UFC Rankings: Power Ranking Every Fighter in Every Division

The reliability of MMA rankings has long been debated due to its subjective nature.

However, with the help of math, personal opinions can be removed from ranking systems as much as possible. That is the aim of the following monthly UFC ranking system, which orders fighters in each division based on a formula that heavily weighs results against similar competition.

By removing non-UFC fighters from the equation, many of whom have not proven themselves against elite competition, these rankings eliminate much of the guesswork that goes into personal rankings. That is not to say there are not elite fighters competing outside of the Octagon, but the UFC has become the major league of MMA, and there is no denying that.

Take a look at the complete UFC rankings and leave your opinions in the comment section below. Alterations to the ranking formula will be made based on the response from the Bleacher Report community. 

Rankings Guidelines

The following rankings are computerized based primarily on comparing similar competition among fighters. Exhibition bouts are not considered in determining rankings.

All fighters will be ranked in their current division as long as they have competed in that division within the past calender year. However, champions who compete outside the division in which they hold a belt will be ranked in both divisions unless one year has passed since they have defended their title.

Changes will be made to these guidelines at the overwhelming request of Bleacher Report readers.

Note: Rankings for the women's bantamweight division will be included once competition in the class begins.

Heavyweight

Alistair Overeem has been out of action since beating Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut, but he's finally about to leap back into title contention. 

At UFC 156, Overeem will meet Antonio Silva in a bout that could earn him a shot at heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Overeem had previously been booked for a title shot against Junior dos Santos, but that fell through when the former Strikeforce champion failed a pre-fight drug test (via MMAJunkie.com).

Silva, meanwhile, recently bounced back from a loss to Velasquez with a first-round stoppage of Travis Browne. An upset win against Overeem would move Silva a step closer to an unlikely rematch with the current heavyweight titleholder.

Heavyweight Rankings

1. Cain Velasquez
2. Junior dos Santos
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Frank Mir
5. Roy Nelson
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Antonio Silva
8. Mark Hunt
9. Ben Rothwell
10. Travis Browne
11. Cheick Kongo
12. Brendan Schaub
13. Stefan Struve
14. Shawn Jordan 
15. Matt Mitrione
16. Gabriel Gonzaga 
17. Dave Herman
18. Mike Russow
19. Lavar Johnson
20. Todd Duffee
21. Stipe Miocic
22. Pat Barry
23. Shane del Rosario
24. Phil De Fries
25. Christian Morecraft

Cain Velasquez has returned to his spot atop the heavyweight class after a dominant performance in a rematch with Junior dos Santos. A rubber match is inevitable, but Dos Santos will likely have to earn his way back to a championship bout first.

After a surprising release from the UFC in 2010, Todd Duffee recently returned to the Octagon and added some much needed depth to the division. A win over Phil De Fries was a good start for the physically gifted heavyweight, but Duffee still has some work to do in order to reach the potential many believe he has.

Non-ranked Heavyweights

• Shane Carwin
• Geronimo dos Santos
• Alistair Overeem

Shane Carwin had been expected to return to the cage following a coaching appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. However, another injury forced the former interim champion out of a scheduled bout with opposing coach Roy Nelson and further delayed his return.

Light Heavyweight

At UFC 156, Rashad Evans will compete for the first time since losing to former teammate and current rival Jon Jones. Despite speculation that he would make a move to the middleweight division, Evans has opted to stay at 205 pounds for a fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Quinton Jackson is also set to fight in the coming month. In the last fight on his UFC contract, Jackson is hoping to engage in a slugfest with the rising Glover Teixeira. Teixeira battered Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado in his first two Octagon appearances, but he'll be taking a big step up in competition against a motivated Jackson.

Furthermore, Ryan Bader will try to bounce back from a brutal knockout loss to Lyoto Machida when he squares off against MMA veteran Vladimir Matyushenko.

