UFC · Media panel and Meta UFC Rankings
Rankings & Champions
Both official systems side by side: the media-panel rankings (the only ones with pound-for-pound) and the data-driven Meta UFC Rankings launched June 22, 2026.
Spoiler warning: rankings and records reflect events through the Oct 6 media-panel update (Meta: Oct 3), 2026. Movement can reveal recent results.
Rankings as of: Wed, Oct 7, 2026, 5:52 AM CT stale: over 192h old, weekly update due
Media panel last updated 2026-10-06 · Meta UFC Rankings last updated 2026-10-03 · Source: UFC.com rankings. Updated every Tuesday.
Show champions and rankings (may reveal recent results)
Champions
| Division | Champion |
|---|---|
| Flyweight | Joshua Van |
| Bantamweight | Petr Yan |
| Featherweight | Alexander Volkanovski |
| Lightweight | Justin Gaethje |
| Welterweight | Islam Makhachev |
| Middleweight | Sean Strickland |
| Light Heavyweight | Carlos Ulberg |
| Heavyweight | Ciryl Gane |
| Women's Strawweight | Mackenzie Dern |
| Women's Flyweight | Natalia Silva |
| Women's Bantamweight | Kayla Harrison |
Men's P4P
| # | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Islam Makhachev |
| 2 | Alexander Volkanovski |
| 3 | Justin Gaethje |
| 4 | Petr Yan |
| 5 | Ilia Topuria |
| 6 | Joshua Van |
| 7 | Sean Strickland |
| 8 | Tom Aspinall |
| 9 | Merab Dvalishvili |
| 10 | Alex Pereira |
| 11 | Ciryl Gane |
| 12 | Khamzat Chimaev |
| 13 | Arman Tsarukyan |
| 14 | Alexandre Pantoja |
| 15 | Carlos Ulberg |
Women's P4P
| # | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Valentina Shevchenko |
| 2 | Kayla Harrison |
| 3 | Zhang Weili |
| 4 | Natalia Silva |
| 5 | Mackenzie Dern |
| 6 | Alexa Grasso |
| 7 | Manon Fiorot |
| 8 | Erin Blanchfield |
| 9 | Tatiana Suarez |
| 10 | Julianna Peña |
| 11 | Virna Jandiroba |
| 12 | Rose Namajunas |
| 13 | Raquel Pennington |
| 14 | Denise Gomes |
| 15 | Maycee Barber |
Flyweight
Champion: Joshua Van
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandre Pantoja | Manel Kape | |
| 2 | Manel Kape | Alexandre Pantoja | |
| 3 | Brandon Royval | Brandon Royval | |
| 4 | Tatsuro Taira | Tatsuro Taira | |
| 5 | Kyoji Horiguchi | Asu Almabayev | |
| 6 | Lone’er Kavanagh | Lone’er Kavanagh | |
| 7 | Asu Almabayev | Ramazan Temirov | |
| 8 | Brandon Moreno | Kyoji Horiguchi | |
| 9 | Amir Albazi | Amir Albazi (Rank increased by 1) | |
| 10 | Ramazan Temirov | Brandon Moreno (Rank decreased by 1) | |
| 11 | Tim Elliott | Sumudaerji | |
| 12 | Steve Erceg | Mitch Raposo | |
| 13 | Sumudaerji | Imanol Rodriguez (NR) | |
| 14 | Tagir Ulanbekov | Rei Tsuruya (Rank decreased by 1) | |
| 15 | Alex Perez | Charles Johnson (Rank decreased by 1) |
Bantamweight
Champion: Petr Yan
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merab Dvalishvili | Merab Dvalishvili | |
| 2 | Sean O'Malley | Song Yadong | |
| 3 | Song Yadong | Sean O'Malley | |
| 4 | Umar Nurmagomedov | Mario Bautista | |
| 5 | Mario Bautista | Umar Nurmagomedov | |
| 6 | Cory Sandhagen | Cory Sandhagen | |
| 7 | Payton Talbott | Rank increased by 5 | David Martinez |
| 8 | Aiemann Zahabi | Rank decreased by 1 | Raul Rosas Jr. |
| 9 | David Martinez | Rank decreased by 1 | Farid Basharat |
| 10 | Raul Rosas Jr. | Rank increased by 1 | Marcus McGhee |
| 11 | Marlon Vera | Rank decreased by 1 | Payton Talbott (NR) |
| 12 | Deiveson Figueiredo | Rank decreased by 3 | Montel Jackson |
| 13 | Farid Basharat | Aiemann Zahabi | |
| 14 | Marcus McGhee | Rank increased by 1 | Marlon Vera |
| 15 | Raoni Barcelos | Rank decreased by 1 | Bryce Mitchell |
Featherweight
Champion: Alexander Volkanovski
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Movsar Evloev | Movsar Evloev | |
