Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

Leon Edwards is no fluke.

While some may have doubted Edwards’ legitimacy following his fifth-round knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 last summer, “Rocky” proved himself with a complete performance in their trilogy bout at UFC 286 on Saturday. Edwards showcased stellar striking and solid enough takedown defense — all while weathering a point deduction in the third round — to capture a majority decision triumph over his rival to delight the home folks at the O2 Arena in London. Edwards extends his unbeaten streak to 12 and in the process, takes over the No. 4 ranking in Sherdog’s latest pound-for-pound poll.

After suffering consecutive defeats for the first time in his professional MMA career, Usman seems far removed from a time when he was in the midst of the conversation for pound-for-pound’s top spot. Credit “The Nigerian Nightmare” for his resolve. Even with his 36th birthday on the horizon, Usman vowed to soldier onward, though a path back to the top of the division might be more difficult for as long as Edwards is champion. There is a steep price for a losing streak in the pound-for-pound rankings, and Usman plummets from the Top 10 to 11th — just behind Israel Adesanya, who in a few weeks will have a chance to avenge his own suprising loss and regain pound-for-pound credibility when he rematches Alex Pereira at UFC 287.

Note: Previous ranking in brackets.

1. Jon Jones (27-1, 1 NC) UFC [1]

After a three-year absence, Jones looked as strong as ever in a new division, authoring a first-round submission triumph against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 285 headliner on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In victory, “Bones” staked his claim to GOAT status while adding heavyweight gold to his trophy case. The longtime light heavyweight king has set his sights on a showdown with ex-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic for his first title defense, with UFC 290 looking like an ideal landing spot for the bout.

2. Islam Makhachev (24-1) | UFC [2]

Though he was hardly dominant, Makhachev found a way at UFC 284, earning a five-round verdict against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the evening’s main event at the RAC Arena, in Perth, Australia. While the size advantage wasn’t as big a factor as expected, Makhachev nonetheless extended his winning streak to 12 and retained his 155-pound belt in the process. While he may yet have unfinished business with Volkanovski down the road, Makhachev will now devote his focus to a full cadre of contenders in the UFC’s always-crowded lightweight division.

3. Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) | UFC [3]

Volkanovski performed admirably in the UFC 284 headliner, giving Islam Makhachev everything he could handle for five rounds before ultimately falling in a closely contested unanimous decision defeat. The reigning UFC featherweight champion undeniably raised his stock in the loss, and he has a legitimate claim to a rematch against his Dagestani rival. However, there’s also business to attend to in his weight class, where Yair Rodriguez claimed interim gold with a dominant performance in the UFC 284 co-main event. While Volkanovski can clearly hang with the world’s best at lightweight, it seems likely that he turns his attention to a 145-pound title unification bout next.

4. Leon Edwards (21-3, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

While Edwards needed a last-minute knockout to wrest the welterweight crown from Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, “Rocky” authored a much more complete performance in their trilogy, taking a five-round, majority-decision triumph over “The Nigerian Nightmare” in the UFC 286 headliner at the O2 Arena in London. Edwards outlanded Usman on the feet, showcased solid defensive wrestling and weathered a third-round point deduction to extend his unbeaten streak to 12 within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Edwards can move on from his rivalry with Usman, but his next challenge may already be looming: Colby Covington weighed in as an alternate for the main event and was very animated cageside in the aftermath of the champion’s victory.

5. Francis Ngannou (17-3) | UFC [4]

Ngannou displayed a significant step in his evolution at UFC 270, as he relied on takedowns and positional control to grind out a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane to unify the heavyweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. While it wasn’t the most thrilling performance, the effort speaks volumes about Ngannou’s resolve, when in previous fights he struggled to do anything of note when forced to go past the second round. After being sidelined for the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery, Ngannou was unable to come to terms with the UFC for a deal to defend his heavyweight crown against Jon Jones. As a result, he was stripped of his belt and granted his release, making him one of the most coveted free agents in combat sports. If “The Predator” doesn’t book an MMA bout by July 22, his rankings eligibility will expire.

6. Patricio Freire (35-5) | Bellator [7]

Freire was methodical in victory against Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin 40, as he denied his foe’s takedown attempts and landed solid offense on the feet en route to a unanimous decision triumph against the Japanese promotion’s featherweight champion. “Pitbull,” who is currently on his third reign as Bellator’s 145-pound king, has won 10 of his last professional appearances dating back to 2017. After previously holding the lightweight belt, Freire will make his second bid to become a two-division champ when he meets bantamweight king Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297.

7. Charles Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC) | UFC [8]

Oliveira entered UFC 280 with the confidence of someone on an 11-fight winning streak, but in the end he simply had no answers for Islam Makhachev. The Brazilian was outgunned on the feet and outgrappled on the canvas en route to a second-round submission loss in the evening’s main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The setback doesn’t diminish all that Oliveira has accomplished, most notably a complete turnaround from a middling featherweight to one of the top talents in the sport at 155 pounds. “Do Bronx” will look to return to the win column in a matchup with top contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 288.

8. Brandon Moreno (21-6-2) | UFC [9]

Moreno got the last laugh against Deiveson Figueiredo, as he improved to 2-1-1 against the Brazilian with a doctor stoppage victory at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. Moreno now begins his second reign as flyweight champion with the Figueiredo rivalry clearly in his rearview mirror. It seems quite likely that Alexandre Pantoja — who owns wins over Moreno at UFC Fight Night 129 and on “TUF 24” — will be next on the fight itinerary for “The Assassin Baby.”

9. Alex Pereira (7-1) | UFC [10]

Pereira maintained his combat sports mastery over Israel Adesanya in the UFC 281 headliner, rallying for a scintillating fifth-round technical knockout victory at Madison Square Garden. It’s an improbable rise to the top of the middleweight division for “Poatan,” who becomes champion in just his fourth UFC appearance. As deadly as is striking appears to be, Pereira’s lack of wrestling acumen means that he’ll have plenty of challengers lining up to take his title. First, though, will be a rematch with Adesanya at UFC 287 — the fourth combat sports meeting overall between the two rivals.

10. Israel Adesanya (23-2) | UFC [11]

Adesanya appeared to be on his way to a decision victory against Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 headliner, but the Brazilian put the pressure on in Round 5, swarming with power punches en route to a technical knockout victory. Not only does “The Last Stylebender” fall to 0-3 against Pereira in combat sports — including a pair of losses in kickboxing — but he also suffers his first middleweight defeat as a professional mixed martial artist. His dominance over the rest of the division paid off, as Adesanya will receive an immediate rematch against Pereira at UFC 287.

Other Contenders: Kamaru Usman, Dustin Poirier, Aljamain Sterling, Vadim Nemkov, Jiri Prochazka.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Edward Carbajal, Marcelo Alonso, Tudor Leonte, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese and Lev Pisarsky.