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 take into account plenty of factors: form, skill, opposition and dominance, for example. So, 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 around gyms, television studios, offices and of course pubs 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, for instance, is one of the most skilled and dominant fighters on the planet, he vacated his middleweight title, leaving him dormant for the moment.

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

Male – May 2018

1 – Demetrious Johnson (USA) (125lbs) 2 – Max Holloway (USA) (145lbs) 3 – Daniel Cormier (USA) (205lbs) 4 – Stipe Miocic (USA) (265lbs) 5 – Jon Jones (USA) (205lbs) 6 – Tyron Woodley (USA) (170lbs) (+1) 7 – Robert Whittaker (AUS) (185lbs) (+1)
8 – Khabib Nurmagomedov (RUS) (155lbs) (NE)
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 – Yoel Romero (CUB) (185lbs)
15 – Francis Ngannou (FRA) (265lbs)
16 – Robbie Lawler (USA) (170lbs)
17 – Stephen Thompson (USA) (170lbs)
18 – Dominic Cruz (USA) (135lbs)
19 – Dustin Poirier (USA) (155lbs) (NE)
20 – Brian Ortega (USA) (145lbs)
21 – Frankie Edgar (USA) (145lbs)
22 – Kevin Lee (USA) (155lbs) (NE)
23 – Volkan Ozdemir (SWI) (205lbs) (-1)
24 – Michael Bisping (GBR) (185lbs) (-1)
25 – Luke Rockhold (USA) (185lbs) (-1)

Female - May 2018

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

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

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