| 2 | Diego Lopes | Diego Lopes | |
| 3 | Lerone Murphy | Lerone Murphy | |
| 4 | Aljamain Sterling | Aljamain Sterling | |
| 5 | Jean Silva | Jean Silva | |
| 6 | Yair Rodriguez | Arnold Allen | |
| 7 | Arnold Allen | Pat Sabatini | |
| 8 | Youssef Zalal | Pavel Andrusca | |
| 9 | Kevin Vallejos | Youssef Zalal | |
| 10 | Steve Garcia | Kevin Vallejos | |
| 11 | Aaron Pico | Joanderson Brito | |
| 12 | Melquizael Costa | Melquizael Costa | |
| 13 | Brian Ortega | Steve Garcia | |
| 14 | Patricio Pitbull | Aaron Pico | |
| 15 | David Onama | Jamall Emmers |
Lightweight
Champion: Justin Gaethje
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilia Topuria | Ilia Topuria | |
| 2 | Arman Tsarukyan | Arman Tsarukyan | |
| 3 | Charles Oliveira | Charles Oliveira | |
| 4 | Max Holloway | Max Holloway | |
| 5 | Paddy Pimblett | Paddy Pimblett | |
| 6 | Benoît Saint Denis | Quillan Salkilld | |
| 7 | Quillan Salkilld | Benoît Saint Denis | |
| 8 | Mauricio Ruffy | Renato Moicano | |
| 9 | Salahdine Parnasse | Mateusz Gamrot | |
| 10 | Mateusz Gamrot | Mauricio Ruffy | |
| 11 | Rafael Fiziev | Tom Nolan | |
| 12 | Renato Moicano | Rafael Fiziev | |
| 13 | Dan Hooker | Tofiq Musayev | |
| 14 | Tom Nolan | Grant Dawson | |
| 15 | Beneil Dariush | Esteban Ribovics (NR) |
Welterweight
Champion: Islam Makhachev
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Machado Garry | Carlos Prates | |
| 2 | Carlos Prates | Ian Machado Garry | |
| 3 | Michael Morales | Michael Morales | |
| 4 | Jack Della Maddalena | Jack Della Maddalena | |
| 5 | Gabriel Bonfim | Sean Brady | |
| 6 | Sean Brady | Gabriel Bonfim | |
| 7 | Belal Muhammad | Belal Muhammad | |
| 8 | Leon Edwards | Joaquin Buckley | |
| 9 | Kamaru Usman | Uroš Medić | |
| 10 | Joaquin Buckley | Leon Edwards | |
| 11 | Yaroslav Amosov | Mike Malott | |
| 12 | Uroš Medić | Kamaru Usman | |
| 13 | Mike Malott | Yaroslav Amosov | |
| 14 | Daniel Rodriguez | Kevin Holland | |
| 15 | Neil Magny | Daniel Rodriguez |
Middleweight
Champion: Sean Strickland
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khamzat Chimaev | Khamzat Chimaev | |
| 2 | Dricus Du Plessis | Dricus Du Plessis | |
| 3 | Nassourdine Imavov | Nassourdine Imavov | |
| 4 | Brendan Allen | Joe Pyfer | |
| 5 | Caio Borralho | Brendan Allen | |
| 6 | Joe Pyfer | Caio Borralho | |
| 7 | Gregory Rodrigues | Gregory Rodrigues | |
| 8 | Anthony Hernandez | Anthony Hernandez | |
| 9 | Israel Adesanya | Israel Adesanya | |
| 10 | Christian Leroy Duncan | Christian Leroy Duncan | |
| 11 | Jared Cannonier | Ikram Aliskerov | |
| 12 | Abus Magomedov | Bo Nickal | |
| 13 | Ikram Aliskerov | Abus Magomedov | |
| 14 | Bo Nickal | Roman Kopylov (NR) | |
| 15 | Shara Magomedov | Edmen Shahbazyan (Rank decreased by 1) |
Light Heavyweight
Champion: Carlos Ulberg
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magomed Ankalaev | Alex Pereira | |
| 2 | Jiří Procházka | Magomed Ankalaev | |
| 3 | Alex Pereira | Jiří Procházka | |
| 4 | Khalil Rountree Jr. | Paulo Costa | |
| 5 | Navajo Stirling | Khalil Rountree Jr. | |
| 6 | Paulo Costa | Navajo Stirling | |
| 7 | Azamat Murzakanov | Rank increased by 1 | Dominick Reyes |
| 8 | Dominick Reyes | Rank increased by 2 | Reinier de Ridder |
| 9 | Jan Błachowicz | Azamat Murzakanov | |
| 10 | Bogdan Guskov | Rank increased by 1 | Alonzo Menifield |
| 11 | Robert Whittaker | Rank increased by 1 | Bogdan Guskov |
| 12 | Alonzo Menifield | Rank increased by 2 | Robert Whittaker |
| 13 | Muhammad Saidov | NR | Muhammad Saidov |
| 14 | Reinier de Ridder | NR | Modestas Bukauskas |
| 15 | Nikita Krylov | Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev |
Heavyweight
Champion: Ciryl Gane
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Aspinall | Tom Aspinall | |
| 2 | Alexander Volkov | Sergei Pavlovich | |
| 3 | Sergei Pavlovich | Alex Pereira | |
| 4 | Josh Hokit | Alexander Volkov | |
| 5 | Curtis Blaydes | Rizvan Kuniev | |
| 6 | Waldo Cortes Acosta | Josh Hokit | |
| 7 | Rizvan Kuniev | Curtis Blaydes | |
| 8 | Vitor Petrino | Waldo Cortes Acosta | |
| 9 | Serghei Spivac | Vitor Petrino | |
| 10 | Ante Delija | Mario Pinto | |
| 11 | Valter Walker | Valter Walker | |
| 12 | Tyrell Fortune | Johnny Walker (NR) | |
| 13 | Derrick Lewis | Brando Peričić (Rank decreased by 1) | |
| 14 | Aleksandar Rakić | Rank increased by 1 | Serghei Spivac (Rank decreased by 1) |
| 15 | Mario Pinto | Rank decreased by 1 | Anthony Wint (NR) |
Women's Strawweight
Champion: Mackenzie Dern
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhang Weili | Zhang Weili | |
| 2 | Tatiana Suarez | Virna Jandiroba | |
| 3 | Virna Jandiroba | Tatiana Suarez | |
| 4 | Denise Gomes | Denise Gomes | |
| 5 | Gillian Robertson | Gillian Robertson | |
| 6 | Yan Xiaonan | Fatima Kline | |
| 7 | Fatima Kline | Alexia Thainara | |
| 8 | Loopy Godinez | Piera Rodriguez | |
| 9 | Alexia Thainara | Yan Xiaonan | |
| 10 | Jéssica Andrade | Mizuki | |
| 11 | Tabatha Ricci | Loopy Godinez | |
| 12 | Amanda Lemos | Tabatha Ricci | |
| 13 | Amanda Ribas | Jaqueline Amorim | |
| 14 | Angela Hill | Talita Alencar | |
| 15 | Mizuki | Amanda Lemos |
Women's Flyweight
Champion: Natalia Silva
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentina Shevchenko | Rank decreased by 1 | Valentina Shevchenko (Rank decreased by 1) |
| 2 | Alexa Grasso | Alexa Grasso | |
| 3 | Manon Fiorot | Erin Blanchfield | |
| 4 | Erin Blanchfield | Manon Fiorot | |
| 5 | Rose Namajunas | Zhang Weili | |
| 6 | Maycee Barber | Jasmine Jasudavicius (Rank increased by 1) | |
| 6 | Jasmine Jasudavicius | Rank increased by 1 | Rose Namajunas (Rank increased by 1) |
| 8 | Wang Cong | Wang Cong (Rank decreased by 2) | |
| 9 | Tracy Cortez | Maycee Barber | |
| 10 | Miranda Maverick | Tracy Cortez | |
| 11 | Karine Silva | Casey O'Neill | |
| 12 | Casey O'Neill | Miranda Maverick | |
| 13 | Eduarda Moura | Regina Tarin | |
| 14 | Regina Tarin | Karine Silva | |
| 15 | Gabriella Fernandes | Carli Judice |
Women's Bantamweight
Champion: Kayla Harrison
| # | Media panel | Movement | Meta UFC Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julianna Peña | Joselyne Edwards | |
| 2 | Joselyne Edwards | Ailin Perez | |
| 3 | Ailin Perez | Norma Dumont | |
| 4 | Raquel Pennington | Rank decreased by 1 | Luana Santos |
| 5 | Norma Dumont | Julianna Peña | |
| 6 | Yana Santos | Yana Santos | |
| 7 | Luana Santos | Jacqueline Cavalcanti | |
| 8 | Jacqueline Cavalcanti | Rank increased by 1 | Michelle Montague |
| 9 | Macy Chiasson | Rank decreased by 1 | Melissa Croden |
| 10 | Karol Rosa | Karol Rosa | |
| 11 | Bia Mesquita | Bia Mesquita | |
| 12 | Michelle Montague | Nora Cornolle | |
| 13 | Nora Cornolle | Macy Chiasson | |
| 14 | Melissa Croden | Rank increased by 1 | Daria Zhelezniakova |
| 15 | Daria Zhelezniakova | NR | Raquel Pennington |
Two systems, one belt
- Media panel: voted rankings since Feb 2013; UFC event pages still use these numbers.
- Meta UFC Rankings: an Elo-style math model that updates by the Monday after each event; ratings decay after 18 months of inactivity. UFC says official rankings are moving to this system. (UFC)
- Per MMA Junkie citing UFC data: when both fighters were top-15, the higher-ranked fighter won 53.4% of the time under the media rankings vs 63.5% during the Meta trial.