MMA Divisional Rankings: What do Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria's moves mean for the UFC's future?

22/05/2025 20:00

After a slow start to the year, UFC fans were treated to a couple of titles changing hands, but one can't be blamed for feeling that something is off with the current state of the divisions.

Yes, Alexander Volkanovski is champion again, but that's only because Ilia Topuria abandoned the featherweight title to move to lightweight.

Yes, Jack Della Maddalena dethroned Belal Muhammad, but his first defense won't be against a worthy welterweight contender; instead, he takes on Pound-for-Pound king Islam Makhachev, who, like Topuria, is leaving a belt behind to change divisions.

Yes, Topuria gets his chance to fight for the lightweight title, but it's against former champ Charles Oliveira, not Makhachev.

And that's just one clusterbiff. Zhang Weili might follow suit and vacate the strawweight title to challenge flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Magaomed Ankalaev is yet to book his first defense after beating the UFC's boogeyman Alex Pereira. The heavyweight title picture? LOLOLOLOLOL.

So what does it even mean to be a divisional champion in the UFC these days? I'm... not sure. And I'm not sure your average fan can tell you either. Because one thing is for certain, as significant as it is for one's career to win a UFC belt, it means less than ever when determining who is truly the best of the best in this business.

Jones, Volkanovski, even Makhachev*, all of them won titles that were vacated. The UFC 317 main event between Topuria and Oliveira will be the sixth vacant title fight since the start of 2022. These lineages are busted right now and with few fighters wanting to stick around for more than a handful of title defenses, this issue won't be corrected anytime soon. If ever.

So who will be your UFC champions by the end of 2025? Who will actually be viewed as the undisputed No. 1 fighters in their divisions? Your guess is as good as mine.

(*Makhachev beat Oliveira for a vacant belt, but only because Oliveira lost it on the scale in a previously scheduled defense against Justin Gaethje)

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Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 10 Marcin Tybura def. Mick Parkin

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 7 Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev (UFC Baku, June 21), No. 9 Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (UFC 316, June 7), No. 12 Phil de Fries vs. Arkadiusz Wrzosek (KSW 107, June 14)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):Derrick Lewis (3), Anatoly Malykhin (2), Ryan Bader (1), Waldo Cortes-Acosta (1), Tai Tuivasa (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): 10 Carlos Ulberg def. No. 5 Jan Blachowicz, No. 15 (tied) Dominick Reyes def. No. 9 Nikita Krylov

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 7 Jamahal Hill vs. No. 8 Khalil Rountree (UFC Baku, June 21), No. 12 Nikita Krylov vs. No. 15 Bogdan Guskov (UFC Abu Dhabi, July 26), No. 13 Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro (UFC 316, June 7)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Anatoly Malykhin (2), Dovlet Yagshimuradov (2), Phil Davis (1), Roman Dolidze (1), Impa Kasanganay (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 13 Reinier de Ridder def. Bo Nickal, No. 14 Roman Dolidze def. Marvin Vettori (UFC Vegas 104, March 15)

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Dricus du Plessis vs. No. 2 Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 319, Aug. 16), No. 7 Robert Whittaker vs. No. 10 Reinier de Ridder (UFC Baku, July 26), No. 9 Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis (PFL Africa, July 26), No. 8 Anthony Hernandez vs. No. 13 Roman Dolidze (UFC Vegas 109, Aug. 9), 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. Josh Silveira (PFL 7, June 27)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Roman Kopylov (2), Abus Magomedov (2), Jack Hermansson (1), Michael Page (1), Marvin Vettori (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Jack Della Maddalena def. No. 1 Belal Muhammad, No. 5 Sean Brady def. No. 2 (tied) Leon Edwards, No. 6 Ian Machado Garry def. Carlos Prates, Michael Morales def. No. 7 (tied) Gilbert Burns, No. 10 Jason Jackson def. Andrey Koreshkov, No. 12 Yaroslav Amosov def. Curtis Millender

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 7 Joaquin Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman (UFC Atlanta, June 14), No. 10 Jason Jackson vs. Thad Jean (PFL 4, June 12)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):Stephen Thompson (4), Shamil Musaev (3), Rinat Fakhretdinov (1), Vicente Luque (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 13 Paul Hughes def. Bruno Miranda, Paddy Pimblett def. No. 14 Michael Chandler

