Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, [1] wrestling, [2] or mixed martial arts, [3] of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete directly, judging the best fighter pound for pound is subjective, and ratings vary.
In boxing, the term was historically associated with fighters such as Benny Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson who were widely considered to be the most skilled fighters of their day, to distinguish them from the generally more popular (and better compensated) heavyweight champions. [4] Since 1990, The Ring magazine has maintained a pound for pound ranking of fighters. [4]
Some mixed martial arts promotions have pound-for-pound rankings, including Ultimate Fighting Championship since 2013, ONE Championship since 2020, [5] and Bellator MMA since 2021. [6] [7] There are also multiple unofficial MMA pound-for-pound rankings, including by ESPN.com, [8] Sherdog, [9] [10] Fight Matrix, [11] [12] MMA Fighting [13] and Tapology. [14] [15]
ONE Championship publishes pound-for-pound rankings for kickboxing and Muay Thai since 2020. [5] Combat Press and Beyond Kickboxing also publish pound-for-pound rankings for kickboxing. [16] [17]
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993.
Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a mixed martial arts promotion. It is considered one of the first true mixed martial arts competitions, with its Vale Tudo Japan events being essential to the rise of Pride Fighting Championships and the development of modern MMA. Many Japanese MMA fighters had their start at Shooto and the organization still holds both professional and amateur tournaments.
Sergei Valerievich Kharitonov is a Russian professional boxer, mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Kharitonov has previously fought in Japanese MMA organizations PRIDE Fighting Championships & DREAM, Bellator MMA, M-1 Global, Strikeforce, and GLORY.
Peter Graham is an Australian karateka, kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist.
Holly Holm is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she is a former Women's Bantamweight Champion. Also a former professional boxer, Holm was a multiple-time world champion, defending her titles 18 times in three weight classes, and a two-time Ring magazine fighter of the year. She is ranked by BoxRec as the 12th greatest female professional boxer of all time, pound for pound.
Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. Alexander is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and traditional kickboxing. He trains at the "Saturn Profi" sports club in Omsk, Russia, and holds a degree in Physical Culture at the Siberian University of Physical Culture. Shlemenko is ranked as the #8 Middleweight in the world by Fight!Magazine and #22 Middleweight according to global-mma.com rankings.
Viktor Aleksandrovich Nemkov is a Russian sambist, judoka competitor and mixed martial artist. Nemkov won the 2011 World Sambo Championships in Combat Sambo. He is the older brother of Vadim Nemkov.
Alex Sandro Silva Pereira is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Middleweight Champion. He is the ninth fighter in UFC history to become champion in two different weight divisions and the first to become champion in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the organization. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory middleweight and light heavyweight champion, and is the first and only fighter to have held Glory titles in two weight classes simultaneously. Pereira also competed in promotions such as It's Showtime and SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship in kickboxing, and for Jungle Fight and Legacy Fighting Alliance in MMA. As of 20 February 2024, he is #4 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Pereira is the only known fighter to be a two-division world champion in MMA and kickboxing and is regarded as one of the greatest combat athletes of all time.
Rafael Carvalho de Souza is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As of December 2017, Carvalho is tied with Alexander Shlemenko for most title defenses in the division's history. He also won the Smash Fight middleweight championship in 2013.
Anthony Johnson Jr. is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat where he is the former ACA Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2008, Johnson has formerly competed for Bellator MMA, ONE Fighting Championship, Fight Nights Global, and King of the Cage. He is the former KOTC Heavyweight Champion. He is ranked #6 in the ACA heavyweight rankings.
Daniel Preston Hooker is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Hooker was the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Champion. As of April 16, 2024, he is #11 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer. As a mixed martial artist, he currently competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory Middleweight Championship title challenger. As of 23 January 2024, he is #2 in the UFC middleweight rankings, and as of 30 April 2024, he is #11 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Featherweight Champion. He is also a former Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) Featherweight champion. Prior to his UFC debut, Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015. As of 20 February 2024, he is #1 in the UFC featherweight rankings and as of 16 April 2024, he is #7 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Kyle Prepolec is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who most recently competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Lightweight division. He is the current SMMA Lightweight Champion and had previously won the BTC Catchweight Championship and the TXC Lightweight Championship. He is the #146 current Best Lightweight MMA Fighter.
Sinead Kavanagh is an Irish female mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Bellator MMA. Fight Matrix had her ranked #10 Women's Featherweight from April 2021 till July 2021, and March 2022. She is currently ranked #8 in the World.
Josh Hill is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. Hill competed for such promotions as Bellator MMA, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Real Xtreme Fighting (RXF), and TKO Major League MMA. Hill also appeared on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Mikuru Asakura is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also competed for Road Fighting Championship, Fighting Network Rings and DEEP.
Kate Jackson is a British retired mixed martial artist, most notable for fighting for Bellator MMA, where she challenged for the promotion's flyweight championship, and on The Ultimate Fighter 23, losing to eventual TUF 23 winner Tatiana Suarez.
Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was renamed to Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC) after Nurmagomedov bought Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC) for $1 million.
Olga Rubin is a Russian-born Israeli female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. A professional since 2016, she fought in Bellator MMA, most notably fighting for the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship.