MMA pound-for-pound rankings (Jan. 2026): Where the sport’s elite stand after UFC 324

The new era kicked off this past Saturday with UFC 324 on Paramount+, which means it’s time for 2026’s first Uncrowned MMA pound-for-pound rankings. With the mega-bout between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes being postponed to a later date, there isn’t any major shake-up on the women’s side of things — though Natalia Silva solidified her case as a top-10 staple.

The panel of Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, Shaheen Al-Shatti, Petesy Carroll, Drake Riggs, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks have ranked both the men’s and women’s pound-for-pound best, one through 10, using a weighted points system to determine the final rankings (being voted No. 1 equals 10 points, No. 2 equals nine points, down to No. 10 equaling one point).

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Our only criterion for these monthly rankings is that a fighter has competed within at least a calendar year of the publication date or has at least had a fight booked within that window. (Sorry, Larissa Pacheco.) If a fighter hasn’t competed in a year and books a fight after that time, he or she is once again eligible to be voted back in. Fighters who retire are no longer eligible for the rankings.

Though most of the best fighters are currently in the UFC, these rankings are not UFC exclusive. We take into consideration all the major promotions, from PFL to RIZIN to ONE Championship and beyond.

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Without further ado, here are Uncrowned’s first MMA pound-for-pound rankings of 2026!

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Islam Makhachev — UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 1)

You know who wasn’t overly impressed with Justin Gaethje’s five-round crash derby with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324? Islam. “What was brought on a platter turned out to be inedible,” he wrote on social media. This is a highly-sophisticated palate we’re talking about, as Makhachev’s 19 minutes of control time against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 reminds us.

2. Ilia Topuria — UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 2)

In the end, the lightweight belt stayed in circulation while Topuria deals with some personal issues away from fighting. A date with Gaethje looms, perhaps at the White House in June, but one thing is certain — Topuria treats all BMFs, past and present, exactly the same. Which is to say, rudely.

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3. Khamzat Chimaev — UFC middleweight champion (Prev: 3)

We’ll need to be well past Ramadan before we see “Borz” again, and honestly it might be longer still as he deals with a foot injury. Whenever he does return, a fight with Nassourdine Imavov still makes sense, or the winner of «Fluffy» Hernandez against Sean Strickland, as it’s hard to give Dricus du Plessis a mulligan given the one-sided nature of their first fight.

4. Alexandre Pantoja — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 4)

Pantoja is slowly working his way back from his brutal arm injury, which fortunately did not require surgery. A mid-2026 return might be in the cards, which wouldn’t be such a long time to wait for the 24-year-old Joshua Van, who right now is holding the flyweight belt. Correction: From Pantoja’s point of view, Van is masquerading with his flyweight belt.

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5. Tom Aspinall — UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 5)

The heavyweight ranks are a little barren without Big Tom in rotation, yet we still don’t have a timetable for his return. Another surgery is on the docket in February. The assumption is the rematch with Ciryl Gane will be the fight to make, which would have a big feel given the way things ended at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. That is, if he comes back anytime soon. Dana seems to still be taking his injury lightly, which is concerning.

6. Petr Yan — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 6)

How impressive was Yan’s win over Merab Dvalishvili? Listen, not a lot of people gave the Russian a chance against that berserker. Yan lost their first meeting so badly that it strained the imagination to figure out his path to victory in the rematch if he didn’t knock Merab out, yet he just kind of owned the rematch. More than a month later you can still hear those body shots landing, as well as Merab’s screams as he absorbed them.

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7. Alex Pereira — UFC light heavyweight champion (Prev: 7)

Pereira has had a busy year so far in 2026. He had a dine-and-dash romance with fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez, which ended as abruptly as it started (making some believe it was a publicity stunt), and he showed up cageside for UFC 324 as well as the debut of Zuffa Boxing with his entourage (meaning Plinio Cruz). As for fighting? Well, that should come soon enough.

