Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Heavyweight

1. Tom Aspinall (15-3) | UFC [1]

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. Whether or not that unification bout ever takes place, however, Aspinall’s place in these rankings remains secure so long as he continues blowing through top contenders with such shocking ease.

2. Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC) | UFC [2]

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 last year.

3. Francis Ngannou (18-3) PFL [3]

Competing in MMA for the first time in more than two years, Ngannou looked as dangerous as ever as he pounded out Renan Ferreira in the PFL “Battle of the Giants” headliner on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia. It was an emotional evening for “The Predator,” who had to endure the death of his son earlier in the year and was coming off losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in pro boxing. It’s unclear what the future might hold for Ngannou, but he’s set up as the PFL’s biggest star by a considerable margin should he continue fighting on a regular basis. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman has won seven straight fights dating back to November 2018.

4. Ciryl Gane (13-2) | UFC [4]

It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but Gane nonetheless improved to 2-0 against Alexander Volkov with a controversial split-decision triumph in their rematch at UFC 310 in Las Vegas. While “Bon Gamin” showcased some improved grappling and wrestling, it certainly wasn’t a definitive performance for the Frenchman, who revealed that he broke his toes in the opening stanza. Still, Gane’s improves to 10-2 in UFC competition, with his only losses coming at the hands of Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

5. Alexander Volkov (38-11) | UFC [5]

While many observers felt that Volkov deserved the nod against Ciryl Gane in their rematch at UFC 310, two out of three judges’ scorecards said differently, which ended the Russian’s four-bout winning streak in disappointing fashion. The 36-year-old known as “Drago” has nonetheless continued to improve over the course of his career, and his stock doesn’t figure to fall too far following a controversial defeat.

6. Sergei Pavlovich (18-3) | UFC [6]

Pavlovich couldn’t get going against former training partner Alexander Volkov in the UFC on ABC co-main event, as he was picked apart for three rounds in a unanimous decision defeat at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 22. After authoring a six-bout finishing streak in the Octagon over a four-year period from 2019 to 2023, the 32-year-old Russian has dropped back-to-back fights against Volkov and Tom Aspinall. He’ll attempt to get back on track against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1.

7. Curtis Blaydes (18-5, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

Blaydes came up short in his rematch with Tom Aspinall at UFC 304, succumbing to a massive right hand and follow-up punches at UFC 304. The fight was over in less than half a round, continuing the pattern of “Razor” getting blasted in minutes by the best of the best heavyweights while being utterly dominant against almost everyone else. While his resume as perhaps the greatest heavyweight wrestler in MMA history, and one of the best never to win a major title, are already secure, the 33-year-old will face an uphill battle back to the title picture for so long as Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich remain in the division. Blaydes will welcome Rizvan Kuniev to the Octagon at UFC Seattle on Feb. 22.

8. Jailton Almeida (21-3) UFC [8]

Almeida rebounded from the first loss of his Octagon tenure in emphatic fashion, submitting Alexander Romanov with a rear-naked choke in the opening round of their UFC 302 encounter at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1. It was the sixth finish in UFC competition for the Brazilian known as “Malhadinho,” who is expected to face Serghei Spivac on Jan. 18.

9. Serghei Spivac (17-4) UFC [9]

More than four years removed from their first meeting, Spivac exacted revenge on Marcin Tybura in their rematch at UFC on ESPN 61, submitting the Pole with an armbar 1:44 into the opening stanza of their headlining encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “The Polar Bear” has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances, with all of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Next, Spivac will meet Jailton Almeida on Jan. 18.

10. Marcin Tybura (26-9) | UFC [10]

“Tybur” needed all of his veteran wile and grit at UFC 309, weathering an early knockdown and near-finish by Jhonata Diniz to come back with a brutal series of ground-and-pound elbows that cut the undefeated prospect wide open, forcing a doctor stoppage after Round 2. With the vicious finish, the 39-year-old Pole bounced back from his August loss to Serghei Spivac and reaffirmed his place as one of the UFC heavyweight division’s perennial tough outs.

Other Contenders: Philip De Fries, Renan Ferreira, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, Denis Goltsov.

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