Islam Makhachev has named his very own UFC pound-for-pound list, with some controversial omissions.
The former UFC Lightweight Champion put himself at #1 in the list, with no room for Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili or Khamzat Chimaev in the top five.
Islam Makhachev Names Controversial Pound-For-Pound Top 5
Former UFC lightweight king and Russian MMA phenom Islam Makhachev has revealed his very own top five UFC pound-for-pound list.
As it stands, Makhachev is currently ranked at #2 in the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings behind Ilia Topuria, but has put himself top of the pile in his very own list.
There is an argument that Makhachev could still be the best P4P fighter in MMA, but as far as the official rankings go this isn’t the case. That being said, he could climb back to the summit after this weekend if he becomes a two-weight UFC champion and defeats Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322.
Should he beat ‘JDM’, the likelihood is that he will climb back to the top of the official P4P rankings. In the meantime, Makhachev has ranked himself at the top of his very own pound-for-pound list.
The Dagestani fighter sat down with popular YouTuber Adin Ross in a recent interview, revealing who he currently feels are the five best pound-for-pound fighters on the entire UFC roster.
With Makhachev putting himself at the top of the list, he ranked UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja at #2. The Brazilian is ranked #5 in the official P4P rankings, but Makhachev feels he should be higher.
At number three is heavyweight king Tom Aspinall. Aspinall has earned over £17,850 per strike landed in the UFC, and it’s evident that Makhachev rates him highly.
Alexander Volkanovski makes it at #4 in Makhachev’s list. This no surprise given he is a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion and also faced Islam twice before.
The 34-year-old then reluctantly ranked Ilia Topuria at #5 in his own P4P list, which means he has left out three of the official top six in the real rankings.
Islam Makhachev's top 5 pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC right now
1) Islam Makhachev
2) Alexandre Pantoja
3) Tom Aspinall
4) Alexander Volkanovski
5) Ilia Topuria(via @adinross) pic.twitter.com/06VdsVIkzt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 11, 2025
No Room For Alex Pereira, Merab Dvalishvili Or Khamzat Chimaev In Islam Makhachev’s P4P Top 5
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Islam Makhachev’s pound-for-pound list. Many MMA fans feel he has omitted some of the biggest names in MMA and best fighters on the roster.
For starters, two-weight UFC king and two-time light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira hasn’t made Makhachev’s top five. This is a controversial decision in many people’s books, with ‘Poatan’ widely regarded as one of the best fighters on the planet.
Middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is ranked at #4 in the UFC P4P rankings, but doesn’t make the cut when it comes to Makhachev’s top five. This is somewhat of a surprise given the Russian connection between Chimaev and Makhachev.
Perhaps the biggest omission from Islam’s pound-for-pound list is that of UFC Bantamweight Title holder Merab Dvalishvili.
The current 135-pound king is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world. Period. Dvalishvili has won 14 straight fights since losing his first two UFC bouts back-to-back. He is now entering his fifth successive UFC Bantamweight Title fight at UFC 323.
Should he win at UFC 323 in December, ‘The Machine’ will have successfully defended his belt four times in the space of one calendar year. He could set a new bantamweight tile defence record should he beat Petr Yan at UFC 323.
Makhachev’s omission of Dvalishvili from his top five UFC pound-for-pound list is a highly controversial decision.
Now, Islam Makhachev has business to attend to on Saturday night as he takes on Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC Welterweight Title in the UFC 322 main event. A lot of UFC 322 predictions are favouring Makhachev to win, but several active fighters have picked ‘JDM’ to defeat the Dagestani fighter too.
Islam Makhachev’s UFC Pound-For-Pound Top 5 List
- Islam Makhachev
- Alexandre Pantoja
- Tom Aspinall
- Alexander Volkanovski
- Ilia Topuria
