UFC Pound-for-Pound Fighter Rankings: Charles Oliveira returns after dominant showing against Max Holloway

Even if it violated the spirit of what a ceremonial BMF title bout is supposed to be, it's hard to take anything away from Charles Oliveira's dominant performance against Max Holloway in their rematch last Saturday at UFC 326 in Las Vegas.

The 36-year-old Oliveira, who had recently endured a three-year stretch in which he had lost three of five fights, looked nothing short of rejuvenated by relying on his grappling and constant submission threats to shut the 34-year-old Holloway out. Not only did Oliveira accrue more than 21 minutes of control time in the 25-minute bout, he landed double the significant strikes overall. 

When you package the underdog Oliveira's commanding victory over Holloway with his demolition of Mateusz Gamrot last fall via second-round submission, it's easy to see just how quickly "Do Bronx" has regained his pound-for-pound form despite having seen his 11-fight win streak and lightweight title run snapped in 2022. 

Oliveira echoed recent dominant title performances by Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev by exploiting his opponent's weakness on the ground and never relenting. He also appeared to take a page from countryman Glover Teixeira's late-career rejuvenation, where he leaned almost exclusively on his ground game to make a run to the light heavyweight title in his early 40s. 

For a fighter who was known in his prime as such a reckless destroyer who would routinely put himself in danger in order to open up opportunities to score a stoppage, Oliveira's performance against Holloway suggests that he is evolving nicely with age and figuring out new ways to dominate. And if he can keep this momentum going, it's not only likely that Oliveira, who entered the bout ranked No. 3 at lightweight, ends up getting another crack at the 155-pound title, he's also going to completely take over the UFC record books.

Already the career UFC leader in finishes, submissions and post-fight bonuses, Oliveira moved into second place and only two wins shy of Jim Miller's record of wins inside the Octagon of 27. 

Men's pound-for-pound rankings

1. Islam Makhachev -- Welterweight champion

Record: 28-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1

Makhachev turned UFC 322 in November into a night of historical conquest as the former lightweight champion dominated Jack Della Maddalena with his grappling over five rounds to become the 11th two-division champion in UFC history. The 34-year-old also equaled Anderson Silva's record for consecutive wins with 16. Makhachev now must deal with a hungry group of contenders in the sport's deepest division at 170 pounds.

2. Ilia Topuria -- Lightweight champion

Record: 17-0 | Previous ranking: No. 2

Topuria took a massive step forward in becoming the new face of the promotion by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025 to capture the vacant lightweight title. The first unbeaten, two-division champion in UFC history just might have the most technical and explosive boxing skills the Octagon has ever seen. Topuria, after taking time off to deal with personal issues, will make his first title defense in a unification fight against interim beltholder Justin Gaethje in the headlining bout at the White House in June. 

3. Alex Pereira -- Heavyweight

Record: 13-3 | Previous ranking: No. 3

Talk about a comeback victory. The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger had looked sluggish in a decision loss against the technical Magomed Ankalaev in March. Vowing to return at full health after competing at just 40% of himself, Pereira wasted no time in finishing Ankalaev in their October rematch at UFC 320 to regain the title. After recently vacating his title, Pereira will make his heavyweight debut in June at the White House in an interim title bout against Ciryl Gane.

4. Alexander Volkanovski -- Featherweight champion

Record: 28-4 | Previous ranking: No. 6

Now a two-time featherweight king, the 37-year-old Volkanovski continues to put his 2024 knockout title loss to Topuria in the rearview mirror. At UFC 325 in January, Volkanovski returned home to Australia to defeat Diego Lopes for the second time in nine months, making it look even easier in the rematch. "Alexander the Great" improved to 18-1 as a pro at 145 pounds and said he has no plans to retire as he welcomes the next contender in line. 

5. Khamzat Chimaev -- Middleweight champion

Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: No. 4

Despite years of inactivity due to injury, illness and bad luck, Chimaev proved at UFC 319 in August just how dangerous he truly is when fully healthy. He also shut up any critics wondering if he possessed five-round cardio by utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground in a shutout decision. While many fans referred to the gameplan that Chimaev executed against DDP as boring, the performance sent a stern message to the rest of the pack at 185 pounds that Chimaev is ready to begin a new era.

6. Petr Yan -- Bantamweight champion

Record: 20-5 | Previous ranking: No. 5

The former 135-pound champion completed an incredible comeback after losing three of four fights from 2021 to 2023. Yan brought a three-fight win streak into his UFC 323 rematch against Merab Dvalishvili in December and outright dominated the defending champion in every aspect to claim a unanimous decision (and retribution). At 32, the native of Russia appears reborn and even more well-rounded than his first title run, which began in 2020 and lasted only eight months.

