Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, claiming the middleweight title and entering the pound-for-pound rankings at No. 9. Joshua Van also made his debut in the rankings following a TKO victory.
Key points
Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328
Strickland claimed the middleweight title
Strickland entered the pound-for-pound rankings at No. 9
Joshua Van achieved a TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira
Van also debuted in the pound-for-pound rankings
Sean StricklandKhamzat ChimaevJoshua VanTatsuro Taira
Heâs not the only debutant this month. With his dramatic stoppage victory over Tatsuro Taira in Saturday nightâs co-main event, the 24-year-old Joshua Van also breaks into the top space this month. The young phenom showed his mettle as a champion in victory, and he now awaits his rematch with Alexandre Pantoja.
The panel of Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, Shaheen Al-Shatti, Petesy Carroll, Drake Riggs, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks have ranked both the menâs and womenâs pound-for-pound best, one through 10, using a weighted points system to determine the final rankings (being voted No. 1 equals 10 points, No. 2 equals nine points, down to No. 10 equaling one point).
Our only criterion for these monthly rankings is that a fighter has competed within at least a calendar year of the publication date or has at least had a fight booked within that window. If a fighter hasnât competed in a year and books a fight after that time, he or she is once again eligible to be voted back in. Fighters who retire are no longer eligible for the rankings.
Q&A
What happened at UFC 328 between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev?
Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by a narrow decision to win the middleweight title at UFC 328.
How did Sean Strickland's victory affect the pound-for-pound rankings?
Strickland's victory over Chimaev propelled him to No. 9 in the men's pound-for-pound rankings for May 2026.
Who is Joshua Van and what did he achieve at UFC 328?
Joshua Van is a 24-year-old fighter who secured a dramatic TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira, earning him a spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
What are the implications of Strickland's win for Khamzat Chimaev's ranking?
Chimaev was removed from the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings following his loss to Strickland, marking a significant shift in the division.
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Though most of the best fighters are currently in the UFC, these rankings are not UFC exclusive. We take into consideration all the major promotions, from Bellator/PFL conglomerate to ONE Championship.
Without further ado, here are Uncrownedâs MMA pound-for-pound rankings for May 2026!
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: Sean Strickland reacts after a split-decision victory against Khamzat Chimaev of Russia in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Sean Strickland is once again a pound-for-pound fighter.
(Ed Mulholland via Getty Images)
MENâS POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Islam Makhachev â UFC welterweight champion (Prev: 1)
What a time to rule the welterweight ranks. It looks like Ian Machado Garry will draw an assignment against Makhachev next, which should make for a fun fight, yet with Carlos Pratesâ recent victory over Jack Della Maddalena â and Michael Morales closing in by the minuteâ Makhachev has challenges for days.
2. Ilia Topuria â UFC lightweight champion (Prev: 2)
3. Alexandre Pantoja â Former UFC flyweight champion (Prev: 4)
He was at UFC 327 in Miami, so you knew that erstwhile flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja was going to be in Newark for UFC 328, to find out who heâll be facing next. It turns out itâll be Van. Did you see Pantojaâs face when Van was asked if he wanted the rematch? It was a look that said, âGet a load of this guy âŠâ
4. Petr Yan â UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 6)
As Yan continues his recovery from back surgery, the mighty Merab Dvalishvili has been resting up for the trilogy fight. Well, we say resting up meaning Dvalishvili isnât fighting at a breakneck pace. Thereâs a possibility the two will resolve things in the late summer or early fall.
5. Alexander Volkanovski â UFC featherweight champion (Prev: 5)
You donât think Volkanovski doesnât want to be the first guy to beat Movsar Evloev? Thereâs big temptation in such things, especially when youâre in the gravy mode of an already legendary career. Whatâs one more scalp when youâre known as âAlexander the Greatâ?
6.Alex Pereira â Former UFC two-division champion (Prev: 8)
Pereira found himself the victim of Josh Hokitâs nursery rhymes at the White House presser, which didnât seem to bother âPoatanâ too much. When youâre going for a historic third title, every has-been, would-be, and never-was is going to be chirping at you. Ultimately, itâs all a sign of respect.
7. Tom Aspinall â UFC heavyweight champion (Prev: 7)
In Tom Aspinallâs absence, things are moving along. Next month Alex Pereira will fight Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, which will determine who Aspinall next faces. At least, thatâs the hope. Meanwhile, new names like Hokit are hogging up attention, leaving Hokitâs next opponent, Derrick Lewis, to do pest control.
