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Welcome back, Jon Jones. After dethroning Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, the light heavyweight champ vaults up the Championship Rankings - and into the top spot. If he hadn’t been suspended, he probably would have been up there the entire time. It’s good to have the GOAT back. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the champs line up behind him.
As a reminder, these rankings answer one simple question: Which champ is the “safest” in their respective divisions? Any UFC odds available for upcoming title fights are also listed for your convenience.
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Honorable Mention
Cristiane Justino
Women’s Bantamweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: None
Technically, Justino is the safest champ in the UFC. but she’s the queen of a weight class that barely exists. There’s just no fair way to rank her, but she has to be mentioned at the least.
1. Jon Jones
Light Heavyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Jon Jones -350 vs. Brock Lesnar +265
Biggest Threats: Alexander Gustafsson
Jones overtakes Demetrious Johnson, but they might as well be 1 and 1a. The fact that T.J. Dillashaw is willing to come down to 125 to challenge “Mighty Mouse” was a deciding factor - he’s a much more dangerous threat to DJ than any other light heavyweight is to Jones.
2. Demetrious Johnson
Flyweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 215, September 9
Demetrious Johnson -850 vs. Ray Borg +525
Biggest Threats: T.J. Dillashaw
DJ can beat Anderson Silva’s record for most title defenses when he squares off against Ray Borg in a few weeks. If he chooses to keep avoiding Dillashaw, we could see him back in the top spot - there’s literally nobody else left for him to beat.
3. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Women’s Strawweight
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: Claudia Gadelha
J-Check turned back Jessica Andrade with ease, making Gadelha the only true threat in her division. Next up for the Polish powerhouse is Rose Namajunas, and the champ should rightfully be a huge favorite in that matchup.
4. Max Holloway
Featherweight
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: Frankie Edgar
The young Hawaiian has a big test in Frankie Edgar coming up, but after that the waters calm down. Really, which top contender hasn’t he beaten already?
5. Tyron Woodley
Welterweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler
Woodley might not be the most exciting champ, but his effectiveness cannot be denied. When he turns it on, there’s not a single welterweight that can physically compete with him. The problem is he rarely turns it on - and it could cost him the belt one day.
6. Amanda Nunes
Women’s Bantamweight
Next Fight: UFC 215, September 9
Amanda Nunes -105 vs. Valentina Shevchenko -125
Nunes might be the underdog against Valentina Shevchenko, but it’s really a tossup fight. If she gets past Shevchenko, there isn’t really anyone else in the division she has to worry about.
7. Stipe Miocic
Heavyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: Cain Velasquez, Francis Ngannou
Miocic is still waiting for his next opponent, but his biggest threats are still off in the distance. Cain Velasquez is still hurt, and Francis Ngannou has to get past Junior dos Santos. He’s already beaten the other top contenders.
8. Conor McGregor
Lightweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson
If and when McGregor comes back, he’ll have been away for more than a year and training for an entirely different sport. He’ll also have some real killers waiting to welcome him back to the octagon.
9. Cody Garbrandt
Bantamweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 217, November 4
Cody Garbrandt -145 vs. TJ Dillashaw +115
It’s getting harder and harder to rank Garbrandt - he won the title with an exceptional performance and hasn’t been back in the cage since. If his back is really messed up, can he be the same fighter?
10. Michael Bisping
Middleweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 217, November 14
Biggest Threat: Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker
Bisping gets GSP next, but when he actually faces a real middleweight contender, like interim champ Robert Whittaker, that’ll likely be the end of his reign.
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