MMA pound-for-pound rankings – Just one small move in men’s top 10, but voters add new names

The ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings you see below differ only slightly from the top 10 men’s and women’s we released on August 24th, when our voting panel last weighed in.

This shouldn’t come as a shock. In the three weeks since our last update, there have only been two UFC fight maps and few other major events across the sport. No fighter in our P4P leaderboards was in action.

But that doesn’t mean our constituents aren’t taking action.

UFC men’s bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling climbs up a spot in the men’s rankings, largely because the fighter in front of him, men’s flyweight titlist Deiveson Figueiredo, was replaced on a ballot . Sterling will need to defend his top-10 position at the next major UFC event, UFC 280 on October 22, when he defends his belt against former champion TJ Dillashaw.

Beyond the Sterling Boost, three ESPN voters made moves in their top 10, with two of them adding fighters who weren’t in our last update. Marc Raimondi added Ciryl Gane after the heavyweight defeated Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris on September 3. Jeff Wagenheim reinstated the once-ranked Demetrious Johnson, who won the One Championship flyweight title on August 27 by a KO of Adriano Moraes.

Additional support came from former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who rose to Brett Okamoto’s ballot after defeating Marvin Vettori on the Gane-Tuivasa undercard.

But none of these fighters garnered enough votes to crack the men’s top 10. And the women’s ranking remains the same.

Note: Results are current; Rankings as of September 13th.

Men’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Alexander Volkanovsky

UFC Featherweight Champion
Recording: 25-1
Last: W (UD) Max Holloway, July 2nd
Next: open

2. Karl Oliveira

UFC lightweight
Recording: 33-8, 1NC
Last: W (Sub1) Justin Gaethje, May 7th
Next: October 22 against Islam Makhachev

3. Israel Adesanya

UFC Middleweight Champion
Recording: 23-1
Last: W (UD) Jared Cannonier, July 2nd
Next: November 12 against Alex Pereira

4. Kamaru Usman

UFC welterweight
Recording: 20-2
Last: L (KO5) Leon Edwards, 20 August
Next: open

5. Francis Ngannou

UFC Heavyweight Champion
Recording: 17-3
Last: W (UD) Ciryl Gane, Jan. 22
Next: open

6.Leon Edwards

UFC Welterweight Champion
Recording: 20-3, 1NC
Last: W (KO5) Kamaru Usman, 20 Aug
Next: open

7. Jiri Prochazka

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Recording: 29-3-1
Last: W (Sub5) Glover Teixeira, June 11
Next: open

8. Aljamain Sterling

UFC Bantamweight Champion
Previous placement: T-9
Recording: 21-3
Last:W (SD) Petr Jan, April 9
Next:September 10 against TJ Dillashaw

T-9 Deiveson Figueiredo

UFC Flyweight Champion
Previous placement:8th
Recording:21-2-1
Last:W (UD) Brandon Moreno, Jan. 22
Next: open

T-9 Dustin Poirier

UFC lightweight
Recording: 28-7, 1NC
Last: L (Sub3) Charles Oliveira, December 11, 2021
Next: November 12 against Michael Chandler

Other fighters receiving votes: Robert Whittaker, Max Holloway, Ciryl Gane, Brandon Moreno and Demetrious Johnson.

That’s what our board voted for

Brett Okamoto : 1. Alexander Volkanovsky; 2. Israel Adesanya; 3. Charles Oliveira; 4.Kamaru Usman; 5. Robert Whittaker; 6.Francis Ngannou; 7. Deiveson Figueiredo; 8.Dustin Poirier; 9. Aljamain Sterling; 10. Brandon Moreno.

Marc Raimondi : 1. Volkanovsky; 2. Adesanya; 3.Oliveira; 4. Usmann; 5.Ngannou; 6. Edward’s; 7. sterling; 8. Jiri Prochazka; 9. Ciryl Gane; 10. Poirier.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi : 1. Volkanovsky; 2.Oliveira; 3. Usman; 4. Adesanya; 5.Ngannou; 6. Edward’s; 7. Prochazka; 8. Figueiredo; 9. sterling; 10. Moreno.

Megan Anderson : 1. Volkanovsky; 2.Oliveira; 3. Adesanya; 4. Usmann; 5.Ngannou; 6. Edward’s; 7. Prochazka; 8.Max Holloway; 9. Whittaker; 10. Figueiredo.

Eddie Maisonet III : 1.Oliveira; 2. Adesanya; 3.Volkanovsky; 4. Usmann; 5.Ngannou; 6. Poirier; 7. Figueiredo; 8. sterling; 9. Prochazka; 10. Edwards.

Jeff Wagenheim : 1. Volkanovsky; 2.Ngannou; 3.Oliveira; 4. Adesanya; 5. Usman; 6. Edward’s; 7. Prochazka; 8. Poirier; 9. sterling; 10. Demetrious Johnson.

1. Amanda Nunes

UFC Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion
Recording: 22-5
Last: W (UD) Julianna Peña, July 30
Next: open

2. Valentina Shevchenko

UFC Flyweight Champion
Recording: 22-3
Last: W (SD) Taila Santos, June 11
Next: open

3. Cris Cyborg

Bellator World Featherweight Champion
Recording: 26-2, 1NC
Last: W (UD) Arlene Blencowe, April 23
Next: open

T-4. Julianna Pena

UFC Bantamweight
Recording: 11-5
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, July 30
Next: open

T-4. Zhang Weili

UFC Strawweight
Recording: 22-3
Last: W (KO2) Joanna Jedrzejczyk, June 11
Next: November 12 against Carla Esparza

6.Carla Esparza

UFC Strawweight Champion
Recording:19-6
Last:W (SD) Rose Namajunas, May 7th
Next:November 12 against Zhang Weili

7. Rose Namajunas

UFC Strawweight
Recording:11-5
Last:L (SD) Carla Esparza, May 7th
Next:open

8.Kayla Harrison

PFL Lightweight Champion
Recording:15-0
Last:W (Sub1) Martina Jindrova, August 20
Next:November 25 against Larissa Pacheco

9.Jessica Andrade

UFC flyweight
Recording:23-9
Last:W (Sub1) Amanda Lemos, April 23
Next:open

10. Marina Rodriguez

UFC Strawweight
Recording:16-1-2
Last:W (SD) Yan Xiaonan, March 5
Next:open

Other fighters receiving votes: Katlyn Chookagian, Holly Holm, and Seika Izawa.

That’s what our board voted for

Brett Okamoto: 1.Amanda Nunes; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Rose Namajuna; 5. Zhang Weili; 6. Julianna Pena; 7.Kayla Harrison; 8.Carla Esparza; 9.Jessica Andrade; 10. Katlyn Chookagian.

Marc Raimondi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Pena; 5. Esparza; 6.Harrison; 7. Namajunas; 8. Weil; 9. Andrade; 10.Seika Izawa.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Pena; 4. Harrison; 5. Cyborg; 6. Esparza; 7. because; 8. Namajunas; 9. Andrade; 10. Holly Holm.

Megan Anderson: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. because; 5. Namajunas; 6. Esparza; 7. Andrade; 8. Marina Rodriguez; 9. Harrison; 10. Pena.

Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Pena; 4. because; 5. Cyborg; 6. Esparza; 7. Andrade; 8. Namajunas; 9. Harrison; 10. Rodriguez.

Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. because; 5. Andrade; 6. Pena; 7. Esparza; 8. Namajunas; 9. Harrison; 10. Chookian.