Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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There’s a scenario where Jack Della Maddalena ends up as the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter by year’s end.

The 28-year-old Aussie altered the course of two divisions on Saturday night, when he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds in a surprisingly entertaining UFC 315 main event at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. With training partner Muhammad no longer an obstacle, Islam Makhachev is free to pursue his dreams of becoming a two-division champion — and the Dagestani seems intent on doing exactly that. That also means that Della Maddalena is likely to bypass title defenses against Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry for a showdown with the pound-for-pound king. With a win there, the Scrappy MMA standout would have a legitimate claim to the No. 1 spot in this poll.

For now, let’s simply appreciate what Della Maddalena has done thus far. After dropping his first two professional appearances, the Dana White's Contender Series alum has won 18 consecutive outings. He’s also shown considerable improvement along the way. Remember, it was only a little less than two years ago that Della Maddalena struggled to take a split-decision over unheralded, short-notice foe Bassil Hafez. By ending Muhammad’s 11-fight unbeaten streak, Della Maddalena is a worthy entry to Sherdog’s pound-for-pound rankings at No. 10.

For Muhammad, it’s possible that his peak was reached last summer, when he completed his long climb to the top of the division by besting Leon Edwards at UFC 304. With his 37th birthday on the horizon, time isn’t on his side. However, it would be foolish to count out “Remember the Name,” who displayed heart in spades in a gritty performance at UFC 315.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Islam Makhachev (27-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev left no doubt in the UFC 311 headliner, submitting last-minute opponent Renato “Moicano” with a brabo choke in the opening stanza of their lightweight championship bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The late shift from Arman Tsarukyan to “Moicano” did little to faze Makhachev, who won his 15th consecutive outing and set the UFC lightweight record for most championship victories with five. While Makhachev has expressed interest in moving up to 170 pounds to pursue two-division glory, a rebooking against Tsarukyan or a showdown against reigning featherweight king Ilia Topuria could be interesting options should he remain at 155 pounds.

2. Ilia Topuria (16-0) | UFC [2]

Topuria added another significant feather to his cap in the UFC 308 headliner, as he became the first person to knock out Max Holloway in 34 professional fights at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With back-to-back knockouts of Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski on his ledger — and eight consecutive triumphs in the UFC overall — “El Matador” is the unquestioned king of the featherweight division. However, Topuria’s days at 145 pounds appear to be through, as he officially vacated the belt in February. He is expected to make his first lightweight foray at UFC 317.

3. Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

In his second foray at heavyweight, “Bones” was utterly dominant once again at UFC 309, hammering former champ Stipe Miocic with brutal ground-and-pound and pelting him with kicks, punches and elbows on the feet before closing things out with a spinning back kick to the ribs late in the third round. While many fans questioned the UFC’s decision to match Jones with the long-inactive Miocic rather than interim champ Tom Aspinall, there can be no questioning the former light heavyweight kingpin’s work in the cage, as he has looked flawless since returning to action.

4. Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) | UFC [4]

Pantoja made short work of former Rizin bantamweight king Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner, winning via second-round submission at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “The Cannibal” now has three successful flyweight title defenses to his credit and for the first time during his reign, he didn’t need the full 25 minutes to get the job done. In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Pantoja issued an interesting callout to retired flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the Brazilian is the current gold standard in the division.

5. Merab Dvalishvili (19-4) | UFC [6]

Dvalishvili might have entered the UFC 311 co-main event as the betting underdog, but he showed that his championship reign may have some staying power with a unanimous decision triumph over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. While “The Machine” started slowly, his trademark conditioning proved to be the difference, as he gradually wore down his Dagestani adversary. Dvalishvili will take a 12-fight UFC winning streak into his next title defense, a rematch with Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in New Jersey.

6. Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Anakalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle for Alex Pereira to solve, as the Dagestani outstruck the former Glory Kickboxing champion en route to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 8. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Ankalaev’s victory was that he was unable to land a single takedown against “Poatan,” but that only makes the performance more impressive. Ankalaev will take a 14-bout UFC unbeaten streak into his first title defense at light heavyweight.

7. Alex Pereira (12-3) | UFC [8]

Pereira wasn’t taken down in the UFC 313 headliner, but he also struggled to get his vaunted striking going against a defensively sound opponent in Magomed Ankalaev. The end result was a closely contested unanimous decision defeat that ended the Brazilian’s reign after three successful title defenses. The now former two-divison champion remains perhaps the promotion’s most popular star, but the latest setback might have stifled the momentum behind a potential move to heavyweight.

8. Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) UFC [9]

After a somewhat contentious result the first time around, Du Plessis left no doubt in his rematch with Sean Strickland, as he cruised to a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 312 headliner at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. “Stillknocks” outstruck his opponent for the majority of the contest and even busted up Strickland’s nose in Round 4 to bring an emphatic conclusion to their rivalry. Du Plessis has won nine straight fights at 185 pounds, but his work is not done because a future showdown with Khamzat Chimaev looms large for the South African champion.

9. Tom Aspinall (15-3) | UFC [10]

Aspinall furthered his case to be considered the top heavyweight in the sport, smashing Curtis Blaydes with first-round punches in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England. As one of the rare fighters to defend an interim UFC title, Aspinall looms larger than ever as a potential opponent for Jon Jones, who defended his half of the belt in brutal fashion on Nov. 16. While Aspinall has grown frustrated waiting for Jones, UFC CEO Dana White seems confident that title unification bout will happen at some point in 2025.

10. Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) | UFC [NR]

Della Maddalena made the most of his golden opportunity at UFC 315, as he outdueled Belal Muhammad for five rounds to capture the welterweight crown at the Bell Centre in Montreal on May 10. The Australian has won 18 straight professional outings — including eight in the UFC — and earned his spot atop the division with precise boxing, stout takedown defense and timely scrambling. It now appears that he’ll get an even bigger stage for his first title defense: a showdown with lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

Other Contenders: Alexander Volkanovski, Belal Muhammad, Max Holloway, Francis Ngannou, Shavkat Rakhmonov.

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, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Rob Sargent and Sayan Nag.