UFC 328 featured two championship fights, with Joshua Van retaining his flyweight title and Sean Strickland upsetting Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight championship. The new pound-for-pound rankings reflect their performances.
Key points
Joshua Van retained his flyweight title at UFC 328
Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev
Strickland begins his second reign as middleweight champion
UFC 328 featured two championship matches
New pound-for-pound rankings were released
Sean StricklandJoshua VanKhamzat ChimaevUFC 328
New UFC P4P Rankings After UFC 328: Where Do Sean Strickland & Joshua Van Land in Top 10?
John Jones-Imagn Images
UFC 328 card delivered not one, but two championship matches on Saturday night. In the night’s co-main event, flyweight king Joshua Van quieted some of the doubters from his UFC 323 title win by outlasting Tatsuro Taira in a back-and-forth war to score a big fifth-round finish to retain his title.
In the evening’s headliner, Sean Strickland proved oddsmakers wrong when he was able to slow Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling game to earn an upset win to begin his second reign as UFC middleweight champion. Following those two huge fights, let’s see where Strickland and Van land in our new UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
10. Tom Aspinall (15-3)
tom aspinall
Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. That became official when MMA GOAT Jon Jones decided to walk away from the sport earlier this year. The Englishman has beaten many of the best fighters in the division for the last three years and is the undisputed top big man in the eyes of most UFC fans.
After definitively avenging the lone loss of his UFC career in the summer of 2024, he made his first defense of the undisputed title in October. Unfortunately, a nasty eye poke from opponent Ciryl Game ended the UFC 321 main event after just a few minutes. An immediate rematch early in 2026 seems likely.
Q&A
What were the results of the championship fights at UFC 328?
Joshua Van retained his flyweight title by defeating Tatsuro Taira, while Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight championship.
How did Sean Strickland perform against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328?
Sean Strickland successfully slowed Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling game, leading to an upset victory and starting his second reign as UFC middleweight champion.
Where do Sean Strickland and Joshua Van rank in the new UFC pound-for-pound rankings?
The article discusses their positions in the updated UFC pound-for-pound rankings following their performances at UFC 328.
What impact did UFC 328 have on the UFC pound-for-pound rankings?
UFC 328's results, particularly the victories of Sean Strickland and Joshua Van, led to changes in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
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9. Joshua Van (16-2)
joshua van
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Joshua Van has quietly put together an impressive run in the Octagon. At UFC 317, he got a massive opportunity in a clash with top-five stalwart Brandon Royval and scored a hard-fought career-defining decision victory. The win earned the Myanmar native a championship opportunity at UFC 323.
In the co-main event of the card, he became the second-youngest champion, but it was bittersweet after Pantoja suffered a freak non-contact injury to his elbow that forced an immediate end to the fight in Round 1. He is the new king of the division, but he didn’t earn the top spot in that fight.
8. Charles Oliveira (36-11)
ufc lightweight rankings
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Charles Oliveria owns several UFC records and will go down as one of the greatest Brazilian MMA fighters of all time. There is a lot to love about his fight style, and his resume is stacked with big wins. But age catches up with everyone, and it has affected “Do Bronx” over the last few years as he’s split his last four fights.
Since he is far from the title picture, the former lightweight king instead chose to go after the BMF title in March. At UFC 326, Oliveira delivered one of the best performances of his career as he completely dominated fellow future Hall of Famer Max Holloway to win his second championship in the company.
7. Merab Dvalishvili
MMA: UFC 323 - Dvalishvili vs Yan
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Merab Dvalishvili truly is “The Machine.” His relentlessness and wrestling have turned him into the best bantamweight on the planet. If there were any doubters after his 2024 win over Sean O’Malley, he silenced them with an even more decisive rematch victory at UFC 316.
In the follow-up to that fight, the champ put his gold on the line at UFC 320 against fan-favorite Cory Sandhagen, and just like his previous 13 fights, he dominated with his wrestling and cardio. He seems unstoppable at this point.
6. Sean Strickland (31-7)
ufc 328
John Jones-Imagn Images
Wildman Sean Strickland may not be the flashiest fighter in UFC middleweight history, but he has consistently proven to be a difficult test for the best in the world, which is why he proved many doubters wrong when he won UFC gold in 2023.
While he was knocked off his perch in his first defense two years ago, “Tarzan” battled his way back into a title opportunity in May at UFC 328, and stunned the MMA world when he ended Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant run to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion.
5. Petr Yan (20-5)
ufc pound for pound rankings
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Three straight losses had many wondering if Petr Yan’s days as a top-five bantamweight were over. However, his recent wins over Yadon Song, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee helped rebuild his title contender status. Earning a title shot at UFC 323.
In a rematch with a man who defeated him two years ago, the Russian was the greatest version of himself as he decisively defeated Merab Dvalishvili to become a two-time bantamweight champion. “No Mercy” proved he is completely back to being an elite fighter in the world.
4. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4)
ufc pound for pound rankings
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his place as the best featherweight of all time. However, trips up in weight for a second title and the rise of Ilia Topuria led to three straight losses for “The Great” and speculation that his best days were behind him.
However, he has bounced back from those setbacks to reassert his dominance at 145 pounds with back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes. The most recent came in front of his countrymen at UFC 325. While he didn’t get the finish, he proved once again he was levels above the native of Brazil.
3. Alex Pereira (12-3)
ufc light heavyweight rankings
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Alex Pereira’s UFC story is legendary. After nine fights, he became a two-division champion and scored destructive wins over some of the best fighters of this era, at middleweight and light heavyweight. The 38-year-old has been a revelation for the company and connected with the MMA fanbase with an approach to fighting similar to cage-fighting icon Fedor Emelianenko.
After being on the wrong side of a frustrating decision loss in March, the Brazilian came back with a vengeance at UFC 320. He stormed out of the gates in his rematch with Magomed Ankalaev and blew through him in just a couple of minutes to reclaim his place at the top of the division.
2. Ilia Topuria (17-0)
ilia topuria
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Ilia Topuria will go down as one of the great featherweights of all time. But instead of building on his 145-pound resume, “El Matador” made the move up to lightweight in search of history. Well, he achieved that in June by becoming just the 10th fighter to win gold in two divisions. Crushing former 155-pound champ Charles Oliveria and adding him to his hit list of legends.
1. Islam Makhachev (28-1)
Islam Makhachev
Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Islam Makhachev has stamped his place as one of the greatest UFC lightweights ever with his wins over Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski (twice), and Charles Oliveira. Not only is he a dominant grappler, but he has one of the most underrated standup games in the sport.
At UFC 322, he etched his place in UFC history when he moved up in weight to become the latest fighter to win titles in two divisions as he became the new welterweight king with a dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena.
