Welcome to the latest update to the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, where our esteemed panel of experts team up to sort out the movers and shakers of an ever-shifting MMA landscape.

Between the continued rises of divisional stalwarts like Islam Makhachev and Jared Cannonier, the sudden eruptions of disrupters Tai Tuivasa and Arman Tsarukyan, and the free-for-all that took place at 185 pounds which saw more than half of the top 15 fighting to keep their spot, February was a hectic time for the global MMA scene.

Fortunately for us, March appears to be no different, as matchups featuring ranked contenders are scheduled to go down in all 11 of the sport’s major divisions. So before we look ahead to Saturday’s UFC 272 pay-per-view and beyond, let’s first set the table and check in where things stand in our global rankings after the chaos of the past four weeks.

Remember to tune in to the new episode below of The MMA Fighting Rankings Show. Here, the panel discussed the top winners and losers from the most recent rankings cycle. They also predicted the headline story for March.

A quick reminder of some ground rules before we start

• Our eight-person voting panel consists of MMA Fighting staffers Shaun Al-Shatti, Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Steven Marrocco, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew.
• Fighters will be removed from the rankings if they do not compete within 18 months of their most recent bout.
• Updates to the rankings are completed at the beginning of each month.
• Fighters will be ranked in the weight class that their promotion regularly lists them at. That means ONE Championship fighters, who compete at a weight class one division above their counterparts in most other organizations (i.e. flyweights fight at 135 pounds, lightweights compete at 170 pounds, etc.) Flyweights will fight at 272 pounds, while lightweights compete at [******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Also, please use common sense. Demetrious Johnson, you are a flyweight.
• If a fighter declares their retirement, the panel will determine whether the fighter should be immediately removed from the rankings (or maintain their place until further notice). Let’s say this: We would have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov off our ranks a lot faster than the UFC.
• Fighters who regularly compete or hold titles in multiple weight classes are eligible to be ranked in multiple lists.
• Holding the title of a promotion does not mean that the fighter will be considered as the best.
• Regarding all the above rules, any possible exceptions will be discussed internally and noted in the article.

In case you missed it, last month’s divisional rankings can be seen here.

And with that, let’s dive in.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Make your voice heard in the comments below.

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Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Heavyweight

No, you haven’t accidentally done an acid-laced shoey, it’s real: Tai Tuivasa is a top 4 heavyweight in the world.

That might not sound all that unbelievable given that we just saw him pick up his fifth straight win with a knockout of perennial contender Derrick Lewis, but keep in mind that it wasn’t long ago that Tuivasa was on a listless three-fight losing streak and joking on Instagram that he’d been released by the UFC. He’s now within striking distance (I don’t know why, but I do) of winning the UFC title.

Whether Tuivasa has the potential to go any further is up for debate, as he remains a tier below the three-headed dragon of Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, and Stipe Miocic, plus there’s an argument to be made that a matchup with No. 5 Curtis Blaydes would end poorly for the affable Aussie.

But for now, let’s bask in the glory of Tuivasa’s unlikely career turnaround and appreciate him having his moment in the sun. After all, he rarely seems to be worrying about where his career is headed, so why should we?

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 14 Tai Tuivasa def. No. 4 Derrick Lewis

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 5 Curtis Blaydes vs. No. 13 Chris Daukaus (UFC Columbus, March 26), No. 7 Alexander Volkov vs. No. 12 Tom Aspinall (UFC London, March 19)

Fighters also receiving votes: Shamil Abdurakhimov, Arjan Bhullar, Phil De Fries, Fedor Emelianenko, Alexander Romanov, Augusto Sakai

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Light Heavyweight

Welcome to the rankings, Jamahal Hill.

“Sweet Dreams” had been knocking on the door of a top 15 spot for some time. But after a couple of hiccups that included injuring his arm against Paul Craig and having a knockout win over Klidson Abreu overturned due to a positive marijuana test, it looks as if Hill’s ascent is beginning to stabilize. Back-to-back finishes in under three minutes will do that for you.

In his first UFC main event, Hill — now tied for the No. 14 spot — sent Johnny Walker packing with a Knockout of the Year candidate that affirmed him as a contender at 205 pounds. Add in wins over Jimmy Crute and Ovince Saint Preux and it’s not inconceivable that Hill could punch his way to a title shot sometime next year.

