It wasn’t the fight people hoped for, as Tom Aspinall had waited a long, loooong time to defend his heavyweight title and solidify his standing as the champion. Ciryl Gane showed up to Abu Dhabi ready to fight at UFC 321, and he was winning the first round when the fight came to a crashing halt with an unfortunate eye-poke.
Aspinall couldn’t continue, resulting in a no-contest. That means Aspinall retained his title for the time being, and a rematch now sits on the horizon. It also means Aspinall won’t be making a leap in this special edition of the MMA pound-for-pound rankings, as we’re left to wonder how the fight would’ve played out.
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One person who is making a splash on the women’s side is Mackenzie Dern, who withstood a spirited effort from Virna Jandiroba in UFC 321’s co-main event to win the vacant strawweight title. The evolution of Dern has been nothing short of outstanding, from the inexperienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu-centric fighter who missed weight more than once in her early stages to the well-rounded end product who put it all together in the biggest moment of her career.
Perseverance!
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).
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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 Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.
Without further ado, the updated MMA pound-for-pound rankings!
Tom Aspinall’s weekend at UFC 321 did not go as planned.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Ilia Topuria — UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 1)
The mind says that Topuria’s first title defense at lightweight will be against Justin Gaethje, who gets grandfathered into big matchups for playing the role of must-see berserker. The heart? The heart wants what it wants, and that’s Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett crashing the Topuria party.
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2. Islam Makhachev — former UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 2)
The countdown to Madison Square Garden is on, and it should be one hell of an autumn in New York. If Makhachev dethrones Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title, he and Topuria might be the best one-two punch to ever sit side-by-side in the pound-for-pound rankings.
3. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 3)
We’re not sure the champagne was done pouring after his title defense against Cory Sandhagen before he was booked into another one. Merab’s December date with Petr Yan is significant in that he can break the UFC’s record for most title defenses in a year. And the good news? Looks like Umar Nurmagomedov is closing in on him again for 2026.
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4. Alexandre Pantoja — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 4)
Pantoja is a masterclass of the monsterclass, and his successive finishes of Kai Kara-France and Kai Asakura have only shown just how wide the gap is between him and the nearest flyweight contender. Know what’s fun though? That title fight they booked him against 23-year-old Joshua Van. Maybe it’s a slight exaggeration, but this could be the best fight in flyweight history.
5. Khamzat Chimaev — UFC middleweight champion (Prev: 5)
If there are questions to who might be out there who can actually challenge Merab Dvalishvili as he re-cleans out the bantamweight division, imagine what it’s like to be Khamzat Chimaev, who will be a heavy prohibitive favorite against (most likely) Nassourdine Imavov. Dude gives everyone in that division a bad case of the willies.
6. Tom Aspinall — UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 6)
We’ve said it a million times, but the fight game is cruel. There are so many chaotic elements that it just feels like a minefield whenever a fighter takes off their shoes to enter the cage. Saturday’s no-contest was a travesty for Aspinall, who waited 15 long months to shine. Here’s hoping he’s OK, and that the rematch with Gane is booked forthwith.
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7. Alex Pereira — UFC light heavyweight champion (Prev: 7)
It’s confusing when department stores put Christmas out before Halloween’s even had a chance to come and go, yet that’s the way Alex Pereira likes it. He is dressing up like a heavyweight for Halloween, and all he wants for Christmas is to fight Jon Jones at the White House come June.
8. Alexander Volkanovski — UFC featherweight champion (Prev: 8)
Diego Lopes? Lerone Murphy? Movsar Evloev? Doesn’t matter to Volkanovski who the UFC draws out of its matchmaking hat, this second act is all gravy for arguably the best champion in featherweight history. Volk just turned 37 years old in late September, and any wins beyond this point are legacy stuffers.
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9. Jack Della Maddalena — UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 9)
As we get closer to his date with Islam Makhachev, so will the predictions grow louder than he’s in for a beating come November. Say this about JDM, though — every time people sleep on him, he delivers. Can’t beat Belal Muhammad? He took Belal to the woodshed in Montreal. Can he do that to Islam? (He wants you to say no!)
