Some of the UFC weight classes are the strongest they have been in history and are undergoing a golden age. While some other UFC weight classes are embarrassingly weak. On this list, we are ranking UFC weight classes from the worst to the very best.
UFC Weight Class Rankings
8. Light Heavyweight – Weakest
This UFC weight class is quite impressive with how weak it is. The champion, Glover Teixeira, is a mid-forties inspiration story. Despite being the champion, Teixeira’s losses are much stronger than his wins. You may be tempted to defend the top of the division, however, there is a case to be made that Bellator’s light heavyweight division has more depth than the UFC’s. Only comment and complain if this weight class is truly your favorite.
7. Heavyweight
With these two weight classes being clearly the weakest in the UFC it is truly a wonder that MMA was just light heavyweight and heavyweight for much of its history. Heavyweight is impressive with its top fighters. Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, Stipe Miocic, and Tom Aspinall are all quite strong and talented fighters. But outside the top few fighters, there is not much depth to be had. For example, Augusto Sakai is a top 15 ranked fighter and yet has not had a win since 2020.
In fight years Andrei Arlovski is in his mid-eighties. He had his prime years trading the heavyweight title with Tim Sylvia in the TUF 2006 era. Nearly 15 years later Arlovski is a solid gatekeeper who is currently on a win streak. The equivalent of this in other weight classes would be Jens Pulver or BJ Penn today being on a win streak at lightweight.
6. Flyweight
The UFC has had more than a decade to develop talent in Flyweight. It is a division that is currently developing and creating great fighters. Butvhalf of the champions in this division are fighting elsewhere or retired, despite still being able to fight, and the other half are trading the belt back and forth.
Muhammad Mokaev and Charles Johnson are two fighters to keep your eye on. The past year has been one of the best development years for this weight class with fighters who are building themselves up well, such as Kai Kara-France, Askar Askarov, Matheus Nicolau, and others, this weight class is beginning to create impressive depth. Not there yet, but developing well.
5. Middleweight
Historically speaking the UFC’s middleweight division is typically the weakest. Right now, it’s not bad. It’s a far cry from its golden age of Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Luke Rockhold, The Wide Man Chris Weidman, and Lyoto Machida. But this division is governed by two of the greatest talents in the UFC with Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker who collectively have beaten almost the entire top 10 between them. Right now the division is pretty good but has no legs. While flyweight is developing, middleweight seems to perhaps be going backward in upcoming talent.
4. Welterweight
This UFC division is ruled by the Iron Fist of the highly talented Kamaru Usman. Striking power, wrestling acumen, a killer jab, he’s got it all. The rest of welterweight? Well, welterweight is finally moving forward. Fighters who have scarcely earned a win in the past few years are slowly being phased out such as Stephen Thompson and Jorge Masvidal. Much needed new blood is coming into welterweight, finally, such as Khamzat Chimaev, Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and others. The future looks bright for welterweight after years of barely moving.
3. Featherweight
Featherweight is populated by a cavalcade of brilliant strikers. From the champion through most of the top 15 rankings, pair up any of these fighters to get a certified banger. Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, The Korean Zombie, Giga Chikadze, and so many others. Let this UFC division bang!
2. Lightweight
The UFC’s lightweight division was given time to develop. It has created some of the sports’ biggest stars. Today, it is a division still filled with incredible talent with a diverse set of skills. The champion Charles Oliveira created an incredible win streak and seems to be getting better. The top-ranked fighters of lightweight are all threatening, such as Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Islam Makhachev. This weight class is currently strong and the future for this one looks great.
1. Bantamweight – Strongest
The entire top-15 of this weight class is incredible. Any one of these ranked fighters could give the top 3 a challenging fight. The talent gap between the top and bottom of this weight class does not feel far apart and all are highly talented. Right now with fighters such as Aljamain Sterling, Peter Yan, TJ Dillashaw, Jose Aldo, Cory Sandhagen, and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, it is absolutely a golden age of bantamweight.
The future of this weight class also looks brilliant. Jack Shore, Song Yadong, Javid Basharat, Kyler Phillips, Said Nurmagomedov, Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley, and tons of others, the future of this weight class is one to be excited for. The future of this weight class is strong, the top is strong, but it has even developed a very good middle class. Fighters such as Raphael Assunção, Dominick Cruz, Davey Grant, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font, Nathaniel Wood, Casey Kenney, and loads of others make this weight class clearly the strongest in the UFC.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know below why I am wrong.
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