The Ringer MMA July Pound-for-Pound Rankings (2024)

It wasn’t just that Alex Pereira took a risky rematch with Jiri Prochazka on short notice; it’s that he gambled everything to save a fight card and looked deadlier than ever while doing it. With Conor McGregor out of the main event of UFC 303, “Poatan” put on one of the most electrifying showcases in light heavyweight title history.

He knocked Prochazka down in what would likely have been a finishing sequence just as the first round came to a close. When the action resumed in the second, he wasted little time delivering the death knell to the Czech Republic’s most celebrated warrior—a head kick that dropped Prochazka where he stood.

Pereira’s performance at UFC 303 has not only solidified his position in the UFC with an 8-1 record since his 2021 debut, but also marked a seismic leap in The Ringer’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings, from the third spot to the top spot.

Things are looking up in the Pereira Era, and so is the rest of the field!

As always, the panel of Chuck Mindenhall, Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, and fearless producer Troy Farkas—known as 3PAC on The Ringer MMA Show—have ranked both the men’s and women’s P4P best, one through 10.

Our only criterion for these monthly rankings is that a fighter has competed within at least a calendar year of the publication date, or has at least had a fight booked within that window. If a fighter hasn’t competed in a year and books a fight after that time, he or she is once again eligible to be voted back in. Fighters who retire are no longer eligible for the rankings.

Though most of the best fighters are currently in the UFC, these rankings are not UFC exclusive. We take into consideration all the major promotions, from the Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.

Without further ado, The Ringer MMA P4P Rankings for July.

Men’s Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Alex Pereira

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 3

Want to talk about your unlikely trajectories? Two years ago, Pereira was preparing to fight Sean Strickland for the opportunity to challenge an old nemesis from his kickboxing days, then-middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. It’s hard to believe how far he has come in such a short time. Not only did “Poatan” starch Strickland, but he also knocked out Izzy to win the title, lost it in the rematch, moved up to light heavyweight, saved an event at Madison Square Garden, saved UFC 300, and now saved UFC 303—scoring knockouts in each. He has emerged as a cult icon in the UFC and the best pound-for-pound fighter going.

2. Islam Makhachev

UFC Lightweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 1

With Dustin Poirier vanquished and in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Islam to look ahead to UFC 308 in October. That’s when the UFC visits Abu Dhabi, and—so long as he’s still the lightweight champion—that’s Makhachev’s annual gig. The question of who’s next has most likely been narrowed down to Arman Tsarukyan, the Armenian juggernaut who fought (and lost to) Islam in his debut in 2019. Tsarukyan is currently serving a suspension for trying to punch a fan during his walkout to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, but he should be available just in time for an autumn trip to the Middle East.

3. Leon Edwards

UFC Welterweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 2

Fighting in the wee hours of the morning is never ideal, but for Edwards, it’s the chance to get the welterweight division marching to the beat of his drum again. Edwards faces unsung challenger Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester, which will take place at an ungodly hour that only the most dedicated milkmen know—right around 4 a.m. locally. Given the strange nature of fighting on home soil in the middle of the night, there’s a feeling that anything is possible here. Yet if we can take our cues from the first time they fought, Muhammad was more than holding his own against Edwards before an eye poke halted the action, ending things in a no-contest.

4. Jon Jones

UFC Heavyweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 4

After Pereira beat Prochazka at UFC 303, Dana White was at it again, saying that so long as Jones has a pulse, he’ll remain the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. At this point, Dana defends Jon Jones as the pound-for-pound best more than Jones defends the title, which is a developing situation. All indications are that Jones will finally defend the belt against Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in November, but there are moving pieces in play that might change some minds. Namely, what will the UFC do with McGregor, who was supposed to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 and is now hoping to compete at the next available date? Does he get that MSG card? And where would that leave Jones?

5. Tom Aspinall

UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 5

Nothing delights Aspinall more than hearing his name dropped in hypothetical megafights. Since Saturday night, one of the most popular what-ifs has come from an outpouring of fans who want to see him defend the interim heavyweight title against light heavyweight champ Pereira, who has been flirting with the idea of moving up in weight. That would be huge, but it comes with a massive “only if.” In this case, only if Aspinall beats Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in England. The last time Blaydes fought Aspinall, it ended with a blown-out knee for the pride of Wigan, so nothing can be taken for granted.