He’s facing stiff competition on the way up though, including No. 13 Craig and the streaking Magomed Ankalaev, both of whom compete this month.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 7 Magomed Ankalaev vs. No. 9 Thiago Santos (UFC Vegas 50, March 12), No. 11 Phil Davis vs. Julius Anglickas (Bellator 276, March 12), No. 13 Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov (UFC London, March 19)

Fighters also receiving votes: Antonio Carlos Junior, Nikita Krylov, Tomasz Narkun, Johnny Walker, Israel Adesanya, Ryan Bader

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Middleweight

Last month, we warned that there could be major movement in the middleweight division, and while most of the top names ultimately defended their spots, several fighters nonetheless continued their climbs up the charts.

Israel Adesanya remains at the center of the middleweight galaxy, having taken care of business against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 in a competitive rematch that only confirmed the two are a cut above the rest of the pack. Jared Cannonier saved Adesanya’s life by defeating Derek Brunson on the same card and made it easy for matchmakers.

The 78-year veteran completely outclassed Austin Vanderford to record his third title defense and improve to 135 in his past [******************************************************************************************************************************************** ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** The 19-year veteran completely outclassed Austin Vanderford to record his third title defense and improve to 12-1 in his past 13.

Fans will regret that unless Mousasi is back in the UFC, Adesanya, or Whittaker leave Bellator any comparisons between them are only speculation. However, if Mousasi continues to dice up the competition and Whittaker shows any sign of a drop off in the future, expect there to be a healthy debate over whether Mousasi deserves more respect in the rankings.

Also worth noting, former champion Chris Weidman exits the top 15 for the first time since the start of the MMA Fighting Global Rankings as he continues his recovery from a broken leg suffered last April. That departure means ONE Championship two-division titleholder Reinier de Ridder now has sole ownership of the No. 15 spot. “The Dutch Knight” improved to 15-0 with his first successful middleweight title defense, a dominant submission win over Kiamrian Abbasov.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 1 Israel Adesanya def. No. 2 Robert Whittaker, No. 3 Gegard Mousasi def. Austin Vanderford, No. 6 Jared Cannonier def. No. 4 Derek Brunson, No. 9 Sean Strickland def. No. 8 Jack Hermansson, No. 15 (tied) Reinier de Ridder def. Kiamrian Abbasov

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 13 Kevin Holland vs. Alex Oliveira (UFC 272, March 5, welterweight bout)

Fighters also receiving votes: Chris Curtis, Nassourdine Imavov, John Salter, Brad Tavares, Chris Weidman

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Welterweight

Colby Covington has earned the distinction of being the best welterweight on the planet not named Kamaru Usman — a title that Jorge Masvidal could take away in one fell swoop.

The former best friends turned bitter enemies finally clash at UFC 272 on Saturday in a rare non-title pay-per-view headliner. It’s no surprise that UFC decided to make this the main attraction, given their track record and ability to promote a fight. Who will be the champion against “BMF?” champion? Sign us up.

Despite the lack of gold on the line, this one feels like it has “must-win” implications — and not just for personal reasons. Covington’s abrasive personality is embraced by the UFC so long as he’s winning fights (his only losses in the past six years are to Usman), so a stumble against Masvidal would divest him of much of his promotional currency.

The same could be said for Masvidal, who beat the odds to reach a late-career peak with a spectacular 2019 campaign and could peak a second time if he upsets Covington. The welterweights are a challenging division that has an unstoppable champion. They always manage to make it interesting.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 2 Colby Covington vs. No. 11 Jorge Masvidal (UFC 272, March 5), No. 14 Neil Magny vs. Max Griffin (UFC Columbus, March 26)

Fighters also receiving votes: Roberto Soldic, Jason Jackson, Douglas Lima, Geoff Neal, Shavkat Rakhmonov

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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Lightweight

Is Islam Makhachev going to become a UFC lightweight champion or is he already a UFC champ?