10. Magomed Ankalaev — UFC light heavyweight contender (Prev: NR)
It was a tough day at the office for Big Ank, who showed up to Vegas for his first title defense to a chorus of boos at UFC 320 before getting knocked out in the first round. There’s no chance the UFC runs it back a third time with Pereira batting his eyes at heavyweight, but a fight with Jiri Prochazka sounds like a fun little consolation.
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(Others receiving votes: Dricus du Plessis, Arman Tsarukyan)
Mackenzie Dern is the new UFC strawweight champion.
(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Zhang Weili — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 1)
As she moves up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the title in a few weeks, it’s telling that Zhang’s the betting favorite heading in. She is a superpower right now in the women’s ranks, who happens to be catching Shevchenko is in the twilight of her career. There will be storylines galore ahead of that clash looms at UFC 322.
2. Valentina Shevchenko — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 2)
Then again, don’t be duped by Shevchenko’s age. It’s true that she has some years behind her, which has (traditionally) been the red zone for fighter decline, yet if that Manon Fiorot fight told us anything it’s that “The Bullet” has plenty left in the tank. If she beats Zhang out in NYC, we’ll be having some discussions about where she belongs in the canon of all-time female greats.
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3. Kayla Harrison — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 3)
Similar to the Shevchenko-Zhang situation, two overlapping legacies will collide at some point in the near future when Harrison takes on Amanda Nunes. This fight should be considered one of the best in women’s history, even if neither has the kind of clout that Ronda Rousey did during her heyday. With the brutal cut for Harrison, would the UFC consider making it a catchweight at 140 pounds? (We can say confidently that she would welcome that with open arms!).
4. Cris Cyborg — PFL super fights women’s featherweight champion (Prev: 4)
Guess who has a fight on the books? That’s right, Cris Cyborg, whom the PFL finally got around to booking for a Dec. 13 date against the undefeated Australian fighter, Sara Collins. Will this be a rag-doll session in the vein of Jan Finney or Marloes Coenen? Ha! Remember those days? Probably not, given that Cyborg has hit the big Four-O, but this is definitely a fight she should win.
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5. Dakota Ditcheva — PFL women’s 2024 flyweight tournament champion (Prev: 5)
A long time ago, the great president Abraham Lincoln got frustrated with George McClellan’s reluctance to engage his well-trained troops in battle. He wrote, “If General McClellan is not going to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time.” Kinda feel that way about Ditcheva and the PFL. If they’re not going to fight her … can the UFC borrow her for a time?
Natalia Silva of Brazil punches former champ Alexa Grasso this past May.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
6. Natalia Silva — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 6)
Perhaps the fighter who took the biggest blow by the Shevchenko superfight was Silva, who has done enough to fight for a title at 125 pounds. But there will be time, dear reader — there will be time. At 28 years old, Silva has a (not so) modest 13-fight win streak in place, and she fights like a banshee. Maybe a fight with Rose Namajunas can tide her over?
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7. Manon Fiorot — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 8T)
Think about the past three fights that Fiorot has had. She went into Atlantic City and beat New Jersey’s own Erin Blanchfield from pillar to post, she went to Montreal and gave Valentina Shevchenko all she could handle before dropping a decision, and finally she goes to Vancouver and halts the scorching hot Jasmine Jasudavicius in front of a partisan crowd. Beastwork.
8. Mackenzie Dern — UFC strawweight champion (Prev: NR)
Looking back at the green version of Dern who had just enough to beat Ashley Yoder and got worked by Amanda Ribas, it’s been quite the evolution. To see her win a five-round fight in which she had to be good everywhere was a thing of beauty, and you can’t blame Dern for getting emotional given how far she’s come.
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9. Virna Jandiroba — UFC strawweight contender (Prev: 7)
She scored nine takedowns. She executed her game plan to a tee. There were a couple of times when Jandiroba cracked Dern with hard shots that proved that — at 37 years old — you can teach new tricks. But she just came up short for the title bid. What happens next? Does she have it in her to make it back?