Light Heavyweight Rankings

1. Jon Jones
2. Alexander Gustafsson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Anderson Silva
5. Mauricio Rua
6. Lyoto Machida
7. Phil Davis
8. Ryan Bader
9. Quinton Jackson
10. Forrest Griffin
11. Thiago Silva
12. Matt Hamill
13. Glover Teixeira
14. Ryan Jimmo
15. Vinny Magalhaes
16. Jimi Manuwa
17. James Te Huna
18. Igor Pokrajac
19. Kyle Kingsbury
20. Brandon Vera
21. Anthony Perosh
22. Cody Donovan
23. Cyrille Diabate
24. Fabio Maldonado
25. Roger Hollett
26. Joey Beltran
27. Wagner Prado
28. Chad Griggs
29. Nick Penner 

In late 2012, Alexander Gustafsson emerged as one of the UFC's top light heavyweight contenders. However, with Jones on the shelf until his April title fight with Chael Sonnen, Gustafsson will likely compete again before getting a title shot. 

Joey Beltran picked up a big win over Igor Pokrajac in his second UFC bout at light heavyweight. However, that victory will likely be stripped from him after news broke that he failed a pre-fight drug test (via MMAWeekly.com).

Non-Ranked Light Heavyweights

• Ildemar Alcantara
• Dan Henderson
• Vladimir Matyushenko
• Eddie Mendez
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Ednaldo Oliveira
• Wanderlei Silva
• Chael Sonnen
• Krzysztof Soszynski
• Brian Stann

Coming off of long layoffs, Nogueira and Matyushenko are set to return to the Octagon in the coming month. In respective fights with Evans and Bader, neither fighter will be welcomed back to competition warmly.

Previously ranked in the middleweight division, Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann are expected to fight one another at light heavyweight at UFC on Fuel TV 8. The future is uncertain for Silva, but Stann has said he'll return to middleweight following the bout.

Middleweight

Michael Bisping is one fight away from finally becoming the middleweight division's top contender. With a win over Vitor Belfort in the UFC on FX 7 main event, Bisping would earn himself a shot at long-time middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

The same prize is not at stake for Belfort, who has already been knocked out by Silva. However, a win over Bisping would put Belfort's name back in the conversation regarding the best fighters in the 185-pound division.

On the same fight card, The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil standout Daniel Sarafian will make his official UFC debut against C.B. Dollaway.

Middleweight Rankings

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chris Weidman
3. Vitor Belfort
4. Michael Bisping
5. Costa Philippou
6. Tim Boetsch
7. Hector Lombard
8. Yushin Okami
9. Mark Munoz
10. Alan Belcher
11. Jake Shields
12. Cung Le 
13. Derek Brunson
14. Chris Leben
15. Rich Franklin
16. Nick Ring
17. Rousimar Palhares
18. Riki Fukuda
19. Brad Tavares
20. Tom Watson
21. Ed Herman 
22. Andrew Craig
23. Rafael Natal
24. Michael Kuiper
25. Jared Hamman
26. CB Dollaway
27. Francis Carmont
28. Tom Lawlor
29. Ronny Markes
30. Chris Camozzi
31. Clifford Starks
32. Buddy Roberts
33. Alessio Sakara
34. Karlos Vemola 
35. Jason MacDonald
36. Cezar Ferreira
37. Thiago Perpetuo
38. Caio Magalhaes
39. Magnus Cedenblad

At UFC 155, two blossoming middleweight contenders were thwarted.

Yushin Okami used his wrestling to break the long winning streak of Alan Belcher in a rematch. Also, Tim Boetsch's improbable run at a 185-pound title fight finally hit a road block in the form of Costa Philippou, who himself broke through and became a contender with the win. 

Non-Ranked Middleweights

• Tim Credeur
• Josh Janousek
• Stanislav Nedkov
• Daniel Sarafian

Stanislav Nedkov opted to move to the middleweight division after a rough outing against Thiago Silva. The Bulgarian is set to make his 185-pound debut against Tom Watson at UFC on Fuel TV 7 in February.

Welterweight

With his most recent win over Erick Silva, Jon Fitch is back in the hunt for a welterweight title shot. A win over Demian Maia at UFC 156 would go a long way toward Fitch gaining ground on the 170-pound fighters who have surpassed him since his knockout loss to Johny Hendricks.

