MMA pound-for-pound rankings (March 2026): Is Charles Oliveira a top-10 fighter in the world?

Charles Oliveira reminded everyone that he’s one of the best to ever do it with his BMF-clenching title performance against Max Holloway at UFC 326. Now the winner of back-to-back fights, Oliveira finds himself vying for another crack at lightweight champ Ilia Topuria, who is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje at the UFC White House event in June.

Was Oliveira’s triumph good enough to regain entry into the men’s top 10 in Uncrowned’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings? Turns out we have a tough set of gavels on the board of voters, and “Do Bronx” is still on the outside looking in.

Advertisement

The panel of Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, Shaheen Al-Shatti, Petesy Carroll, Drake Riggs, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks have ranked both the men’s and women’s pound-for-pound best, one through 10, using a weighted points system to determine the final rankings (being voted No. 1 equals 10 points, No. 2 equals nine points, down to No. 10 equaling one point).

Our only criterion for these monthly rankings is that a fighter has competed within at least a calendar year of the publication date or has at least had a fight booked within that window. If a fighter hasn’t competed in a year and books a fight after that time, he or she is once again eligible to be voted back in. Fighters who retire are no longer eligible for the rankings.

Advertisement

Though most of the best fighters are currently in the UFC, these rankings are not UFC exclusive. We take into consideration all the major promotions, from Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.

Without further ado, here are Uncrowned’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings for March 2026!

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Islam Makhachev — UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 1)

According to Islam’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, they were talking about a big-time fight for the next welterweight title defense, and Ian Machado Garry’s name wasn’t among those being considered. Does that mean the 26-year-old Michael Morales is getting the nod, or do UFC matchmakers have something up their sleeves?

Advertisement

2. Ilia Topuria — UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 2)

Well, it’s official. Topuria will be fighting in the UFC White House main event against the masquerading interim lightweight champ, Justin Gaethje. On paper, this looks like another squash match in favor of “El Matador,” who already wiped the floor with both BMF competitors from UFC 326, Holloway and Oliveira.

3. Khamzat Chimaev — UFC middleweight champion (Prev: 3)

Sentiment has grown steadily in favor of seeing Sean Strickland get the next crack at Chimaev’s 185-pound title, and if the version of Strickland who beat Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez shows up, it could be interesting. Then again, for a great many MMA fans Chimaev would be performing a public service to torture the polarizing challenger.

Advertisement

4. Alexandre Pantoja — Former UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 4)

Speaking of torture, it might be a little hard for Pantoja to stand by and watch the young Joshua Van defend the flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira in April. The good news is that all roads lead back to Pantoja, as he was the reigning champ before the unfortunate injury changed a great many fates at UFC 323.

5. Alexander Volkanovski — UFC featherweight champion (Prev: 5)

You could tell it bothered “Volk” as much as the seasoned view that Diego Lopes didn’t cage cut more against him, just to make life a little harder. As it stands, Volkanovski’s first title defense of his second reign was a breeze, and now we wait to see if it’s Movsar Evloev of Lerone Murphy coming for his crown.

6. Tom Aspinall — UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 6)

Of all the wild happenings in MMA over the past week, Aspinall’s signing with Eddie Hearn’s new managerial arm might’ve been the most cunning. There’s some bad blood between the UFC brass and Aspinall, the latter of whom is still unsure of his timeline for return after the eye injuries. He’ll sit tight while Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane battle for the interim heavyweight title at the White House.

Advertisement

7. Petr Yan — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 7)

It was a little bit of a surprise to see top contender Sean O’Malley draw an assignment at the White House card against Aiemann Zahabi rather than get matched up with Yan. Does that mean they are rolling with the trilogy fight between Yan and Merab Dvalishvili? There are no wrong answers here. That division is fun right now.

8. Alex Pereira — UFC light heavyweight champion (Prev: 8)

Listen man, it’s not Pereira’s fault that his historic bid to become the UFC’s first three-division champion lands against Ciryl Gane, the heavyweight embodiment of a consolation prize. The UFC and Jon Jones couldn’t get on the same page, which is a situation that requires more space than this blurb will allow. In any case, Pereira is on the verge of history no matter how you slice it.

