Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Heavyweight

1. Tom Aspinall (15-3) | UFC [1]

Aspinall furthered his case to be considered the top heavyweight in the sport, smashing Curtis Blaydes with first-round punches in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England. Aspinall spent the better part of a year waiting on a title unification booking against Jon Jones before “Bones” abruptly announced his retirement on June 21. As a result, Aspinall was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion. The Englishman has vowed to be an active title holder as he awaits word of his first defense.

2. Francis Ngannou (18-3) PFL [3]

Competing in MMA for the first time in more than two years, Ngannou looked as dangerous as ever as he pounded out Renan Ferreira in the PFL “Battle of the Giants” headliner on Oct. 19 in Saudi Arabia. It was an emotional evening for “The Predator,” who had to endure the death of his son earlier in the year and was coming off losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in pro boxing. It’s unclear what the future might hold for Ngannou, but he’s set up as the PFL’s biggest star by a considerable margin should he continue fighting on a regular basis. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman has won seven straight fights dating back to November 2018.

3. Ciryl Gane (13-2) | UFC [4]

It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but Gane nonetheless improved to 2-0 against Alexander Volkov with a controversial split-decision triumph in their rematch at UFC 310 in Las Vegas. While “Bon Gamin” showcased some improved grappling and wrestling, it certainly wasn’t a definitive performance for the Frenchman, who revealed that he broke his toes in the opening stanza. Still, Gane’s improves to 10-2 in UFC competition, with his only losses coming at the hands of Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

4. Alexander Volkov (38-11) | UFC [5]

While many observers felt that Volkov deserved the nod against Ciryl Gane in their rematch at UFC 310, two out of three judges’ scorecards said differently, which ended the Russian’s four-bout winning streak in disappointing fashion. The 36-year-old known as “Drago” has nonetheless continued to improve over the course of his career, and his stock doesn’t figure to fall too far following a controversial defeat.

5. Sergei Pavlovich (19-3) | UFC [6]

Pavlovich snapped a two-bout skid at UFC Saudi Arabia, where he earned a methodical three-round verdict over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. While a return to the win column was much needed for the heavy-handed Russian, he hasn’t resembled the fighter he authored a six-fight UFC finishing streak in quite some time. It’s possible that a knockout loss to Tom Aspinall at UFC 295 has something to do with that.

6. Curtis Blaydes (19-5, 1 NC) | UFC [7]

It was hardly a definitive performance, but Blaydes did just enough to capture a split-decision triumph over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku on June 21. The Illinois native struggled to secure takedowns against his opponent, which could potentially be attributed to a knee injury Blaydes said he suffered early in the bout. After the victory, the 34-year-old Elevation Fight Team member called for a matchup against Ciryl Gane later this year.

7. Jailton Almeida (22-3) UFC [8]

Almeida made a statement at UFC 311, as he overwhelmed Serghei Spivac en route to a first-round technical knockout victory. The Brazilian grappler is 6-1 in heavyweight bouts, with his only loss coming to Curtis Blaydes. After his latest triumph, he called for a matchup with Ciryl Gane, though he’d also be willing to face Tom Aspinall if the Jon Jones fight doesn’t come to fruition.

8. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (14-1) UFC [9]

Cortes-Acosta relied on volume striking to score a contentious unanimous decision triumph over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316 on June 7. Regardless of how he got there, “Salsa Boy’s” five-bout winning streak is currently the longest in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He’ll face Sergei Pavlovich next Octagon appearance at UFC Shanghai.

9. Phil De Fries (27-6, 1 NC) KSW [10]

De Fries made short work of kickboxer Arkadiusz Wrzosek, defending his heavyweight crown with a first-round submission victory in the KSW 107 headliner on June 14. That’s 15 consecutive victories for the former UFC talent, a winning streak that dates back to Oct. 27, 2017. Perhaps even more impressive, “And Still” has finished 11 of those triumphs inside the distance.

10. Serghei Spivac (17-6) UFC [11]

It was a closely contested fight — and some observers even thought he won — but Spivac ultimately couldn’t match the striking volume of Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the bout at UFC 316. “The Polar Bear” has last three of his last four promotional outings — with his lone win coming over Marcin Tybura during that stretch.

Other Contenders: Marcin Tybura, Renan Ferreira, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, Denis Goltsov.

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