Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings

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Patricio Freire has a grip on his division every bit as strong and tenacious as the bite of his namesake canine.

“Pitbull” made record-breaking excellence look routine on Saturday in the main event of Bellator 286, defusing the explosive offense of Adam Borics for five rounds at Long Beach Arena. While it might not have offered many moments for Freire’s highlight reel, it made him the first fighter in Bellator MMA history to successfully defend titles in three separate reigns. The 35-year-old Brazilian now boasts 12 wins in title fights, double that of his former foe and the man long considered synonymous with Bellator MMA, Michael Chandler.

What comes next for “Pitbull” is a valid question, as his near-decade of dominance has him approaching the end of the list of credible challengers. One possibility is a rubber match with former featherweight champ and fellow pound-for-pound entrant A.J. McKee, who departed the division earlier this year after falling short in their rematch and defeated Spike Carlyle at a 157-pound catchweight in the Bellator 286 co-main event. McKee expressed his disinclination to go back to 145 pounds for anything other than a title shot, but considering that the other “Pitbull Brother,” Patricky Freire, holds the Bellator lightweight belt, a move up in weight at the moment would be a road to nowhere for Patricio. Any trilogy bout would likely either take place at featherweight, or would need to be delayed until after McKee has at least a shot at the title in his new division, but in the wake of Saturday’s main card, it felt like a near inevitability at some point.

Note: Previous ranking in brackets.

1. Alexander Volkanovski (25-1) | UFC [1]

Volkanovski was virtually flawless in his championship trilogy bout against Max Holloway at UFC 276, sweeping the scorecards by identical 50-45 counts in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph. The City Kickboxing stalwart has won 12 straight in UFC competition and a whopping 22 in a row overall, clearly establishing him as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport. His rivalry with Holloway now clearly in the rearview mirror, Volkanovski has set his sights on a move to 155 pounds and two-division dominance.

2. Israel Adesanya (23-1) | UFC [2]

Adesanya was methodical and technical in his latest title defense, a five-round verdict over Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 headliner, but it wasn’t the type of performance that’s going to make the Nigerian-born Kiwi appointment viewing. Adesanya’s 12-fight winning streak is the second-longest in 185-pound history, but it may take something spectacular to regain favor with the masses. He’ll have that opportunity in a championship clash with former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

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

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., on Jan. 22. 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. “The Predator” now faces an uncertain future, as he is unhappy with the way he has been treated by the UFC and seems willing to sit out for a significant period of time unless the two sides are able to come to terms. Regardless of how that happens, Ngannou will be sidelined for much of the remainder of 2022 due to knee surgery.

4. Charles Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) | UFC [4]

After missing weight by 0.5 pounds one day prior, Oliveira lost his lightweight crown as soon as his UFC 274 headlining bout against Justin Gaethje began. That didn’t prevent “Do Bronx” from putting together yet another masterful performance, as he survived some early adversity before rallying to drop and submit the former World Series of Fighting champion in the opening round of their bout at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. The victory, which was Oliveira’s 11th straight, assures the Brazilian of a spot in the next 155-pound title fight. The Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative only seems to be getting better, with finishes of Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in his last three promotional appearances. Oliveira will attempt to regain the 155-pound belt when he meets Islam Makhachev in the UFC 280 headliner in Abu Dhabi.

5. Leon Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) | UFC [5]

Edwards is living proof that a fight is never over until the final bell sounds. “Rocky” was well behind on the scorecards against Kamaru Usman with time winding down in the fifth round of their headlining bout at UFC 278 when he unleashed a head kick knockout that will go down in history. Edwards, who endured some hard luck at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, will carry an 11-fight unbeaten streak into his first 170-pound title defense. Considering he now has a 1-1 record against Usman, that defense could very well come in a trilogy against “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

6. Kamaru Usman (20-2) | UFC [6]

In MMA, all good things must come to an end, and that includes Usman’s 15-fight UFC winning streak. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was well on his way to a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 main event when his opponent shocked the world with a head-kick knockout late in the fifth round. The 35-year-old Usman didn’t show any signs of decline as he controlled most of the fight with Edwards, and his 1-1 record against the Englishman suggest that a trilogy could be in store.

7. Patricio Freire (34-5) | Bellator [7]

Freire turned back yet another determined challenger, nullifying the normally explosive Adam Borics on his way to a unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator 286 on Oct. 1. “Pitbull” is now the first Bellator fighter to successfully defend titles in three separate reigns, and his 12 title fight wins are twice as many as any other fighter in promotional history can claim. Having avenged his only featherweight loss in nearly a decade in his April rematch with A.J. McKee, Freire looks close to running out of challenges at 145 pounds. A rubber match with McKee, who moved up to lightweight and won at Bellator 286, might not be far off.

8. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1) | UFC [8]

After relocating to Fight Ready in Arizona, Figueiredo evened the score with Brandon Moreno at UFC 270, winning a closely contested unanimous decision in the evening’s co-main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22. In a bout where each round was difficult to score, Figueiredo’s more powerful offense might have made the difference and allowed him to regain the UFC flyweight crown. With the series against Moreno knotted up at 1-1-1, a fourth bout seems well within the realm of possibility, especially after the Mexican flyweight defeated Kai Kara France for interim flyweight gold.

9. Stipe Miocic (20-4) | UFC [9]

When his wrestling failed against Francis Ngannou in the UFC 260 headliner, so did Miocic’s bid to make another successful heavyweight championship defense. Miocic saw his reign end in a second-round KO defeat at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 27, 2021, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Ohio-based firefighter had already established himself as the organization’s most consistent heavyweight king with records for most victories in title bouts and consecutive title defenses. Miocic’s Octagon forays have become less frequent in recent years, though UFC president Dana White piqued the MMA community’s interest when he hinted at a potential meeting with Jon Jones. However, unless that matchup — or any matchup — is announced soon, the former champ will drop from this list due to inactivity.

10. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) | UFC [10]

Poirier entered UFC 269 as the uncrowned lightweight champion in many people’s eyes, but he left the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas empty-handed following a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The American Top Team representative started well, as he landed powerful punches and floored his opponent in Round 1, but that momentum gradually faded as the bout progressed. Poirier was on the verge of a memorable 2021 campaign that could have included two wins over Conor McGregor and a championship belt, but instead “The Diamond” comes up short for the second consecutive time in a title bout. A showdown with Michael Chandler is rumored for late 2022, but the date and event have not been finalized.

Other Contenders: Jiri Prochazka, A.J. McKee, Justin Gaethje, Aljamain Sterling, Demetrious Johnson.

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.