Advertisement

9. Merab Dvalishvili — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 9)

Merab was front and center at UFC 326, and he got a big pop when they showed him on the jumbotron. The fact that he’s emerged as a fan favorite is likely helping his case to get back to title fights straight away, but it’s good to see him relaxing after that impossible schedule he kept in 2025.

10. Arman Tsarukyan — UFC lightweight contender (Prev: 10)

Give Tsarukyan credit for being a good sport. He showed up to UFC 326 wearing symbolic handcuffs, which was meant to convey the situation he finds himself in. With Topuria set to face Gaethje in June, Tsarukyan is left in a familiar purgatory, even as his star power grows. Did that little brouhaha at RAF hurt his chances of a title shot in 2026? As far as his fan base is concerned, it only helped him.

Advertisement

(Others receiving votes: Jack Della Madallena)

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Valentina Shevchenko — UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 1)

All this talk of BMF titles can’t help but make you wonder who would fit the bill in the women’s ranks. That list starts with Valentina Shevchenko, who’d been fighting professionally since Oliveira and Holloway were still pups. Only problem is she’s still the unoverthrowable queen of the women’s flyweight ranks, which disqualifies her from the fictional world of BMF.

2. Kayla Harrison — UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 2)

If it wasn’t a bummer enough that Harrison had to postpone her colossal women’s GOAT fight with Amanda Nunes, she won’t be ready in time for the big White House card either. It would have been nice to have an American gold medalist in a spot to pay such patriotic dividends, but right now getting her back strong and healthy is the priority.

Advertisement

3. Zhang Weili — Former UFC strawweight champion (Prev: 3)

The warden of the strawweight ranks will be returning soon, and that’s not great news for the likes of Mackenzie Dern. Yet you wonder a little bit if Zhang will have a hangover from the Shevchenko onslaught. That’s the kind of experience that stays with a fighter, especially as they tilt north of 35 years old.

4. Cris Cyborg — PFL women’s featherweight champion (Prev: 4)

There has to be a pang of envy for the 40-year-old Cyborg seeing Ronda Rousey get booked against Gina Carano in what’s being labeled a fight between the pioneers of the women’s ranks. Cyborg belongs in that conversation too, as it was her who sent Carano packing to Hollywood with that famed 2009 beatdown.

Advertisement

5. Dakota Ditcheva — PFL flyweight contender (Prev: 5)

Somebody asked the question on Uncrowned’s “The Craic” — would the UFC consider trading Arman Tsarukyan for Dakota Ditcheva? At first we laughed, as Tsarukyan is in such high standing with the fan base. Then again, Dana doesn’t have much love for Tsarukyan going back to that eleventh hour pull out against Islam Makhachev. And Dakota is a star that could bring back excitement to the women’s ranks. It’ll never happen, but … what an idea.

6. Natalia Silva — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 6)

Look, it wasn’t pretty, but Silva did enough to get the job done against Rose Namajunas to (presumably) get her shot at Shevchenko. Silva has a lot going for her as she nears the defining moment of her career — she’s just 28 years old, she’s on a 14-fight winning streak, and she’s mean when they lock up the cage. Mean enough to be queen?

Advertisement

7T. Mackenzie Dern — UFC strawweight champion (Prev: 7T)

Dern, like half the UFC roster, was in Vegas for UFC 326. Right now they can flash her up on the screen as the women’s strawweight champion, and it’s a true enough statement. But the real work is coming for her in the form of former champ Zhang Weili. If Dern can handle that 115-pound tyrant, it won’t feel like she’s masquerading with anyone’s belt.

7T. Manon Fiorot — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 7T)

What the UFC does next with Manon Fiorot, your guess is as good as ours. The one thing we know is she’s an unsung menace, and even at 36 years old she feels like a serious threat to win a title. Does she get Shevchenko next? Or a title eliminator against Natalia Silva? Or another stay-busy fight to make the case stronger? In any case, don’t sleep on “The Beast.”

