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In most cases, whenever a fighter claims a UFC title, they can also justifiably lay claim to being the best in their weight division. However, sometimes there are exceptions.
Right now, there are a number of fighters in the UFC who don’t hold the title in their weight class but could potentially unseat their division's champion if the opportunity presents itself.
Here are five UFC fighters who aren’t current champions but could be the best in their weight class.
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#5. Sergei Pavlovich – UFC heavyweight contender
With the departure of Francis Ngannou last week, the UFC’s heavyweight title is currently vacant. That will change in March when former interim champ Ciryl Gane faces former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones to decide the new champion.
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However, some believe that with ‘The Predator’ gone, the best heavyweight on the roster is now the heavy-handed Russian Sergei Pavlovich.
Pavlovich debuted in the octagon way back in late 2018, but inactivity during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic kept him flying under the radar.
All that changed last year when he stopped three opponents in devastating fashion, including former title challenger Derrick Lewis and the highly-ranked Tai Tuivasa.
Most importantly, though, Pavlovich took out Lewis and Tuivasa in a far easier fashion than Gane, who also beat both men.
Lewis lasted three rounds with Gane, while Pavlovich put him away in under a minute. Tuivasa, meanwhile, almost knocked ‘Bon Gamin’ out when they met in September, but again, Pavlovich starched him within a minute.
Basically, it’s arguable that Pavlovich is the hardest hitter in the heavyweight division right now. While he isn’t quite as battle-tested as Gane, he has shown incredible potential.
#4. Rose Namajunas – UFC strawweight contender
The UFC’s strawweight title picture has largely been in flux for years now. Still, while Weili Zhang currently calls herself champion, it’s definitely arguable that the best fighter at 115lbs is Rose Namajunas.
‘Thug Rose’ famously ended the lengthy title reign of Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in 2017. However, her own reign was relatively brief as she was dethroned in mid-2019 by Jessica Andrade.
Nonetheless, Namajunas was able to regain it in 2021 by beating Zhang, who took the title from Andrade later in 2019.
2022, though, saw her produce arguably the worst showing of her career, as Carla Esparza controversially outpointed her in a truly terrible five-round bout.
Namajunas hasn’t fought since, but the fact that it was Zhang who ended Esparza’s reign – with ease, it might be added – suggests that ‘Thug Rose’ is probably still the best strawweight in the promotion.
After all, she holds two wins over ‘Magnum’. 'Thug Rose' defeated the Chinese fighter via KO in their first bout in 2021 and via a split decision in their second bout later that same year. If the two fighters were to face off for a third time, Namajunas would likely be a hot favorite.
Whether she gets a title shot in the near future is another thing, but for now, it’s definitely arguable that Namajunas is still the best 115lber in the world.
#3. Robert Whittaker – UFC middleweight contender
From 2019 through to 2022, it looked like Robert Whittaker was trapped in a holding position in the UFC’s middleweight division.
Once the weight class’s titleholder, Whittaker was defeated by Israel Adesanya in late 2019 and then failed to regain the gold from ‘The Last Stylebender’ in their rematch in 2022.
While ‘The Reaper’ set himself apart from the rest of the promotion’s middleweights during this period, beating the likes of Jared Cannonier, Darren Till and Marvin Vettori, he was still only the second-best fighter at 185lbs.
Now that Adesanya has been beaten by Alex Pereira – who appears to have his number – though, could Whittaker end up as the division’s top dog again?
It’s definitely possible. After all, Pereira is a wonderful striker, but he still has holes in his game – particularly on the ground. Those are the kind of holes that Whittaker, who is slightly more well-rounded than Adesanya, could capitalize on.
Essentially, ‘The Reaper’ might not be able to beat Adesanya, but he’d have a good chance of dethroning ‘Poatan’, making him potentially the best middleweight in the UFC.
#2. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC light heavyweight contender
This weekend saw a new champion crowned in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, as Jamahal Hill claimed the vacant title by defeating Glover Teixeira.
Does this make Hill the best 205lber in the promotion, though? It’s debatable.
‘Sweet Dreams’ did look fantastic against Teixeira, but it is worth noting that his performance came against a 43-year-old Teixeira. Moreover, prior to that win, Hill had never defeated an elite-level opponent. Could there be a couple of fighters out there better than him, then?
Really, there are two men that stand out. One is former titleholder Jiri Prochazka, who was forced to vacate his crown following a severe shoulder injury. With ‘Denisa’ likely on the shelf for some time, the fighter who has the strongest claim to being the best 205lber in the promotion would be Magomed Ankalaev.
Ankalaev fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title in December, and despite many fans believing he won their clash, the judges declared it a draw.
More importantly, Dana White, who was unimpressed by the bout, simply skipped over the Dagestani and made Hill vs. Teixeira for the title instead.
However, the truth is that if Ankalaev and Hill were to fight, the Dagestani’s ground game and wrestling skills would make him a big favorite. Essentially, there’s an argument that he’s the uncrowned king at 205lbs right now.
#1. Alexandre Pantoja – UFC flyweight contender
UFC 283 didn’t just see a new champion crowned at light heavyweight, it also saw a new kingpin crowned at flyweight, as Brandon Moreno finally settled his longstanding rivalry with Deiveson Figueiredo.
However, while ‘The Assassin Baby’ can definitely claim to have proven himself to be better than Figueiredo, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s the best 125lber in the promotion.
That’s because of the presence of another highly talented Brazilian, No.2-ranked Alexandre Pantoja.
Like Moreno, ‘The Cannibal’ emerged into the UFC via the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he choked the Mexican out before faltering in the semi-finals.
Since then, though, he’s reeled off nine wins in the octagon and is currently on a three-fight win streak. While he does have a loss to Figueiredo on his record, he also holds a second win over Moreno, defeating him back in May 2018.
It seems highly likely that a fight between ‘The Assassin Baby’ and ‘The Cannibal’ will go down later in 2023, allowing fans to find out who the better man really is.
However, based on the fact that he’s already beaten Moreno twice, it's arguable that Pantoja could be considered the best flyweight in the world right now – it’s just a matter of him proving it again in the octagon.
