In short
- Official UFC rankings released on September 19, 2026, after UFC 331.
- France has a champion: Ciryl Gane at heavyweight.
- Six French fighters are ranked, three of them in their division’s top 5.
- Islam Makhachev tops the men’s pound-for-pound list, Valentina Shevchenko the women’s.
The UFC updates its rankings after every event. A panel of media members votes on the top 15 in each division, with the champion listed separately. The tables below reflect the latest official release, dated September 19, 2026. Fighters with a profile on the site are linked, and French fighters are marked FRA.
French fighters in the UFC rankings
| Fighter | Division | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Ciryl Gane | Heavyweight | Champion, No. 11 pound for pound |
| Nassourdine Imavov | Middleweight | No. 3 |
| Manon Fiorot | Women’s flyweight | No. 3, No. 7 women’s pound for pound |
| Benoît Saint-Denis | Lightweight | No. 6 |
| Salahdine Parnasse | Lightweight | No. 9 |
| Nora Cornolle | Women’s bantamweight | No. 13 |
Gane is the first French fighter to hold the undisputed UFC heavyweight title. He won the interim belt against Alex Pereira in June and was elevated in September when Tom Aspinall vacated. At lightweight, Parnasse entered the top 10 straight after knocking out Dan Hooker in Paris in his UFC debut, while Saint-Denis slipped to No. 6 after his July loss to Paddy Pimblett. The full list of French fighters on the roster is on our French UFC fighters page.
Men’s pound for pound
Women’s pound for pound
UFC rankings by division
Weight limits are those of the Unified Rules. For how each division works, see our guide to MMA weight classes.
Flyweight (125 lb)
| Rank | Fighter |
|---|---|
| Champion | Joshua Van |
| 1 | Alexandre Pantoja |
| 2 | Manel Kape |
| 3 | Brandon Royval |
| 4 | Tatsuro Taira |
| 5 | Kyoji Horiguchi |
| 6 | Lone’er Kavanagh |
| 7 | Asu Almabayev |
| 8 | Brandon Moreno |
| 9 | Amir Albazi |
| 10 | Ramazan Temirov |
| 11 | Tim Elliott |
| 12 | Steve Erceg |
| 13 | Sumudaerji |
| 14 | Tagir Ulanbekov |
| 15 | Alex Perez |
Bantamweight (135 lb)
Featherweight (145 lb)
Lightweight (155 lb)
Welterweight (170 lb)
Middleweight (185 lb)
| Rank | Fighter |
|---|---|
| Champion | Sean Strickland |
| 1 | Khamzat Chimaev |
| 2 | Dricus Du Plessis |
| 3 | Nassourdine Imavov (FRA) |
| 4 | Brendan Allen |
| 5 | Caio Borralho |
| 6 | Joe Pyfer |
| 7 | Gregory Rodrigues |
| 8 | Anthony Hernandez |
| 9 | Israel Adesanya |
| 10 | Christian Leroy Duncan |
| 11 | Jared Cannonier |
| 12 | Abus Magomedov |
| 13 | Ikram Aliskerov |
| 14 | Bo Nickal |
| 15 | Shara Magomedov |
Light heavyweight (205 lb)
Heavyweight (265 lb)
Women’s strawweight (115 lb)
Women’s flyweight (125 lb)
Women’s bantamweight (135 lb)
How the UFC rankings work
Each panelist ranks the fighters in every division after an event. The UFC tallies the votes and publishes the result within days of a card. Champions are not ranked; they sit above the list. A fighter can appear in two divisions if they have competed in both recently.
The rankings do not decide title shots on their own. The UFC uses them as a guide, but availability, drawing power and momentum matter too, which is why a No. 1 contender sometimes waits while a more marketable No. 3 gets the call.
Frequently asked questions
Who is No. 1 pound for pound in the UFC?
Islam Makhachev leads the men’s pound-for-pound rankings, ahead of Alexander Volkanovski and Justin Gaethje. Valentina Shevchenko leads the women’s list ahead of Kayla Harrison.
How many French fighters are ranked in the UFC?
Six: Ciryl Gane (heavyweight champion), Nassourdine Imavov (No. 3 middleweight), Manon Fiorot (No. 3 women’s flyweight), Benoît Saint-Denis (No. 6 lightweight), Salahdine Parnasse (No. 9 lightweight) and Nora Cornolle (No. 13 women’s bantamweight).
Who decides the UFC rankings?
A panel of media members votes after every event, and the UFC publishes the compiled result as the official rankings.
Is Ciryl Gane the UFC heavyweight champion?
Yes. Ciryl Gane has been the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion since September 14, 2026. He defends the title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14.