MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Is Jon Jones the best in the world?
Jon Jones reminded everyone just how good he is at UFC 309, and he is marching north in this month’s P4P rankings
Jon Jones was the featured attraction for his fight against Stipe Miocic this past Saturday, in what some were calling the biggest heavyweight fight to be held at Madison Square Garden in over 50 years. And guess what? Twenty months away from competition didn’t affect him at all.
Jones’s third-round knockout victory over Miocic not only sets up a monumental unification bout against interim champ Tom Aspinall (fingers crossed!), it shoots him up a notch in this month’s pound-for-pound rankings.
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).
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. 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 Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.
Without further ado, let's dig into the MMA pound-for-pound rankings for November!
(What changed? Here's a look at October's MMA pound-for-pound rankings.)
MEN'S
1. Islam Makhachev — UFC lightweight champion
The 14-fight win streak in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions speaks for itself, but it’s the dominant, unnerving cold in which he goes about wrecking people that has Makhachev atop the field. The wins over Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier were all eye-openers, yet the rematch with Arman Tsarukyan might be his toughest test to date.
2. Alex Pereira — UFC light heavyweight champion
You know you’re the Fighter of the Year when everyone wants a piece of you. Right now Magomed Ankalaev is praying like hell the UFC doesn’t fall in love with the idea of "Poatan" jumping to heavyweight for a superfight with Jones.
3. Ilia Topuria — UFC featherweight champion
Was beating Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway the best back-to-back wins a fighter has ever had to open their title run? Enough time has passed for us to make a judgment on that. And the answer is, yes. Yes it is.
4. Jon Jones — UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 5)
Listen man, when Jon Jones comes in there and dominates Stipe Miocic the way he did, you give the man his flowers. And a sizable payday. The UFC needs to make that unification bout with Aspinall at all costs. That’s the definition of a mega-fight.
5. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 4)
How maniacal is this dude? How relentless and merciless and icy cold? After beating on O’Malley for a round he kissed his head. Sadistic. Totally out of bounds. Eleven wins in a row baby. Hard not to love him.
6. Tom Aspinall — UFC interim heavyweight champion
Ariel Helwani says that over this past week in New York, Jones’ reluctance to fight Tommy Aspinall has turned England’s best into a “babyface.” That’s wrestling parlance for “a lovable guy everyone roots for.” Did you hear that pop he got?
7. Francis Ngannou — PFL super fights heavyweight champion
He crushed Renan Ferreira, so what’s next? That's anyone’s guess. With Jones successfully defending the heavyweight title at UFC 309, it’s hard to fall back into a game of “what if?” It was cool to see Ngannou give Jones his due on social media.
8. Dricus du Plessis — UFC middleweight champion (Prev. 9)
The good news? South Africa has a legit champion. The bad? Well … you can look down a couple of spots in these here rankings and see there’s a storm moving in, which fight meteorologists have named Hurricane Borz.
9. Belal Muhammad — UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 8)
It’s a bummer that Muhammad was forced out of his UFC 310 title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov, as it was a real chance for him to shut down one of the most feared fighters in the division. He’ll be ready for the winner of Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry.
10. Khamzat Chimaev — UFC middleweight contender
The monster known as “Borz” shot in on Robert Whittaker early, took him down, battered him, then broke his jaw with a creature-like squeeze that dislodged a row of teeth. That aura that people thought was missing? Yeah, it’s beaming again.
(Others receiving votes: Alexandre Pantoja, Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway)
WOMEN'S
1. Valentina Shevchenko — UFC flyweight champion
The Alexa Grasso trilogy is over, and what we saw was vintage Valentina. Just a marauding, wrestling, suffocating, pressuring menace that had Grasso spinning around like she was caught in a tempest for 25 minutes. Manon Fiorot next?
2. Zhang Weili — UFC strawweight champion
There is a little bit of Georges St-Pierre’s mojo to Zhang's second wind as a champion. You get the sense that those losses taught her to never get complacent again, as evidenced in her dominance over Carla Esparza, Amanda Lemos and Yan Xiaonan.
3. Cris Cyborg — PFL super fights featherweight champion/Bellator featherweight champion
There were bad omens to be found for her fight with Larissa Pacheco, if you were looking. Yet Cyborg withstood some early damage to prevail like the Thanos of the women’s ranks. Her post-fight speech should’ve been three words before a mic drop: Y’all must’ve forgot.
4. Kayla Harrison — UFC bantamweight challenger
She didn’t rag-doll Ketlen Vieira like she did Holly Holm, but she got some solid work in as she prepares for a showdown against Julianna Peña. Does she feel as invincible as she once did? Let’s put it this way: so long as she makes weight, we’re not betting against her.
5. Alexa Grasso — UFC flyweight contender
It was a tough loss in what was staged to be a legacy-defining fight on a night when the UFC was celebrating Mexican Independence Day, but all is not lost. At 31 years old, there’s plenty of fight left in Guadalajara’s finest. The second act could be epic.
