Who is the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world?

By Alistair Hendrie

To determine the best fighter in the world, you need to consider plenty of factors: form, skill, opposition and dominance, for example. If a champion defends his or her crown via a string of finishes, does that equal or better a run of decisions? Should Conor McGregor top the list despite his inactivity, or should Tyron Woodley set the pace regardless of a couple of boring fights?

It’s a debate which rings all over the world, and that’s exactly why Alistair Hendrie Sport will be releasing its pound-for-pound list at the start of every month.

To qualify for the list, a fighter should be considered active, so although Georges St-Pierre is one of the most dominant fighters on the planet, he vacated his middleweight title, leaving him dormant for the moment.

On the other hand, Jon Jones, whose latest victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 was downgraded to a no-contest when “Bones” failed a drugs test, is yet to receive a potential suspension, so is still considered active. Moreover, McGregor still holds his UFC lightweight crowd despite fighting as a boxer since winning his gold, so he is also judged to be active.

Now that you know the criteria we’re looking for, take a look at the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artists in the world.

February 2018 -

Male -

1 - Demetrious Johnson (USA) (125lbs)
2 - Max Holloway (USA) (145lbs)
3 - Daniel Cormier (USA) (205lbs)
4 - Stipe Miocic (USA) (265lbs) (+2)
5 - Jon Jones (USA) (205lbs) (-1)
6 - Conor McGregor (IRL) (155lbs) (-1)
7 - Tyron Woodley (USA) (170lbs)
8 - Robert Whittaker (AUS) (185lbs)
9 - Tony Ferguson (USA) (155lbs)
10 - TJ Dillashaw (USA) (135lbs)
11 - Jose Aldo (BRA) (145lbs)
12 - Cody Garbrandt (USA) (135lbs)
13 - Rafael dos Anjos (BRA) (170lbs)
14 - Francis Ngannou (FRA) (265lbs)
15 - Robbie Lawler (USA) (170lbs)
16 - Stephen Thompson (USA) (170lbs)
17 - Dominick Cruz (USA) (135lbs)
18 - Khabib Nurmagomedov (RUS) (155lbs)
19 - Frankie Edgar (USA) (145lbs)
20 - Volkan Oezdemir (SWI) (205lbs)
21 - Michael Bisping (GBR) (185lbs)
22 - Luke Rockhold (USA) (185lbs)
23 - Edson Barboza (BRA) (155lbs)
24 - Rory MacDonald (CAN) (170lbs) (NE)
25 - Alexander Gustafsson (SWE) (205lbs) (-1)

Female -

1 - Amanda Nunes (BRA) (135lbs)
2 - Rose Namajunas (USA) (115lbs)
3 - Joanna Jedrzjeckyzk (POL) (115lbs)
4 - Cris Cyborg (BRA) (145lbs)
5 - Valentina Shevchenko (KYR) (135lbs)
6 - Tecia Torres (USA) (115lbs)
7 - Jessica Andrade (BRA) (115lbs)
8 - Raquel Pennington (USA) (135lbs)
9 - Holly Holm (USA) (135lbs)
10 - Claudia Gadhela (BRA) (115lbs)
11 - Nicco Montano (USA) (125lbs)
12 - Tonya Evinger (USA) (135lbs)
13 - Megan Anderson (AUS) (145lbs)
14 - Karolina Kowalkiewicz (POL) (115lbs)
15 - Barb Honchak (USA) (125lbs)
16 - Carla Esparza (USA) (115lbs) (NE)
17 - Felice Herrig (USA) (115lbs)
18 - Cynthia Calvillo (USA) (115lbs) (-2)
19 - Germaine de Randamie (NED) (145lbs)
20 - Alexis Davis (CAN) (125lbs)
21 - Sara McMann (USA) (135lbs)
22 - Julliana Pena (USA) (135lbs)
23 - Angela Lee (CAN) (105lbs)
24 - Jennifer Maia (BRA) (125lbs)
25 - Paige VanZant (USA) (115lbs) (-8)

Whether you agree or disagree with the list, join in the discussion and let us know your pound-for-pound rankings on Twitter.

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