Advertisement

9. Seika Izawa — RIZIN super atomweight champion (Prev: 9)

Izawa subbed Rena Kubota at the end-of-the-year RIZIN show with a guillotine in the second round to run her record to perfect 18-0. What’s wild is that she’s scored submissions in seven of her last 10 bouts, which is why the word “phenom” is used so frequently when describing the 28-year-old champ.

10. Erin Blanchfield — UFC flyweight contender (Prev: 10)

Will 2026 be the year of “Cold Blooded” Erin Blanchfield? Just like with Fiorot, where she stands in the pecking order with Silva and Fiorot hovering around is unclear. The good news is that at just 26 years old, Blanchfield can afford to let the dust settle and just keep beating whoever the UFC puts in front of her. Here’s guessing she’d love to avenge that loss to Fiorot if she can’t get a title shot in the next six months.

Advertisement

(Others receiving votes: Maycee Barber, Virna Jandiroba, Liz Carmouche)

Here’s how we voted:

SHAHEEN AL-SHATTI

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Tom Aspinall

5. Khamzat Chimaev

6. Alex Pereira

7. Alexander Volkanovski

8. Petr Yan

9. Merab Dvalishvili

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Seika Izawa

6. Natalia Silva

7. Dakota Ditcheva

8. Mackenzie Dern

9. Maycee Barber

10. Manon Fiorot

CONNER BURKS

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Petr Yan

5. Alexandre Pantoja

6. Alexander Volkanovski

7. Tom Aspinall

8. Alex Pereira

Advertisement

9. Merab Dvalishvili

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Cris Cyborg

4. Zhang Weili

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Natalia Silva

7. Manon Fiorot

8. Seika Izawa

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Erin Blanchfield

PETESY CARROLL

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Alexandre Pantoja

5. Tom Aspinall

6. Alex Pereira

7. Alexander Volkanovski

8. Petr Yan

9. Arman Tsarukyan

10. Merab Dvalishvili

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Zhang Weili

3. Kayla Harrison

4. Dakota Ditcheva

5. Cris Cyborg

6. Mackenzie Dern

7. Natalia Silva

8. Manon Fiorot

9. Erin Blanchfield

10. Maycee Barber

BEN FOWLKES

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

Advertisement

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Merab Dvalishvili

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Alex Pereira

6. Alexander Volkanovski

7. Alexandre Pantoja

8. Tom Aspinall

9. Petr Yan

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Zhang Weili

3. Kayla Harrison

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Erin Blanchfield

7. Natalia Silva

8. Manon Fiorot

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Maycee Barber

ERIC JACKMAN

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Petr Yan

6. Merab Dvalishvili

7. Alex Pereira

8. Alexander Volkanovski

9. Tom Aspinall

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Manon Fiorot

Advertisement

6. Natalia Silva

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Dakota Ditcheva

9. Erin Blanchfield

10. Virna Jandiroba

CHUCK MINDENHALL

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Khamzat Chimaev

4. Alexandre Pantoja

5. Alexander Volkanovski

6. Tom Aspinall

7. Petr Yan

8. Merab Dvalishvili

9. Alex Pereira

10. Arman Tsarukyan

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Kayla Harrison

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Dakota Ditcheva

6. Manon Fiorot

7. Erin Blanchfield

8. Natalia Silva

9. Mackenzie Dern

10. Maycee Barber

DRAKE RIGGS

MEN

1. Islam Makhachev

2. Ilia Topuria

3. Alexandre Pantoja

4. Khamzat Chimaev

5. Petr Yan

6. Alexander Volkanovski

7. Tom Aspinall

8. Alex Pereira

Advertisement

9. Merab Dvalishvili

10. Jack Della Maddalena

WOMEN

1. Valentina Shevchenko

2. Seika Izawa

3. Zhang Weili

4. Cris Cyborg

5. Kayla Harrison

6. Natalia Silva

7. Mackenzie Dern

8. Virna Jandiroba

9. Liz Carmouche

10. Dakota Ditcheva