Pound for pound: Where do new champs Du Plessis and Pennington fall?
Over the weekend, UFC 297 saw the crowning of two new champions. Both have now broken into the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings.
Dricus Du Plessis is making his debut in the men’s top-10 on the strength of his split-decision win over Sean Strickland in the Toronto card’s main event, a middleweight title fight. Du Plessis (21-2) has won nine fights in a row.
And Raquel Pennington, who in her second shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight belt finally secured the shiny strap with a victory over Mayra Bueno Silva, has entered the women’s rankings. Pennington (16-8) previously challenged for the title in 2018.
Other than that, the men’s and women’s rankings remain largely unchanged.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Jan. 24. 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.
1. Zhang Weili 
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 24-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Amanda Lemos, Aug. 19, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Yan Xiaonan
2. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 16-3-1
Last: Split draw vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Sept. 16, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Record: 22-4-1
Last: Split draw vs. Alexa Grasso, Sept. 16, 2023
Next: TBD
4. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 27-2, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Cat Zingano, Oct. 7, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Record: 12-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Taila Santos, Aug. 26, 2023
Next: March 30 vs. Manon Fiorot
6. Yan Xiaonan 
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 17-3
Last: W (KO1) vs. Jessica Andrade, May 6, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 10-0
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Jessica Andrade, Aug. 5, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 16-8
Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
T-9. Kayla Harrison
PFL featherweight
Record: 16-1
Last: L (UD) vs. Aspen Ladd, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: TBD
T-9. Larissa Pacheco 
PFL featherweight champion
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 23-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Seika Izawa, Manon Fiorot, Liz Carmouche, Amanda Lemos, Rose Namajunas and Julianna Peña.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Alexa Grasso; 3. Valentina Shevchenko; 4. Cris Cyborg. 5. Erin Blanchfield; 6. Tatiana Suarez; 7. Manon Fiorot; 8. Rose Namajunas; 9. Kayla Harrison; 10. Yan Xiaonan.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Zhang; 2. Cyborg; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Grasso; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Yan; 7. Seika Izawa; 8. Raquel Pennington; 9. Suarez; 10. Fiorot.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Yan; 7. Pennington; 8. Fiorot; 9. Suarez; 10. Julianna Peña.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Pennington; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Larissa Pacheco; 9. Yan; 10. Suarez.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Suarez; 7. Pacheco; 8. Fiorot; 9. Harrison; 10. Namajunas.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Blanchfield; 5. Pacheco; 6. Cyborg; 7. Amanda Lemos; 8. Harrison; 9. Izawa; 10. Pennington.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Cyborg; 4. Shevchenko; 5. Blanchfield; 6. Yan; 7. Izawa; 8. Pennington; 9. Suarez; 10. Fiorot.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
UFC lightweight champion
Record: 25-1
Last: W (KO1) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Oct. 21, 2023
Next: TBD
2. Jon Jones
UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 27-1, 1 NC
Last: W (Sub1) vs. Ciryl Gane, March 4, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 26-3
Last: L (KO1) vs. Islam Makhachev, Oct. 21, 2023
Next: Feb. 17 vs. Ilia Topuria
4. Leon Edwards
UFC welterweight champion
Record: 22-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs Colby Covington, Dec. 16, 2023
Next: TBD
5. Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight champion
Record: 9-2
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Jirí Procházka, Nov. 11, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC lightweight
Record: 34-9, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Beneil Dariush, June 10, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Arman Tsarukyan
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 27-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Brandon Royval, Dec. 16, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight
Record: 24-3
Last: L (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Sept. 9, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 17-1, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Aljamain Sterling, Aug. 19, 2023
Next: March 9 vs. Marlon Vera
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 21-2
Last: W (SD) vs. Sean Strickland, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Kamaru Usman, Khamzat Chimaev, Aljamain Sterling, Max Holloway, Demetrious Johnson, Justin Gaethje and Brandon Moreno.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Alexander Volkanovski; 3. Leon Edwards; 4. Jon Jones; 5. Israel Adesanya; 6. Alex Pereira; 7. Alexandre Pantoja; 8. Charles Oliveira; 9. Max Holloway; 10. Brandon Moreno.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Volkanovski; 5. Oliveira; 6. Pereira; 7. Pantoja; 8. Sean O’Malley; 9. Adesanya; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Volkanovski; 4. Edwards; 5. Pereira; 6. Oliveira; 7. Adesanya; 8. Kamaru Usman; 9. O’Malley; 10. Du Plessis.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Volkanovski; 4. Edwards; 5. Pereira; 6. Adesanya; 7. O’Malley; 8. Pantoja; 9. Du Plessis; 10. Oliveira.
Ian Parker: 1. Jones; 2. Makhachev; 3. Volkanovski; 4. Pereira; 5. Edwards; 6. O’Malley; 7. Pantoja; 8. Du Plessis; 9. Demetrious Johnson; 10. Khamzat Chimaev.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Jones; 4. Edwards; 5. Pantoja; 6. Oliveira; 7. Adesanya; 8. Chimaev; 9. Pereira; 10. Usman.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Volkanovski; 4. Edwards; 5. Oliveira; 6. O’Malley; 7. Pantoja; 8. Pereira; 9. Aljamain Sterling; 10. Justin Gaethje.
