You know the one constant in the strong line of tyrants? Islam Makhachev. He’s still king.
2. Ilia Topuria — UFC featherweight champion (Prev: 2)
Topuria would love to go up and challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title, which would be an epic fight, but those aspirations seem a little premature. The rematch with Alexander Volkanovski looks next, and you have guys like Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev lurking in the contender spots.
3. Alex Pereira — UFC light heavyweight champion (Prev: 3)
“Poatan” is everywhere. Even with a fight coming up in a little less than a month, there he was in Australia, populating Strickland’s corner and buddying up with his rival, Israel Adesanya. Is he taking this fight with Magomed Ankalaev too lightly? Ankalaev isn’t one to be trifled with!
4. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 4)
In the end, the oddsmakers were the story for Merab’s first title defense at UFC 311. Installing him as a 2-to-1 underdog against Nurmagomedov was a slap in his face, yet here’s to guessing he won’t be so disrespected again. Merab’s performance wasn’t virtuoso so much as terrifying. Dude … just … keeps …coming. O’Malley next?
5. Alexandre Pantoja — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 5)
Speaking of champions looking to stray, Pantoja recently began tossing Dvalishvili’s name as one of those he’d most like to conquer. That would be intriguing, especially given the dearth of contenders at flyweight. It looks like Kai Kara-France might get next crack at his title by default.
6. Jon Jones — UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 6)
You just knew that Jones’s big announcement was going to be anything other than a fight with Tom Aspinall (he wants transparency in healthcare, people!), still it was fun to dream. As Turki Alalshikh continues to book the biggest names in boxing, the UFC is quietly at work trying to book the biggest heavyweight fight possible.
7. Dricus du Plessis — UFC middleweight champion (Prev: NR)
It started with the Robert Whittaker fight, but all du Plessis does is roll through whatever challenges the UFC sets in front of him. People keep waiting for the wheels to come off, but stringing together wins over Whittaker, Strickland (x2) and Israel Adesanya is the mark of a super-legit champion.
8. Tom Aspinall — UFC interim heavyweight champion (Prev: 7)
The ticking of the clock is even louder for the interim champion Aspinall, who finds himself in a helpless situation where he must sit and wait. Or does he? How long will Aspinall stay sidelined as Jones and the UFC try to get on the same page? And does he risk everything by taking another fight if a deal isn’t struck soon?
9. Francis Ngannou — PFL super fights heavyweight champion (Prev: 8)
With the PFL in its reinvention stage, who knows what happens next for Ngannou. Does he fight in MMA, or head back into the boxing ring? Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani thinks he should take on Derek Chisora, who is coming off a victory Otto Wallin in England. Hey, it’s better than a kick in the pants, as they say.
10. Belal Muhammad — UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 9)
Good for Muhammad jumping into the fray of UFC 312 by calling Strickland a “little racist clown,” as sometimes venting keeps you in the headlines. That fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov looms large, and honestly, the way the invincibles are falling in 2025, Muhammad is primed to hold court.
(Others receiving votes: Khamzat Chimaev, Alexander Volkanovski)
WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Zhang Weili — UFC strawweight champion (Prev: 2)
There’s an easy comparison to be made between Zhang and Georges St-Pierre. When “GSP” lost his title, it bothered him so bad that he obsessed over never losing it again once he got it back. Zhang has been dynamite since retaking the 115-pound title, and her shut down of Tatiana Suarez felt like a statement.
2. Valentina Shevchenko — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 1)
Speaking of dominant, Shevchenko fits the bill. The fight with the unsung Manon Fiorot still feels like Shevchenko’s most dangerous defense, but now there’s talk of Zhang coming up to challenge for the flyweight belt? Dude, if she defends her title against Fiorot and Zhang in 2025, there will be 800-page biographies written about “Bullet.”
3. Cris Cyborg — PFL super fights women’s featherweight champion (Prev: 3)
She’s the reigning queen of the PFL, which isn’t meant to sound any kind of way. At 39 years old and having already won titles in something like 472 different promotions (actual number is five), Cyborg’s legacy is set. A rematch with Larissa Pacheco would be fun, but you wonder if she’s more interested in less dangerous swan songs.
4. Kayla Harrison — UFC bantamweight contender (Prev: 4)
Four months after beating Ketlen Vieira to punch her ticket to a title shot, Harrison is still “patiently waiting,” as she posted on social media. Bet she misses those days in 2021 and 2022 when she could ragdoll people four times a year. Then again, cutting down to 135 pounds is no picnic (and so long as she fights at that weight, there’ll be no picnics in general).
5. Julianna Peña — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 7)
At some point Peña’s going to have to dangle that title out there for Harrison, which is like saying at some point the sailor’s got to dangle his bloody foot out there for a shark. It’s not a fun appointment, but Harrison is the major obstacle standing in Peña’s way to the fight she wants above all others — the trilogy with Amanda Nunes.
