Analysis by Richard Wade
Following his destruction at the hands of Alistair Overeem and his subsequent retirement announcement, Brock Lesnar has tumbled down the rankings list.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior dos Santos | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Cain Velasquez | 376 | UFC | 2 |
| 2 | Alistair Overeem | 376 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Frank Mir | 330 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 323 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Shane Carwin | 291 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Daniel Cormier | 289 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 8 | Josh Barnett | 279 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 274 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Antonio Silva | 214 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Fedor Emelianenko | 169 | M-1 Global | 12 |
| 12 | Cheick Kongo | 164 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Brendan Schaub | 142 | UFC | 15 |
| 14 | Roy Nelson | 133 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Brock Lesnar | 130 | UFC | 4 |
| 16 | Sergei Kharitonov | 101 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 17 | Travis Browne | 100 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Mike Russow | 90 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 89 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 71 | UFC | 26 |
| 21 | Matt Mitrione | 70 | UFC | 20 |
| 22 | Stefan Struve | 67 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Mark Hunt | 64 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Dan Henderson | 57 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Dave Herman | 55 | UFC | 25 |
Following his destruction at the hands of Alistair Overeem and his subsequent retirement announcement, Brock Lesnar has tumbled down the rankings list.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Jones | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Dan Henderson | 377 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Rashad Evans | 362 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mauricio Rua | 356 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Quinton Jackson | 338 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Lyoto Machida | 325 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Phil Davis | 286 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Forrest Griffin | 260 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Alexander Gustafsson | 216 | UFC | 13 |
| 10 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | 207 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Gegard Mousasi | 196 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 12 | Rafael Cavalcante | 173 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 13 | Muhammed Lawal | 167 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 14 | Rich Franklin | 156 | UFC | 15 |
| 15 | Thiago Silva | 151 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Ryan Bader | 108 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Tito Ortiz | 100 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Vladimir Matyushenko | 83 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Renato Sobral | 80 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 20 | Stanislav Nedkov | 73 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Ryan Jimmo | 72 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Brandon Vera | 63 | UFC | 24 |
| 23 | Mike Kyle | 62 | Strikeforce | 26 |
| 24 | Roger Gracie | 61 | Strikeforce | 23 |
| 25 | Stephan Bonnar | 60 | UFC | 21 |
With his dominant victory over the veteran Vladimir Matyushenko, Alexander Gustafsson has finally cracked the top 10.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Chael Sonnen | 384 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Yushin Okami | 354 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Munoz | 332 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 310 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demian Maia | 286 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Michael Bisping | 281 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Luke Rockhold | 263 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Brian Stann | 253 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Nate Marquardt | 204 | BAMMA | 10 |
| 11 | Ronaldo Souza | 200 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Hector Lombard | 191 | Bellator | 12 |
| 13 | Tim Kennedy | 158 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Alan Belcher | 139 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Rousimar Palhares | 124 | UFC | 18 |
| 16 | Chris Leben | 118 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Wanderlei Silva | 116 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Mamed Khalidov | 102 | KSW | 17 |
| 19 | Robbie Lawler | 102 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 20 | Jorge Santiago | 98 | UFC | 19 |
| 21 | Chris Weidman | 85 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Alexander Shlemenko | 69 | Bellator | 22 |
| 23 | Thales Leites | 63 | Superior Challenge | 24 |
| 23 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 63 | UFC | 26 |
| 23 | Anthony Johnson | 63 | UFC | 30 |
Vitor Belfort solidified his spot as a top 5 middleweight with his win over Anthony Johnson in the latter's middleweight debut.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nick Diaz | 368 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Jake Ellenberger | 344 | UFC | 5 |
| 4 | Carlos Condit | 342 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Johny Hendricks | 325 | UFC | 18 |
