Jack Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 final weekend to unseat him as welterweight champion. As well as, Della Maddalena additionally changed Muhammad within the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.
The opposite fighter who used a victory on Saturday to earn a spot landed in an much more coveted place within the prime 10. Natalia Silva, who beat former girls’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, makes her rankings debut within the prime 5. Grasso drops out of the rankings.
The remainder of the rankings remained largely the identical, even on the prime spot amongst girls. Valentina Shevchenko garnered added help from the voting panel after beating Manon Fiorot within the first title protection of her second reign with the flyweight belt, nevertheless it was not sufficient to spice up Shevchenko over Zhang Weili, who stays No. 1.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click on right here.
Word: Outcomes are present; rankings as of Might 14. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter will need to have competed over the previous 12 months or will need to have an upcoming struggle booked. Fighters who’ve been dropped for inactivity may be reinstated solely after they compete.
Males’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev
UFC welterweight
Report: 27-1
Final: W (Sub1) vs. Renato Moicano, Jan. 18
Subsequent: TBD vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Makhachev staked his declare as the best light-weight of all time by swiftly dispatching late-replacement opponent Moicano at UFC 311. It was his UFC-record fourth title protection and tied Kamaru Usman for the second-longest profitable streak in UFC historical past at 15. Makhachev lastly received over UFC CEO Dana White, who now agrees he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Subsequent up for Makhachev will likely be a transfer as much as welterweight to problem new champion Della Maddalena, with date and venue to be decided. — Andreas Hale
2. Ilia Topuria 
UFC light-weight
Report: 16-0
Final: W (KO3) vs. Max Holloway, Oct. 26
Subsequent: June 28 vs. Charles Oliveira
After knocking out two of the best featherweights in UFC historical past (Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway) in 2024, it was going to be powerful for Topuria to prime that in 2025. He moved as much as light-weight with the objective of difficult Islam Makhachev, however with Makhachev transferring up a division himself, Topuria as an alternative will go for the vacant title towards Oliveira, a former light-weight champ. — Hale
3. Jon Jones
UFC heavyweight champion
Report: 28-1, 1 NC
Final: W (TKO3) vs. Stipe Miocic, Nov. 16
Subsequent: TBD
He has ceded his place as one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet to Islam Makhachev, however the one factor stopping Jones from reclaiming the spot is exercise. Ought to “Bones” lastly settle for Tom Aspinall’s problem, he could have the chance to silence the doubters and show once more why he has been referred to as the best MMA fighter of all time. — Hale
4. Merab Dvalishvili
UFC bantamweight champion
Report: 19-4
Final: W (UD) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov, Jan. 18
Subsequent: June 7 vs. Sean O’Malley
Dvalishvili’s stellar efficiency defending his bantamweight title towards Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 vaulted the cardio machine into the highest 5. His limitless endurance broke Nurmagomedov and made oddsmakers seem like fools for having the champion as a big underdog. He may not be one of the best bantamweight in UFC historical past but, however his run of beating José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley and Nurmagomedov is without doubt one of the greatest stretches we have seen within the division. — Hale
5. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight interim champion
Report: 15-3
Final: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27
Subsequent: TBD
