Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / SB 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, WEC, Affliction and DREAM are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 96 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 86 | Bellator/DREAM | 3 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Edgar | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Gray Maynard | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Diego Sanchez | 73 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Sean Sherk | 54 | UFC | 10 |
| 9 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 53 | DREAM | 8 |
| 10 | Joachim Hansen | 51 | DREAM | 9 |
| 11 | Joe Stevenson | 39 | UFC | 14 |
| 12 | Tyson Griffin | 39 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Gilbert Melendez | 36 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 14 | Mizuto Hirota | 35 | WVR | 12 |
| 15 | Kazunori Yokota | 25 | WVR | 33 |
| 16 | Jorge Masvidal | 24 | WVR | 38 |
| 17 | Nate Diaz | 22 | UFC | 21 |
| 18 | Clay Guida | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 19 | Kurt Pellegrino | 20 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 19 | WVR | 18 |
| 21 | Satoru Kitaoka | 18 | WVR | 17 |
| 21 | Takanori Gomi | 18 | WVR | 23 |
| 23 | Gesias Cavalcante | 18 | DREAM | 15 |
| 24 | Josh Thomson | 17 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 25 | Jamie Varner | 16 | WEC | 21 |
| 25 | Toby Imada | 16 | Bellator | 34 |
With every other UFC champ on the shelf for an indeterminate time due to injuries, Dana White better cross his fingers and hope that whoever wins the UFC 107 title fight between #1 B.J. Penn and #7 Diego Sanchez emerges from the fight injury-free and ready to fight soon. Sanchez is relatively under-accomplished at 155 lbs but his size and aggression present a legitimate threat to the fearsome Penn.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 96 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 87 | Bellator/DREAM | 3 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 80 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Edgar | 76 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Gray Maynard | 72 | UFC | 8 |
| 7 | Diego Sanchez | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 70 | DREAM | 6 |
| 9 | Joachim Hansen | 56 | DREAM | 8 |
| 10 | Sean Sherk | 45 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Tyson Griffin | 34 | UFC | 13 |
| 12 | Mizuto Hirota | 31 | WVR | 15 |
| 13 | Gilbert Melendez | 30 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Joe Stevenson | 30 | UFC | 20 |
| 15 | Gesias Cavalcante | 27 | DREAM | 12 |
| 16 | Josh Thomson | 26 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 17 | Satoru Kitaoka | 22 | WVR | 16 |
| 18 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 22 | WVR | 19 |
| 19 | Kurt Pellegrino | 20 | UFC | 23 |
| 19 | Clay Guida | 20 | UFC | 22 |
| 21 | Jamie Varner | 19 | WEC | 18 |
| 21 | Nate Diaz | 19 | UFC | 24 |
| 23 | Takanori Gomi | 17 | WVR | 17 |
| 24 | Roger Huerta | 15 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Donald Cerrone | 14 | WEC | 27 |
The lightweight division continues to be the biggest rankings dilemma in MMA. There are essentially two major pools of competitors virtually no cross-pollination in the last three years.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 94 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 89 | Bellator/DREAM | 3 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Edgar | 74 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 69 | DREAM | 6 |
| 7 | Diego Sanchez | 66 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Joachim Hansen | 61 | DREAM | 9 |
| 8 | Gray Maynard | 61 | UFC | 7 |
| 10 | Sean Sherk | 51 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Josh Thomson | 35 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Gesias Cavalcante | 34 | DREAM | 12 |
| 13 | Tyson Griffin | 30 | UFC | 16 |
| 14 | Gilbert Melendez | 28 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 15 | Mizuto Hirota | 26 | WVR | 13 |
| 16 | Satoru Kitaoka | 25 | WVR | 15 |
| 17 | Takanori Gomi | 21 | WVR | 23 |
| 18 | Jamie Varner | 20 | WEC | 17 |
| 19 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 20 | WVR | 18 |
| 20 | Joe Stevenson | 19 | UFC | 19 |
| 21 | Spencer Fisher | 19 | UFC | 20 |
| 22 | Clay Guida | 18 | UFC | 20 |
| 23 | Kurt Pellegrino | 18 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Nate Diaz | 17 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Vitor Ribeiro | 16 | DREAM | 31 |
Due to the fallout from the Rampage Jackson A-Team casting, fans will have to wait until December's UFC 107 to see #1 B.J. Penn defend his belt against the very formidable #7 Diego Sanchez.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 93 | DREAM | 3 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 87 | Bellator/DREAM/Strikeforce | 4 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 82 | UFC | 2 |
