Inaugural Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings Revealed

The inaugural Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings have officially been revealed. The rankings framework is based on votes submitted by a panel comprised of 17-media members.

Current Bellator MMA featherweight and lightweight world champion Patricio Pitbull is the top men’s pound-for-pound fighter. Featherweight titlist Cris Cyborg was ubiquitously regarded as the No. 1 ranked woman pound-for-pound.

Pitbull takes on No. 2-ranked featherweight Emmanuel Sanchez in an anticipated rematch at Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez II. It goes this Friday, April 2 in the promotion’s first-foray on Showtime.

The organization is also revealing the amount of first-place votes each athlete received in their respective weight categories. Bellator represents that with an asterisk (*) in the below divisional charts. Champions of each weight class are automatically assigned to the Champions slot atop the rankings. They don’t receive votes within the division.

Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings

MEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Patricio Pitbull (31-4)

2. Vadim Nemkov (12-2)

3. Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2)

4. Ryan Bader (27-6)

5. Juan Archuleta (25-2)

6. Douglas Lima (32-8)

7. AJ McKee (17-0)

8. Phil Davis (22-5)

9. Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4)

10. Corey Anderson (14-5)

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Cris Cyborg (23-2)

2. Juliana Velasquez (11-0)

3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1)

4. Julia Budd (14-3)

5. Arlene Blencowe (13-8)

6. Denise Kielholtz (6-2)

7. Liz Carmouche (14-7)

8. Cat Zingano (11-4)

9. Alejandra Lara (9-3)

10. Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT

C. Ryan Bader (27-6)

1. Timothy Johnson (15-6) – 13*

2. Cheick Kongo (30-11-2)

3. Valentin Moldavsky (10-1) – 3*

4. Fedor Emelianenko (39-6)

5. Linton Vassell (20-8)

6. Tyrell Fortune (9-1) – 1*

7. Steven Mowry (8-0)

8. Matt Mitrione (13-8)

9. Sergei Kharitonov (32-8)

10. Javy Ayala (11-8)

MEN’S LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

C. Vadim Nemkov (12-2)

1. Ryan Bader (27-6) – 11*

2. Phil Davis (22-5) – 2*

3. Corey Anderson (14-5) – 4*

4. Lyoto Machida (26-10)

5. Julius Anglickas (9-1)

6. Grant Neal (5-0)

7. Christian Edwards (4-0)

8. Tyree Fortune (5-0)

9. Melvin Manhoef (32-15-1)

10. Alex Polizzi (7-1)

Bellator Rankings

MEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHT

C. Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2)

1. John Salter (18-4) – 10*

2. Anatoly Tokov (29-2) – 5*

3. Austin Vanderford (10-0) – 1*

4. Fabian Edwards (9-1)

5. Costello van Steenis (13-2)

6. Johnny Eblen (7-0)

7. Charlie Ward (9-4)

8. Mike Shipman (14-3)

9. Romero Cotton (5-0)

10. Ed Ruth (8-3)

MEN’S WELTERWEIGHT

C. Douglas Lima (32-8)

1. Michael Page (18-1) – 8*

2. Yaroslav Amosov (25-0) – 6*

3. Neiman Gracie (10-1) – 3*

4. Logan Storley (11-1)

5. Derek Anderson (17-3)

6. Jason Jackson (13-4)

7. Joey Davis (8-0)

8. Sabah Homasi (15-8)

9. Oliver Enkamp (10-2)

10. Jaleel Willis (14-2)

Bellator Rankings

MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT

C. Patricio Pitbull (31-4)

1. Brent Primus (10-1) – 12*

2. Patricky Pitbull (23-9) – 3*

3. Goiti Yamauchi (25-4) – 1*

4. Benson Henderson (28-10) – 1*

5. Sidney Outlaw (15-4)

6. Myles Jury (19-5)

7. Adam Piccolotti (12-4)

8. Alfie Davis (14-3)

9. Aviv Gozali (5-0)

10. Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1)

MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT

C. Patricio Pitbull (31-4)

1. AJ McKee (17-0) – 13*

2. Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) – 4*

3. Adam Borics (16-1)

4. Pedro Carvalho (11-4)

5. Daniel Weichel (40-12)

6. Aaron Pico (7-3)

7. Jay Jay Wilson (7-0)

8. Jeremy Kennedy (16-2)

9. Tywan Claxton (6-2)

10. Mads Burnell (14-3)

MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT

C. Juan Archuleta (25-2)

1. Sergio Pettis (20-5) – 10*

2. Patchy Mix (13-1) – 4*

3. Raufeon Stots (15-1) – 1*

4. James Gallagher (11-1)

5. Magomed Magomedov (17-1) – 2*

6. Leandro Higo (20-5)

7. Josh Hill (20-3)

8. Cass Bell (5-1)

9. Frans Mlambo (9-5)

10. Jornel Lugo (5-0)

WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT

C. Cris Cyborg (23-2)

1. Julia Budd (14-3) – 16*

2. Arlene Blencowe (13-8)

3. Cat Zingano (11-4)

4. Leslie Smith (12-8-1) – 1*

5. Sinead Kavanagh (7-4)

6. Janay Harding (6-4)

7. Leah McCourt (4-1)

8. Amanda Bell (7-7)

9. Olga Rubin (6-2)

10. Jessy Miele (9-5)

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT

C. Juliana Velasquez (11-0)

1. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) – 16*

2. Liz Carmouche (14-7)

3. Denise Kielholtz (6-2) – 1*

4. Alejandra Lara (9-3)

5. Kana Watanabe (9-0-1)

6. Kate Jackson (11-5-1)

7. Veta Arteaga (5-4)

8. Mandy Bohm (7-0)

9. Valerie Loureda (3-0)

10. Bruna Ellen (5-3)

(*) denotes the cumulative first-place votes.

What are your thoughts on the divisional hierarchies within Bellator’s first rankings reveal?

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

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