Should you’re going by the attention check, you may make a case that Aspinall is probably the most dynamic, skillful, naturally gifted heavyweight the game has seen. He’s dominating opponents in a approach that’s unmatched. Nobody can final a spherical with him. Now, will we see him struggle Jon Jones? — Brett Okamoto
6. Alexandre Pantoja 
UFC flyweight champion
Earlier rating: 7
Report: 29-5
Final: W (TechSub2) vs. Kai Asakura, Dec. 7
Subsequent: June 28 vs. Kai Kara-France
The UFC’s flyweight king has racked up three title defenses, together with two in pay-per-view major occasions in 2024. He’ll experience a seven-fight profitable streak into his subsequent title protection towards Kara-France at UFC 317. Pantoja is rapidly taking laps across the 125-pound division. — Okamoto
7. Magomed Ankalaev 
UFC mild heavyweight champion
Earlier rating: 6
Report: 20-1-1, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) vs. Alex Pereira, March 8
Subsequent: TBD
Ankalaev dethroned Pereira at UFC 313 for his 14th consecutive struggle and not using a loss, a run that started after his UFC debut in 2018. — Okamoto
8. Dricus Du Plessis
UFC middleweight champion
Report: 23-2
Final: W (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Feb. 8
Subsequent: Aug. 16 vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Nobody receives as many backhanded compliments as Du Plessis, however so long as the wins maintain coming, who cares? The UFC’s middleweight champ is thought for breaking the entire technical guidelines of MMA and making it work. He has taken out a number of the largest names of his division’s historical past and has a chance so as to add one other when he faces Chimaev at UFC 319. Du Plessis is on his method to changing into a type of large names himself if it retains up. — Okamoto
9. Alex Pereira
UFC mild heavyweight
Earlier rating: Tied for 8
Report: 12-3
Final: L (UD) vs. Magomed Ankalaev, March 8
Subsequent: TBD
A stellar 2024 cemented Pereira’s place as a star within the UFC, however he confronted arguably his hardest check as mild heavyweight champion when he stepped into the Octagon with Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira had handled strikers, however the query was whether or not he might get the job completed towards a gifted grappler. Pereira stored the struggle standing however fell quick by unanimous choice. — Hale
10. Jack Della Maddalena
UFC welterweight champion
Earlier rating: Unranked
Report: 18-2
Final: W (UD) vs. Belal Muhammad, Might 10
Subsequent: TBD vs. Islam Makhachev
Della Maddalena seemingly got here from nowhere to make his debut on the pound-for-pound record, however that is what occurs while you win a UFC championship and snap Muhammad’s 11-fight win streak. Della Maddalena has had some shut calls within the UFC, however on the finish of the day he is at all times discovered a method to win, going 8-0 contained in the Octagon. Can he maintain it going towards Makhachev? — Okamoto
Different fighters receiving votes: Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkanovski 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. Dricus Du Plessis; 8. Magomed Ankalaev; 9. Alex Pereira; 10. Alexander Volkanovski.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Aspinall; 6. Ankalaev; 7. Pantoja; 8. Jack Della Maddalena; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Pereira.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4. Pereira; 5. Pantoja; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Ankalaev; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Della Maddalena.
Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Du Plessis; 5. Ankalaev; 6. Pantoja; 7. Della Maddalena; 8. Aspinall; 9. Pereira; 10. Jones.
Andrew Davis: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Aspinall; 6. Ankalaev; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Pantoja; 9. Della Maddalena; 10. Pereira.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Jones; 5. Dvalishvili; 6. Francis Ngannou; 7. Pantoja; 8. Ankalaev; 9. Khamzat Chimaev; 10. Pereira.