6. Manon Fiorot — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 6)
The fight game is wild. It’s been 11 months since Fiorot waltzed into Atlantic City and muted the phenom Erin Blanchfield in her native state. That kind of gangsta statement should’ve resulted in a title shot, but here are still waiting for it to materialize. Imagine if other sports held momentum in check for an entire year!
7. Alexa Grasso — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 5)
The good news for Grasso is that she’s 31 years old, while her arch nemesis — Valentina Shevchenko — is 36. Grasso can wait out Shevchenko’s reign and make another push for a title, but in the meantime, she has work to do. Whoever the UFC puts in front of her next might be in for it.
8. Larissa Pacheco — PFL featherweight contender (Prev: 8)
Pacheco has to be chomping at the bit to compete again, as it’s tough to live with a loss like she suffered against Cyborg with no way to vent. Another go at the legend might be in the cards at some point, but right now there is much murkiness in the PFL’s crystal ball.
9. Dakota Ditcheva — PFL women’s 2024 flyweight tournament champion (Prev: 9)
Breakout star of 2024? For sure. After winning the 125-pound tourney and becoming the first to ever finish Taila Santos, we don’t have to wonder how good England’s Ditcheva is anymore. She’s on a different level. Those body shots were naaaasty, and the fact that she’s making each fight look so easy? Big things on the horizon.
10. Seika Izawa — Jewels strawweight and atomweight Champion, RIZIN super atomweight champion (Prev: NR)
The last we saw her, Izawa was closing out 2024 with a first-round submission of Lucia Apdelgarim at RIZIN’s big year-end shindig in Japan. You know what’s fun to think about? The 27-year-old “Supernova” fighting in the UFC. Dana White’s been flirting with the idea of introducing an atomweight division, and that would look like a red carpet to the best atom in the world.
(Others receiving votes: Tatiana Suarez, Raquel Pennington, Si Woo Park, Virna Jandiroba, Erin Blanchfield, Yan Xiaonan)
Here’s how we voted:
SHAHEEN AL-SHATTI
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Alex Pereira
3. Ilia Topuria
4. Merab Dvalishvili
5. Alexandre Pantoja
6. Dricus du Plessis
7. Francis Ngannou
8. Tom Aspinall
9. Belal Muhammad
10. Jon Jones
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Alexa Grasso
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Cris Cyborg
6. Manon Fiorot
7. Larissa Pacheco
8. Seika Izawa
9. Dakota Ditcheva
10. Julianna Pena
CONNER BURKS
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Ilia Topuria
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Alex Pereira
5. Jon Jones
6. Alexandre Pantoja
7. Dricus Du Plessis
8. Tom Aspinall
9. Khamzat Chimaev
10. Belal Muhammad
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Julianna Pena
5. Kayla Harrison
6. Manon Fiorot
7. Dakota Ditcheva
8. Alexa Grasso
9. Larissa Pacheco
10. Yan Xiaonan
PETESY CARROLL
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Alex Pereira
3. Ilia Topuria
4. Merab Dvalishvili
5. Tom Aspinall
6. Alexandre Pantoja
7. Jon Jones
8. Francis Ngannou
9. Dricus Du Plessis
10. Belal Muhammad
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Alexa Grasso
6. Julianna Pena
7. Manon Fiorot
8. Dakota Ditcheva
9. Larissa Pacheco
10. Seika Izawa
BEN FOWLKES
MEN
1. Alex Pereira
2. Jon Jones
3. Ilia Topuria
4. Islam Makhachev
5. Alexandre Pantoja
6. Merab Dvalishvili
7. Dricus du Plessis
8. Alex Volkanovski
9. Francis Ngannou
10. Tom Aspinall
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Alexa Grasso
6. Raquel Pennington
7. Julianna Pena
8. Manon Fiorot
9. Larissa Pacheco
10. Dakota Ditcheva
ERIC JACKMAN
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Ilia Topuria
3. Alex Pereira
4. Khamzat Chimaev
5. Merab Dvalishvili
6. Dricus du Plessis
7. Alexandre Pantoja
8. Jon Jones
9. Belal Muhammad
10. Tom Aspinall
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Larissa Pacheco
6. Julianna Peña
7. Manon Fiorot
8. Dakota Ditcheva
9. Virna Jandiroba
10. Tatiana Suarez
CHUCK MINDENHALL
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Alex Pereira
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Ilia Topuria
5. Tom Aspinall
6. Jon Jones
7. Dricus du Plessis
8. Francis Ngannou
9. Alexandre Pantoja
10. Khamzat Chimaev
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Kayla Harrison
5. Manon Fiorot
6. Dakota Ditcheva
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Julianna Pena
9. Erin Blanchfield
10. Larissa Pacheco
DRAKE RIGGS
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Merab Dvalishvili
3. Ilia Topuria
4. Belal Muhammad
5. Alex Pereira
6. Alexandre Pantoja
7. Dricus du Plessis
8. Tom Aspinall
9. Francis Ngannou
10. Jon Jones
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Seika Izawa
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Alexa Grasso
6. Si Woo Park
7. Larissa Pacheco
8. Kayla Harrison
9. Virna Jandiroba
10. Dakota Ditcheva
