UFC Pound-for-Pound Fighter Rankings: Sean Strickland makes debut after stunning upset of Khamzat Chimaev

UFC Pound-for-Pound Fighter Rankings: Sean Strickland makes debut after stunning upset of Khamzat Chimaev

Strickland shocked the world with his win over Chimaev at UFC 328

By Brian Campbell

May 12, 2026 at 11:55 am ET • 8 min read

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For a fighter who didn't truly come into his own until his early 30s, Sean Strickland has slowly made a believer out of just about everyone en route to an eventual spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Strickland, 35, shocked the MMA world last Saturday at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, by claiming a split-decision over 6-to-1 betting favorite and unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev to begin a somewhat improbable second reign as UFC middleweight champion.

The key to understanding Strickland (31-7) is to try and separate the actual fighter from the brash, outspoken and often offensive person he can be on the microphone, which was ever so present throughout an intense and toxic build to the Chimaev fight . The real reason for Strickland's success is how much he improves upon key defeats and shores up any remaining hole in his game.

That scenario was never more present than when Strickland, who is trained by Eric Nicksick at Extreme Couture in Las Vegas, rebounded from 2022 defeats to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier to begin his first elite run by outpointing Nassourdine Imavov and Israel Adesanya. But Strickland's evolution simply didn't stop there.

After a pair of title defeats to former champion Dricus du Plessis, Strickland only continued to sharpen his craft and the results have been equally impressive and surprising. After railroading red-hot Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in a third-round TKO win in February, it was Strickland's takedown defense and overall stubborn mindset that saw him keep the sublime wrestling of Chimaev in check and force him into a kickboxing match.

Throughout his evolution, Strickland has become one of the best fighters in the world at taking away what his opponent does best. And he's one of the rare top fighters who relies almost exclusively on defense first as a method of victory.

Strickland can act as brash as he needs to in order to retain his image, which of late has bounced back and forth between detestable bully and relatable superhero, depending upon which portion of the fanbase is reacting to him. But he's clearly one of the most cerebral, fearless and hard-working fighters in the game today.

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 38-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. 4

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. Petr Yan -- Bantamweight champion

Record: 20-5 | Previous ranking: No. 6

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 dominated the defending champion in every aspect to claim a unanimous decision (and retribution). At 33, 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.

6. Sean Strickland -- Middleweight champion

Record: 31-7 | Previous ranking: NR

Written off following a second title loss to Dricus du Plessis in early 2025, Strickland responded with one heck of a resurgence. First, the 35-year-old ran over red-hot Anthony Hernandez in a third-round TKO. Less than three months later, at UFC 328 in May, Strickland regained his 185-pound title by upsetting unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev via split decision. Strickland's offense might be predictable but it's his defensive ability that makes him a tough out for everyone.

> All love to the fans ❤️ [ @SStricklandMMA | #UFC328 ] pic.twitter.com/p6jsAp6upl — UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2026

7. Alexandre Pantoja -- Flyweight

Record: 30-6 | Previous ranking: No. 8

Talk about 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 because of the gruesome injury. At 36, Pantoja opted against undergoing surgery and is now in line for a title rematch against Van this summer.

8. Merab Dvalishvili -- Bantamweight

Record: 21-5 | Previous ranking: No. 9

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.

9. Joshua Van -- Flyweight champion

Record: 17-2 | Previous ranking: NR

The fact that his 26-second title win last December over Alexandre Pantoja came as the result of a freak injury hasn't stopped the 24-year-old native of Myanmar from proving he's one of the best fighters on the planet. Van made his first title defense in May at UFC 328 in a sensational fifth-round TKO win over Tatsuro Taira . Van's boxing is among the best in the sport and his takedown defense improved dramatically following a tough opening round against Taira.

> KING OF THE FLYWEIGHTS 🤩 @JoshuaVanBT just put on a SHOW to retain the title! [ #UFC328 | LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/1m2uyzIOld — UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2026

10. Khamzat Chimaev -- Middleweight

Record: 15-1 | Previous ranking: No. 5

Chimaev's underwhelming performance against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May suggests that a difficult weight cut played a significant role in his split-decision loss. The proud native of Russia's Chechen Republic lacked the stamina to implement his grappling over five full rounds and lost a bit of his intimidating aura in the process despite showing underrated heart in rallying to pressure Strickland. After the fight, Chimaev told UFC president and CEO Dana White he plans to move up to 205 pounds.

Dropped out: Charles Oliveira, Carlos Ulberg (c) Just missed: Joshua Van (c), Ulberg (c), Umar Nurmagomedov, Tom Aspinall (c), Dricus du Plessis

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 38-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 36-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 36-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 : Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez, Erin Blanchfield, Mackenzie Dern (c), Virna Jandiroba

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/ufc/news/ufc-pound-for-pound-fighter-rankings-sean-strickland-khamzat-chimaev/)._