UFC rankings 2026Official top 15 in every division and pound for pound

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, updated November 7, 2026, according to the UFC rankings page. The same page also shows separate Meta rankings, updated automatically after each event, which are not reproduced here. Fighters with a profile on the site are linked, and American fighters are marked USA.

American fighters in the UFC rankings

Fighter	Division	Rank
Justin Gaethje	Lightweight	Champion, No. 4 pound for pound
Sean Strickland	Middleweight	Champion, No. 7 pound for pound
Mackenzie Dern	Women’s strawweight	Champion, No. 5 women’s pound for pound
Kayla Harrison	Women’s bantamweight	Champion, No. 2 women’s pound for pound
Julianna Peña	Women’s bantamweight	No. 1, No. 11 women’s pound for pound
Sean O’Malley	Bantamweight	No. 2
Tatiana Suarez	Women’s strawweight	No. 2, No. 8 women’s pound for pound
Brandon Royval	Flyweight	No. 3
Aljamain Sterling	Featherweight	No. 4
Max Holloway	Lightweight	No. 4
Brendan Allen	Middleweight	No. 4
Khalil Rountree Jr.	Light heavyweight	No. 4
Josh Hokit	Heavyweight	No. 4
Mario Bautista	Bantamweight	No. 5
Curtis Blaydes	Heavyweight	No. 5
Erin Blanchfield	Women’s flyweight	No. 5, No. 10 women’s pound for pound
Cory Sandhagen	Bantamweight	No. 6
Sean Brady	Welterweight	No. 6
Joe Pyfer	Middleweight	No. 6
Fatima Kline	Women’s strawweight	No. 6
Rose Namajunas	Women’s flyweight	No. 6, No. 13 women’s pound for pound
Payton Talbott	Bantamweight	No. 7
Belal Muhammad	Welterweight	No. 7
Dominick Reyes	Light heavyweight	No. 7
Maycee Barber	Women’s flyweight	No. 7
Raquel Pennington	Women’s bantamweight	No. 7, No. 15 women’s pound for pound
Anthony Hernandez	Middleweight	No. 8
Tracy Cortez	Women’s flyweight	No. 9
Steve Garcia	Featherweight	No. 10
Miranda Maverick	Women’s flyweight	No. 10
Macy Chiasson	Women’s bantamweight	No. 10
Tim Elliott	Flyweight	No. 11
Aaron Pico	Featherweight	No. 11
Jared Cannonier	Middleweight	No. 12
Marcus McGhee	Bantamweight	No. 13
Brian Ortega	Featherweight	No. 13
Joaquin Buckley	Welterweight	No. 13
Alonzo Menifield	Light heavyweight	No. 13
Tyrell Fortune	Heavyweight	No. 13
Charles Johnson	Flyweight	No. 14
Daniel Rodriguez	Welterweight	No. 14
Bo Nickal	Middleweight	No. 14
Derrick Lewis	Heavyweight	No. 14
Bryce Mitchell	Bantamweight	No. 15
Grant Dawson	Lightweight	No. 15
Kevin Holland	Welterweight	No. 15
Angela Hill	Women’s strawweight	No. 15
Chelsea Chandler	Women’s bantamweight	No. 15

The United States holds four belts. Justin Gaethje won the lightweight title and sits No. 4 pound for pound. Sean Strickland is back on top at middleweight and No. 7 pound for pound. On the women’s side, Kayla Harrison rules bantamweight and Mackenzie Dern strawweight. Featherweight, flyweight and heavyweight have American contenders in the top 5 (Aljamain Sterling, Brandon Royval, Josh Hokit, Curtis Blaydes) but no American champion. The whole American contingent, ranked or not, is on our American UFC fighters page.

UFC rankings by division

Weight limits are those of the Unified Rules. For how each division works, see our guide to MMA weight classes.

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 Petr Yan. Valentina Shevchenko leads the women’s list ahead of Kayla Harrison.

Who are the American UFC champions?

Four: Justin Gaethje at lightweight, Sean Strickland at middleweight, Mackenzie Dern at women’s strawweight and Kayla Harrison at women’s bantamweight.

How many American fighters are ranked in the UFC?

48 across the 11 divisions, as of the official rankings updated November 7, 2026. Middleweight and bantamweight are the deepest pools, with six Americans each, the middleweight count including the champion.

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.

Who is the UFC heavyweight champion?

Ciryl Gane of France, undisputed champion since September 14, 2026. He defends the title against American Josh Hokit, ranked No. 4, at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden.

MMA fight gloves weigh 4 ounces: our ranking of MMA fight gloves compares the best model from each brand.

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