Ever since his 2020 UFC debut, when he earned a trio of dominant victories in a stretch of just 65 days, Khamzat Chimaev has been the promotion’s greatest enigma as a fighter who is capable of magic in one performance only to look surprisingly human in his next amid a somewhat consistent stretch of inactivity.
At UFC 319 in Chicago last weekend, Chimaev finally put all of the pieces together in his game and even showed off five-round championship cardio in a dominant shutout victory of Dricus du Plessis to capture the UFC middleweight championship.
Chimaev’s takedowns and top control weren’t just on point, he left a fellow pound-for-pound performer, who was unbeaten in nine UFC fights, unable to find any answers as du Plessis was routinely placed in a crucifix and exposed for just how lacking he was in being able to make an adjustment.
Did Chimaev use everything in his powers to constantly seek a finish? No. So, does that mean his online critics are justified for calling him boring and anything but entertaining? Well, that doesn’t fully explain it, either.
In some ways, it felt like the 31-year-old Chimaev, who has 12 stoppages in 15 pro wins, was simply looking to send a message to the rest of the division that this type of humiliating loss was available to anyone whose ground game isn’t up to snuff. It felt somewhat similar but different to Chimaev’s breakthrough 2022 win over Gilbert Burns when he threw caution to the wind and brawled for three rounds to show the world he’s also just as capable of winning an all-action war.
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The level of entertainment that Chimaev will bring to his future fights will likely be dictated by the takedown defense and grappling skills of his opponents, which is why the future appears promising in an overloaded 185-pound title picture that contenders like Reinder de Ridder and Alexander “Fluffy” Hernandez might have the pre-requisite skills to bring out another side of the new champion.
Watching Chimaev have his way with such an accomplished champion was exciting enough on its own from the standpoint of technical dominance. He never faded or visibly gassed out despite scoring 12 takedowns over five rounds while holding top position on the ground for 21 of the fight’s 25 minutes. He also survived a brief rally from DDP in the final minute after referee Marc Goddard twice stood the fighters up for perceived inactivity, which proved to be a highly polarizing decision.
Chimaev’s first title defense could also potentially come against the winner of a September main event between top contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. But regardless of who it is, Chimaev’s villainous demeanor has gone a long way in making him one of the promotion’s biggest rising stars, as evidenced by the reactions from the Chicago crowd throughout fight week (although he was booed for portions of title win by those in attendance wishing for more sustained action).
The fact that Chimaev talked during fight week about his want to become a three-division champion in UFC is also interesting to ponder, although he might not get the chance anytime soon given that he now reigns above one of the deepest backlogs of available title contenders in the sport.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight champion
Record: 18-0 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Topuria took a massive step forward in becoming the new face of the promotion by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 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 appears on his way toward becoming the biggest MMA star since Conor McGregor.
2. Islam Makhachev — Welterweight
Record: 27-1 | Previous ranking: No. 2
Makhachev chose to vacate his 155-pound title despite the presence of former featherweight king Ilia Topuria moving up to his division. At 33, Makhachev is looking to add to his increasingly legendary résumé by competing for a title in a second weight class. He’s expected to challenge new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena this fall with a shot at equaling Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins.
3. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Record: 20-4 | Previous ranking: 3
It’s scary to think about but, at age 34, “The Machine” only continues to get better as his 135-pound title reign continues. Five months after he outpointed unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov despite an injured back, Dvalishvili submitted former champion Sean O’Malley in their June rematch at UFC 316. With cardio for days and improved striking, Dvalishvili is slowly becoming a complete fighter. He returns in October at UFC 320 against top contender Cory Sandhagen.
4. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight champions
Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: No. 10
Despite years of inactivity due to injury, illness and bad luck, Chimaev proved at UFC 319 in August just how dangerous he truly is when fully healthy. He also shut up any critics wondering if he possessed five-round cardio by utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground in a shutout decision. While many fans referred to the gameplan that Chimaev executed against DDP as boring, the performance sent a stern message to the rest of the pack at 185 pounds that Chimaev is ready to begin a new era.
5. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Record: 31-5 | Previous ranking: No. 4
Aging like a fine wine, the 35-year-old native of Brazil recorded his fourth title defense with a submission of Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 in June. The victory moved Pantoja into first place for most victories, finishes and submissions in flyweight history. A showdown against red-hot contender Joshua Van is next as Pantoja continues to add on to his legacy during this late career renaissance.
6. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion
Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: 7
A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power. A title defense against unbeaten Lerone Murphy appears to be next in December.
7. Magomed Ankalaev — Light heavyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 7
The native of Dagestan, Russia, finally got his shot at Alex Pereira’s 205-pound title at UFC 313 in March and Ankalev delivered a strong and technical performance to take the title. He also extended his unbeaten streak to an impressive 14 fights. Even though Ankalaev went 0-for-12 on takedown attempts against Pereira, he showed a well-rounded game by pressuring his opponent and landing the cleaner strikes without making a crucial mistake. An immediate rematch is set for UFC 320 in October.
8. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight
Record: 12-3 | Previous ranking: No. 9
The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger finally welcomed the well-rounded game and grappling threat of top contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. The result brought an end to Pereira’s historic run as 205-pound champion, which included three title defenses in a UFC record of just 176 days in 2024. Pereira will get a second chance when the two clash in an October rematch at UFC 320.
9. Jack Della Maddalena — Welterweight champion
Record: 24-4, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 10
Despite a 14-month layoff and close victories in his previous three fights, the Australian slugger became the class of the 170-pound division with his hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Della Maddalena showed elite boxing and footwork yet it was his takedown defense which played the biggest role in JDM conquering such a deep division. His first title defense could come against Makhachev later this year.
10. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight
Record: 22-3 | Previous ranking: 5
As impressive as du Plessis’ first nine trips to the Octagon truly were, he proved quickly out of answers in yielding his middleweight title to unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. DDP simply had nothing for Chimaev on the ground and looked like a novice despite showing toughness and a willingness to keep fighting. A late rally in the closing seconds, aided by two referee standups, wasn’t enough to save face in a one-sided dismantling.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Tom Aspinall, Umar Nurmagomedov, Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Lerone Murphy, Reinier de Ridder
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Record: 24-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
The future Hall of Famer only continued to cement her legacy even further at UFC 315 in May when she outpointed the red-hot Manon Fiorot over five rounds. The 37-year-old Shevchenko, who improved her UFC record for title wins by a female with 10, also achieved her eighth title defense by making the championship adjustments when it mattered most. A superfight against strawweight queen Zhang Weili could be on tap to close 2025.
2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion
Record: 25-3 | Previous ranking: No. 2
Zhang improved to 10-0 in the UFC against everyone not named Rose Namajunas when she dominated unbeaten Tatiana Suarez over five rounds at UFC 312 in February. At 35, Zhang only continues to round out her game while teasing aspirations of moving up to 125 pounds and attempting to become a two-division champion. Could a superfight against Valentina Shevchenko be in her future?
3. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight champion
Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: 3
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 appears to be next as MMA’s female G.O.A.T. returns to the sport at age 37. Either way, Harrison’s inspirational story of persevering provided a true feel-good moment.
4. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Record: 12-2 | Previous ranking: 4
The 35-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. Fiorot rebounded from a disastrous first round in which her nose was battered to rely on her size and clinch work against Shevchenko in a close chess match that felt like it could’ve been scored either way.
5. Natalia Silva — Flyweight
Record: 19-5-1 | Previous ranking: 5
Unbeaten in seven trips to the Octagon, Silva earned a decision in May at UFC 315 against former champion Alexa Grasso to put the 28-year-old native of Brazil in position for a possible title shot. The dynamic striker has won 13 fights in a row overall since a 2017 loss on the regional scene to Marina Rodriguez and remains a difficult test for any flyweight given her speed, feints and accurate strikes.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Virna Jandiroba, Erin Blanchfield, Julianna Pena, Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez
