MMA Divisional Rankings: Which dominant UFC champion is most at risk of losing their title?

UFC championships carry unprecedented prestige today. While it`s been widely acknowledged for the past two decades that holding UFC gold signifies you`re the top fighter in your division, there was previously room for debate due to the presence of other significant promotions like PRIDE, Bellator, and ONE Championship.

Historically, fighters outside the Octagon were sometimes considered the best. Fedor Emelianenko was long regarded as the heavyweight king despite never competing in the UFC. Demetrious Johnson was arguably the world`s top flyweight after his move to ONE. Bellator`s homegrown talents such as Johnny Eblen, Patchy Mix, and Patricio Pitbull have presented strong arguments for their caliber against UFC counterparts. And before the UFC women`s divisions, legends like Cris Cyborg, Megumi Fujii, and Ronda Rousey made their mark elsewhere.

Looking at the current landscape, almost every division features a No. 1-ranked fighter who is the reigning UFC champion, based on recent rankings polls. The notable exception is heavyweight, where Francis Ngannou, who left the UFC without losing his title, still received one vote. While Ngannou has competed more recently than current UFC champion Tom Aspinall, Aspinall is widely expected to solidify his claim to the undisputed top spot with another successful title defense.

This leads to the question: Can a compelling case be made for any fighter currently ranked below a UFC champion to actually be considered No. 1? Consider undefeated fighters like Shavkat Rakhmonov, who missed a shot at the welterweight title due to injury, or Movsar Evloev, whose perfect record didn`t guarantee a shot at the vacant featherweight belt. In the lightweight division, despite Ilia Topuria`s stunning knockout win over Charles Oliveira, some might argue Arman Tsarukyan, who also recently defeated Oliveira and possesses a deeper record at 155 pounds, has a stronger claim to the top ranking.

While it`s difficult to convincingly argue that the current 11 UFC champions aren`t the best in their respective divisions, their position at the top is not necessarily secure. Several champions face significant threats in upcoming bouts. Dricus du Plessis defends his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev, Kayla Harrison faces the daunting task of fighting the legendary Amanda Nunes, and Jack Della Maddalena is set for a major test against the seemingly invincible Islam Makhachev.

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it`s entirely possible the top-ranked fighters will remain the same by year`s end. However, given the high-profile matchups and unpredictable nature of mixed martial arts, it would be no surprise if the rankings undergo several notable changes before the year concludes.

Ranking Updates Across Divisions

Heavyweight

• Recent Results: No. 7 Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev, Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. No. 9 Serghei Spivac, No. 12 Phil De Fries def. Arkadiusz Wrzosek
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 5 Sergei Pavlovich vs. No. 8 Waldo Cortes-Acosta (UFC Shanghai, Aug. 23), No. 12 Marcin Tybura vs. Ante Delija (UFC Paris, Sept. 9), No. 15 (tied) Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira (UFC Nashville, July 12)
• Also Receiving Votes: Anatoly Malykhin (2), Rizvan Kuniev (1)
• Falling Out: No. 3 Jon Jones (retirement)

Light Heavyweight

• Recent Results: No. 8 Khalil Rountree def. No. 7 Jamahal Hill, No. 13 Azamat Murzakanov def. Brendson Ribeiro
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 5 Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov (heavyweight bout) (PFL Africa, July 19), No. 13 Nikita Krylov vs. No. 15 Bogdan Guskov (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26), No. 14 Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang (UFC Shanghai, Aug. 23)
• Also Receiving Votes: Anatoly Malykhin (2), Phil Davis (1), Roman Dolidze (1), Dovlet Yagshimuradov (1), Zhang Mingyang (1)

Middleweight

• Recent Results: No. 15 Fabian Edwards def. Josh Silveira
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 1 Dricus du Plessis vs. No. 2 Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 3 Nassourdine Imavov vs. No. 6 Caio Borralho (UFC Paris, Sept. 9), No. 7 Robert Whittaker vs. No. 10 Reinier de Ridder (UFC Baku, July 26), No. 8 Anthony Hernandez vs. No. 13 Roman Dolidze (UFC Vegas 109, Aug. 9), No. 9 Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis (PFL Africa, July 26), No. 11 Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 12 Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori (UFC 318, July 19), No. 14 Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov (UFC 317, June 28), No. 15 Fabian Edwards vs. Dalton Rosta (PFL 10, Aug. 21)
• Also Receiving Votes: Roman Kopylov (2), Abus Magomedov (2), Gregory Rodrigues (1), Michael Page (1), Marvin Vettori (1)

Welterweight

• Recent Results: Kamaru Usman def. No. 7 Joaquin Buckley, Thad Jean def. No. 10 Jason Jackson
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 11 Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 12 Michael Page vs. Jared Cannonier (middleweight bout) (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 14 Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley (PFL 8, Aug. 1)
• Also Receiving Votes: Carlos Prates (4), Stephen Thompson (3), Kevin Holland (2), Jason Jackson (2), Shamil Musaev (2), Rinat Fakhretdinov (1)

Lightweight

• Recent Results: Ilia Topuria def. No. 3 Charles Oliveira, No. 9 (tied) Beneil Dariush def. No. 14 Renato Moicano, No. 9 (tied) Mateusz Gamrot def. Ludovit Klein, No. 11 Rafael Fiziev def. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 4 Max Holloway vs. No. 7 Dustin Poirier (UFC 318, July 19), No. 15 A.J. McKee vs. Akhmed Magomedov (featherweight bout) (PFL Africa, July 19)
• Also Receiving Votes: Gadzhi Rabadanov (3), Benoit Saint Denis (1), Jalin Turner (1)
• Falling Out: No. 1 Islam Makhachev (moving to welterweight)

Featherweight

• Recent Results: N/A
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 2 Movsar Evloev vs. No. 10 Aaron Pico (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26), No. 3 Diego Lopes vs. No. 7 Jean Silva (Noche UFC, Sept. 13), No. 4 Brian Ortega vs. No. 8 Aljamain Sterling (UFC Shanghai, Aug. 23), No. 12 Patricio Pitbull vs. No. 14 Dan Ige (UFC 318, July 19), No. 15 (tied) Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (PFL 8, Aug. 1)
• Also Receiving Votes: Movlid Khaybulaev (2), Razhabali Shaydullaev (2), Calvin Kattar (1), Chepe Mariscal (1)

Bantamweight

• Recent Results: No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili def. No. 3 Sean O’Malley, No. 10 Mario Bautista def. No. 5 Patchy Mix, No. 11 Sergio Pettis def. Raufeon Stots, No. 15 Magomed Magomedov def. Sarvarjon Khamidov
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 5 Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26)
• Also Receiving Votes: Montel Jackson (3), Magomed Magomedov (2), Henry Cejudo (1), Marcus McGhee (1)

Flyweight

• Recent Results: No. 1 Alexandre Pantoja def. No. 6 Kai Kara-France, Joshua Van def. No. 2 (tied) Brandon Royval), No. 9 Muhammad Mokaev def. Thomas Assis
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 8 Amir Albazi vs. No. 9 Tatsuro Taira (UFC Vegas 108, Aug. 2), No. 11 Alex Perez vs. No. 12 Steve Erceg, No. 13 Asu Almabayev vs. No. 15 Ramazan Temirov (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26)
• Also Receiving Votes: Kai Asakura (2), Matheus Nicolau (2), Charles Johnson (1), Hiromasa Ougikubo (1), Tagir Ulanbekov (1)

Women`s Bantamweight

• Recent Results: No. 1 Kayla Harrison def. No. 2 Julianna Peña, No. 4 Ketlen Vieira def. No. 5 (tied) Macy Chiasson
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 10 Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle (UFC Vegas 108, Aug. 2)
• Also Receiving Votes: Joselyne Edwards (2), Nora Cornolle (1)

Women`s Flyweight

• Recent Results: No. 8 Liz Carmouche def. Elora Dana, No. 10 Rose Namajunas def. No. 15 Miranda Maverick, Tracy Cortez def. No. 13 Viviane Araujo
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 5 Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba (PFL Africa, July 19), No. 8 Liz Carmouche vs. Jena Bishop (PFL 9, Aug. 15), No. 13 Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci (strawweight bout) (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26)
• Also Receiving Votes: Jena Bishop (2), Jessica Andrade (1), Karine Silva (1), Ariane da Silva (1)

Women`s Strawweight

• Recent Results:
• Upcoming Bouts: No. 5 Jessica Andrade vs. No. 11 Loopy Godinez (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 8 Iasmin Lucindo vs. No. 13 Angela Hill (UFC Vegas 109, Aug. 9), No. 10 Amanda Ribas vs. No. 12 Tabatha Ricci (UFC 318, July 19)
• Also Receiving Votes: Luana Pinheiro (3)