Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Lightweight

1. Islam Makhachev (27-1) | UFC [1]

Makhachev left no doubt in the UFC 311 headliner, submitting last-minute opponent Renato “Moicano” with a brabo choke in the opening stanza of their lightweight championship bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The late shift from Arman Tsarukyan to “Moicano” did little to faze Makhachev, who won his 15th consecutive outing and set the UFC lightweight record for most championship victories with five. Makhachev has since vacated the lightweight throne and will face 170-pound king Jack Della Maddalena at an as yet to be determined date.

2. Ilia Topuria (17-0) | UFC [NR]

Topuria called his shot and delivered, as he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 headliner. With the victory, “El Matador” becomes the first undefeated fighter to be a two-division UFC champion. Topuria now has successive knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Oliveira — a run that’s as impressive as any in recent memory. There already appears to be plenty of momentum building for a 155-pound title defense against Paddy Pimblett, who entered the Octagon to face off with Topuria after the UFC 317 main event.

3. Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) UFC [2]

Tsarukyan relied on a strong top game and submission defense to earn a split-decision triumph over ex-lightweight champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. The American Top Team product has won four straight and nine of his last 10 UFC appearances overall, which led the promotion to grant him a shot at the belt in a rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. However, a last-minute back injury forced Tsarukyan to withdraw one day before the fight.

4. Charles Oliveira (35-11, 1 NC) | UFC [3]

Oliveira lived up to his promise to walk down Ilia Topuria, but he ultimately paid the price for his aggression, as he suffered a first-round knockout loss in the UFC 317 headliner on June 28. It was the first KO/TKO defeat for the former 155-pound champ since 2017, and now Oliveira is left without a clear direction in the division after his second loss in a championship bout.

5. Max Holloway (26-8) | UFC [4]

Holloway looked sharp for two rounds against Ilia Topuria, but “Blessed” ultimately succumbed to his opponent’s otherworldly power at the 1:34 mark of Round 3 in the UFC 308 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Holloway is now winless in his last four bids for featherweight gold. He will put his BMF crown on the line in a trilogy against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19.

6. Justin Gaethje (26-5) | UFC [5]

Once again, Gaethje got the better of Rafael Fiziev, this time winning a hard-fought unanimous decision in the UFC 313 co-headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After a devastating knockout loss to Max Holloway in his previous outing, the former World Series of Fighting champion’s chin held up under duress as he continued to solidify his place as one of the promotion’s most fan-friendly fighters. “The Highlight” has won three of his last four outings and could be a dark horse candidate for a lightweight title shot considering he has yet to face reigning champion Islam Makhachev.

7. Dustin Poirier (30-9, 1 NC) | UFC [6]

Poirier went down with guns blazing before falling to Islam Makhachev via fifth-round submission in the UFC 302 headliner. While it ultimately was Poirier’s third failed attempt at capturing undisputed UFC lightweight gold, he got stronger as the fight progressed and gave Makhachev a much more difficult test than many expected. In what is expected to be his farewell fight, Poirier will square off against Max Holloway in a trilogy showdown for the BMF title at UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19.

8. Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) | UFC [7]

Dariush earned his first victory October 2022, as he rallied from a rough opening stanza to earn a unanimous decision triumph against Renato Moicano in a featured contest at UFC 317. After getting dropped in the first-round, Dariush took control with his grappling down the stretch against his Brazilian opponent. As a result, the 36-year-old Californian snaps a two-bout skid and remains a relevant figure in the lightweight division.

9. Dan Hooker (24-12) UFC [8]

Hooker blended improved takedown defense with his typically dangerous striking to earn a hard-fought split decision triumph against Mateusz Gamrot in a featured bout at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17. “The Hangman” was supposed to face Justin Gaethje in a five-round, non-title bout at UFC 313, but a broken hand suffered in sparring forced him to withdraw with less than two weeks to go before the event.

10. Mateusz Gamrot (25-3, 1 NC) | UFC [9]

Faced with an up-and-coming opponent in Ludovit Klein, Gamrot relied on his grappling to grind the Slovakian down in a unanimous decision trumph at UFC Vegas 107. “Gamer” rebounds from a split-decision loss to Dan Hooker at UFC 305 and has been victorious in four of his last five promotional appearances. The Pole remains one of the most difficult outs in the lightweight division and figures to be in line for another high profile matchup when he’s ready to return.

Other Contenders: Paddy Pimblett , Rafael Fiziev, Usman Nurmagomedov, Mauricio Ruffy, Gadzhi Rabadanov.

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