Latest Power Rankings for All 10 UFC Divisions
The MMA world has changed a lot in the last few years.
Anderson Silva is no longer the pound-for-pound kingpin. Georges St-Pierre is retired. The heavyweight champion has fought just twice since 2012, and there are now 10 weight classes in the UFC.
Those are just a few of the changes that have affected some of the divisions in the UFC. The rest of the divisions have changed greatly too; some have improved, while others have not.
With that in mind, let's check out a power ranking of all 10 divisions in the UFC based on the talent, achievements and potential of the fighters.
No. 10: Women's Strawweight
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It should be no surprise that the newest weight class is also last on the list. The UFC crowned its first strawweight champion on December 12, just over a month ago, following The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale.
The division currently has 18 members, and as the UFC rankings include 15 people per division, more than 80 percent of the division is ranked. The combined UFC record of the fighters is 13-7.
This division has the potential to be one of the best, but not when it's brand new.
No. 9: Heavyweight
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Some may be surprised to see the legendary heavyweight division this low, but recently the weight class has slipped.
The champion hasn't fought since October 2013, which was roughly 15 months ago.
Fabricio Werdum is the interim champion, and while he has been impressive on a five-fight win streak, some are still unsure of how good he really is.
No. 2 in the rankings is Junior dos Santos, who has twice lost to the champion, and No. 3 is Travis Browne, who recently lost to the interim champion.
The rest of the names in the top 10 have all lost to at least one person higher in the rankings, and most are well into their 30s.
No. 8: Flyweight
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Flyweight is in a bit of a tough spot. The top seven in the division make up an absolute murderers' row: John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall, Jussier Formiga, John Moraga, John Lineker and Ali Bagautinov.
Unfortunately, the champion, Demetrious Johnson, has beaten five of them and made most look like amateurs in the process.
Formiga and Lineker haven't yet fought Mightt Mouse, but if either earns a win in his next fight, he could be looking at the next title shot.
Flyweight is desperate for new competitors, and it's uncertain where the UFC will find them.
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No. 7: Women's Bantamweight
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Women's bantamweight is in a similar position as the flyweight division. The division is absolutely stacked with talent. There are multiple former Olympians, former Strikeforce champions and plenty more.
However, champion Ronda Rousey, has beaten all comers and made it look even easier than Demetrious Johnson in his division.
Rousey has one serious challenger left at the moment, and that is Cat Zingano, who will face Rousey on February 28 at UFC 184.
No. 6: Bantamweight
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The bantamweight division has a wealth of talent. TJ Dillashaw won the title when he beat Renan Barao back at UFC 173 in May.
Counting UFC and WEC titles, the bantamweight division has five current or former champions. The main problem with the division is that it seems like everyone is injured.
Dillashaw was originally going to face Dominick Cruz, but an injury forced Cruz out of the proposed matchup. Next in line was likely Raphael Assuncao, but he announced an injury just hours later.
Another wild card is Michael McDonald. He last fought in December 2013 when he was submitted by Urijah Faber. Little has been heard of him since.
Once these fighters are on the mend, there's a good chance of bantamweight becoming one of the top divisions in the UFC.
No. 5: Welterweight
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Welterweight has been a fun division to watch since Georges St-Pierre left.
The first title fight after GSP's retirement was between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler. Hendricks took the fight by unanimous decision.
Then Lawler went off and beat Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown before earning a rematch against Hendricks, which Lawler won.
There are also younger guys to watch like Rory MacDonald, Kelvin Gastelum and Tyron Woodley and veterans like Hector Lombard and Carlos Condit.
No. 4: Lightweight
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The lightweight division is another one that's been a lot of fun to watch the last few years. For a long time, lightweight was considered the deepest division in the UFC, but that's not exactly the case anymore.
The top five of the division could feasibly threaten for the title, but beyond that there isn't much of a threat to champion Anthony Pettis.
Rafael dos Anjos will face Pettis in March for the title, as Dos Anjos has won eight of his last nine. Next in line is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who actually has a win over Dos Anjos but is injured.
Beyond them are three major veterans in Donald Cerrone, Gilbert Melendez and Benson Henderson.
Nobody else in the division would really look to be a title threat at this point, but guys like Edson Barboza and Myles Jury are young and improving with every fight.
No. 3: Featherweight
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The featherweight division has been on lockdown for quite a while, but Jose Aldo still manages to make it interesting. Although he has defended his title seven times now, it always feels like he could lose at any time.
Moving down the division, any number of people could take the title on any given night.
Chad Mendes has lost twice to Aldo, but he could pull of a win in a third fight. Frankie Edgar is a former champion who knows what it takes to win and has the ability to win a rematch with Aldo.
Ricardo Lamas is an underlooked guy in the division, but he is way better than anyone gives him credit for.
Finally, there's the new man in the division, Conor McGregor. He talks the talk, and he's been able to back it up so far. His fight against Aldo will do huge pay-per-view numbers and might even bring us a new champion.
No. 2: Light Heavyweight
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The light heavyweight division has been on lockdown since 2011, when Jon Jones defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the title. Since then, Jones has defended the belt eight times against eight different opponents.
The reason this division is ranked so highly is because, if it weren't for Jon Jones, the belt might be changing hands every time it was up for grabs. The rest of the division is hugely talented and could beat one another on any given night.
Light heavyweight has former Olympians, former UFC champions and former Pride champions, as well as some of the best talent in the UFC.
Alexander Gustafsson gave Jones the toughest fight of his career, and Anthony Johnson has been a force to be reckoned with since his UFC return.
Maybe one day Jones will falter; on that day, any guy in the Top 10 could be the one to earn that win.
No. 1: Middleweight
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The best division in the UFC today has to be the middleweight division.
The champion, Chris Weidman, is 30 years old and has already beaten the best mixed martial artist in history, Anderson Silva, twice.
Weidman has also beaten the former light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida. Up next will be another former light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort.
Also in the mix are Strikeforce imports Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, Gegard Mousasi and Tim Kennedy. Additionally, Nick Diaz will be a middleweight competitor when he faces Silva.
This division has some of the top names, as well as some of the top talent, in all of MMA. Weidman is going to have to work hard to make sure he doesn't lose that belt.
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