B/R's UFC Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Rankings at the End of 2025

2025 was a great year for the UFC. It remains to be seen how 2026 goes—particularly as the promotion makes the jump from ESPN to Paramount—but there's no question the roster is packed with some of the most elite talent we've ever seen in the sport. That's definitely a good sign for the year to come.

Pound-for-pound rankings will always be the subject of fierce debate, but here's how we see it heading into the new year.

Men: Nos. 10-6

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10. Joshua Van

Joshua Van became the flyweight champion with a win over long-time champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 earlier this month. Unfortunately, the win itself came under terrible circumstances, as Pantoja suffered a fluke arm injury just seconds into the fight. Had Van won more decisively, he'd be considerably higher on this list, but the fact is that his bizarre title win did almost nothing to improve his standing.

9. Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall can't catch a break. After wasting years of his career chasing a super fight with Jon Jones, he finally returned to action at UFC 321 in October to defend the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. Regrettably, the fight was called off after he suffered an eye poke early in the fight. The resulting No Contest was the last thing Aspinall needed after spending so much time on the shelf, especially considering he was having some trouble with Gane in the early going. He's facing two eye surgeries to correct the damage he suffered in the fight, but will hopefully be back in action in the second half of 2026.

8. Alexandre Pantoja

As we've covered, Alexandre Pantoja is no longer the UFC flyweight champion, thanks to an arm injury suffered in a title defense against Joshua Van. That was clearly not the way he wanted to close out an otherwise successful 2025, but he can take comfort in the fact that the loss really didn't do anything to damage his reputation—outside of ending his title reign. Until he catches a real L, there's no reason to assume he's anything less than one of the best fighters alive.

7. Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili had a near-perfect 2025, defending the bantamweight title three times against elite foes in Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O'Malley, and Cory Sandhagen. Unfortunately, it all fell apart at the eleventh hour, as he suffered a fairly comprehensive loss to Petr Yan in December. It remains to be seen if he's given a shot at redemption against Yan, but it seems likely, given his previous dominance and the fact that he holds an earlier win over the new champ. One way or the other, he's still one of the top dogs as we head into the new year.

6. Petr Yan

After a brilliant win over Merab Dvalishvili earlier this month, Petr Yan is now enjoying a second-reign as UFC bantamweight champion. He will face some tough challenges in 2026—most likely a tie-breaking trilogy with Dvalishvili first—but seems to be hitting a new level as we enter the new year. It's very possible he's at the start of a long-term title reign—something many fans have predicted for him for years.

Men: Nos. 5-1

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5. Alex Pereira

When Alex Pereira lost the light heavyweight title with a decision defeat to Magomed Ankalaev early this year, there was reason to worry his time at the top was over. However, in his immediate rematch with Ankalaev in October, he proved he's far from done yet, reclaiming the belt with a first-round KO. Once again on the throne, Pereira has some tough fights heading into 2026, namely title defenses against Carlos Ulberg and Jiri Prochazka, and a potential superfight with Jon Jones, though nobody is holding their breath for the latter.

4. Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski will go down as one of the best fighters of all time, but after a pair of lightweight losses to Islam Makhachev and a featherweight title loss to Ilia Topuria, it looked like his career was drawing to a close. Not so. Back in May, Volkanovski claimed the vacant featherweight belt with an impressive decision win over a tough Diego Lopes. He's got plenty of tough contenders awaiting title shots heading into the new year, but for some reason, the UFC has decided he needs to run it back with Lopes first. That goes down at UFC 325 on Jan. 31 in Australia.

3. Khamzat Chimaev

Back in the summer, Khamzat Chimaev finally became a UFC champion, as many predicted he would from the moment he made his Octagon debut. He made it look easy, too, wrestling a previously dominant Dricus Du Plessis to a lopsided unanimous decision. Unfortunately, Chimaev has become one of the most inactive fighters on the roster—a far cry from the schedule he kept in the early days of his UFC career. That being said, he is easily one of the most dominant forces we've ever seen in the Octagon, and he has all the tools for a huge 2026 if he decides he wants to get out there and use them.

2. Ilia Topuria

Former featherweight and current lightweight champ Ilia Topuria is riding arguably the best three-fight streak in MMA history: a trio of KOs over living legends in Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, and Alexander Volkanovski. In fact, he could easily have the top spot in these rankings—and surely will on many other people's year-end lists. The only reason he's not at No. 1 is that he hasn't fought since he claimed the lightweight belt in June, and doesn't seem likely to fight again for many months, as he's dealing with personal problems outside the Octagon. Just as it does for Chimaev, activity matters.