7. Charles Oliveira -- Lightweight

Record: 37-11 (1 NC) | Previous ranking: NR

What a difference nine months has made for the 36-year-old Brazilian legend. Oliveira was largely written off as an elite fighter following his first-round KO loss to Ilia Topuria in their vacant lightweight title bout last summer. But since then, Oliveira has been on fire. First, he returned home to Brazil to dominate Mateusz Gamrot last October via second-round submission. And in March, Oliveira relied on his grappling to shut out and beat up Max Holloway over five rounds to claim the ceremonial BMF title, moving him into second place for most wins in UFC history.  

8. Alexandre Pantoja -- Flyweight

Record: 30-6 | Previous ranking: No. 7

In what amounted to nothing more than a case of bad luck at the wrong time, Panotja badly injured his left elbow just 26 seconds into his UFC 323 title defense in December against Joshua Van when he put his arm down to catch himself after being thrown and immediately lost his flyweight title due to the fight being called off because of the gruesome injury. At 35, with a long layoff likely in his future, it's hard to say exactly where Pantoja goes from here and whether he will return to his previous stature. 

9. Merab Dvalishvili -- Bantamweight

Record: 21-5 | Previous ranking: No. 8

In hindsight, was "The Machine" overly ambitious in attempting to become the first UFC champion to make four title defenses in a calendar year? It's hard to say. What we can say is that Dvalishvili was thoroughly dominated by Petr Yan in their UFC 323 rematch in December, which cost the native of Georgia not just 135-pound title and fighter of the year honors, but it also brought an end to his 14-fight win streak. After the loss, Dvalishvili called for an immediate trilogy.

10. Umar Nurmagomedov -- Bantamweight

Record: 20-1 | Previous ranking: No. 9

Although his second shot at the 135-pound title will have to wait due to the likelihood that Dvalishvili gets an immediate trilogy against Yan, the 30-year-old Nurmagomedov continues to prove he's among the most skilled fighters on the planet. Nurmagomedov, who broke his hand in Round 1 and lost a competitive decision to Dvalishvili at in 2025, rebounded from the title loss with clear victories over a red-hot Mario Bautista and a dominant grappling performance against former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

Dropped out: Tom Aspinall
Just missed: Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Aspinall (c), Dricus du Plessis, Magomed Ankalaev, Joshua Van (c)

Women's pound-for-pound rankings

1. Valentina Shevchenko -- Flyweight champion

Record: 26-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1

If there was any lingering debate as to who was most deserving of being called the pound-for-pound queen, Shevchenko reminded us of her greatness at UFC 322 in November by relying on her grappling to completely neutralize two-time strawweight champion Weili Zhang. The only question now for the 37-year-old is whether she will move back up to 135 pounds to seek a second UFC title and deeper consideration within the G.O.A.T. debate.

2. Kayla Harrison -- Bantamweight champion

Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: No. 2

Despite enduring an insane cut to make championship weight of 135 pounds, Harrison dominated two-time champion Juianna Pena at UFC 316 in June to capture the women's bantamweight title. A showdown against former champion (and former teammate) Amanda Nunes in January was delayed when Harrison pulled out just weeks before after injuring her neck and undergoing surgery. 

3. Zhang Weili -- Strawweight/Flyweight

Record: 26-4 | Previous ranking: No. 3

After two title reigns at strawweight, the 35-year-old Chinese star vacated her title in search of cementing her legacy by moving up to flyweight. Unfortunately for Zhang, her attempt to capture a world title in a second division came up definitively short in a wide 5-round decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko. Zhang was soundly dominated by the grappling and defensive skills of her larger foe and now must decide whether to stay at 125 pounds or move back down. 

4. Manon Fiorot -- Flyweight

Record: 13-2 | Previous ranking: No. 4

The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. But, to Fiorot's credit, her October return against a streaking Jasmine Jasudavicius was a stark reminder at how talented and title-ready she remains. Fiorot recorded a first-round TKO in a showcase of her explosive boxing skills.

5. Natalia Silva -- Flyweight

Record: 20-5-1 | Previous ranking: No. 5

Unbeaten in eight trips to the Octagon, Silva appeared to secure the next shot at the 125-pound title by edging out former two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. Although the decision was somewhat disputed, Silva rallied in the final round thanks to her volume striking after being outgrappled in the early going. 

Dropped out: None
Just missed: Maycee Barber, Erin Blanchfield, Mackenzie Dern (c), Julianna Pena, Tatiana Suarez