The latest Dagestani terror propelled his win streak to 10 straight in February with an effortless first-round stoppage of Bobby Green — and captured sole possession of the division’s No. 4 spot after being stuck in a tie with Beneil Dariush. Makhachev certainly looks like a future king of 155 pounds, much in the same way Khabib Nurmagomedov did before him. But will the win over Green be enough to earn Makhachev a shot at the belt? After a short-notice matchup against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272 failed to come to fruition, that answer remains up in the air. After all, the specter of Conor McGregor forever looms.

Lightweight welcomed new talent as Arman Tsarukyan, top prospect at UFC Vegas was crowned in a tie for No. 11 following his bloody destruction of Joel Alvarez at UFC Vegas 49. The 25-year-old has rattled off five dominant wins since debuting with a competitive bout against Makhachev. At this rate, it may not be long until a Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev rematch is within the realm of possibility — potentially with UFC gold on the line.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 4 (tied) Islam Makhachev def. Bobby Green

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 8 Rafael dos Anjos vs. Renato Moicano (UFC 272, March 5)

Fighters also receiving votes: Drew Dober, Diego Ferreira, Bobby Green, Conor McGregor, Renato Moicano, Thiago Moises

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Featherweight

All eyes will be on Alexander Volkanovski’s fight against Chan Sung Jung and a possible championship trio bout with Max Holloway. But, don’t forget about March’s featherweight options.

Arnold Allen has long been one of the division’s overlooked contenders due to inactivity (he’s fought twice in a calendar year just once since 2014) and a lack of marquee opponents, but 8-0 in the UFC is still 8-0 in the UFC. He welcomes the rangy Dan Hooker back to the featherweight division on March 19, as Hooker looks to jump-start his career after facing a murderer’s row of opponents at 155 pounds.

And this Saturday, Edson Barboza will defend his No. 13 spot against Bryce Mitchell, an undefeated up-and-comer at 145 pounds. If Mitchell gets the better of the grappler vs. striker matchup, look to see his name featured in next month’s rankings update.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 11 Arnold Allen vs. No. 13 LW Dan Hooker (UFC London, March 19), No. 13 Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell (UFC 272, March 5)

Fighters also receiving votes: Adam Borics, Shane Burgos, Mads Burnell, Magomedrasul Khasbulaev, Bryce Mitchell, Aaron Pico, Ilia Topuria

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Bantamweight

For the second month in a row there’s little to report at 135 pounds, as the most important bantamweight matchup is still a month away. Fingers crossed, the always fickle MMA Gods keep their meddling paws off the April 9 UFC 273 co-main event and we finally get to see Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan settle the score. This is necessary for the good of the division. There are a few challengers, such as Jose Aldo (featherweight champion), Merab Dvalishvili (bantamweight champion), and T.J. Dillashaw.

Also looming on the horizon is the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix, which still does not have a targeted start date. Presumably, officials are waiting for top guns Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi to be ready before booking anything, which is smart, because a potential rematch between the two will be one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year (that year being 2023, most likely). Even if the Pettis-Horiguchi final is canceled, this bracket will provide many fun fights as well as possibly bumping a few people up in rankings.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 11 Marlon Moraes vs. Song Yadong (UFC Vegas 50, March 12)

Fighters also receiving votes: Frankie Edgar, Cody Garbrandt, Patchy Mix, Said Nurmagomedov, Hiromasa Ougikubo, Ricky Simon, Song Yadong, Raufeon Stots

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Flyweight

Pay close attention to the buzzing sound of flyweights.

March sees three of the world’s best 125ers in action, with No. 3 Adriano Moraes returning to action for the first time since his stunning knockout of all-time great Demetrious Johnson last April, No. 4 Johnson competing in a custom rules (half MMA/half kickboxing) bout against Rodtang Jitmuangon, and No. 5 Askar Askarov facing No. 9 Kai Kara-France for the chance to potentially be Deiveson Figueiredo’s next challenger (assuming Figueiredo doesn’t run it back with Brandon Moreno one more time).

Since Johnson’s departure from the UFC, the division that he ruled over for the majority of the 2010s has only become more competitive, and its exciting to see a healthy debate around who is truly the best in the world at 125 pounds right now. Your contributions to “Mighty Mouse” are never forgotten. Now go and have your freak show fun.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 3 Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (ONE Championship: One X, March 26), No. 4 Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon (ONE Championship: One X, March 26, custom rules bout), No. 5 Askar Askarov vs. No. 9 Kai Kara-France (UFC Columbus, March 26), No. 10 Matheus Nicolau vs. No. 13 David Dvorak, No. 15 Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (UFC 272, March 5)

Fighters also receiving votes: Amir Albazi, Ali Bagautinov, Danny Kingad, Jeff Molina, Matt Schnell

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Women’s Bantamweight

The good news: We’re getting Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2!