1. Islam Makhachev

Like Topuria, Islam Makhachev is now a two-division champ, having followed an impressive lightweight title reign by swiping the welterweight belt from Jack Della Maddalena in November. At this point, it's safe to call him one of the greatest fighters of all time, but he faces some huge tests in 2026, with contenders like Michael Morales, Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Kamaru Usman, and even Topuria all gunning for the chance to fight him. Adding even a couple of those names to his resume next year would be stunning.

Women: Nos. 10-6

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10. Tatiana Suarez

After an impressive undefeated run to start her MMA career, Tatiana Suarez finally tasted defeat for the first time this year, suffering a decision loss in a strawweight title fight with Zhang Weili. That was a tough blow for the previously dominant contender, but she closed out the year with a close but impressive decision win over Amanda Lemos. It will be interesting to see what she can make happen in 2026.

9. Virna Jandiroba

When Zhang Weili vacated the strawweight belt to move up to flyweight earlier this year, it cleared the way for Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern to fight for the vacant belt. Unfortunately for Jandiroba, who was on one of the best streaks in the division at the time, things didn't go as planned, as she lost a close decision. Of course, she remains one of the division's top contenders and one of the sport's top female fighters nonetheless.

8. Alexa Grasso

Alexa Grasso enjoyed a brief reign as flyweight champ in 2023 and 2024, but has since fallen on hard times, first losing her belt to Valentina Shevchenko, and more recently suffering a decision defeat against Natalia Silva. She definitely has some rebuilding to do in the new year, but she certainly has the skills to get back to the top, and at 32, has plenty of time to make it happen.

7. Erin Blanchfield

It feels like Erin Blanchfield has been hovering on the cusp of a flyweight title shot for years. The main reason it hasn't happened yet was a 2024 decision loss to Manon Fiorot, but after beating Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez in 2025, it's very likely she finally gets her opportunity in 2026, even if she's not next in line.

6. Manon Fiorot

After her win over Blanchfield in 2024, Manon Fiorot finally got her long-awaited crack at the flyweight belt this past May. In the end, it did not go the way she planned, as she lost a reasonably competitive decision to the great Valentina Shevchenko. That was a tough setback, but she could not have bounced back better, as she scored a first-round KO over surging contender Jasmine Jasudavicius in October.

Women: Nos. 5-1

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No. 5: Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern is now a UFC champion, having claimed the vacant strawweight belt with a decision win over Virna Jandiroba this past fall. However, winning a UFC title is not all it takes to rise to the very top of the pound-for-pound rankings. Dern has simply suffered a few too many losses at various points in her UFC career to be any higher than No. 5 at the moment, and is not helped by the existence of Zhang Weili, who will most likely return to the division she once ruled after a tough loss to Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight.

4. Natalia Silva

There seems to be no stopping Natalia Silva. The Brazilian flyweight has now won 13 straight fights, including wins over former champs Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. She will look to make it 14 in a row when she takes on another former champ in Rose Namajunas at UFC 324 on Jan. 24. If she wins that fight, a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko is all but guaranteed. The big question is whether that's where her momentum finally stalls out.

3. Kayla Harrison

Kayla Harrison has long been considered one of the best female fighters in the sport, and after a dominant win over Julianna Peña earlier this year, finally has a UFC belt to prove it. She looks pretty much unbeatable in the women's bantamweight division right now, but at UFC 324 next month, she will welcome Amanda Nunes back to the Octagon. Nunes, of course, is easily the best female fighter ever. So, as good as Harrison has looked, there's no question this is the toughest test of her career. While we're on the topic of Nunes, the only reason she's not on this list is that she's been retired for years. If she reclaims the belt next month, the No. 1 spot is as good as hers.

2. Zhang Weili

Long-time UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili finally had the chance for two-division glory late this year, when she hiked up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for a second belt. It was easily one of the most significant fights in women's MMA history, but in the end, it wasn't competitive. For all her skill, Zhang was outmuscled by her larger opponent and was not able to mount any serious offense of her own. It was a tough loss, but it doesn't erase all the work she's done at strawweight, where she is still considered the top dog, even if Dern now holds the belt. Don't be surprised if she gets back on the throne in short order.

1. Valentina Shevchenko

You had to know who you'd find at the top of this list. Valentina Shevchenko is probably the second-best fighter in WMMA history behind the aforementioned Nunes, and her lopsided win over Zhang Weili only cemented her legacy as an icon of fight sports. Of course, she can't rest on her laurels yet. Her division is home to a number of tough contenders, namely Natalia Silva and Erin Blanchfield, both of whom could be offered a title shot soon. She's also expressed interest in fighting the winner of the upcoming Harrison vs. Nunes fight up at bantamweight.