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A new era is upon us in the lightweight division, or at least that’s the way it feels after Islam Makhachev had his way with Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, via second-round submission against the most dangerous finisher in UFC history.
Makhachev had long showcased the kind of attributes that typically find someone a home on the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings. All he had lacked, however, throughout an 11-fight win streak, was the kind of top-tier names that leave no doubt.
In case you were wondering, there’s no longer any doubt. At all.
The 31-year-old Makhachev helped fulfill the prophecy once delivered by his late coach, Abdul Nurmagomadov, who once declared that one day his own son, Khabib, would give up his title and that Makhachev would be next in line to carry on the Dagestan tradition of dominance at 155 pounds.
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Things may have taken a slight detour when Oliveira scooped up the title vacated by Nurmagomedov while authoring one of the most absurd runs of dramatic wins over top tier talent, but Makhachev delivered upon his end of the bargain once the fight finally materialized. Now, with Nurmagomedov in his corner as lead trainer, Makhachev is living up to his promise as “Khabib 2.0,” albeit with a unique recipe of his own.
While both Nurmagomedov and Makhachev are dominant on the ground, Makhachev is much more comfortable on his feet, which he showcased by dropping Oliveira with a counter right hook in Round 2 to set up the submission. Makhachev also appears more focused on deftly seeking submissions than Nurmagomedov, who used his high-tempo grappling to work a much more focused ground-and-pound attack.
Both fighters are just as dominant at their respective peaks, however, of which Makhachev seems to be operating in the midst of. Makhachev also has the potential to make even bigger leaps on the P4P rankings after calling out featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in a prospective 155-pound title bout that would also be contested for the No. 1 ranking.
Using a criteria that takes into account everything from accomplishments to current form, let’s take a closer look at the top fighters inside the Octagon.
For CBS Sports’ updated divisional rankings, click here.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion (24-1)
Previous ranking: No. 1
With respect to Jose Aldo, Volkanovski just took one step closer to featherweight G.O.A.T. status by leaving former champion Max Holloway a bloody mess to close their trilogy bout. With four title defenses, Volkanovski has made the division his own and will look to chase history in 2023 by moving up to lightweight to challenge Islam Makhachev.
2. Israel Adesanya — Middleweight champion (23-1)
Previous ranking: No. 2
Although he was unnecessarily booed during his UFC 276 title defense against Jared Cannonier, “The Last Stylebender” left the Octagon without a scratch after another dominant victory. Adesanya’s next defense is expected to be a difficult one when former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira meets him on Nov. 12 in New York.
3. Kamaru Usman — Welterweight (20-2)
Previous ranking: No. 4
Usman looked well and on his way to a sixth title defense and a tie with Anderson Silva for consecutive UFC wins until a miraculous head-kick knockout from Leon Edwards in Round 5 shocked the world at UFC 278. An immediate trilogy bout appears like the next move for the 35-year-old who yielded the first takedown of his career in the opening round.
4. Islam Makhachev — Lightweight champion (23-1)
Previous ranking: NR
In the first UFC bout between fighters each riding win streaks of 10 or more, Makhachev made his 11th win his most memorable one by dominating Charles Oliveira to start a new reign at 155 pounds. No longer can critics argue his level of competition. The more Makhachev steps outside of the large shadow cast by his head coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, the world will see just how uniquely great Makhachev is.
5. Francis Ngannou — Heavyweight champion (16-3)
Previous ranking: No. 5
Despite suffering a serious knee injury during training camp amid a very public contract battle with UFC brass, Ngannou gutted out a unification win against unbeaten interim champion, Ciryl Gane, in January. Ngannou’s UFC future will remain in question until he signs a new deal but a spring 2023 showdown with Jon Jones could help sweeten a potential deal.
6. Aljamain Sterling — Bantamweight champion (22-3)
Previous ranking: No. 6
One fight after shutting his critics up by outpointing Petr Yan in their title rematch, Sterling’s second title defense produced largely inconclusive results. While history will always show a second-round TKO win for Sterling against TJ Dillashaw, the former champion entered with a badly injured shoulder that was reaggravated seconds in.
7. Jiri Prochazka — Light heavyweight champion (29-3-1)
Previous ranking: No. 7
It’s time to give the unpredictable Prochazka his full due after extending his win streak to 13 in a dramatic and savage fifth-round submission of Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. Prochazka is 23-1-1 since 2013, avenging his lone defeat by knockout. He has also shown an elite chin and will need to flash it once more in a rematch with Teixeira set for Dec. 10.
8. Charles Oliveira — Lightweight (33-9)
Previous ranking: 3
Was the Brazilian finish machine’s one-sided title loss to Islam Mahkachev the result of a bad stylistic matchup or did Oliveira’s reckless and dramatic ways finally catch up to him? Either way, the 33-year-old will be forced to regroup after a remarkable 11-fight win streak that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
9. Deiveson Figueiredo — Flyweight champion (21-2-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Just how impressive was Figueiredo’s win over Brandon Moreno in their trilogy fight? At 34, Figueiredo not only rebounded from a stoppage loss to regain his 125-pound title, he showed the kind of poise and patience under new coaches Henry Cejudo and Eric Albarracin he had been lacking. A fourth fight with Moreno, who just captured the interim crown, appears next.
10. Leon Edwards — Welterweight champion (20-3, 1 NC)
Previous ranking: 9
A true life “Rocky” story played out in front of the eyes of MMA fans when the often overlooked Edwards rallied to stop Kamaru Usman in dramatic fashion at UFC 278. Edwards extended his unbeaten streak to 11 fights since his 2015 defeat to Usman and could be in line to return home to the U.K. for an instant trilogy fight.
Dropped out: Petr Yan
Just missed: Brandon Moreno, Robert Whittaker, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Amanda Nunes — Two-division champion (21-4)
Previous ranking: No. 2
Nunes soundly outpointed a stubborn Julianna Pena at UFC 277 to regain her 135-pound title and remind everyone of her G.O.A.T. ways. The victory was also a big one considering Nunes, after leaving American Top Team, started her own gym and changed her style.
2. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion (23-3)
Previous ranking: No. 1
The combination of Nunes’ comeback win and Shevchenko struggling in a disputed decision against Taila Santos dropped the 125-pound champion from the top spot. She may get a shot at leaving no doubt for good, however, should UFC move forward with a trilogy fight against Nunes at bantamweight.
3. Rose Namajunas — Strawweight (11-5)
Previous ranking: No. 3
A baffling strategy of defensive circling led to Namajunas surrendering her 115-pound title to inaugural champion Carla Esparza in their May rematch. Namajunas was barely touched in her unanimous decision loss. Still, the miscalculation was a huge one.
4. Zhang Weili — Strawweight (22-3)
Previous ranking: No. 4
The former champion looked completely reborn following consecutive defeats to Namajunas when she sent Joanna Jedrzejczyk to retirement via vicious knockout in their UFC 275 rematch. A fresh shot at the belt is next for the native of China at UFC 281 in New York.
5. Carla Esparza — Strawweight champion (19-6)
Previous ranking: No. 5
Esparza simply took what was dealt to her and made the most of it by edging out Namajunas in their disappointing strawweight title rematch at UFC 274. Although the win won’t do a ton for her critically, it will go a long way in adding to her resume as the now two-time champion extended her win streak to six. A November matchup against former champ Zhang Weili is next.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Jessica Andrade, Marina Rodriguez, Julianna Pena, Holly Holm, Talia Santos
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