Maia will also be looking to make a statement in the upcoming matchup after winning his first two welterweight fights in the first round. The former middleweight contender is one of the best grapplers in the world, so he has the uncommon ability to challenge Fitch on the ground.

Also, former Strikeforce fighter Tyron Woodley has been booked for his first Octagon appearance, which will come against Jay Hieron at UFC 156.

Welterweight Rankings

1. Georges St-Pierre
2. Carlos Condit
3. Nick Diaz
4. Rory MacDonald
5. Johny Hendricks
6. Josh Koscheck
7. Mike Pierce
8. Demian Maia
9. Jon Fitch
10. B.J. Penn
11. Martin Kampmann
12. Jake Ellenberger
13. Rick Story
14. Thiago Alves
15. Erick Silva
16. Kyle Noke
17. Siyar Bahadurzada 
18. Dong Hyun Kim
19. Jay Hieron
20. Mike Pyle
21. Sean Pierson
22. Seth Baczynski
23. Lance Benoist
24. John Hathaway
25. Matt Riddle
26. John Maguire
27. Justin Edwards
28. Matt Brown
29. Paulo Thiago
30. Dan Hardy
31. Josh Neer
32. Che Mills
33. James Head 
34. Brian Ebersole
35. TJ Waldburger
36. Duane Ludwig
37. Mike Swick
38. Amir Sadollah
39. Stephen Thompson
40. Gunnar Nelson
41. Simeon Thoreson
42. Dan Miller
43. Aaron Simpson
44. Pascal Krauss
45. Colton Smith
46. Robert Whittaker
47. Ben Alloway
48. Sergio Moraes
49. Marcelo Guimaraes
50. Chris Clements
51. Keith Wisniewski
52. Yoshihiro Akiyama
53. Kenny Robertson
54. Brock Jardine
55. Nick Catone
56. Besam Yousef
57. Papy Abedi
58. Mike Ricci
59. Brad Scott
60. Manuel Rodriguez

Following Georges St-Pierre's win over Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz was named the next opponent for the welterweight champion. Though he's coming off of a loss and suspension, Diaz has gotten under St-Pierre's skin, which led the Canadian to ask the UFC brass for the matchup.

Considered the deserving top contender by many, Johny Hendricks will now have to defend his position on the welterweight ladder in a fight against Jake Ellenberger on the same fight card that will see St-Pierre battle Diaz.

Non-Ranked Welterweights

• Patrick Cote
• Robbie Lawler
• Hyun Gyu Lim
• Neil Magny
• Jon Manley
• Court McGee
• Jordan Mein
• David Mitchell
• Claude Patrick
• Mike Stumpf
• Bobby Voelker
• Tyron Woodley

Court McGee and Patrick Cote have opted to make the cut from middleweight to welterweight in an effort to boost their careers to the next level. McGee will meet Josh Neer in February, while Cote will welcome Bobby Voelker to the Octagon in March.

In addition to Voelker, fellow Strikeforce veterans Woodley, Robbie Lawler and Jordan Mein are all expected to compete for the UFC soon.

Lightweight

Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis could be fighting for a lightweight title shot next month.

However, if the winner is named the next top contender, they will likely have to sit out a few extra months, as champion Benson Henderson is booked to fight Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez in April.

With rising lightweights Matt Wiman and T.J. Grant also set to fight each other soon, the 155-pound title picture is beginning to become cloudy once again. 

