Pound-for-pound rankings: Alex Pereira rises … but all the way to the top?
Alex Pereira put on a star-making performance in the main event of UFC 303 over the weekend. It elevated him in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.
Pereira’s second-round TKO of Jirí Procházka enabled him to remain light heavyweight champion, and the way he did it — taking the fight on short notice, then completely shutting down a former champ who had given him problems in their first meeting seven months ago — enhanced the Brazilian’s status as perhaps the UFC’s greatest current star.
Pereira already was No. 3 in our men’s rankings, but with Saturday’s masterful victory, he leapfrogged UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards into the second spot in the top 10. Pereira even garnered a couple of first-place votes from panelists who previously had him at No. 2.
It will be interesting to see where the ceiling is for Pereira, who turns 37 next weekend. He’s a former two-division kickboxing world champ who, in just nine trips inside the Octagon, has ruled two UFC weight classes. How else can he impress?
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of July 2. 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 lightweight champion
Record: 26-1
Last: W (Sub5) vs. Dustin Poirier, June 1, 2024
Next: TBD
2. Alex Pereira 
UFC light heavyweight champion
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 11-2
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Jirí Procházka, June 29, 2024
Next: TBD
3. Leon Edwards 
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 22-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs Colby Covington, Dec. 16, 2023
Next: July 27 vs. Belal Muhammad
4. Ilia Topuria 
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 15-0
Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 18-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Marlon Vera, March 9, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 28-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Steve Erceg, May 4, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC featherweight
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight
Previous ranking: Tied for 7
Record: 24-3
Last: L (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Sept. 9, 2023
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Dricus Du Plessis
9. Max Holloway
UFC featherweight
Record: 26-7
Last: W (KO5) vs. Justin Gaethje, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight champion
Record: 21-2
Last: W (SD) vs. Sean Strickland, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Israel Adesanya
Other fighters receiving votes: Merab Dvalishvili, Aljamain Sterling and Sean Strickland.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Leon Edwards; 3. Alex Pereira; 4. Israel Adesanya; 5. Ilia Topuria; 6. Alexandre Pantoja; 7. Sean O’Malley; 8. Alexander Volkanovski; 9. Max Holloway; 10. Aljamain Sterling.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Edwards; 4. Topuria; 5. O’Malley; 6. Pantoja; 7. Volkanovski; 8. Holloway; 9. Adesanya; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Pereira; 4. O’Malley; 5. Volkanovski; 6. Topuria; 7. Holloway; 8. Du Plessis; 9. Adesanya; 10. Pantoja.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Edwards; 4. Topuria; 5. O’Malley; 6. Adesanya; 7. Volkanovski; 8. Pantoja; 9. Du Plessis; 10. Holloway.
Ian Parker: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Edwards; 5. O’Malley; 6. Holloway; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Pantoja; 9. Adesanya; 10. Sean Strickland.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Edwards; 4. Pantoja; 5. Adesanya; 6. Volkanovski; 7. Topuria; 8. O’Malley; 9. Holloway; 10. Du Plessis.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Edwards; 4. Topuria; 5. Holloway; 6. O’Malley; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Merab Dvalishvili; 10. Du Plessis.
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 25-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
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
T-5. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 12-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Erin Blanchfield, March 30, 2024
Next: TBD
T-5. Kayla Harrison
UFC bantamweight
Record: 17-1
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Holly Holm, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 16-8
Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: TBD
T-9. Tatiana Suarez
UFC strawweight
Record: 10-0
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Jessica Andrade, Aug. 5, 2023
Next: TBD
T-9. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweight
Record: 17-4, 1 NC
Last: L (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Erin Blanchfield, Rose Namajunas, Seika Izawa, Amanda Lemos and Julianna Peña.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Alexa Grasso; 3. Valentina Shevchenko; 4. Manon Fiorot; 5. Cris Cyborg. 6. Tatiana Suarez; 7. Rose Namajunas; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Kayla Harrison; 10. Larissa Pacheco.
Andreas Hale: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Suarez; 8. Raquel Pennington; 9. Pacheco; 10. Namajunas.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pennington; 7. Harrison; 8. Yan Xiaonan; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Julianna Peña.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Harrison; 4. Shevchenko; 5. Cyborg; 6. Pennington; 7. Pacheco; 8. Fiorot; 9. Suarez; 10. Blanchfield.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Yan; 7. Suarez; 8. Pennington; 9. Pacheco; 10. Fiorot.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Pacheco; 5. Cyborg; 6. Harrison; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Amanda Lemos; 10. Seika Izawa.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Cyborg; 4. Shevchenko; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pennington; 7. Yan; 8. Harrison; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Izawa.