Ladies’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Report: 26-3
Final: W (UD) vs. Tatiana Suarez, Feb. 8
Subsequent: TBD
Amanda Nunes left a giant gap in girls’s MMA when she introduced her retirement in 2023, however Zhang has crammed that void by way of a dominant presence. — Okamoto
2. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC flyweight champion
Report: 25-4-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, Might 10
Subsequent: TBD
Shevchenko put a cap on the Alexa Grasso trilogy in 2024 with a dominant efficiency that put to mattress any remaining questions round that rivalry. She adopted that up with a well-rounded efficiency towards Fiorot to enhance to 10-1-1 in UFC title fights. — Okamoto
3. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight and PFL Tremendous Fights champion
Report: 28-2, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) vs. Larissa Pacheco, Oct. 19
Subsequent: TBD
It had been some time since Cyborg had fought an elite opponent in MMA till she met Pacheco in 2024. That was a legit matchup — and lots of throughout the trade have been predicting Cyborg’s downfall. As a substitute, she took out the PFL’s two-weight champion, upending all of Pacheco’s momentum. One of many authentic pioneers of girls’s MMA is by some means nonetheless going sturdy. — Okamoto
4. Kayla Harrison
UFC bantamweight
Earlier rating: 5
Report: 18-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Ketlen Vieira, Oct. 5
Subsequent: June 7 vs. Julianna Peña
The longtime face of the PFL is rapidly changing into the face of the UFC’s girls’s divisions as effectively. Harrison has already defeated two of one of the best 135-pounders within the UFC, and she or he’ll be favored to win the belt when she faces present champion Peña in June. If she claims the belt, do not be stunned if her first transfer is to demand Amanda Nunes come out of retirement. — Okamoto
5. Natalia Silva
UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: Unranked
Report: 19-5-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso, Might 10
Subsequent: TBD
Silva is trying each bit the a part of a future UFC champion, following a dominant show over Grasso at UFC 315. Her stick-and-move model has pissed off even the best degree of opponent, and she or he’s acquired youth on her facet as she will not flip 30 till 2027. — Okamoto
6. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Report: 12-2
Final: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Might 10
Subsequent: TBD
Fiorot fell quick in her problem of Shevchenko, the champ, at UFC 315. However after knocking off Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her earlier two fights, Fiorot has proven she has the instruments to turn into champion. — Hale
7. Julianna Peña
UFC bantamweight champion
Earlier rating: 8
Report: 12-5
Final: W (SD) vs. Raquel Pennington, Oct. 5
Subsequent: June 7 vs. Kayla Harrison
She upset the apple cart as soon as when she beat Amanda Nunes to turn into bantamweight champion, and have become a two-time champion with a slim cut up choice win over Pennington in October. She’ll get the possibility to tug off one other upset when she defends her title towards Harrison at UFC 316. Can she do it once more? — Hale
8. Larissa Pacheco
PFL featherweight champion
Earlier rating: 7
Report: 23-5
Final: L (UD) vs. Cris Cyborg, Oct. 19
Subsequent: TBD
As the one girl to defeat Kayla Harrison and after coming near beating Cyborg final October, Pacheco deserves her spot on this record. Sadly, the dearth of high quality opponents within the PFL will stop her from climbing larger. At 30, Pacheco continues to be bettering, however will probably be fascinating to see who the PFL finds to face her subsequent. — Hale
9. Erin Blanchfield
UFC flyweight
Report: 13-2
Final: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas, Nov. 2
Subsequent: Might 31 vs. Maycee Barber
Blanchfield dug herself out of a gap to beat Namajunas in November, and subsequent up for the 25-year-old is a gathering with one other younger prospect. Blanchfield has immense potential and has proven new wrinkles in her sport since dropping a call to Manon Fiorot final 12 months. — Hale
10. Virna Jandiroba
UFC strawweight
Report: 22-3
Final: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan, April 12
Subsequent: TBD
Jandiroba thrust herself into title competition by dominating Yan at UFC 314, neutralizing the hanging risk of the onetime title challenger and forcing Yan into her world — a grappling bout. With the win, Jandiroba prolonged her profitable streak to 5. With strawweight champion Zhang Weili awaiting her subsequent challenger, Jandiroba is in place to fill the void. — Hale
Different fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Dakota Ditcheva and Maycee Barber.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Manon Fiorot; 5. Natalia Silva; 6. Rose Namajunas; 7. Erin Blanchfield; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Virna Jandiroba.
Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Silva; 6. Pacheco; 7. Peña; 8. Fiorot; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Jandiroba.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Peña; 6. Grasso; 7. Pacheco; 8. Dakota Ditcheva; 9. Fiorot; 10. Silva.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Silva; 6. Peña; 7. Vandiroba; 8. Fiorot; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Maycee. Barber.
Andrew Davis: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Peña; 6. Silva; 7. Fiorot; 8. Pacheco; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Ditcheva.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Fiorot; 5. Pacheco; 6. Harrison; 7. Silva; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Peña; 10. Jandiroba.