8. Alexander Volkanovski — UFC featherweight champion (Prev: 8)

We’re a week out from Volkanovski’s homecoming in Australia for UFC 325, and he seems to have reconciled the idea that he needs to bat back Diego Lopes again. If Volk’s rematches from the past in the featherweight division tell us anything, it’s that he gets stronger the more times he sees you. Ask Max Holloway.

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9. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC bantamweight contender (Prev: 9)

The good news for Merab is that none of his bantamweight counterparts exactly set the world on fire at UFC 324. Umar Nurmagomedov dominated Deiveson Figueiredo on the prelims, but boos could be heard as he exerted control. Sean O’Malley got by Song Yadong, but it was a cautious affair, very measured and calculated. Does that give Merab the pole position for the trilogy with the champ, Yan?

10. Arman Tsarukyan — UFC lightweight contender (Prev: 10)

When the UFC 324 broadcast flashed over to Arman Tsarukyan, such a fine lad sitting cageside on his best behavior, you couldn’t help but feel for him. In the cage Justin Gaethje was working over Paddy Pimblett, and Tsarukyan has to feel that he’s far better than either one. Worse, Gaethje is most likely next for Ilia Topuria, meaning Arman will likely be fighting in another No. 1 contender’s fight.

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(Others receiving votes: Jack Della Madallena)

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Valentina Shevchenko — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 1)

There was a little excitement in play that Rose Namajunas, who owns some of the most incredible upset victories in women’s UFC history, would get next crack at Shevchenko if she could get by Natalia Silva. Of course, she didn’t, which takes away the marquee feel to Shevchenko’s next title defense, but Silva is no slouch. That will be a fine fight.

2. Kayla Harrison — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 2)

The news that Harrison had to pull out of her scheduled superfight with Nunes was a bummer for everyone involved, yet it’s a chance for the UFC to correct a wrong by making it its own main event. It never belonged as second fiddle behind the interim lightweight title fight. The stakes will be the same whenever they meet later this year: Winner attains GOAT status.

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3. Zhang Weili — Former UFC strawweight champion/UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 3)

The warden of the strawweight ranks will be returning soon, and that’s not great news for the likes of Mackenzie Dern. Yet you wonder a little bit if Zhang will have a hangover from the Shevchenko onslaught. That’s the kind of experience that stays with a fighter, especially as they tilt north of 35 years old.

4. Cris Cyborg — PFL featherweight champion (Prev: 4)

Cyborg has been softly lobbying for a match against Dakota Ditcheva because, like, why not? With Larissa Pacheco clearing the scene, there aren’t a lot of big-name attractions out there on the PFL’s roster. The weight difference between the two would be mammoth, but given that Cyborg is silhouetted as she is in the sunset of her career, it’s not as crazy as it sounds…

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5. Dakota Ditcheva — PFL flyweight contender (Prev: 5)

…unless maybe you’re Ditcheva. Beating Cyborg would be a huge feather in her cap, the biggest one yet, though picking on women her own size is probably the wiser way to go. Who is out there for Ditcheva? Will we see more of her in 2026? She fought just once last year, which took the shine off her 2024 breakout Fighter of the Year campaign.

6. Natalia Silva — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 6)

Was it a barnburner? No, but Silva did enough to thwart a women’s icon in Rose Namajunas to set a fight with another one in Shevchenko. She would’ve liked to punch that ticket with a little more fanfare, but «Thug Rose» is a tough out. Silva has a lot going for her as she nears the defining moment of her career — she’s just 28 years old, she’s on a 14-fight winning streak, and she’s mean when they lock up the cage.

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7. Mackenzie Dern — UFC strawweight champion (Prev: 8)

At some point in the near future Dern will have to defend the 115-pound belt, likely against Zhang. Plenty will see that fight as the smashing of Cinderella’s glass slipper, but from Dern’s perspective perhaps it’s a chance to really define her legacy. If she beats Zhang, her story enhances by orders of magnitude.

