UFC Heavyweight Rankings: The GOAT’s Division… For Now

Jon Jones’ time at the top of the heavyweight division may not last very long. Widely known as the “Greatest of all Time” (GOAT), Jones is turning 36 years old with 23 fights in the UFC. He’s targeting a fight with former champion Stipe Miocic and is rumored to be calling it quits then. But if not, Jones has several top contenders chomping at the bit on the UFC heavyweight rankings.

The UFC Heavyweight Division in 2023

Jones is King While Young Contenders Eye Title Shots

Jones is both the top fighter at 265 pounds and the pound-for-pound rankings. He made short work of Ciryl Gane, the former interim champion. Now, UFC best bets expect Jones to defeat Miocic and call it a career. It would be a sharp move for Jones as the middle of the next generation of heavyweights just behind him could make for trickier matchups.

Starting with Gane, the Frenchman seeks redemption by taking on the eighth-ranked Sergey Spivak in the UFC’s return to France this September. The early UFC odds favor Gane to beat Spivac. An impressive victory could move him back as the division’s top-ranked contender.

But leading the rest on the UFC heavyweight rankings is Sergei Pavlovich. The Russian has six consecutive first-round knockouts, which is a UFC record. Pavlovich last starched Curtis Blaydes, ranked fourth, in what was believed to be a title eliminator. He now waits in the wings for whatever happens between Jones-Miocic.

UFC Heavyweight Rankings (as of July 2023)

Per UFC.com, these are the current top 10 heavyweight contenders plus Volkanovski as the champion:

Two young contenders to keep an eye on our Tom Aspinall (5) and Jailton Almeida (9). Both are grapplers with impressive finishes. Aspinall’s only defeat in the UFC was due to a knee injury. But he’s finished all five of his victories with four coming in the first round. He’s scheduled to return and fight Marcin Tybura (10) later this July 22.

As for Almeida, the Brazilian is often referred to as a “mutant” or a “Brazilian super soldier”. He does not just look like Hercules but also has 19 victories all coming via a finish. In his four fights in the division, he finished three opponents in the first round. His next fight will likely be against a fellow top-10 fighter and a win here will propel him up the UFC heavyweight rankings.

The other top 10 UFC heavyweight fighters are veterans who have won and lost big fights. Miocic (3) has not fought since losing his title to Francis Ngannou over two years ago. Blaydes (4) and Alexander Volkov (7) are always on the cusp of a title shot but consistently lose title eliminator bouts.

Tuivasa (6) is a fan favorite and had a five-fight KO streak until running into Gane and Pavlovich. Both Spivac (8) and Tybura have winning records. But the former lost to both Aspinall and Tybura while the latter is 7-1 in his last eight with his only defeat being to Volkov in 2021.

For more UFC betting news, fighters stats, and odds visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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