6. Ilia Topuria

UFC Featherweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 6

Topuria is holding out to be the main attraction for the UFC’s inaugural visit to the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, and—if he has his druthers—Max Holloway would be his first title defense. That’s a great fight. Massive for the division. Yet it’s a minefield for the UFC’s first Spanish champion, Topuria, who also wants to headline a card at the Bernabéu in Madrid sometime next year. If the fight game has taught us anything, especially in the UFC’s constantly evolving, ever-chaotic landscape, it’s that long-term planning is a fool’s game.

7. Sean O’Malley

UFC Bantamweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 7

The fun thing about O’Malley being the 135-pound champion is that, between fights, he turns into an entertainer. O’Malley’s social feed is tailor made for a generation of content-needy fans, and his constant back-and-forth with his next opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, continues to deliver. There is hope that the fight will take place at the Sphere, but honestly, this fight is so compelling—from the stylistic matchup to the clash of personalities—it could take place on the banks of the Salton Sea and it wouldn’t make a difference.

8. Alexander Volkanovski

Former UFC Featherweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 8

This is the quietest Volk has been in a long, long time. Generally speaking, he doesn’t go half a year without a fight on the books, yet it’s been five months since he lost his title to Topuria at UFC 298. The reality is that this break feels mandatory. He was knocked out in each of his last two fights, and at 35 years old, he might have one more big run in him before calling it a career. No matter what happens from here on out, Volkanovski goes down as the greatest featherweight the UFC has known. Whenever he does return, as a long-tenured champion who kept the UFC’s pay-per-view model humming for so long without a hitch, he’ll be right there in line for a title shot.

9. Dricus Du Plessis

UFC Middleweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 9B

The task at hand is daunting. Du Plessis will have to roll into enemy territory for his first title defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, in August, and there’s an ocean of bad blood between champion and challenger. Like it or not, Du Plessis’s title run is taken with a grain of salt by his middleweight contemporaries. Sean Strickland, whom Du Plessis took the title from, insists that he won the fight at UFC 297. Meanwhile, Adesanya says he’s not coming for the title; he’s coming for heads—and right now the only head on his docket is that of South Africa’s first UFC champ.

10. Merab Dvalishvili

UFC Bantamweight Contender
Previous ranking: 10

You get the feeling that as Dvalishvili awaits confirmation for his title fight, he’s having the time of his life. He’s popped up at multiple UFC events, festively dressed to pay homage to whatever city he’s in. He posts regular videos with a Sean O’Malley lookalike that have caught on like wildfire. And he generally exudes a pleasing, benevolent demeanor that portrays a perfectly adjusted, gentle soul. (Lock him in a cage door, though, and he turns into a demon).

(Others receiving votes: Israel Adesanya, Max Holloway)

Women’s Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Zhang Weili

UFC Strawweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 1

If the meritocracy holds up and fate plays its role, Zhang’s next title defense will come against Tatiana Suarez—the division’s clear-cut no. 2, whom many have dubbed the next great champion. It’ll be tough to plow through Zhang, though, who has looked like a world-beater since regaining the strawweight title in late 2022. With four straight wins, and seemingly at the peak of her powers at 34 years old, the bigger hope is that Zhang will up her frequency level for appearances from the current pace of once a year.

2. Valentina Shevchenko

Former UFC Flyweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 2

Shevchenko will get her trilogy fight with Alexa Grasso in September, and if all goes according to plan, it should be a doozy—an immersive, psychedelic experience at the Sphere. Once again, with the date circled for September, the spirit of the three-match will carry a Mexican Independence Day theme, casting one of the greatest champions in the history of the women’s ranks in the spoiler role.

