5 days Ago
Alexander Volkanovski lived up to his billing as the UFC 314 headliner over the weekend, beating Diego Lopes to regain the featherweight belt he once wore through five successful title defenses. The victory in the tussle for the vacant title ended Volkanovski's two-fight losing streak and reasserted him as one of the best fighters in MMA. But it wasn't Saturday's only big win.
Paddy Pimblett showcased his elite skills in a stunning domination of Michael Chandler , and the other main card winners -- Yair Rodriguez , Jean Silva and Dominick Reyes -- all had outstanding performances. And in the prelims, a clash of strawweight contenders added clarity to the title picture. Virna Jandiroba won her fifth fight in a row by dominating three rounds with onetime title challenger Yan Xiaonan .
Entering the fight, neither woman was in the ESPN pound-for-pound top 10, though both were among the fighters receiving votes. Then Jandiroba showed why she should be next for a shot at the belt. How does all of this relate to our rankings? Well, only one of the above fighters made it in.
Read on to find out who. For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here . Note: Results are current; rankings as of April 15.
To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter must have competed over the past 12 months or must have an upcoming fight booked. Fighters who have been dropped for inactivity can be reinstated only after they compete. Men's pound-for-pound rankings 1.
Islam Makhachev UFC lightweight champion Record: 27-1 Last: W (Sub1) vs. Renato Moicano , Jan. 18 Next: TBD He staked his claim as the greatest lightweight of all time by swiftly dispatching late-replacement opponent Moicano at UFC 311.
It was his UFC-record fourth title defense and tied Kamaru Usman for the second-longest winning streak in UFC history at 15. Makhachev finally won over UFC CEO Dana White, who now agrees he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The only question is whether Makhachev will look to extend his reign of dominance at 155 pounds or take his talents to welterweight in pursuit of a championship in a second weight class.
-- Andreas Hale 2. Ilia Topuria UFC lightweight Record: 16-0 Last: W (KO3) vs. Max Holloway , Oct.
26 Next: TBD After knocking out two of the greatest featherweights in UFC history ( Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway) in 2024, what will Topuria do for an encore in 2025? He moved up to lightweight to challenge Islam Makhachev, which would greatly impact the pound-for-pound rankings. Topuria vacated his title in time for Volkanovski to win it back by beating Diego Lopes in a tussle for the 145-pound belt at UFC 314. -- Hale 3.
Jon Jones UFC heavyweight champion Record: 28-1, 1 NC Last: W (TKO3) vs. Stipe Miocic , Nov. 16 Next: TBD He has ceded his place as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world to Makhachev, but the only thing preventing Jones from reclaiming the spot is activity.
Should "Bones" finally accept Tom Aspinall 's challenge, he will have the opportunity to silence the doubters and prove again why he has been called the greatest MMA fighter of all time. -- Hale 4. Merab Dvalishvili UFC bantamweight champion Record: 19-4 Last: W (UD) vs.
Umar Nurmagomedov , Jan. 18 Next: June 7 vs. Sean O'Malley Dvalishvili's stellar performance defending his bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 vaulted the cardio machine into the top five.
His endless endurance broke Nurmagomedov and made oddsmakers look like fools for having the champion as a significant underdog. He might not be the best bantamweight in UFC history yet, but his run of beating José Aldo , Petr Yan , Henry Cejudo , Sean O'Malley and Nurmagomedov is one of the best stretches we've seen in the division. -- Hale 5.
Tom Aspinall UFC heavyweight interim champion Record: 15-3 Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes , July 27 Next: TBD If you're going by the eye test, you can make a case that Aspinall is the most dynamic, skillful, naturally talented heavyweight the sport has seen. He is dominating opponents in a way that is unmatched.
No one can last a round with him. Now, will we see him fight Jon Jones? -- Brett Okamoto 6. Magomed Ankalaev UFC light heavyweight champion Record: 20-1-1, 1 NC Last: W (UD) vs.
Alex Pereira , March 8 Next: TBD Ankalaev dethroned Pereira at UFC 313 for his 14th consecutive fight without a loss, a run that began after his UFC debut in 2018. -- Okamoto 7. Alexandre Pantoja UFC flyweight champion Record: 29-5 Last: W (TechSub2) vs.