| 5 | Frank Edgar | 73 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 69 | DREAM | 7 |
| 7 | Gray Maynard | 64 | UFC | 9 |
| 8 | Diego Sanchez | 63 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Joachim Hansen | 59 | DREAM | 5 |
| 10 | Sean Sherk | 49 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Josh Thomson | 43 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 12 | Gesias Cavalcante | 35 | DREAM | 13 |
| 13 | Mizuto Hirota | 27 | WVR | 27 |
| 14 | Gilbert Melendez | 26 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 15 | Satoru Kitaoka | 25 | WVR | 10 |
| 16 | Tyson Griffin | 23 | UFC | 14 |
| 17 | Jamie Varner | 21 | WEC | 21 |
| 18 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 20 | WVR | 15 |
| 19 | Joe Stevenson | 20 | UFC | 17 |
| 20 | Spencer Fisher | 19 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Clay Guida | 19 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Kurt Pellegrino | 18 | UFC | 30 |
| 23 | Takanori Gomi | 18 | WVR | 16 |
| 24 | Roger Huerta | 15 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Nate Diaz | 14 | UFC | 25 |
With his sound defeat of #4 (former #2) Kenny Florian at UFC 101, #1 B.J. Penn has once again attained a 100% ranking as the unanimous #1 lightweight of all the top sites in MMA.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 97 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Kenny Florian | 91 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Shinya Aoki | 90 | DREAM | 4 |
| 4 | Eddie Alvarez | 86 | Bellator | 3 |
| 5 | Joachim Hansen | 75 | DREAM | 5 |
| 6 | Frank Edgar | 69 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 69 | DREAM | 6 |
| 8 | Diego Sanchez | 63 | UFC | 12 |
| 9 | Gray Maynard | 53 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Satoru Kitaoka | 50 | WVR | 9 |
| 11 | Sean Sherk | 48 | UFC | 8 |
| 12 | Josh Thomson | 39 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 13 | Gesias Cavalcante | 33 | DREAM | 13 |
| 14 | Tyson Griffin | 21 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 21 | WVR | 18 |
| 16 | Takanori Gomi | 20 | WVR | 15 |
| 17 | Joe Stevenson | 20 | UFC | 26 |
| 18 | Gilbert Melendez | 20 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 19 | Clay Guida | 19 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Spencer Fisher | 19 | UFC | 17 |
| 21 | Jamie Varner | 18 | WEC | 15 |
| 22 | Vitor Ribeiro | 15 | DREAM | 21 |
| 23 | Roger Huerta | 15 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Mitsuhiro Ishida | 14 | DREAM | 24 |
| 25 | Joe Lauzon | 13 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Nate Diaz | 13 | UFC | 23 |
August promises to be a big month for fans of lightweight MMA. #1 B.J. Penn will defend his lightweight belt for the first time this year against #2 Kenny Florian at UFC 101. Penn's reputation has suffered a bit from his loss to #1 welterweight Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94. More damage was inflicted by his post-fight conduct and litany of complaints over GSP's greasing.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 97 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Kenny Florian | 90 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 86 | Bellator | 4 |
| 4 | Shinya Aoki | 82 | DREAM | 3 |
| 5 | Joachim Hansen | 77 | DREAM | 5 |
| 6 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 69 | DREAM | 8 |
| 7 | Frank Edgar | 69 | UFC | 13 |
| 8 | Sean Sherk | 56 | UFC | 6 |
| 9 | Satoru Kitaoka | 54 | WVR | 10 |
| 10 | Gray Maynard | 50 | UFC | 12 |
| 11 | Josh Thomson | 46 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 12 | Diego Sanchez | 40 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Gesias Cavalcante | 35 | DREAM | 7 |
| 14 | Tyson Griffin | 22 | UFC | 15 |
| 15 | Takanori Gomi | 22 | WVR | 14 |
| 15 | Jamie Varner | 22 | WEC | 19 |
| 17 | Spencer Fisher | 21 | UFC | 24 |
| 18 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 20 | WVR | 21 |
| 19 | Clay Guida | 20 | UFC | 18 |
| 20 | Gilbert Melendez | 18 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 21 | Vitor Ribeiro | 18 | DREAM | 20 |
| 22 | Roger Huerta | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Nate Diaz | 14 | UFC | 25 |
| 24 | Mitsuhiro Ishida | 14 | DREAM | 17 |
| 25 | Joe Lauzon | 14 | UFC | 25 |
Lightweight is currently the only division where there is not absolute consensus about who is #1. #1 B.J. Penn is well ahead of the next most-highly ranked fighter, but only gets 97% of the possible points. There are a number of factors in operation here.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 97 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Kenny Florian | 88 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Shinya Aoki | 84 | DREAM | 2 |
