Pound for pound: New No. 1s in both men's and women's top 10s
There is a change at the top of the ESPN men’s pound-for pound rankings, and also a new No. 1 in the women’s top 10.
Those movements happened under different circumstances.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is now alone at the top of the men’s rankings, a spot he previously shared with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski claimed the premier position all for himself with a masterful performance last Saturday at UFC 290, where he fended off the challenge of Yair Rodriguez with a third-round TKO.
In the women’s rankings, Zhang Weili claimed the No. 1 spot — despite the fact that she has not fought since November. The UFC strawweight champ moved up from No. 2 because the previous top-ranked woman, Amanda Nunes, has retired and vacated her bantamweight and featherweight championships. Zhang has an opportunity to solidify her hold on the top spot when she defends her belt against ninth-ranked Amanda Lemos on Aug. 19.
Two fighters are newly ranked in these latest top 10s: Alexandre Pantoja, who won the men’s flyweight title at UFC 290, and Liz Carmouche, who owns the Bellator women’s flyweight belt.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of July 11. In order 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
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 26-2
Last: W (TKO3) Yair Rodriguez, July 8, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC lightweight champion
Previous ranking: Tied for 1
Record: 24-1
Last: W (UD) Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 11, 2023
Next: TBD
3. Jon Jones 
UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 27-1, 1 NC
Last: W (Sub1) Ciryl Gane, March 4, 2023
Next: Nov. 11 vs. Stipe Miocic
UFC middleweight champion
Record: 24-2
Last: W (TKO2) Alex Pereira, April 8, 2023
Next: TBD vs. Dricus Du Plessis
5. Leon Edwards
UFC welterweight champion
Record: 21-3, 1 NC
Last: W (MD) Kamaru Usman, March 18, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC lightweight
Record: 34-9, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO1) Beneil Dariush, June 10, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 22-3
Last: W (SD) Henry Cejudo, May 6, 2023
Next: Aug. 19 vs. Sean O’Malley
8. Kamaru Usman
UFC welterweight
Record: 20-3
Last: L (MD) Leon Edwards, March 18, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 26-5
Last: W (SD) Brandon Moreno, July 8, 2023
Next: TBD
10. Dustin Poirier 
UFC lightweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 29-7, 1 NC
Last: W (Sub3) Michael Chandler, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: July 29 vs. Justin Gaethje
Other fighters receiving votes: Brandon Moreno, Alex Pereira, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, and Max Holloway.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Alexander Volkanovski; 2. Islam Makhachev; 3. Jon Jones; 4. Israel Adesanya; 5. Leon Edwards; 6. Charles Oliveira; 7. Aljamain Sterling; 8. Kamaru Usman; 9. Dustin Poirier; 10. Alexandre Pantoja.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Jones; 2. Makhachev; 3. Volkanovski; 4. Adesanya; 5. Sterling; 6. Edwards; 7. Oliveira; 8. Pantoja; 9. Usman; 10. Brandon Moreno.
Megan Anderson: 1. Jones; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Makhachev; 4. Adesanya; 5. Edwards; 6. Oliveira; 7. Usman; 8. Sterling; 9. Pantoja; 10. Moreno.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Jones; 4. Adesanya; 5. Edwards; 6. Oliveira; 7. Usman; 8. Sterling; 9. Alex Pereira; 10. Max Holloway.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Adesanya; 4. Jones; 5. Sterling; 6. Oliveira; 7. Edwards; 8. Poirier; 9. Usman; 10. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Jones; 4. Adesanya; 5. Edwards; 6. Oliveira; 7. Sterling; 8. Pantoja; 9. Usman; 10. Moreno.
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 23-3
Last: W (Sub2) Carla Esparza, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: Aug. 19 vs. Amanda Lemos
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 22-4
Last: L (Sub4) Alexa Grasso, March 4, 2023
Next: TBD
3. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 16-3
Last: W (Sub4) Valentina Shevchenko, March 4, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 11-5
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, July 30, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 11-1
Last: W (Sub2) Jessica Andrade, Feb. 18, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 19-7
Last: L (Sub2) Zhang Weili, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: TBD
7. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: Tied form 8
Record: 17-3
Last: W (KO1) Jessica Andrade, May 6, 2023
Next: TBD
PFL lightweight
Record: 15-1
Last: L (UD) Larissa Pacheco, Nov. 25, 2022
Next: TBD
9. Amanda Lemos
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 13-2-1
Last: W (TKO3) Marina Rodriguez, Nov. 5, 2022
Next: Aug. 19 vs. Zhang Weili
10. Liz Carmouche
Bellator flyweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 19-7
Last: W (Sub4) DeAnna Bennett, April 21, 2023
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Jessica Andrade, Larissa Pacheco, Raquel Pennington, Seika Izawa, Manon Fiorot and Taila Santos.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Valentina Shevchenko; 2. Zhang Weili; 3. Alexa Grasso; 4. Julianna Peña; 5. Kayla Harrison; 6. Erin Blanchfield; 7. Carla Esparza; 8. Jessica Andrade; 9. Yan Xiaonan; 10. Amanda Lemos.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Grasso; 4. Peña; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Esparza; 7. Yan; 8. Seika Izawa; 9. Lemos; 10. Liz Carmouche.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Esparza; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Yan; 7. Raquel Pennington; 8. Peña; 9. Manon Fiorot; 10. Taila Santos.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Peña; 5. Harrison; 6. Esparza; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Yan; 9. Andrade; 10. Larissa Pacheco.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Peña; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Lemos; 7. Pacheco; 8. Harrison; 9. Carmouche; 10. Izawa.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Peña; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Esparza; 7. Carmouche; 8. Yan; 9. Lemos; 10. Pennington.