6. Julianna Peña — UFC bantamweight champion
After so many injuries and setbacks and sudden retirements to her most hated enemies, Peña now gets to show off her shiny title. Amanda Nunes looks like she’s coming back, but Peña will need to clear the hurdle of Harrison in order to get to her. In other words, have yourself a day while you can, Julianna!
7. Manon Fiorot — UFC flyweight contender
It went relatively unsung, but that was some serious OG ish that Fiorot pulled back in March. She went into Erin Blanchfield’s backyard and not only went toe-to-toe with an undefeated contender, she shut her down entirely. Now it’s title or bust!
8. Larissa Pacheco — PFL featherweight contender
She didn’t beat her, but she made Cyborg feel her power early and often. It’s unlikely Cyborg wants to play it back (in fact, it’s guaranteed), but if they did you get the sense that the 30-year-old Pacheco would be dialed in. Big things are still on the horizon.
9. Tatiana Suarez — UFC flyweight contender
It’s been one setback after another for Suarez. At 33 years old, the clock does tick louder in her ear each passing year. Since her debut in 2014, Tatiana is 10-0 as a professional fighter, meaning she has averaged just one win a year. Ladies and gentlemen, start your “what ifs?”
10. Seika Izawa — RIZIN super atomweight champion, Jewels strawweight and atomweight champion
They call her the “Supernova,” and that’s what the 26-year-old phenom has been in Japan — a kind of celestial event that boggles people’s minds. Since winning the interim strawweight title in 2021, Izawa has been a beast, blasting through RIZIN and Jewels’ best like they were offerings from the gods.
(Others receiving votes: Raquel Pennington, Si Woo Park, Erin Blanchfield, Virna Jandiroba, Taila Santos)
Here’s how the Uncrowned team voted:
SHAHEEN AL-SHATTI
MEN
Alex Pereira
Ilia Topuria
Islam Makhachev
Francis Ngannou
Tom Aspinall
Belal Muhammad
Alexandre Pantoja
Merab Dvalishvili
Dricus du Plessis
Jon Jones
WOMEN
Valentina Shevchenko
Zhang Weili
Alexa Grasso
Kayla Harrison
Cris Cyborg
Manon Fiorot
Larissa Pacheco
Seika Izawa
Tatiana Suarez
Julianna Peña
CONNER BURKS
MEN
Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria
Jon Jones
Alex Pereira
Merab Dvalishvili
Tom Aspinall
Khamzat Chimaev
Dricus Du Plessis
Alexandre Pantoja
Belal Muhammad
WOMEN
Zhang Weili
Valentina Shevchenko
Cris Cyborg
Julianna Peña
Kayla Harrison
Alexa Grasso
Manon Fiorot
Larissa Pacheco
Tatiana Suarez
Erin Blanchfield
PETESY CARROLL
MEN
Alex Pereira
Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria
Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones
Francis Ngannou
Merab Dvalishvili
Dricus Du Plessis
Belal Muhammad
Khamzat Chimaev
WOMEN
Weili Zhang
Valentina Shevchenko
Cris Cyborg
Kayla Harrison
Alexa Grasso
Julianna Peña
Raquel Pennington
Manon Fiorot
Larissa Pacheco
Tatiana Suarez
BEN FOWLKES
MEN
Alex Pereira
Jon Jones
Ilia Topuria
Islam Makhachev
Merab Dvalishvili
Francis Ngannou
Alexandre Pantoja
Alex Volkanovski
Dricus Du Plessis
Tom Aspinall
WOMEN
Weili Zhang
Valentina Shevchenko
Cris Cyborg
Kayla Harrison
Alexa Grasso
Raquel Pennington
Julianna Peña
Manon Fiorot
Larissa Pacheco
Tatiana Suarez
ERIC JACKMAN
MEN
Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria
Alex Pereira
Khamzat Chimaev
Jon Jones
Dricus du Plessis
Merab Dvalishvili
Belal Muhammad
Tom Aspinall
Alexandre Pantoja
WOMEN
Valentina Shevchenko
Cris Cyborg
Zhang Weili
Kayla Harrison
Larissa Pacheco
Julianna Peña
Tatiana Suarez
Manon Fiorot
Alexa Grasso
Virna Jandiroba
CHUCK MINDENHALL
MEN
Alex Pereira
Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria
Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones
Francis Ngannou
Khamzat Chimaev
Merab Dvalishvili
Dricus Du Plessis
Belal Muhammad
WOMEN
Valentina Shevchenko
Zhang Weili
Cris Cyborg
Kayla Harrison
Manon Fiorot
Tatiana Suarez
Julianna Peña
Erin Blanchfield
Larissa Pacheco
Virna Jandiroba
DRAKE RIGGS
MEN
Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria
Merab Dvalishvili
Belal Muhammad
Alex Pereira
Tom Aspinall
Dricus Du Plessis
Alexandre Pantoja
Francis Ngannou
Jon Jones
WOMEN
Seika Izawa
Valentina Shevchenko
Zhang Weili
Cris Cyborg
Alexa Grasso
Si Woo Park
Larissa Pacheco
Kayla Harrison
Taila Santos
Virna Jandiroba