10. Seika Izawa — RIZIN super atomweight champion (Prev: 8T)
At this point it feels like there’s a select American audience who searches out Izawa’s fights the way that record-lovers used to go after Japanese imports in the 1970s; it’s a hipster passion that loves being ahead of the curve. She has a title defense against Saori Oshima at RIZIN Landmark 12 next week in Kobe, Japan, so tune in to catch the greatness.
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(Others receiving votes: Larissa Pacheco, Julianna Pena, Liz Carmouche, Erin Blanchfield)
Here’s how we voted:
SHAHEEN AL-SHATTI
MEN
1. Ilia Topuria
2. Islam Makhachev
3. Alexandre Pantoja
4. Merab Dvalishvili
5. Tom Aspinall
6. Khamzat Chimaev
7. Magomed Ankalaev
8. Alex Pereira
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Dricus du Plessis
WOMEN
1. Kayla Harrison
2. Zhang Weili
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Larissa Pacheco
6. Seika Izawa
7. Dakota Ditcheva
8. Virna Jandiroba
9. Natalia Silva
10. Liz Carmouche
CONNER BURKS
MEN
1. Ilia Topuria
2. Merab Dvalishvili
3. Islam Makhachev
4. Khamzat Chimaev
5. Alexandre Pantoja
6. Tom Aspinall
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7. Alexander Volkanovski
8. Alex Pereira
9. Jack Della Maddalena
10. Dricus Du Plessis
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Kayla Harrison
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Dakota Ditcheva
6. Natalia Silva
7. Larissa Pacheco
8. Manon Fiorot
9. Julianna Pena
10. Mackenzie Dern
PETESY CARROLL
MEN
1. Ilia Topuria
2. Islam Makhachev
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Khamzat Chimaev
6. Tom Aspinall
7. Alex Pereira
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Jack Della Maddalena
10. Magomed Ankalaev
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Kayla Harrison
4. Dakota Ditcheva
5. Cris Cyborg
6. Manon Fiorot
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Natalia Silva
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9. Virna Jandiroba
10. Liz Carmouche
BEN FOWLKES
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Ilia Topuria
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Khamzat Chimaev
6. Alex Pereira
7. Tom Aspinall
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Jack Della Maddalena
10. Magomed Ankalaev
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Kayla Harrison
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Dakota Ditcheva
6. Mackenzie Dern
7. Virna Jandiroba
8. Manon Fiorot
9. Natalia Silva
10. Larissa Pacheco
ERIC JACKMAN
MEN
1. Merab Dvalishvili
2. Islam Makhachev
3. Ilia Topuria
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Khamzat Chimaev
6. Alex Pereira
7. Tom Aspinall
8. Jack Della Maddalena
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Arman Tsarukyan
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WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Kayla Harrison
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Manon Fiorot
6. Natalia Silva
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Dakota Ditcheva
9. Larissa Pacheco
10. Virna Jandiroba
CHUCK MINDENHALL
MEN
1. Islam Makhachev
2. Ilia Topuria
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Khamzat Chimaev
6. Alexnader Volkanovski
7. Tom Aspinall
8. Alex Pereira
9. Jack Della Maddalena
10. Dricus du Plessis
WOMEN
1. Kayla Harrison
2. Zhang Weili
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Dakota Ditcheva
6. Manon Fiorot
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Virna Jandiroba
9. Erin Blanchfield
10. Natalia Silva
DRAKE RIGGS
MEN
1. Ilia Topuria
2. Merab Dvalishvili
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3. Islam Makhachev
4. Alexandre Pantoja
5. Khamzat Chimaev
6. Tom Aspinall
7. Jack Della Maddalena
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Alex Pereira
10. Magomed Ankalaev
WOMEN
1. Zhang Weili
2. Seika Izawa
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Kayla Harrison
6. Natalia Silva
7. Mackenzie Dern
8. Virna Jandiroba
9. Liz Carmouche
10. Dakota Ditcheva