8.Merab Dvalishvili â Former UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 8)
Itâs doubtful Dvalishvili is enjoying his downtime, but you canât help but think itâs much needed. The year he had in 2025, in which he defended the bantamweight title three times before losing it to Yan, was enough to do any man in. Or any âMachine,â for that matter.
9. Sean Strickland â UFC middleweight champion (Prev: NR)
Listen you guys, not a lot of people gave Strickland a snowballâs chance in Hades to beat Chimaev. It wasnât pretty and it wasnât easy, but Strickland got the job done. As a now two-time middleweight champion, he defies odds in ways weâve never seen before. Looks like a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov is in order for his first defense.
10. Joshua Van â UFC flyweight champion (Prev: NR)
There is a youthful exuberance to Van that suggests, at just age 24, life hasnât yet had a chance to wear him down. Taira sure tried to at UFC 328, and Van coolly bid his time until he could light up the Japanese contender with a beautiful boxing display. He lit Taira up so bright that you could see the challenger from space.
(Others receiving votes: Khamzat Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan, Carlos Ulberg)
Itâs been six months since Shevchenko humbled the ambitious Zhang Weili at UFC 322, and still no rumblings of her next fight. The sound you hear is âtick tock,â as the clock is ticking. Though she has looked as deadly as ever recently, Shevchenko quietly turned 38 in March, which makes her the oldest champion on the roster.
2. Kayla Harrison â UFC bantamweight champion (Prev: 2)
With her fight against Amanda Nunes in a state of pending as she recovers from neck surgery, Harrisonâs sideline battle has been against Ronda Rousey. Her fellow judoka condemned Harrisonâs money-making ability and discounted her as a draw. To all this Harrison posted a classic three-word response: âFight me den.â
3.Zhang Weili â Former UFC strawweight champion (Prev: 3)
Thereâs still a strong suspicion that Zhang will move back to the division she ruled after her lark at flyweight, which would almost certainly mean a clash with current champ Mackenzie Dern. Timetables may come into play here, especially now that Tatiana Suarez has re-announced her authority at 115 pounds, but Zhang has little reason to compete in non-title situations.
Cyborgâs name will be mentioned a lot this week, as Gina Carano returns from a short 17-year hiatus to take on Ronda Rousey. It was Cyborg who beat the daylights out of Carano back in 2009 and sent her packing to Hollywood. Needless to say, itâll be bittersweet if Cyborg gets to looking for something to watch on Netflix on Saturday.
A hand injury has slowed Ditchevaâs return, but thereâs hope sheâll be returning to the PFL cage at some point this summer. Itâs a shame that sheâs been shelved so long after her magical run in 2024. With just one fight to her name in the last 18 months, her star dims a little with each passing day.
Look, she handled former champ Rose Namajunas in January. Before then she beat former champ Alexa Grasso, a win that has aged extremely well given that Grasso scored one of the finishes of the year against Maycee Barber. Before then she beat former champ Jessica Andrade. What more does Silva have to do to get signed on for a title shot?
Itâs less than ideal for a 36-year-old contender like Fiorot to be put on a seven-month hold after knocking out someone as tough as Jasmine Jasudavicius, yet things move suuuuu(yawn)uuuuper slowly in the womenâs ranks. With Grassoâs incredible showing in Seattle, a contenderâs bout between Fiorot and the heart of Guadalajara would carry some heat.
8. Seika Izawa â RIZIN super atomweight champion (Prev: 8)
You know who plays taps? Seika Izawa, thatâs who. She subbed Rena Kubota at the end-of-the-year RIZIN show with a guillotine to run her record to a perfect 18-0. Whatâs wild is that sheâs scored submissions in seven of her past 10 bouts, which is why the word âphenomâ is used so frequently when describing the 28-year-old champ.
Another champion who hasnât fought in over half-a-year, Dern is at least making appearances. She was seen with her dog in a recent Paramount+ commercial, and she pops up fairly regularly at the live shows. At some point it would be neat to see her defend the title, but â from her perspective â whatâs the rush? (Especially if that title defense is against Weili Zhang!)
Somebody needs to call matchmaker Sean Shelby and find out what the hold-up is in making these fights. Blanchfield just turned 27 last week, which is how old a full collective of rock stars were when they perished, and she hasnât fought since last October. Granted, thereâs a clusterblank at womenâs flyweight, but the best way to sort it out is to have them fight one another.
