Top 5 UFC Rankings, Year by Year

1. Pat Miletich  Miletich adds two more title defenses to retain the number one spot and the welterweight title. 2. LaVerne Clark  Clark picks up two more wins, one by submission and one by TKO to move up to number two just behind the champion.  3. Mikey Burnett After almost winning the welterweight title last year, Burnett moves up to number three with yet another win at UFC 18.  4. Marcelo Mello Mello’s only UFC fight is a first round TKO win which is at least enough to place him at number four. 5. Matt Hughes  The future welterweight great makes his UFC debut in the top five with a win over Valeri Ignatov.

1. Pat Miletich  The best welterweight in the world is the inaugural welterweight champion Pat Miletich as he both wins and defends the title at UFC 16.    2. Chris Brennan A win over Courtney Turner got Brennan a third chance against the newly crowned champion but it was not to be as he was submitted in the first round. 3. LaVerne Clark  A one minute TKO win over Josh Stuart earns him the number three spot.  4. Mikey Burnett A TKO win over Eugenio Tadeu earns him a title shot and he was so close to winning the welterweight title in a split decision effort to the champion.  5. Cesar Marscucci Marscucci’s one and only UFC fight was a TKO win over Paulo Santos which is at least enough to get placed in the top five. 

  These rankings are now up to date as of the end of 2023  1. Anderson Silva         The story has been told time and time again. Anderson Silva still has the record setting ten title defenses and a 16 fight winning streak which included four former world champions who were still in their prime. He would not only win, but he would win in devastating fashion. With the exception of two bad performances that everyone liked to talk about the rest of his fights were either won by a submission or spectacular knockout. 2. Robert Whittaker    At number two sits the Reaper himself, Robert Whittaker. If Silva was Franklins boogeyman, Adesanya was his as he would have had six title defenses by now and a 14-fight winning streak as well if the style bender didn't exist. But instead he sits pretty at number two with two losses to Adesanya sandwiched in between countless wins and two title victories. Now the only thing separating him from Adesanya is his l...

  Post UFC 296 Edwards vs. Covington  1. Tom Aspinall  The number one heavyweight in the world is interim champion Tom Aspinall. But with a legacy title fight between Jones and Miocic, he’s going to have to wait until 2024 for a chance to fight for the actual title.   2. Sergey Pavlovich  Pavlovich added another knockout win to his resume, this time against top five Blaydes. The win earns him an interim title fight.   3. Curtis Blaydes  Blaydes lone fight was a knockout loss to the man ranked above him. But with the departure of Ngannou, he still remains in the top three. 4 .  Jon Jones    Jon Jones may have won the vacant heavyweight title but it was against Gane who was not the number one contender at the time and Jones gets injured later in the year not being able to return to the octagon to get ranked any higher than four. 5. Ciryl Gane  With Ngannou leaving the UFC, Gane was one half of the vacant title fight in which he lost ...

Post: UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington  1. Alex Pereira   After a disappointing ending to his middleweight title reign, Perieira returns to win the vacant title in two fights, beating Blachowicz and Prochazka to become the new light heavyweight champion.  2. Jiri Prochazka   Prochazka returns from injury to fight for the vacant title but a TKO loss to the man ranked above him drops him to number two. 3. Jamahal Hill  Hill wins the vacant title over Teixeira but a heel injury forces him to vacate the title himself and await a title shot for 2024. 4. Glover Teixeira  Teixeira retires at number four losing his vacant title fight to the man ranked above him.    5. Jan Blachowicz Blachowicz drops two spots to number five with his lone fight being a close loss to Pereira.  

  1. Sean Strickland        Strickland pulled off the upset and swept Adesanya to a decision victory to win the middleweight title and the number one spot. The challenger that awaits him in 2024 is du Plessis. 2. Israel Adesanya      Although Adesanya would avenge his losses to Perieira, he would then get upset by the man ranked above him. 3. Dricus du Plessis   Du Plessi goes 2-0 with wins over Brunson and Whittaker which makes him the number one contender for the middleweight title in 2024.  4. Robert Whittaker   The Reaper continues to drop to number four as du Plessis gives him his first non title middleweight loss of his career.  5. Alex Pereira  As quick as his rise, his fall from the number one spot was quicker as Adesanya finally secures a win over him and by a vicious knockout that sends him to the light heavyweight division.