| 4 | Eddie Alvarez | 83 | Bellator | 5 |
| 5 | Joachim Hansen | 78 | DREAM | 6 |
| 6 | Sean Sherk | 72 | UFC | 4 |
| 7 | Gesias Cavalcante | 55 | DREAM | 7 |
| 8 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 53 | DREAM | 11 |
| 9 | Josh Thomson | 51 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 10 | Satoru Kitaoka | 49 | WVR | 9 |
| 11 | Diego Sanchez | 46 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Gray Maynard | 45 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Frank Edgar | 45 | UFC | 18 |
| 14 | Takanori Gomi | 28 | WVR | 14 |
| 15 | Tyson Griffin | 26 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Gilbert Melendez | 23 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 17 | Mitsuhiro Ishida | 23 | DREAM | 13 |
| 18 | Clay Guida | 22 | UFC | 21 |
| 19 | Jamie Varner | 21 | WEC | 16 |
| 20 | Vitor Ribeiro | 21 | DREAM | 20 |
| 21 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 21 | WVR | 19 |
| 22 | Caol Uno | 17 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Roger Huerta | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Spencer Fisher | 15 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Nate Diaz | 13 | UFC | 30 |
| 25 | Joe Lauzon | 13 | UFC | 26 |
The lightweight division is the most muddled division in MMA. #1 B.J. Penn has convinced many that he is a dominant champion at 155lbs but many continue to question his commitment to the weight class and question if he has done enough to earn the top spot.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 98 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 88 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Kenny Florian | 86 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Sean Sherk | 83 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Eddie Alvarez | 81 | Bellator | 5 |
| 6 | Joachim Hansen | 76 | DREAM | 6 |
| 7 | Gesias Cavalcante | 75 | DREAM | 7 |
| 8 | Josh Thomson | 63 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 9 | Satoru Kitaoka | 54 | WVR | 9 |
| 10 | Diego Sanchez | 48 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 41 | DREAM | 10 |
| 12 | Gray Maynard | 40 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Mitsuhiro Ishida | 32 | DREAM | 13 |
| 14 | Takanori Gomi | 27 | WVR | 15 |
| 15 | Tyson Griffin | 24 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Jamie Varner | 24 | WEC | 16 |
| 17 | Gilbert Melendez | 23 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 18 | Frankie Edgar | 23 | UFC | 21 |
| 19 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 22 | WVR | 18 |
| 20 | Vitor Ribeiro | 21 | DREAM | 30 |
| 21 | Clay Guida | 21 | UFC | 20 |
| 22 | Caol Uno | 20 | UFC | 19 |
| 23 | Roger Huerta | 17 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Spencer Fisher | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Joe Stevenson | 15 | UFC | 24 |
This is probably the division that the UFC has the weakest grip on. Only four of the top ten fighters are signed to Zuffa and only 11 of the top 25.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 97 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 95 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Kenny Florian | 84 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Sean Sherk | 82 | UFC | 6 |
| 5 | Eddie Alvarez | 81 | Bellator | 4 |
| 6 | Joachim Hansen | 79 | DREAM | 5 |
| 7 | Gesias Cavalcante | 78 | DREAM | 7 |
| 8 | Josh Thomson | 63 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 9 | Satoru Kitaoka | 58 | WVR | 9 |
| 10 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 47 | DREAM | 10 |
| 11 | Diego Sanchez | 41 | UFC | NR |
| 12 | Gray Maynard | 32 | UFC | 15 |
| 13 | Mitsuhiro Ishida | 29 | DREAM | 12 |
| 14 | Tyson Griffin | 26 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Takanori Gomi | 26 | WVR | 11 |
| 16 | Jamie Varner | 23 | WEC | 13 |
| 17 | Gilbert Melendez | 21 | Strike Force | 22 |
| 18 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 20 | WVR | 16 |
| 19 | Caol Uno | 18 | UFC | 17 |
| 20 | Clay Guida | 17 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Frankie Edgar | 17 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Roger Huerta | 17 | UFC | 19 |
| 23 | Spencer Fisher | 15 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Joe Stevenson | 14 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Joe Lauzon | 14 | UFC | 27 |
| 25 | Jim Miller | 14 | UFC | 18 |
Well #1 B.J. Penn's attempt to rule two weight divisions at the same time has succeeded in breaking his 100% hold on the #1 position of the lightweight division. It really has more to do with WAMMA deciding to name #2 Shinya Aoki their champion than any blowback against B.J.
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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