| 6 | Josh Koscheck | 324 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Jon Fitch | 301 | UFC | 2 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 301 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | B.J. Penn | 238 | UFC | 9 |
| 10 | Martin Kampmann | 202 | UFC | 8 |
| 11 | Thiago Alves | 171 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Diego Sanchez | 171 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Rory MacDonald | 154 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Rick Story | 131 | UFC | 15 |
| 15 | Ben Askren | 129 | Bellator | 13 |
| 16 | Tyron Woodley | 124 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 17 | Charlie Brenneman | 121 | UFC | 16 |
| 18 | Jay Hieron | 93 | Bellator | 20 |
| 19 | Paulo Thiago | 92 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Brian Ebersole | 84 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Anthony Johnson | 80 | UFC | 10 |
| 22 | Paul Daley | 77 | Strikeforce | 22 |
| 23 | Mike Pyle | 71 | UFC | 27 |
| 24 | John Hathaway | 68 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Douglas Lima | 68 | Bellator | 25 |
Johny Hendricks set the welterweight division on its head with his first round KO of long time #2 Jon Fitch.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankie Edgar | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Gilbert Melendez | 376 | Strikeforce | 2 |
| 3 | Gray Maynard | 366 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Ben Henderson | 358 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Shinya Aoki | 315 | DREAM | 5 |
| 6 | Jim Miller | 311 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Clay Guida | 304 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Nate Diaz | 272 | UFC | 13 |
| 9 | Michael Chandler | 250 | Bellator | 9 |
| 10 | Anthony Pettis | 225 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Eddie Alvarez | 164 | Bellator | 11 |
| 12 | Joe Lauzon | 152 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Donald Cerrone | 149 | UFC | 8 |
| 14 | Gleison Tibau | 117 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Melvin Guillard | 115 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Dennis Siver | 91 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Sean Sherk | 85 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Rafael dos Anjos | 76 | UFC | 19 |
| 18 | Matt Wiman | 76 | UFC | 21 |
| 20 | Evan Dunham | 70 | UFC | 18 |
| 21 | George Sotiropoulos | 69 | UFC | 22 |
| 22 | Josh Thomson | 65 | Strikeforce | 23 |
| 22 | Jorge Masvidal | 65 | Strikeforce | 24 |
| 24 | Mac Danzig | 55 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Brian Cobb | 54 | MaximumFC | 26 |
Nate Diaz has reasserted himself as a top 10 lightweight following his battering of Donald Cerrone.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Aldo | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Hatsu Hioki | 366 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Chad Mendes | 362 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Pat Curran | 320 | Bellator | 4 |
| 5 | Marlon Sandro | 275 | Bellator | 5 |
| 6 | Diego Nunes | 271 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Dustin Poirier | 247 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Erik Koch | 227 | UFC | 9 |
| 9 | Chan Sung Jung | 200 | UFC | 12 |
| 10 | Kenny Florian | 199 | UFC | 8 |
| 11 | Mark Hominick | 193 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Bart Palaszewski | 191 | UFC | 10 |
| 13 | Manny Gamburyan | 144 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 142 | DREAM | 16 |
| 15 | Hiroyuki Takaya | 137 | DREAM | 14 |
| 16 | Patricio Freire | 124 | Bellator | 15 |
| 17 | Tyson Griffin | 116 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Robert Peralta | 96 | UFC | 22 |
| 19 | Yuri Alcantara | 93 | UFC | 28 |
| 20 | Rani Yahya | 78 | UFC | 23 |
| 21 | Darren Elkins | 78 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Ricardo Lamas | 77 | UFC | 24 |
| 23 | George Roop | 72 | UFC | 30 |
| 24 | Michihiro Omigawa | 72 | UFC | 20 |
| 25 | Ross Pearson | 71 | UFC | NR |
Jose Aldo continues to look unbeatable following his dominant victory over Chad Mendes.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominick Cruz | 375 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | 356 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Joseph Benavidez | 341 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brian Bowles | 315 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Scott Jorgensen | 305 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Demetrious Johnson | 301 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Renan Barao | 261 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Miguel Torres | 220 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Bibiano Fernandes | 206 | DREAM | 13 |
| 10 | Masakatsu Ueda | 175 | Shooto | 10 |
| 11 | Takeya Mizugaki | 165 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Brad Pickett | 157 | UFC | 9 |
| 13 | Michael McDonald | 141 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Zach Makovsky | 118 | Bellator | 15 |
| 15 | Eduardo Dantas | 115 | Bellator | 16 |
| 16 | Wagnney Fabiano | 108 | Bellator | 14 |
| 17 | Antonio Banuelos | 104 | DREAM | 16 |
| 18 | Eddie Wineland | 93 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Alexis Vila | 88 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Damacio Page | 69 | UFC | 21 |
| 21 | Joe Warren | 62 | Bellator | 23 |
| 22 | Masakazu Imanari | 58 | DREAM | 21 |
| 23 | Marcos Galvao | 56 | Bellator | 26 |
| 24 | Raphael Assuncao | 52 | UFC | 30 |
| 25 | Yves Jabouin | 51 | UFC | 32 |
The bantamweight division remains unchanged at the top of the rankings from last month. Dominick Cruz is still the undisputed king of the division.
Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings. Show more »
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