Lightweight Rankings

1. Benson Henderson
2. Gray Maynard
3. Nate Diaz
4. Anthony Pettis
5. Donald Cerrone
6. Jim Miller
7. Joe Lauzon 
8. Matt Wiman
9. Jamie Varner
10. Melvin Guillard
11. Paul Sass
12. Myles Jury 
13. Takanori Gomi
14. Mac Danzig
15. Jacob Volkmann
16. Fabricio Camoes
17. Khabib Nurmagomedov
18. TJ Grant
19. Michael Johnson
20. Gleison Tibau
21. Rafael dos Anjos 
22. Edson Barboza
23. Ross Pearson
24. Evan Dunham
25. Tony Ferguson
26. Danny Castillo
27. Anthony Njokuani
28. Mark Bocek
29. Terry Etim
30. George Sotiropoulos
31. John Makdessi 
32. Thiago Tavares
33. Sam Stout
34. Yves Edwards
35. Jeremy Stephens 
36. Ramsey Nijem
37. Tim Means
38. Jon Tuck
39. Rustam Khabilov
40. Francisco Trinaldo
41. Joe Proctor
42. Tiequan Zhang
43. Abel Trujillo
44. Daron Cruickshank
45. John Cholish
46. Cristiano Marcello
47. Reza Madadi 
48. Justin Salas
49. Rafaello Oliveira
50. Mike Chiesa
51. Mike Rio
52. Norman Parke
53. Mike Wilkinson
54. Marcus LeVesseur
55. Henry Martinez
56. Anton Kuivanen
57. Mitch Clarke
58. CJ Keith
59. Colin Fletcher
60. Brendan Loughnane
61. John Cofer
62. Al Iaquinta
63. Vinc Pichel
64. Jeremy Larsen

The UFC's 2012 schedule closed with a number of important lightweight bouts.

Jim Miller bounced back from a loss to Nate Diaz to beat Joe Lauzon and return to title contention. At the same event, Jamie Varner proved he's still a top lightweight by beating Melvin Guillard in a closely contested bout. 

In one of the bigger surprises in the lightweight division during 2012, Myles Jury brought Michael Johnson's three fight winning streak to an end, showing he might be much more talented than he showed while appearing on The Ultimate Fighter.

Non-Ranked Lightweights

• Caros Fodor
• Renee Forte
• Bobby Green
• Mizuto Hirota
• Lucas Martins
• Aaron Riley 
• Diego Sanchez
• Paul Taylor
• Kazuki Tokudome
• Isaac Vallie-Flagg
• James Vick 

After three years at 170 pounds, Diego Sanchez's highly anticipated return to the lightweight division is set. In March, Sanchez will meet Takanori Gomi in a matchup that could catapult the former top lightweight contender back into the mix for a title shot at 155 pounds.

Featherweight

Ricardo Lamas is coming off of a win over Hatsu Hioki and is now booked to compete against Erik Koch, who had been pegged as the top featherweight contender in 2012 before he lost his position due to injury.

Since 145-pound titleholder Jose Aldo is set to defend his title against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar very soon, the winner of the bout between Lamas and Koch could set themselves up as the next challenger in the featherweight division.

The coming month will also see another former 155-pound fighter, Nik Lentz, attempt to take a step closer to the top of the featherweight class in a fight against Diego Nunes.

Featherweight Rankings

1. Jose Aldo
2. Chad Mendes
3. Chan Sung Jung
4. Dennis Siver
5. Ricardo Lamas
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Cub Swanson
8. Rani Yahya
9. Diego Nunes
10. Hatsu Hioki
11. Hacran Dias
12. Bart Palaszewski
13. Nik Lentz 
14. Manny Gamburyan
15. Felipe Arantes
16. Milton Vieira
17. Marcus Brimage
18. Maximo Blanco
19. Darren Elkins
20. Antonio Carvalho
21. Rodrigo Damm
22. Jimy Hettes
23. Mike Brown
24. Diego Brandao
25. Steven Siler
26. Daniel Pineda
27. Nam Phan
28. Cole Miller
29. Matt Grice
30. Max Holloway
31. Leonard Garcia
32. Robert Peralta
33. Charles Oliveira
34. Dennis Bermudez
35. Jason Young
36. Pablo Garza
37. Jonathan Brookins
38. Eddie Yagin
39. Rony Jason
40. Sam Sicilia
41. Justin Lawrence
42. Akira Corassani
43. Andy Ogle
44. Josh Grispi
45. Joey Gambino
46. Cody McKenzie
47. Yaotzin Meza
48. Godofredo Castro

Chad Mendes and Dustin Poirier finished 2012 with stoppages in their respective fights with Yaotzin Meza and Jonathan Brookins. Though those wins didn't move either featherweight contender forward, they padded their records and put them in position to take more meaningful fights in 2013.

