UFC Heavyweight rankings: Who is the best heavyweight in the world right now? (original) (raw)

Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC heavyweight rankings are one of the most popular lists in the sport. Despite the big guys not being the quickest and most technical, the weight class remains a favorite because of the consistent knockouts that come from the most powerful fighters in the sport. However, unlike generations past, the current crop of elite heavyweights are some of the most talented that the industry has ever seen.

Related: UFC Tonight – Fight card, betting odds, and watch times for the next UFC event

With that in mind, let’s take a look at where the best of the best land in the official Sportsnaut.com UFC heavyweight rankings.

10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-5)

Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

While “Bigi Boy” may never fight for a UFC title one day, he has remained a top 15-level heavyweight throughout his UFC career. After a round that saw him lose five of eight, he has gotten back on track in 2024 and has scored back-to-back wins that get him back in our top 10.

Related: Sean O’Malley next fight – Who will “Suga” face in his UFC return?

9. Derrick Lewis (28-12)

Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

A three-fight losing streak knocked Derrick Lewis out of the top 10 for the first time in a few years. However, He has won two of his last three and moved his UFC knockout record to 23 with a nasty victory in May. While he may never get a title shot again, his scary power is still elite and returns him to the rankings of the 10 best heavyweights in the world.

8. Serghei Spivac (17-4)

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

After losing two of his first three in the organization, Sergey Spivak rounded into a very talented competitor in the UFC heavyweight division. Scoring notable wins over battle-tested veterans like Augusto Sakai and Alexey Oleynik during a run of five victories in six bouts.

He received the biggest opportunity of his career with a main event matchup against Ciryl Gane in France. Unfortunately, he was unable to overcome the Frenchman and saw his win streak end. Yet, he showed his elite talent by bouncing back with a dominant submission win over fellow top 10 fighter Marcin Tybura in August.

7. Jailton Almeida (20-3)

Jailton Almeida seemed the next big thing in the heavyweight division. Even before he competed in a 2021 edition of The Contender Series, the Brazilian won eight straight, all by finishes. He has continued that white-hot run with six more wins and finishes in the fabled UFC Octagon.

However, reality finally set in at UFC 299 when his vaunted grappling failed him and led to a definitive loss to Curtis Blaydes. In one moment his likely title hopes for 2024 were dashed.

Also Read: Former UFC Champ Frank Mir Tells Wild Jon Jones Story Of When He Realized ‘Bones’ Was No Normal Human

6. Sergei Pavlovich (18-3)

Sergei Pavlovich has been an absolute crushing machine during much of his UFC career. After a loss to Alistair Overeem in his debut, he reeled off six straight wins and all of those victories came by way of a devastating knockout. Unfortunately, he is now in the midst of his first losing skid after being knocked out by Tom Aspinall last year, and then suffering a frustrating decision loss to Alexander Volkov in June.

UFC heavyweight rankings top-5

5. Curtis Blaydes (18-4)

While there have been some very tough losses in the career of Curtis Blaydes, he has remained a top-five level heavyweight for much of the last half-decade. At UFC 299, he had an opportunity to finally right his big-fight wrongs and did so in a major way when he handed Jailton Almeida his first loss in the Octagon.

The win moved “Razor” in a UFC 304 title fight against Tom Aspinall. Unfortunately, his big fight curse returned and after a strong start suffered a TKO loss in Round 1. Where he goes next is unclear.

Also Read: Conor McGregor next fight – When will “Notorious” make his UFC return?

4. Alexander Volkov (37-10)

Alexander Volkov has been a top-level MMA heavyweight for a long time. While he has been unable to earn a UFC title shot, he has remained a stalwart of the top 10 for years. However, he may now be one win away from a long sought-after championship opportunity after he moved his current win streak to four straight when he scored an impressive victory over former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich in June.

Related: How UFC scoring works – Everything you need to know about how to win inside the Octagon

3. Ciryl Gane (11-2)

Ciryl Gane is the best heavyweight in the world not named Jon Jones of Francis Ngannou.

The Frenchman proved it once in an impressive display of his amazing striking talents against Tuivasa in the UFC Paris 2022 headliner and showcased why he is a special competitor. He also showed his heart by legitimately getting knocked down and hurt, but fighting back ferociously.

However, when it came time to truly prove he was the best in the division, he was dispatched easily by the new warden of heavyweight, Jon Jones, at UFC 285. In September, he was able to bounce back with a dominant main event win over Serghei Spivac in Paris. The win proved he was still an elite talent and kept him in the title hunt.

Also Read: Khamzat Chimaev next fight – Details on ‘Borz’s’ next scrap in the Octagon

2. Jon Jones (27-1)

Well, after dominating the light heavyweight division for just over a decade, it did not take long for Jon Jones to usurp control at heavyweight. At UFC 285 the MMA legend jumped into the division for the first time and needed less than three minutes to beat former interim champion Ciryl Gane and become the new division king.

The submission finish was his first fight-ender since 2018 and put the sport on notice that a motivated Jon Jones is still a terrifying talent inside the Octagon.

The promotion great was set to headline UFC 295 in a historic matchup with Stipe Miocic, however, he tore his pectoral tendon while training for the bout. He is expected to miss as much as eight months. The injury follows a three-year period away from the sport as he built his body up for the move from light heavyweight to heavyweight.

Also Read: Jon Jones next fight – When will the MMA GOAT be back in action?

1. Tom Aspinall (14-3)

Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. While the current title he holds is an interim belt, with all due respect to lineal champion Jon Jones, Aspinall has beaten many of the best fighters in the division for the last three years instead of a great win in one fight.

His lone defeat in the company came after he tore knee ligaments against Curtis Blaydes. He definitively avenged that at UFC 304 when he handed “Razor” a Round 1 TKO loss. The win solidified his place as the best heavyweight on Earth right now.

Related: UFC Deaths – Taking a look into the ugly and violent side of cage fighting