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 3 Charles Oliveira vs. Ilia Topuria (UFC 317, June 28), No. 4 Max Holloway vs. No. 7 Dustin Poirier (UFC 318, July 19), No. 9 (tied) Beneil Dariush vs. No. 14 Renato Moicano (UFC 317, June 28), No. 9 (tied) Mateusz Gamrot vs. Ludovit Klein, No. 11 Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (UFC Baku, June 21)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):Grant Dawson (1), Gadzhi Rabadanov (1), Benoit Saint Denis (1), Alexandr Shabliy (1), Jalin Turner (1)

*changes since April featherweight shakeup, Holloway out with Poirier lightweight bout announcement

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 14 Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama (UFC Kansas City, April 26)

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: N/A

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): David Onama (3), Calvin Kattar (1), Movlid Khaybulaev (1), Kleber Koike (1), Chepe Mariscal (1), Jesus Pinedo (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Cory Sandhagen def. No. 7 Deiveson Figueiredo, Aiemann Zahabi def. No. 9 Jose Aldo

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili vs. No. 3 Sean O'Malley (UFC 316, June 7), No. 5 Patchy Mix vs. No. 10 Mario Bautista vs. No. 13 Marlon Vera (UFC 316, June 7), No. 11 Sergio Pettis vs. Raufeon Stots (PFL 6, June 27), No. 15 Magomed Magomedov vs. Sarvarjon Khamidov (PFL 5, June 20)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):Henry Cejudo (3), Montel Jackson (3), Raufeon Stots (3), Kleber Koike (1), Marcus McGhee (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 Brandon Moreno def. No. 13 Steve Erceg, Yuya Wakamatsu def. No. 7 Adriano Moraes

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Alexandre Pantoja vs. No. 6 Kai Kara-France (UFC 317, June 28), No. 2 (tied) Brandon Royval vs. No. 5 Manel Kape (UFC 317, June 28), No. 7 Amir Albazi vs. No. 8 Tatsuro Taira (UFC Vegas 108, Aug. 2), No. 9 Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alisher Gabdullin (971 FC 2, June 14), No. 11 Asu Almabayev vs. No. 14 Ramazan Temirov (UFC Baku, July 26)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):Matheus Nicolau (3), Adriano Moraes (2), Hiromasa Ougikubo (1), Tagir Ulanbekov (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 12 Yana Santos def. Miesha Tate

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 1 Kayla Harrison vs. No. 2 Julianna Peña (UFC 316, June 7), No. 4 Ketlen Vieira vs. No. 5 (tied) Macy Chiasson, No. 10 Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle (UFC Vegas 108, Aug. 2)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Nora Cornolle (2), Joselyne Edwards (2)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Valentina Shevchenko def. No. 3 Manon Fiorot, No. 9 Natalia Silva def. No. 2 Alexa Grasso, No. 8 Liz Carmouche vs. Ilara Joanne, No. 14 Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. No. 15 Jessica Andrade

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 4 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 7 Maycee Barber (UFC Vegas 107, May 31), No. 8 Liz Carmouche vs. Elora Dana (PFL 5, June 20), No. 10 Rose Namajunas vs. No. 15 Miranda Maverick (UFC Atlanta, June 14), No. 13 Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez (UFC 317, June 28), No. 14 Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci (strawweight bout) (UFC 318, July 19)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Jessica Andrade (1), Jena Bishop (1), Ekaterina Shakalova (1), Karine Silva (1), Ariane da Silva (1)

Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 5 Virna Jandiroba def. No. 3 Yan Xiaonan, No. 14 Gillian Robertson def. No. 9 Marina Rodriguez, No. 11 Loopy Godinez def. Julia Polastri, Tecia Pennington def. No. 15 Luana Pinheiro

Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 10 Amanda Ribas vs. No. 12 Tabatha Ricci (UFC 318, July 19)

Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown): Tecia Pennington (3), Loma Lookboonmee (2)

A refresher on the ground rules:

• The six-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew.
• Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout in a given weight class. Updates to the rankings are typically completed following each month's UFC pay-per-view.
• Should a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will decide whether that fighter should immediately be removed from the rankings or maintain their position until further notice. (Let's put it this way: We'd have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings a lot quicker than the UFC did.)
• Holding a promotion's title does not guarantee that fighter will be viewed as the best in their promotion. Additionally, fighters who regularly compete or hold titles in multiple weight classes are eligible to be ranked in multiple lists.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.