Men's Pound-for-Pound rankings.
The top 15 fighters pound-for-pound by the First Light Rating, a skill score built from in-cage performance and results, with each one’s First Light Index: fame against what that skill predicts. Islam Makhachev leads at 2,204.
Movement since 25 Aug 2026 · Updated · All divisions
Men's Pound-for-Pound
| Rank | Fighter | FLRFirst Light Ratingmeasure of true skill | FLIFirst Light Indexfame compared to skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Islam Makhachev Welterweight 1 | 2,204 | +0.23▼ −0.02 |
| 2 | Jon Jones Heavyweight 1 | 2,201 | +0.11— |
| 3 | Ciryl Gane Heavyweight 1 | 2,141 | +0.01— |
| 4 | A.J. McKee Featherweight 3 | 2,141 | −0.47▼ −0.05 |
| 5 | Carlos Ulberg Light Heavyweight | 2,130 | −0.25▼ −0.04 |
| 6 | Vadim Nemkov Heavyweight | 2,127 | −0.48— |
| 7 | Usman Nurmagomedov Lightweight 2 | 2,114 | +0.11▼ −0.05 |
| 8 | Rajabali Shaidullaev Featherweight 23 | 2,110 | −0.60Last 23 days: −0.44 → −0.60 |
| 9 | Yaroslav Amosov Welterweight 2 | 2,104 | −0.22— |
| 10 | Alexander Volkov Heavyweight 2 | 2,104 | −0.04▲ +0.02 |
| 11 | Francis Ngannou Heavyweight 1 | 2,101 | +0.45— |
| 12 | Arman Tsarukyan Lightweight 16 | 2,100 | +0.59▼ −0.08 |
| 13 | Magomed Ankalaev Light Heavyweight 13 | 2,098 | +0.17▼ −0.13 |
| 14 | Khamzat Chimaev Middleweight 11 | 2,098 | +0.60▲ +0.18 |
| 15 | Corey Anderson Light Heavyweight 3 | 2,094 | −0.51— |
Better than their audience knows.
- Rajabali ShaidullaevFLR 8th−0.60
- Corey AndersonFLR 15th−0.51
- Vadim NemkovFLR 6th−0.48
Bigger names than their skill predicts.
- Khamzat ChimaevFLR 14th+0.60
- Arman TsarukyanFLR 12th+0.59
- Francis NgannouFLR 11th+0.45
Data Credit: First Light Observatory.
How the FLR and FLI are measured · Download every division (CSV) · First Light may hold interests in athletes covered by the Index.