Kai Asakura , Dec. 7 Next: TBD The UFC's flyweight king has racked up three title defenses, including two in pay-per-view main events in 2024. He has already teased his next title defense in the first half of 2025.
Pantoja is quickly taking laps around the 125-pound division. -- Okamoto T-8. Dricus Du Plessis UFC middleweight champion Record: 23-2 Last: W (UD) vs.
Sean Strickland , Feb. 8 Next: TBD No one receives as many backhanded compliments as Du Plessis -- but as long as the wins keep coming, who cares? The UFC's middleweight champ is known for breaking all of the technical rules of MMA and making it work. He has taken out some of the biggest names of his division's history and is on his way to becoming one of those names if it keeps up.
-- Okamoto T-8. Alex Pereira UFC light heavyweight Record: 12-3 Last: L (UD) vs. Magomed Ankalaev , March 8 Next: TBD A stellar 2024 cemented Pereira's place as a star in the UFC, but he faced arguably his toughest test as light heavyweight champion when he stepped into the Octagon with Ankalaev at UFC 313 .
Pereira had dealt with strikers, but could he get the job done against a talented grappler? Pereira kept the fight standing but fell short by unanimous decision. -- Hale 10. Belal Muhammad UFC welterweight champion Record: 24-3, 1 NC Last: W (UD) vs.
Leon Edwards , July 27 Next: May 10 vs. Jack Della Maddalena Muhammad is on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, which dates to 2019. He has no discernible holes in his game, and he has been finished only once in his career.
It's going to take someone remarkable to beat him. Della Maddalena will take his shot at UFC 315. -- Okamoto Other fighters receiving votes: Francis Ngannou and Khamzat Chimaev .
How our panel voted Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Ilia Topuria; 3.
Tom Aspinall; 4. Merab Dvalishvili; 5. Jon Jones; 6.
Alexandre Pantoja; 7. Belal Muhammad; 8. Dricus Du Plessis; 9.
Magomed Ankalaev; 10. Alex Pereira. Andreas Hale: 1.
Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4.
Dvalishvili; 5. Aspinall; 6. Ankalaev; 7.
Muhammad; 8. Pantoja; 9. Alexander Volkanovski; 10.
Pereira. Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2.
Jones; 3. Topuria; 4. Pereira; 5.
Pantoja; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Du Plessis; 8.
Ankalaev; 9. Muhammad; 10. Volkanovski.
Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3.
Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Du Plessis; 6.
Ankalaev; 7. Pantoja; 8. Muhammad; 9.
Aspinall; 10. Khamzat Chimaev. Andrew Davis: 1.
Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4.
Ankalaev; 5. Pereira; 6. Dvalishvili; 7.
Aspinall; 8. Du Plessis; 9. Pantoja; 10.
Muhammad. Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2.
Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Jones; 5.
Dvalishvili; 6. Francis Ngannou; 7. Pantoja; 8.
Ankalaev; 9. Chimaev; 10. Pereira.
Women's pound-for-pound rankings Zhang Weili wins via unanimous decision over Tatiana Suarez in a one-sided victory in Sydney at UFC 312. 1. Zhang Weili UFC strawweight champion Record: 26-3 Last: W (UD) vs.
Tatiana Suarez , Feb. 8 Next: TBD Amanda Nunes left a big hole in women's MMA when she announced her retirement in 2023, but Zhang has filled that void in terms of a dominant presence. -- Okamoto 2.
Valentina Shevchenko UFC flyweight champion Record: 23-4-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso , Sept. 14 Next: May 10 vs.
Manon Fiorot Despite losing her title to Grasso, Shevchenko remained a staple of the women's pound-for-pound list. By the end of her memorable trilogy with Grasso, she had proved she is still one step ahead of the rest, and can game plan and improve to the point of dominating her rival in their final meeting. Can she do the same against Fiorot? -- Okamoto 3.
Cris Cyborg Bellator featherweight and PFL Super Fights champion Record: 28-2, 1 NC Last: W (UD) vs. Larissa Pacheco , Oct. 19 Next: TBD It had been a while since Cyborg had fought an elite opponent in MMA until she met Pacheco in 2024.
