Josh Hokit has entered the heavyweight Top 5 following his victory over Denzel Freeman at UFC 324. Carlos Ulberg won the vacant light heavyweight title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327, earning a position in the pound-for-pound rankings.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: Josh Hokit reacts after a victory against Denzel Freeman in a heavyweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
UFC 327 had a major impact on the official UFC rankings.
Carlos Ulberg captured the vacant light heavyweight title by knocking out Jiri Ulberg in the merciful (or not) main event last Sat. night (April 11, 2026) at Kaseya Center in Miami. Not only did that shake up the 205-pound leaderboard, it also awarded âBlack Jagâ a spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Thatâs not all.
Undefeated heavyweight phenom Josh Hokit crashed the heavyweight Top 5 with his âFight of the Nightâ victory over longtime contender Curtis Blaydes. In addition, former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa debuted in the Top 10 at light heavyweight by wrecking Russian slugger Azamat Murzakanov.
Hereâs how the rankings are compiled, at least until AI takes over:
Rankings are generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class. However, the champions can be voted on for the pound-for-pound rankings.
Take a look at what the latest rankings field looks like courtesy of UFC.com. Note: (+/- = movement in rankings, T = tie, *NR = Not previously ranked).
Champion: Joshua Van
Champion: Petr Yan
Champion: Alexander Volkanovski
Champion: Ilia Topuria
Champion: Islam Makhachev
Champion: Khamzat Chimaev
Champion: Carlos Ulberg
Champion: Tom Aspinall
Champion: Mackenzie Dern
Champion: Valentina Shevchenko
Champion: Kayla Harrison
You can expect these rankings to change around this time next week, particularly in the welterweight division, following the UFC Winnipeg: âBurns vs. Malottâ MMA event on Paramount+, scheduled for Sat., April 18, 2026 at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
For much more on that upcoming fight card click here.
Josh Hokit entered the heavyweight Top 5 after defeating Denzel Freeman at UFC 324.
Carlos Ulberg won the vacant light heavyweight title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327.
UFC 327 resulted in Carlos Ulberg earning a spot in the pound-for-pound rankings after his title victory.
UFC 327 took place on April 11, 2026, at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
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