Merab Dvalishvili’s win over Sean O’Malley to retain the UFC males’s bantamweight title shook up the MMA world and ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings.
With a second dominant win over the previous champion, Dvalishvili additional cemented himself as one of many historic greats in a division loaded with expertise and secured a transfer up within the rankings. Dvalishvili has now handed consensus MMA GOAT Jon Jones to assert the No. 3 spot. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall additionally handed Jones, who drops to No. 5.
One other fighter additionally cracked the highest three on the ladies’s facet, as new UFC girls’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison beat Julianna Peña by second-round submission to move PFL Tremendous Fights champ Cris Cyborg to take the No. 3 spot.
Peña’s loss induced an enormous shift within the girls’s rankings, as she falls from No. 7 out of the highest 10 and PFL girls’s flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva enters the rankings at No. 10.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click on right here.
Notice: Outcomes are present; rankings as of June 11. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter should have competed over the previous 12 months or should have an upcoming combat booked. Fighters who’ve been dropped for inactivity will be reinstated solely after they compete.
Males’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Islam Makhachev
UFC welterweight
File: 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 successful 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
File: 16-0
Final: W (KO3) vs. Max Holloway, Oct. 26, 2024
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 aim of difficult Islam Makhachev, however with Makhachev shifting up a division himself, Topuria as a substitute will go for the vacant title in opposition to Oliveira, a former light-weight champ. — Hale
3. Merab Dvalishvili 
UFC bantamweight champion
Earlier rating: 4
File: 20-4
Final: W (TechSub3) vs. Sean O’Malley, June 7
Subsequent: TBD
Dvalishvili is on one of the vital spectacular runs by the UFC’s bantamweight division ever. Not solely did he defeat O’Malley for the second time in 9 months at UFC 316, he showcased a brand new a part of his sport, ending O’Malley early with a third-round guillotine. Since August 2022, Dvalishvili has crushed José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice) and Umar Nurmagomedov, and he has mentioned he desires to combat twice extra earlier than the tip of this yr.
4. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight interim champion
Earlier rating: 5
File: 15-3
Final: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27, 2024
Subsequent: TBD
For those who’re going by the attention take a look at, you may make a case that Aspinall is essentially the most dynamic, skillful, naturally proficient heavyweight the game has seen. He’s dominating opponents in a manner that’s unmatched. Nobody can final a spherical with him. Now, will we see him combat Jon Jones? — Brett Okamoto
5. Jon Jones 
UFC heavyweight champion
Earlier rating: 3
File: 28-1, 1 NC
Final: W (TKO3) vs. Stipe Miocic, Nov. 16, 2024
Subsequent: TBD
He has ceded his place as one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, however the one factor stopping Jones from reclaiming the spot is exercise. Ought to “Bones” lastly settle for Aspinall’s problem, he may have the chance to silence the doubters and show once more why he has been known as the best MMA fighter of all time. — Hale
6. Magomed Ankalaev
UFC gentle heavyweight champion
Earlier rating: 7
File: 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 combat and not using a loss, a run that started after his UFC debut in 2018. — Okamoto
7. Alexandre Pantoja
UFC flyweight champion
Earlier rating: 6
File: 29-5
Final: W (TechSub2) vs. Kai Asakura, Dec. 7, 2024
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 most important occasions in 2024. He’ll experience a seven-fight successful streak into his subsequent title protection in opposition to Kara-France at UFC 317. Pantoja is shortly taking laps across the 125-pound division. — Okamoto
8. Dricus Du Plessis
UFC middleweight champion
File: 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 preserve coming, who cares? The UFC’s middleweight champ is thought for breaking all the technical guidelines of MMA and making it work. He has taken out a few of the greatest 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 solution to changing into a kind of massive names himself if it retains up. — Okamoto
9. Jack Della Maddalena
UFC welterweight champion
Earlier rating: 10
File: 18-2
Final: W (UD) vs. Belal Muhammad, Could 10
Subsequent: TBD vs. Islam Makhachev
Della Maddalena seemingly got here from nowhere to make his debut on the pound-for-pound listing, however that is what occurs if 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 all the time discovered a solution to win, going 8-0 contained in the Octagon. Can he preserve it going in opposition to Makhachev? — Okamoto
10. Alex Pereira 
UFC gentle heavyweight
Earlier rating: 9
File: 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 take a look at as gentle 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 accomplished in opposition to a proficient grappler. Pereira stored the combat standing however fell quick by unanimous choice. — Hale
Different fighters receiving votes: Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkanovski and Khamzat Chimaev.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Ilia Topuria; 3. Merab Dvalishvili; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alexandre Pantoja; 6. Dricus du Plessis; 7. Magomed Ankalaev; 8. Alex Pereira; 9. Alexander Volkanovski 10. Jack Della Maddalena.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Aspinall; 6. Ankalaev; 7. Pantoja; 8. Maddalena; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Pereira.
Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Dvalishvili; 3. Topuria; 4. du Plessis; 5. Ankalaev; 6. Pantoja; 7. Della Maddalena; 8. Aspinall; 9. Pereira; 10. Jon 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. Dvalishvili; 5. Jones; 6. Francis Ngannou; 7. Pantoja; 8. Ankalaev; 9. Khamzat Chimaev; 10. Pereira.
Ladies’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
File: 26-3
Final: W (UD) vs. Tatiana Suarez, Feb. 8
Subsequent: TBD
Amanda Nunes left an enormous gap in girls’s MMA when she introduced her retirement in 2023, however Zhang has stuffed that void by way of a dominant presence. — Okamoto
2. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC flyweight champion
File: 25-4-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, Could 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 in opposition to Fiorot to enhance to 10-1-1 in UFC title fights. — Okamoto
3. Kayla Harrison 
UFC bantamweight
Earlier rating: 4
File: 19-1
Final: W (TechSub2) vs. Julianna Peña, June 7
Subsequent: TBD
The longtime face of the PFL is shortly changing into the face of the UFC’s girls’s divisions as nicely. With a dominant win over Peña at UFC 316, Harrison is now 4-0 within the UFC and has the {hardware} so as to add to her two Olympic gold medals. She will not have it simple in her first title protection, although, as a result of Nunes is coming again for the belt.
4. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight and PFL Tremendous Fights champion
Earlier rating: 3
File: 28-2, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) vs. Larissa Pacheco, Oct. 19, 2024
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 authentic matchup — and lots of inside the trade have been predicting Cyborg’s downfall. As an alternative, she took out the PFL’s two-weight champion, upending all of Pacheco’s momentum. One of many unique pioneers of ladies’s MMA is by some means nonetheless going robust. — Okamoto
5. Natalia Silva
UFC flyweight
File: 19-5-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso, Could 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 fashion has annoyed even the very best degree of opponent, and she or he’s bought youth on her facet as she will not flip 30 till 2027. — Okamoto
6. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
File: 12-2
Final: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Could 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 change into champion. — Hale
7. Larissa Pacheco
PFL featherweight champion
Earlier rating: 8
File: 23-5
Final: L (UD) vs. Cris Cyborg, Oct. 19, 2024
Subsequent: TBD
As the one lady to defeat Kayla Harrison and after coming near beating Cyborg final October, Pacheco deserves her spot on this listing. Sadly, the dearth of high quality opponents within the PFL will forestall her from climbing larger. At 30, Pacheco remains to be enhancing, however it will likely be fascinating to see who the PFL finds to face her subsequent. — Hale
8. Erin Blanchfield
UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: 9
File: 13-2
Final: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas, Nov. 2, 2024
Subsequent: Could 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 yr. — Hale
9. Virna Jandiroba
UFC strawweight
Earlier rating: 10
File: 22-3
Final: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan, April 12
Subsequent: TBD
Jandiroba thrust herself into title rivalry by dominating Yan at UFC 314, neutralizing the placing risk of the onetime title challenger and forcing Yan into her world — a grappling bout. With the win, Jandiroba prolonged her successful streak to 5. With strawweight champion Zhang Weili awaiting her subsequent challenger, Jandiroba is in place to fill the void. — Hale
10. Dakota Ditcheva
PFL flyweight champion
Earlier rating: Unranked
File: 14-0
Final: W (TKO2) vs. Taila Santos, Nov. 29, 2024
Subsequent: TBD
She upset the apple cart as soon as when she beat Amanda Nunes to change into bantamweight champion, and have become a two-time champion with a slim break up choice win over Pennington in October. She’ll get the prospect to drag off one other upset when she defends her title in opposition to Harrison at UFC 316. Can she do it once more? — Hale
Different fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, and Julianna Peña.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Kayla Harrison; 4. Cris Cyborg; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Natalia Silva; 7. Rose Namajunas; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Virna Jandiroba.
Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Pacheco; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Jandiroba; 10. Dakota Ditcheva.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Harrison; 4. Silva; 5. Cyborg; 6. Jandiroba; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Larissa Pacheco.
Andrew Davis: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Fiorot; 7. Pacheco; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Julianna Peña.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pacheco; 7. Silva; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Jandiroba; 10. Ditcheva.