That was a legitimate matchup -- and many within the industry were predicting Cyborg's downfall. Instead, she took out the PFL's two-weight champion, upending all of Pacheco's momentum. One of the original pioneers of women's MMA is somehow still going strong.
-- Okamoto 4. Alexa Grasso UFC flyweight Record: 16-4-1 Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko , Sept.
14 Next: May 10 vs. Natalia Silva Grasso has already established herself as one of the most influential Mexican fighters of all time and one of the best fighters in the world. She will have to author a comeback story after losing her title to Shevchenko in 2024 and then suffering a serious leg injury.
She's only 31. She's likely to remain on this list for years to come. -- Okamoto 5.
Kayla Harrison UFC bantamweight Record: 18-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Ketlen Vieira , Oct. 5 Next: June 7 vs.
Julianna Peña The longtime face of the PFL is quickly becoming the face of the UFC's women's divisions, as well. Harrison has already defeated two of the best 135-pounders in the UFC, and she'll be favored to win the belt when she faces current champion Peña in June. If she wins the belt, don't be surprised if her first move is to demand Nunes come out of retirement.
-- Okamoto 6. Manon Fiorot UFC flyweight Record: 12-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Erin Blanchfield , March 30 Next: May 10 vs.
Valentina Shevchenko Fiorot is set to challenge Shevchenko for the women's flyweight championship after knocking off Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her past two fights. She has the tools to become the next champion. -- Hale 7.
Larissa Pacheco PFL featherweight champion Record: 23-5 Last: L (UD) vs. Cris Cyborg , Oct. 19 Next: TBD As the only woman to defeat Kayla Harrison and after coming close to beating Cyborg last October, Pacheco deserves her spot on this list.
Unfortunately, the lack of quality opponents in the PFL will prevent her from climbing higher. At 30, Pacheco is still improving, but it will be interesting to see who the PFL finds to face her next. -- Hale 8.
Julianna Peña UFC bantamweight champion Record: 12-5 Last: W (SD) vs. Raquel Pennington , Oct. 5 Next: June 7 vs.
Kayla Harrison She upset the apple cart once, when she beat Amanda Nunes to become bantamweight champion, and became a two-time champion with a narrow split decision win over Pennington in October. She'll get the chance to pull off another upset when she defends her title against Harrison at UFC 316. Can she do it again? -- Hale 9.
Erin Blanchfield UFC flyweight Record: 13-2 Last: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas , Nov. 2 Next: May 31 vs.
Maycee Barber Blanchfield dug herself out of a hole to beat Namajunas in November, and now the 25-year-old is waiting for what's next, as Manon Fiorot will fight Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title in May. Blanchfield has immense potential and has shown new wrinkles in her game since dropping a decision to Fiorot last year. -- Hale 10.
Virna Jandiroba UFC strawweight Record: 22-3 Last: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan , April 12 Next: TBD Jandiroba thrust herself into title contention by dominating Yan at UFC 314, neutralizing the striking threat of the onetime title challenger and forcing Yan into her world -- a grappling bout. With the win, Jandiroba extended her winning streak to five.
With strawweight champion Weili Zhang awaiting her next challenger, Jandiroba will likely fill the void. -- Hale Other fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas , Dakota Ditcheva and Seika Izawa . How our panel voted Brett Okamoto : 1.
Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4.
Alexa Grasso; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Rose Namajunas; 7.
Erin Blanchfield; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10.
Virna Jandiroba. Andreas Hale : 1. Zhang; 2.
Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5.
Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Pacheco; 8.
Peña; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Jandiroba.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi : 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3.
Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6.
Peña; 7. Pacheco; 8. Dakota Ditcheva; 9.
Fiorot; 10. Jandiroba. Ian Parker : 1.
Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4.
Harrison; 5. Grasso; 6. Peña; 7.
Pacheco; 8. Fiorot; 9. Virna Vandiroba; 10.
Blanchfield. Andrew Davis: 1. Zhang; 2.
Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5.
Grasso; 6. Peña; 7. Fiorot; 8.
Pacheco; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Ditcheva.
Jeff Wagenheim : 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3.
Cyborg; 4. Fiorot; 5. Grasso; 6.
Pacheco; 7. Harrison; 8. Blanchfield; 9.
Jandiroba; 10. Seika Izawa..
