Yesterday I did the women's pound for pound, so if you're coming across this for the first time, then check that out. Today, we'll be doing the men's rankings. Fortunately for fans, but maybe somewhat unfortunately for someone making a list like this, the men's divisions are deeper and there's just more of them, so this one is a little more difficult to put together. If you didn't read the women's rankings, then I'll go through the rules again here. To be eligible to be on my list, a fighter had to have a fight booked in 2021. That doesn't mean they had to actually appear, they just had to be on the schedule at some point. This is my way of not punishing anyone for the constant schedule changes and drop outs and rebookings caused by COVID, but enforcing some sort of rule on activity. So for my list, that means no Jon Jones or Henry Cejudo. I think those are the only guys who don't fit the criteria who otherwise would have had an argument to be on the list. Let's start.
1. Kamaru Usman
If you're here to argue this one, I don't know what to tell you. Kamaru Usman is the most dominant and most well rounded champion the UFC has to offer. He won the title with dominant wrestling and top control. He has since added high level technical striking and his power was already there, he's just able to get the most of it now. Not only is he the best in the UFC right now, he's chasing Georges St. Pierre as the greatest welterweight of all time.
2. Israel Adesanya
Adesanya was a pretty clear number 2 for me. Adesanya's striking is second to none across any division. He's operating at a different level on the feet than maybe anyone we've ever seen and definitely anyone currently doing it. What allows Adesanya to be this high despite being a bit of a specialist is his ability to stay standing. His grappling has improved significantly since we first saw him in the UFC and that gives him a sense of invincibility. He is extremely difficult to take down and even if he goes down, he can usually get back up, unless he's up a weight class, which doesn't apply for a pound for pound list. When he reversed positions on Marvin Vettori, that was the last straw for me. He's clearly earned this spot for me.
3. Alexander Volkanovski
This rounds out the big 3 for me. These 3 are a on a little bit of a different level for me. Volkanovski is as well rounded as anyone who isn't Kamaru Usman. Volkanovski's combination of wrestling and striking is extremely tough. He has no weaknesses. His toughness was on full display when he escaped back to back submission attempts against Brian Ortega. On top of that, his cardio is second to none. If Max Holloway can't beat him, I think we'll see Volk hold that belt for a long time.
4. Francis Ngannou
When I saw Ngannou at 4 on the official UFC rankings, I thought that was a little high for someone who is such a specialist. However, when I was trying to figure out what I should do, I came to the conclusion that this is in fact the right spot for him. The raw power that Francis Ngannou has is truly incredible. Even prepared to the others in his division, it's game changing. Fighters change their style because getting hit 1 time by Francis on the chin is 1 time too many. He can end any and every fight in the blink of an eye, no matter how good someone's chin is. No one else has a single weapon that is as feared as Ngannou's right hand and that's why I think he deserves the number 4 spot.
5. Max Holloway
Max Holloway cracks the top 5 and is the highest ranked non champion. Of course, Max is a former champion and he's still one of the best in the UFC. Max's pure volume boxing is one of the most dominant single attributes that a fighter has in this sport. Max has lost twice to Volkanovski, so that caps his placement a bit, but he showed his all around skill set last time out against Yair Rodriguez. He was able to mix in his wrestling and show that while we all think of him as a boxer, he still has a full MMA skillset.
6. Charles Oliveira
I don't think even a few years ago that anyone would've guessed Charles Oliveira would even be on this list, let alone this high. Oliveira capturing the title and then defending it successfully against Dustin Poirier has proven to even the strongest critics that Oliveira is for real. His submission game is the best in UFC history in terms of total submission. His striking has caught up to allow him to really take off and he's risen to the number 6 spot. The only thing that prevents him from being higher is his chin and his ability to be hurt. That's splitting hairs, but when you're this high on the list, there has to be differentiation somewhere.
7. Colby Covington
Colby is the first fighter on my list that isn't on the UFC's list. I'm really surprised about that because Colby to me is a clearly fantastic fighter. He's not perfect, which is why he's at 7, but he's still so good. His gimmick is old and annoys me quite a bit, but that has nothing to do with his ranking on this list. Colby is an extremely high level wrestler who has one of the better top control games in MMA. His cardio is also incredible. His ability to wrestle and strike with extreme volume is one of the tougher skillsets for an opponent to do with in MMA. Colby does have some weaknesses that have held him back from beating Kamaru Usman. Colby's striking is a little rudimentary and he doesn't have great power behind them. This leads to him having trouble finding finishes and leaves him exposed to potentially be finished, but he really doesn't lose to anyone who isn't Usman so, it's all theoretical at this point.
8. Petr Yan
8 does feel low for Yan, but I couldn't put him over the other 7. Yan feels very similar to Colby to me, just without the resume. Yan has very clear strengths and some weaknesses. His striking and in particular his boxing has been mentioned by other fighters as one of the best in the game. His ability to gain momentum and finish fights late is also an incredible skill. He has great power in his hands that also contribute greatly to those late finishes. The weakness for Yan is his slow starts. We also don't fully know the extent of his grappling just yet. Yan can definitely rise pretty far on this list depending on how his 2022 plays out.
9. Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker is so overlooked. He's the only guy in the top 15 at middleweight who has more than hail Mary chance at beating Adesanya in my mind. Of course, Paulo Costa could land one bomb of a right hand or Jack Hermansson can find a heel hook, but in terms of actually defeating Adesanya in a way that doesn't feel like one lucky shot or a lucky submission, I think Whittaker is it. His in and out movement and his all around striking game may not be quite at Izzy's level, but they're closer than anyone else in the division. Whittaker showed an added dimension of takedowns when he defeated Gastelum and that has me feeling more intrigued in the rematch than most people. If he can mix things up and make it a true MMA fight, I think he has a real shot at the upset.
10. Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje is another one who the UFC doesn't have on their list and that feels odd to me. Gaethje isn't flawless and no one on this list at this point is. However, he has real skills and he's refined them over the last couple of years. Gaethje has massive power and speed in his hands. His leg kicks are the best low kicks in the sport. He has a very respectable wrestling skillset that he chooses not to use, but always impresses when he's forced to show it. The only critique that most people have had for Gaethje over his career is his willingness to get into a fire fight when he probably doesn't need to. I think he's been able to control himself much more recently than he was able to in the past, aside from the Chandler fight. The loss to Poirier gets held against him a lot, but I think he's come a long way since that fight.
11. Brandon Moreno
Moreno is the second lowest undisputed champion and I think I feel this way because what made Brandon Moreno champion isn't quantifiable. What makes Brandon Moreno great has very little to do with punches, kicks, and BJJ. He has respectable skills in all of those areas. What makes Moreno a champion is his heart, toughness, and will power. Brandon Moreno has gotten more out of his skills than anyone on this list potentially. His physical abilities are probably the closest to average of any champion the UFC has. You can take that as disrespect if you want, but it's certainly not to me. Moreno has taken those skills and gotten all the way to the top via hard work and that's what makes him 1 of the 15 best fighters in the UFC.
12. Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic is probably the most well rounded heavyweight in the UFC. His balance of striking and grappling has been giving the rest of the division for a long time now. He is a good striker, but he's not a virtuoso level kick boxer by any means. He's a solid wrestler, but you're not going to mistake him for an Olympian. Stipe is able to combine these skills in such a way that he's able to diagnose any issues his opponent is having and immediately attack them. He's strong enough everywhere that he can expose even the slightest weakness in his opponent and it's gotten him the title of greatest heavyweight of all time.
13. Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane is an incredible athlete. His kick boxing has proven to be an issue for everyone he's fought so far. His movement style is also a lot for other fighters to keep up with. If that's not enough, he also has submissions in his back pocket if he needs them. His overall athleticism is what makes him such an issue for his opponents and then add to that an always improving skill set because he's so new to the sport and you not only have a dangerous fighter, but someone who could rise towards the very top of this list in the very near future.
14. Glover Teixeira
Glover Teixeira isn't the flashiest fighter or the loudest guy on the microphone. He's not the most amazing fighter in terms of dominance or intrigue to watch. He's just such a solid fighter. His grappling has really become his strength and he's finding submissions very consistently. His striking isn't the best, but he still has tremendous power when he connects. He's this low because his durability issues have become clear. He can't take the shots he used to and it doesn't feel like a title reign that will last long, but I don't care about that. I'm so happy that Glover was able to get the belt before he retires and he's still such a good fighter. He has a little of what I talked about with Brandon Moreno. He gets the most out of what he has available to him.
15. Dustin Poirier
This last spot was pretty tough to narrow down. I chose to give it to Poirier because I believe in his skills. He's a great boxer and a really good striker overall. He's extremely durable and virtually impossible to knockout since he made the move to lightweight. He has been a little vulnerable to submissions at times, but that's to Khabib and Oliveira, so, it's not like he's being subbed by just anybody. Poirier has all the heart and will not quit, I expect him to bounce back nicely and prove me right for putting him in this spot over some other deserving candidates.
Honorable Mentions: Gilbert Burns, Aljamain Sterling, Jiri Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz
Gilbert Burns is the main guy I considered adding over Poirier. I thought his loss to Usman was a little more dominant than how Poirier lost to Oliveira and his win over Wonderboy was less impressive than Poirier's over McGregor. Burns is more naturally explosive and probably a better natural athlete, but I think Poirier's MMA skills give him a slight advantage. Aljo has been turned into a meme over the last year plus and I think that's led to some people forgetting he's actually a good fighter. His wrestling is no joke and he has good submissions. His striking isn't anything profound and his chin has been cracked a few times, but he's still worthy of a mention. Jiri Prochazka was just too much of an unknown for me to put him on here. He's big, strong, and powerful. He's also game to fight and will come forward with his hands down and take your best shot to land his own. Questions about his gas tank and grappling ability prevented me from putting him on the list. Jan Blachowicz just didn't quite make it for me. He may be 17th if Burns is 16th. Jan doesn't have many clear weaknesses. He has the Legendary Polish Power of course and he's a solid, diverse striker with both punches and kicks. He also poses some degree of threat in the wrestling. His biggest issue is his consistency. Every once in awhile, he just has a performance where he just doesn't look like himself and unfortunately for him, that came against Glover for the title.
I feel pretty good about this list. Some can be disputed, but I feel like I maintained a level of consistency that is fair. What do you guys think? Who was too high? Who was too low? Who did I leave off that should have made it on? Leave any and all thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a good one.
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