The rankings for the greatest UFC MMA fighters in each weight division have been released, and we are proud to introduce them to you. Ever since February 2013, UFC has asked a panel of several media members to rank these fighters. Here are who they believe are the top American MMA fighters in 2021.
Men’s Heavyweight
Francis Ngannou is the clear winner in this weight division this year. His 16-3 record and his win over last year’s champion, Stipe Miocic, by knockout, established Ngannou as a clear winner in this division. Ngannou also holds the honor of only being the third African-born UFC champion. Ngannou is also known for being the hardest puncher in recorded history.
Men’s Light Heavyweight
The honor for the Men’s Light Heavyweight division this year goes to Glover Lucas Teixeira. With an amazing 33-7 record, Teixeira defeated Jan Blachowicz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, to clinch the crown in the eyes of UFC. Teixeira is the oldest first-time champion in UFC history and is the second oldest UFC champion behind Randy Couture.
Men’s Middleweight
Israel Adesanya defeated Marvin Vettori to earn the Middleweight title again this year. Adesanya’s almost perfect 21-1 record helped him defend his title against Vettori after defending it against Yoel Romero in UFC 248 and Paulo Costa in UFC 253. As a result, Adesanya also shows up in the #3 spot of the UFC Men’s Pound-for-Pound ranking.
Men’s Welterweight
Boasting another almost perfect record, Kamarudeen “Kamaru” Usman’s 19-1 scorecard remained intact as he often defended his title. First against Colby Covington in UFC 245 and then Jorge Masvidal in UFC 251. His latest title defense was against Gilbert Burns in UFC 258, where he defeated Burns in a TKO. Nicknamed “The Nigerian Nightmare,” Usman also claims the #1 spot in the Men’s Pound-for-Pound ranking.
Men’s Lightweight
Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler to claim the Lightweight title left vacant by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement. Oliveira hopes to improve his 31-8 (1 no-contest) record by defeating Dustin Poirier in UFC 269 scheduled for December 11, 2021. He holds multiple UFC records, including the most finishes at 17 and the most submission wins in UFC history at 14.
Men’s Featherweight
Alexander Volkanosvski defended his title against Max Holloway in UFC 251 by split decision. Most recently, Volkanosvski defeated Brian Ortega by unanimous decision in UFC 266. Volkanosvski is also an Australian Fighting Champion (AFC) and shows up in the #2 spot in the UFC’s Men’s Pound-for-Pound ranking.
Bantamweight
With an impressive 20-3 record, Aljamain Sterling defeated Petr Yan in UFC 259. Yan sought to defend his title against Sterling but was disqualified due to an intentional illegal knee throw, making him unable to continue the fight. This was the first time in UFC history for a title to change hands due to disqualification. He is also the former Cage Fury Fighting Champions bantamweight champion.
In the women’s Bantamweight class, Amanda Nunes holds top honors. She won the title from Miesha Tate at UFC 196 and had doggedly defended the title against all comers, including Ronda Rousey, for well over 1,614 days — a UFC Women’s Championship record.
Flyweight
With a 19-5-2 record, Brandon Moreno claimed the Flyweight title by defeating Deiveson Figueiredo in UFC 263. Figueiredo had already defended his title against Moreno in UFC 256. Now the tables have turned, Moreno must try to hang on to the title by defeating Figueiredo in the upcoming UFC 270 bout scheduled for January 22, 2022. Brandon has been fighting professionally since 2011 and has also been crowned LFA Flyweight Champion at the Legacy Fighting Alliance.
Valentina Shevchenko holds the women’s Flyweight division title after defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 and has now defended the title four times.
Pound-for Pound
This ranking division looks at all fighters and decides who the better fighters are regardless of their weight. This year, the UFC has honored the Welterweight, Kamaru Usman, and his 19-1 record with this title.
The distinction for this class for women goes to Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes and her 21-4 record. Nunes has been fighting in both the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions starting in 2008.
Women’s Strawweight
Our final division and thus final honoree for the top 10 MMA fighters is Rose Namajunas. This title has changed hands many times since its inauguration in 2014. Namajunas won the title from Weili Zhang and recently defended that title in UFC 268 on November 6, 2021, in Madison Square Garden.
Congrats on Being the Best!
We here at The Fight Doctors would like to congratulate each division winner in the UFC rankings. We know it takes a lot of hard work to be the best, and we celebrate your achievement in being recognized as the best of the best.
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