Sherdog’s WMMA Pound-for-Pound Top 10

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It might have taken a little longer than anticipated, but Mackenzie Dern has delivered upon the lofty expectations that accompanied her arrival in the UFC.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout captured strawweight championship gold in the UFC 321 co-main event, as she outdueled Virna Jandiroba in a unanimous decision triumph at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Though Dern’s ascent was hastened by Weili Zhang’s decision to vacate the 115-pound belt to move to flyweight, that doesn’t diminish the achievement for an athlete who has endured her share of ups and downs during her promotional tenure.

Dern is far from a perfect fighter — she’s just 6-4 in the Octagon since 2021 — but a three-fight winning streak and a 2-0 record against Jandiroba, who likely would have been the No. 1 contender even if Zhang had remained, is enough to allow her to make her debut in the pound-for-pound rankings at No. 15. Dern’s next test will be to prove she has staying power in this poll — a considerable challenge indeed.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

1. Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1) | UFC [1]

While the outcome was in doubt right up until the end, Shevchenko survived a stern test from Manon Fiorot to retain her flyweight crown in the UFC 315 co-headliner. Though Fiorot slowed the action down in the clinch, Shevchenko authored the more memorable moments in the contest, including a knockdown in Round 4. With 10 victories in title bouts over the course of her career, “Bullet” has consistently proven herself when the stakes are at their highest. A showdown against former strawweight queen Weili Zhang will be next for the Kyrgyzstan native at UFC 322.

2. Weili Zhang (26-3) | UFC [2]

Zhang was more dominant than anyone could have imagined in the UFC 312 co-main event, as she overwhelmed Tatiana Suarez for four rounds after dropping the opening stanza. Not only did Zhang batter her opponent on the feet, but she also controlled the vast majority of the grappling exchanges against an accomplished wrestler. “Magnum” is now tied for the most title victories (six) in UFC strawweight history. Zhang has elected to vacate her 115-pound belt and will move up to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for flyweight gold at UFC 322.

3. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (28-2, 1 NC) | PFL [3]

Even at 40 years old, “Cyborg” remains the cream of the crop in the women’s featherweight division. She once again proved her supremacy in the PFL “Battle of the Giants” co-main event, where she outdueled Larissa Pacheco for five rounds to capture the promotion’s Superfights belt. Justino will return to action in an an official PFL featherweight title bout against Sara Collins on Dec. 13.

4. Kayla Harrison (19-1) UFC [4]

After hitting 135 pounds on the nose for the first time, Harrison handled her business at UFC 316, rolling to a second-round submission victory over Julianna Pena to claim bantamweight gold at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 7. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has lived up to her advance billing since signing with the UFC, and things only figure to get more interesting in the months to come: After winning the title, Harrison squared off with Amanda Nunes inside the Octagon, setting the stage for a high stakes clash in the future.

5. Natalia Silva (19-5-1) | UFC [5]

Silva relied on her speed, movement and athleticism to confound Alexa Grasso for the better part of 15 minutes during their encounter at UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal. By taking a clear-cut unanimous decision over the former flyweight queen, the 28-year-old Brazilian extends her Octagon winning streak to seven and inserts herself right into the thick of the 125-pound title picture. Silva’s overall professional winning streak sits at 13 and dates back to 2018.

6. Manon Fiorot (13-2) | UFC [6]

One bout removed from a failed title bid against Valentina Shevchenko this past May, Fiorot made a statement at UFC Vancouver, where she dispatched the streaking Jasmine Jasudavicius in just 74 seconds on Oct. 18. The Frenchwoman has been victorious in eight of her nine promotional outings and after ending Jasudavicius’ five-bout winning streak, “The Beast” shouldn’t be too far away from title contention once again.

7. Alexa Grasso (16-5-1) | UFC [7]

In her first fight against an opponent other than Valentina Shevchenko since 2022, Grasso struggled with the speed and movement of Natalia Silva, losing a lopsided unanimous decision in a featured bout at UFC 315 in Montreal. The Lobo Gym MMA standout seems far removed from her massive upset of Shevchenko in March 2023, but at just 31 years old, she still has plenty of time to rebound from a frustrating performance. However, she’ll likely need a few wins to return to championship contention.

8. Erin Blanchfield (13-2) UFC [8]

After suffering her first UFC defeat against Manon Fiorot in March, Blanchfield rebounded with a pivotal, five-round unanimous decision triumph against former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas in the UFC Edmonton co-main event. “Cold Blooded” started slowly, but she was gradually able to take control over the bout’s final 15 minutes. The New Jersey was looking to add to her record in a headlining bout against Maycee Barber at UFC Vegas 107, but her opponent withdrew due to “health issues” just minutes before the bout was set to begin. Instead, Blanchfield will attempt to avenge a previous loss to Tracy Cortez under the Invicta FC banner at UFC 322.

9. Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) | PFL [9]

It was one-way traffic for Ditcheva against Sumiko Inaba in the PFL Cape Town co-headliner, as she cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision triumph in the July 19 bout. The Manchester native went the distance for just the second time in her professional tenure, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The 26-year-old battered her foe at range and in the clinch with punches, kicks elbows and knees in her first appearances since winning the 2024 PFL flyweight championship. After the victory, “Dangerous” announced that she has re-signed with PFL.

10. Rose Namajunas (14-7) | UFC [10]

It was far from easy, but Namajunas got the job done in the UFC Atlanta co-headliner, outdueling Miranda Maverick on the feet and on the canvas in a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph on June 14. By ending her opponent’s four-bout winning streak, the ex-strawweight queen improves to 3-2 at 125 pounds. As one of the biggest names in any women’s division, “Thug” Rose figures to be in line for another high-profile pairing in her next Octagon appearance.

Other Contenders: Larissa Pacheco, Seika Izawa, Julianna Pena, Raquel Pennington, Mackenzie Dern.

Sherdog’s divisional and pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by a panel of Sherdog.com staff members and contributors: Tristen Critchfield, Mike Fridley, Brian Knapp, Ben Duffy, Jay Pettry, Marcelo Alonso, Keith Shillan, Tyler Treese, Sayan Nag and Robert Sargent.