8. Manon Fiorot — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 7)

She’s 35 years old, which is an advanced age for a contender, but Fiorot would appear to be behind the eight-ball as Natalia Silva will likely get the next crack at Shevchenko. The thing for Fiorot is to bide her time wisely, as she gave Shevchenko a hell of a fight when they met in Montreal last year. If the UFC was to book her against Alexa Grasso, that might be good stay-busy situation in a fight she’d be favored in.

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9. Erin Blanchfield — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 10)

It’s a hunch, but 2026 might be the year of Blanchfield. Where she’s at in the pecking order with Natalia Silva and Manon Fiorot hovering around is unclear, but at just 26 years old, Blanchfield can afford to let the dust settle and keep beating whoever the UFC puts in front of her. Here’s guessing she’d love to avenge that loss to Fiorot if she can’t get a title shot in the next six months.

10. Seika Izawa — RIZIN super atomweight champion (Prev: 9)

Another end-of-the-year blowout for RIZIN, another slam dunk victory for Seika Izawa, the super mighty mite of the atomweight ranks in Japan. Izawa subbed Rena Kubota with a guillotine in the second round to run her record to perfect 18-0. What’s wild is that she’s scored submissions in seven of her past 10 bouts, which is why the word “phenom” is used so frequently when describing the 28-year-old champ.

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(Others receiving votes: Maycee Barber, Virna Jandiroba, Liz Carmouche)

Here’s how we voted:

SHAHEEN AL-SHATTI

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Tom Aspinall

5. Khamzat Chimaev

6. Alex Pereira

7. Petr Yan

8. Merab Dvalishvili

9. D Alexander Volkanovski

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Seika Izawa

6. Natalia Silva

7. Dakota Ditcheva

8. Mackenzie Dern

9. Maycee Barber

10. Manon Fiorot

CONNER BURKS

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Petr Yan

5. Alexandre Pantoja

6. Tom Aspinall

7. Alexander Volkanovski

8. Alex Pereira

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9. Merab Dvalishvili

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Cris Cyborg

4. Zhang Weili

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Natalia Silva

7. Manon Fiorot

8. Seika Izawa

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Erin Blanchfield

PETESY CARROLL

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Alexandre Pantoja

5. Tom Aspinall

6. Alex Pereira

7. Alexander Volkanovski

8. Petr Yan

9. Arman Tsarukyan

10. Merab Dvalishvili

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Zhang Weili

3. Kayla Harrison

4. Dakota Ditcheva

5. Cris Cyborg

6. Mackenzie Dern

7. Natalia Silva

8. Manon Fiorot

9. Erin Blanchfield

10. Maycee Barber

BEN FOWLKES

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

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2. Ilia Topuria

3. Merab Dvalishvili

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Alex Pereira

6. Alexandre Pantoja

7. Tom Aspinall

8. Alexander Volkanovski

9. Petr Yan

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Zhang Weili

3. Kayla Harrison

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Erin Blanchfield

7. Natalia Silva

8. Manon Fiorot

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Maycee Barber

ERIC JACKMAN

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Petr Yan

6. Merab Dvalishvili

7. Alex Pereira

8. Tom Aspinall

9. Alexander Volkanovski

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Manon Fiorot

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6. Natalia Silva

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Dakota Ditcheva

9. Erin Blanchfield

10. Virna Jandiroba

CHUCK MINDENHALL

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Alexandre Pantoja

5. Tom Aspinall

6. Alexander Volkanovski

7. Petr Yan

8. Merab Dvalishvili

9. Alex Pereira

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Manon Fiorot

7. Erin Blanchfield

8. Natalia Silva

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Maycee Barber

DRAKE RIGGS

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Petr Yan

6. Tom Aspinall

7. Alexander Volkanovski

8. Alex Pereira

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9. Merab Dvalishvili

10. Jack Della Maddalena

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Seika Izawa

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Kayla Harrison

6. Natalia Silva

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Virna Jandiroba

9. Liz Carmouche

10. Dakota Ditcheva