The bad news: You’re going to have to wait for them to coach The Ultimate Fighter 30 first.

In fairness to everyone involved, the reigning bantamweight champion already said she wasn’t expecting to book a fight with Nunes until the summer, and the airing of TUF 30 should fit that timeline, so the long-running reality show isn’t actually delaying the rematch. If anything, it gives the budding rivals plenty of time to build anticipation for a fight that was lacking hype the first time. The whole dynamic is changing with Pena being hunted.

On a side note, happy trails to Alexis Davis, who fought out her contract with a win over Julija Stoliarenko at UFC Vegas 47 and was not re-signed. The one-time UFC title challenger has been a stalwart at 135 pounds and it’s a shame to not see her stick around in such a depleted division. You can be sure that Davis will put on an impressive show no matter where she ends up.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 15 Alexis Davis def. Julija Stoliarenko

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 9 Sara McMann vs. No. 11 Karol Rosa (UFC Columbus, March 26)

Fighters also receiving votes: Jessica-Rose Clark, Stephanie Egger

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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Women’s Flyweight

This is it: Valentina Shevchenko will be fighting for her next title.

Shevchenko will fight for the No. 1 spot in MMA Fighting’s first report. 8 Taila Santos at UFC 275 on June 11. One could argue that’s a quick jump into the title picture for Santos, but consider that Shevchenko has vanquished all but one of the contenders from No. 2 to No. 7 (that one being Bellator champion Juliana Velasquez) and you’ll realize that Santos is the logical option. “Bullet” has stated many times that her priority is staying active and racking up title defenses — so Santos, you’re the next woman up.

Meanwhile, the lower third of the rankings is heating up with blue-chippers Casey O’Neill, Erin Blanchfield, and Manon Fiorot all claiming spots. O’Neill, MMA Fighting’s 2021 Rookie of the Year, made a strong statement with a decision nod over Roxanne Modafferi in “The Happy Warrior’s” retirement bout at UFC 271, but Fiorot could vault over her peers this Saturday.

With veteran Jessica Eye forced out of their scheduled UFC 272 bout, Fiorot has been given a massive opportunity — and challenge — in the form of No. 6 Jennifer Maia. Should Fiorot knock off the one-time UFC title challenger, it will advance her championship timetable considerably, and who knows, she could soon be next to face either Shevchenko or Santos.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): No. 14 Casey O’Neill def. Roxanne Modafferi

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 6 Jennifer Maia vs. No. 15 (tied) Manon Fiorot (UFC Columbus, March 26), No. 10 Joanne Wood vs. No. 14 Alexa Grasso (UFC Columbus, March 26)

Fighters also receiving votes: Maycee Barber, Cynthia Calvillo, Jessica Eye, Melissa Gatto, Miranda Maverick, Vanessa Porto

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Strawweight

Let’s just say it: Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan should be on the UFC 272 main card.

Despite the fact that Rodriguez is well-prepared to challenge Esparza, it was determined that one of two leading contenders for Rose Namajunas, the other being the poorly forgotten Carla Esparza, should be placed in the middle. If you’re wondering why the UFC struggles to build stars, illogical card placement certainly doesn’t help.

Add to that the insulting fact Greg Hardy, heavyweight who will never be Greg Hardy, has been somehow inserted into a main-card spot.

Regardless, Rodriguez will strengthen the argument that she is a future champion, or Yan — who won her first six UFC fights before being stopped by Esparza — could upset the apple cart with a much-needed bounce-back performance. Either way, these fighters deserve more respect, and you can bet that they’ll prove that on Saturday.

February results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown): None

March bouts featuring ranked fighters: No. 4 Marina Rodriguez vs. No. 6 Yan Xiaonan (UFC 272, March 5)

Fighters also receiving votes: Emily Ducote, Kanako Murata, Stamp Fairtex