Khamzat Chimaev has fallen seven positions in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings following his defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. The updated top 10 P4P rankings now show Islam Makhachev at number one, followed by Ilia Topuria, Alex Volkanovski, Alex Pereira, Petr Yan, Tom Aspinall, Merab Dvalishvili and Sean Strickland tied at seventh, Joshua Van at ninth, and Chimaev at tenth. This represents a significant decline for Chimaev, who had been ranked much higher prior to the loss.
Khamzat Chimaev has tumbled seven spots in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings following his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9, landing at tenth in the updated standings.
The defeat proved costly for Chimaev, who had previously occupied a far higher position in the all-time divisional cross-ranking. Strickland, meanwhile, earned his place in the reshuffled top ten as a result of the victory. The 35-year-old middleweight champion from the United States trains out of Xtreme Couture and carries a 31-7-0 professional record. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, Strickland is one of the most active strikers in the promotion, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy, with his output built on relentless forward pressure in an orthodox stance.
The revised pound-for-pound list places Islam Makhachev at number one. The 34-year-old Russian welterweight champion holds a 28-1-0 record and trains with Eagles MMA. Fighting out of a southpaw stance at five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach, Makhachev is a dominant grappler, averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes while connecting on 58 percent of his significant strikes. Ilia Topuria, Alex Volkanovski, and Alex Pereira follow in second, third, and fourth respectively, with Petr Yan fifth, Tom Aspinall sixth, and Merab Dvalishvili and Strickland sharing seventh.
Joshua Van enters the top ten at ninth. The 24-year-old flyweight champion from Myanmar carries a 17-2-0 record and is one of the most accurate strikers in the UFC, landing 8.84 significant strikes per minute at a 56 percent clip.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's drop to tenth reflects how heavily the P4P algorithm weights recent results, regardless of prior momentum.
- Strickland's rise to a shared seventh confirms his middleweight championship reign carries cross-divisional weight in the rankings.
- Van's appearance at ninth spotlights the flyweight division's growing prominence in the pound-for-pound conversation.
Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan
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Saturday, May 9, 2026