3. Alexa Grasso

UFC Flyweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 3

A full year will have come and gone before Grasso steps back into the octagon for her third bout against Shevchenko, which is a long time to carry a grudge. Yet she’s making the most of it through her coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter and by watching friends like Diego Lopes go out there and wreak havoc. While many people thought she lost her title to Shevchenko the last time out (the fight ended in a controversial draw), Grasso prefers to remember their first encounter, when she tried to twist Shevchenko’s head off at UFC 285.

4. Cris Cyborg

Bellator Featherweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 4

Cyborg has said she’d like to continue fighting until she’s 40. Let’s see, looks like she’ll be turning 39 in … yikes, a week! If she holds to her line of thinking, we might be winding down on one of the most storied careers in combat sports history—though, if we’re being honest, it’s a little bittersweet. We didn’t get to see Cyborg fight Ronda Rousey (at the height of her powers) or Kayla Harrison (within that split-second their paths intersected when PFL bought Bellator), both of which would have done big business. Still, if the PFL can make Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco, there’ll be plenty of intrigue to go around.

5. Tatiana Suarez

UFC Strawweight Contender
Previous ranking: no. 5

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ … into the future. Suarez is 33 years old. She has fought just 10 times in her pro MMA career, all victories. She made her UFC debut almost eight years ago but has fought only seven times in that span. The what-ifs cling to her like glue. What if she stayed healthy? What if she didn’t have to overcome so much just to fight? What if she fought for a title? The latter can be answered if she gets booked against Zhang next, but nothing in her career has been easy.

6A. Manon Fiorot

UFC Flyweight Contender
Previous ranking: no. 6A

The biggest victim in last year’s judging fiasco that produced a draw between Shevchenko and Grasso was France’s own Fiorot. She didn’t quite realize it then, but that scorecard placed her firmly behind the eight ball for a long, long time. It could be argued that Fiorot had already earned a title shot by beating Rose Namajunas last year in Paris, and she definitely earned one by going into Erin Blanchfield’s New Jersey backyard and beating the 25-year-old phenom. Now it’s a game of either wait-and-see on the Grasso-Shevchenko series, or taking a fight in between. In other words, Fiorot is floating around in fighter purgatory.

6B. Kayla Harrison

UFC Bantamweight Contender
Previous ranking: no. 6B

Harrison made it look easy in her UFC debut against Holly Holm at UFC 300, and now she is campaigning for Amanda Nunes’s return. The two used to train together in Florida, and that backstory is guaranteed to make for a fun buildup. Should it happen, that would easily become the biggest women’s fight of the year. One thing is certain: Harrison doesn’t want to cut down to 135 pounds too often. Once or twice more, if that. If she doesn’t face Nunes next, a date with either champ Raquel Pennington or former champ Julianna Peña could be her penultimate fight at bantamweight.

8. Raquel Pennington

UFC Bantamweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 7

We know, we know—it’s a funny look when the actual women’s bantamweight champion appears a notch lower in our rankings than the woman gunning for her. But listen: we can forecast like nobody’s business. Should Pennington be required to stand in against Harrison in her next title defense, it could be a short reign. Not to count Rocky out, though. Her story is one of perseverance and mettle, which makes that belt around her waist glint just a little brighter.

9. Erin Blanchfield

UFC Flyweight Contender
Previous ranking: no. 8

By now, Blanchfield has had a chance to go back and watch the Fiorot film to pinpoint where it all went wrong. It looked like she hadn’t truly counted on needing a Plan B in what was supposed to be her title eliminator in Atlantic City, so diversifying her attack is key. The good news for Blanchfield is that losses in MMA mean more than wins; you learn from your mistakes, and Blanchfield—just 25 years old—stands to come back stronger than before.

10. Larissa Pacheco

2023 PFL Featherweight Champion
Previous ranking: no. 9

Since losing to Kayla Harrison in 2019, Pacheco has quietly (and very assuredly) won 10 straight fights, including a massive upset of Harrison in the third fight between the two, in 2022. Should Pacheco at some point get her hands on Cyborg and score a victory, she will become the only fighter to carry the distinction of beating both superstars. With those credentials, a top-10 ranking on the pound-for-pound list is mandatory.

(Others receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Yan Xiaonan)