Non-Ranked Featherweights

• Stephen Bass
• Josh Clopton
• Frankie Edgar
• Clay Guida
• Erik Koch
• Dustin Neace

Two of the best lightweights in the world over recent years, Edgar and Clay Guida, will jump right into the featherweight title scene after dropping to 145 pounds. Edgar has been given an immediate title shot against Aldo, while Guida has a chance to quickly emerge as one of the division's top contenders in a bout against Hatsu Hioki.

Bantamweight

Yuri Alcantara had a lot of success in the featherweight division, but a recent loss to UFC newcomer Hacran Dias led him to decide to try out the bantamweight class. At UFC on FX 7, he'll make his 135-pound debut against Pedro Nobre.

If Alcantara can cut the weight properly, he could quickly become a solid addition to a weight class that has lost some of its most talented fighters to the newly created flyweight division.

Another recent addition to the UFC's bantamweight division, Chico Camus is set to compete again within the next month. Camus will welcome Dustin Kimura to the Octagon on the preliminary card at UFC 156.

Bantamweight Rankings

1. Renan Barao
2. Urijah Faber
3. Eddie Wineland
4. Brad Pickett
5. Michael McDonald
6. Raphael Assuncao
7. Scott Jorgensen
8. Erik Perez
9. Mike Easton
10. Johnny Eduardo
11. Bryan Caraway
12. Ivan Menjivar
13. Hugo Viana
14. Mitch Gagnon
15. TJ Dillashaw
16. Yves Jabouin
17. Vaughan Lee
18. Edwin Figueroa
19. Alex Caceres
20. Motonobu Tezuka
21. Takeya Mizugaki
22. Reuben Duran
23. John Albert
24. Chico Camus
25. Ken Stone
26. Dustin Pague
27. Roland Delorme
28. Issei Tamura
29. Johnny Bedford
30. Francisco Rivera
31. Norifumi Yamamoto
32. Jeff Hougland
33. Byron Bloodworth
34. Marcos Vinicius
35. Azamat Gashimov

With back-to-back wins over Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett, Eddie Wineland has solidified himself as one of the five best bantamweights in the world. However, a loss to Urijah Faber is preventing him from making an accelerated run at a shot at the 135-pound belt.

Erik Perez is one fighter who is accelerating quickly in the bantamweight division. New to the UFC in 2012, Perez has already picked up three wins inside the Octagon and could be getting a shot at an elite 135-pound fighter in 2013.

Non-Ranked Bantamweights

• Yuri Alcantara
• Brian Bowles
• Dominick Cruz
• Kyung Ho Kang
• Dustin Kimura
• Pedro Nobre
• George Roop

Two of the bantamweight division's most talented fighters Dominick Cruz and Brian Bowles have been out of action for more than one year. 

Cruz had been booked for a rubber match with Faber this past summer, but a knee injury has put him on the shelf for awhile, and an interim title held by Renan Barao has been created in his absence.

Flyweight

Over the next month, the four best UFC flyweights will all step into the Octagon.

Champion Demetrious Johnson will defend his belt against The Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson at UFC on Fox 6, and Joseph Benavidez will try to earn a rematch with Johnson by beating Ian McCall on the UFC 156 main card.

For a division that is still developing with only 15 competitors, the flyweight class has become one of the most active and entertaining divisions to follow.

Flyweight Rankings

1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Joseph Benavidez
3. John Dodson
4. Ian McCall
5. Louis Gaudinot
6. John Lineker
7. John Moraga
8. Darren Uyenoyama
9. Tim Elliott
10. Yasuhiro Urushitani
11. Jussier Formiga
12. Chris Cariaso
13. Phil Harris
14. Ulysses Gomez 
15. Jared Papazian

While Benavidez and McCall have a good chance at earning a title shot with their bout against one another in February, John Moraga is quickly working his way toward being one of the next fighters in line for a shot at the flyweight belt.

In 2012, Moraga introduced himself to UFC fans by knocking out Ulysses Gomez and submitting UFC veteran Chris Cariaso.