For all of the talk about how much activity is the most important part of an elite fighter’s ability to stay consistent among the pound-for-pound best in the sport, Jack Della Maddalena proved on Saturday at UFC 315 that an extended layoff — if used properly to level up your game — can be just as valuable.
The 28-year-old Della Maddalena (18-2) entered his first title shot as a betting underdog largely due to the inconsistent nature of the road that led him to Montreal against defending champion Belal Muhammad, when an injury to top contender Shavkat Rahkmonov created an opening for JDM to step forward.
A native of Perth, Western Australia, Della Maddalena had been idle for a span of 14 months before facing Muhammad and was fresh off a trio of close fights: a pair of split-decision wins over late-replacement Bassil Hafez and Kevin Holland before JDM needed to rally in the final minutes to knock out Gilbert Burns while trailing on the scorecards in a fight in which he was taken down seven times and won despite suffering a broken forearm.
Fully healthy at UFC 315, Della Maddalena enjoyed his true coming-out party by relying on his elite footwork and combinations to outslug Muhammad over five rounds en route to a unanimous decision that left both swollen and battered. Yet, it was the marked improvements shown by JDM from the standpoint of takedown defense and improved grappling that opened the door for his striking to shine.
In the end, Della Maddalena not only turned the crowded welterweight division on its head, he secured his own spot in the P4P top 10. JDM is skilled, poised, durable and able to win a fight through force or by technique. And his title reign is expected to begin in the deep end of the pool as Della Maddalena’s first title defense could come against reigning lightweight champion and P4P king Islam Makhachev, with Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry, Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley jockeying behind him for the next shot in line.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev — Lightweight champion
Record: 27-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Makhachev made quick work of late replacement Renato Moicano in a first-round submission at UFC 311 in January. The victory may have been his last at 155 pounds as Makhachev, who broke the record for lightweight title defenses with the win and extended his win streak to 15 (one shy of Anderson Silva’s UFC record), appears ready to move up to welterweight now that former training partner Belal Muhammad lost the title in May to Jack Della Maddalena.
2. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight
Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: 2
Topuria, a native of Georgia who fights out of Spain, looks very much to be the next breakout star in MMA after earning fighter of the year in 2024 with knockouts of the pound-for-pound ranked Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. The former 145-pound champion surprised the MMA world when he vacated his UFC title in February to pave the way for a move up to lightweight. A vacant lightweight title bout against Charles Oliveira could be next for June.
3. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Record: 19-4 | Previous ranking: 3
Despite a serious back injury and nasty cut on his leg, the underdog Dvalishvili outlasted unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in his first title defense. The native of Georgia, who just might possess the best cardio in UFC history, has now beaten a who’s who at 135 pounds since 2022. A rematch against former champion Sean O’Malley is set for UFC 316 in June.
4. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight champion
Record: 22-2 | Previous ranking: 4
Say what you will about his lumbering and often raw style of forward pressure, the native of South Africa has achieved tremendous results throughout nine unbeaten trips to the Octagon. The defending 185-pound champion returned to Australia in February to widely outpoint Sean Strickland in their title rematch. A showdown with unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev looms as DDP plots his return while recovering from injury.
5. Jon Jones — Heavyweight champion
Record: 27-1, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 5
In just his second UFC appearance in five years, Jones shook off an 18-month layoff from pectoral surgery to dominate former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. While the performance was complete, it came against a 42-year-old opponent who looked slow, hadn’t fought in three years and hadn’t won since 2020. The fact that Jones has still not yet fought interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall remains a potential major stain to his legacy.
6. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Record: 29-5 | Previous ranking: 6
After relying much more on his iron will than his P4P skills to take the flyweight title from Brandon Moreno last summer, the Brazilian submission expert has stayed busy since with a trio of title defenses against Brandon Royval (in their rematch), Steve Erceg and, most recently, UFC debutant Kai Asakura. At 34, Pantoja seems to only have gotten better since winning UFC gold and is in the best shape of his career.
7 Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion
Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: 7
A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power.
8. Magomed Ankalaev — Light heavyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1, 1 NC | Previous ranking: 7
The native of Dagestan, Russia, finally got his shot at Alex Pereira’s 205-pound title at UFC 313 in March and Ankalev delivered a strong and technical performance to take the title. He also extended his unbeaten streak to an impressive 14 fights. Even though Ankalaev went 0-for-12 on takedown attempts against Pereira, he showed a well-rounded game by pressuring his opponent and landing the cleaner strikes without making a crucial mistake.
9. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight
Record: 12-3 | Previous ranking: No. 10
The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger finally welcomed the well-rounded game and grappling threat of top contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. The result brought an end to Pereira’s historic run as 205-pound champion, which included three title defenses in a UFC record of just 176 days in 2024. Expect “Poatan” to secure an immediate rematch as any future talks of moving up to heavyweight need to be shelved in order to look to avenge his title defeat.
10. Jack Della Maddalena — Welterweight champion
Record: 24-4, 1 NC | Previous ranking: NR
Despite a 14-month layoff and close victories in his previous three fights, the Australian slugger became the class of the 170-pound division with his hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Della Maddalena showed elite boxing and footwork yet it was his takedown defense and improvements on the ground which played the biggest role in JDM conquering such a deep division.
Dropped out: Belal Muhammad
Just missed: Khamzat Chimaev, Umar Nurmagomedov, Tom Aspinall, Sean O’Malley, Shavkat Rakhkmonov
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Record: 24-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 2
The future Hall of Famer only continued to cement her legacy even further at UFC 315 in May when she outpointed the red-hot Manon Fiorot over five rounds. The 37-year-old Shevchenko, who improved her UFC record for title wins by a female with 10, also achieved her eighth title defense by making the championship adjustments when it mattered most. A superfight against strawweight queen Zhang Weili could be on tap to close 2025.
2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion
Record: 25-3 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Zhang improved to 10-0 in the UFC against everyone not named Rose Namajunas when she dominated unbeaten Tatiana Suarez over five rounds at UFC 312 in February. At 35, Zhang only continues to round out her game while teasing aspirations of moving up to 125 pounds and attempting to become a two-division champion.
3. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight
Record: 18-1 | Previous ranking: 4
Despite an insane weight cut that left her hospitalized and urinating blood just weeks before the fight, Harrison finally secured a shot at a UFC title with her October victory over Ketlen Vieira. Harrison was forced to overcome heavy swelling and blood after being cut for the first time in her career. While Harrison is a massive betting favorite against champion Julianna Pena at UFC 316 in June, the real question comes down to whether she can continue to make 135 pounds.
5. Julianna Pena — Bantamweight champion
Record: 12-5 | Previous ranking: NR
Although the “Venezuelan Vixen” has competed just one time in the Octagon since 2022, that lone appearance was a big one as she edged Raquel Pennington by split decision last October to begin a second reign as 135-pound champion. Pena, who continues to campaign for a trilogy bout against Amanda Nunes upon her expected return from retirement, must first defend her title in June as a massive underdog against Kayla Harrison at UFC 316.
5. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Record: 12-2 | Previous ranking: 3
The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. Fiorot rebounded from a disastrous first round in which her nose was battered to rely on her size and clinch work against Shevchenko in a close chess match that felt like it could’ve been scored either way.
Dropped out: Alexa Grasso
Just missed: Virna Jandiroba, Natalia Silva, Erin Blanchfield, Grasso, Tatiana Suarez
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