MMA pound-for-pound rankings: How far does Topuria rise? Is Khamzat top-10-worthy?
Sometimes a shift in a sport’s balance of power is practically invisible.
Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev put on spectacular performances over the weekend at UFC 308, yet both undefeated fighters are still right where they were beforehand in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings. Topuria, the featherweight champion, remains at No. 3 in the men’s top 10. Chimaev remains on the outside looking in.
And yet both made subtle advances.
Topuria’s third-round knockout of Max Holloway — the first KO loss in Holloway’s long, star-studded career — earned the champ added support from the ESPN rankings panel, as four of the seven voters moved him up in their top 10s. One voter even put Topuria at No. 1, a spot previously occupied on our ballots by only Islam Makhachev and Alex Pereira.
Chimaev, who submitted former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in the first round, earned a top-10 spot on the ballots of three panelists — not enough for him to break into the rankings, but it’s a start.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Oct. 29. 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
Record: 12-2
Last: W (TKO4) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr., Oct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD
3. Ilia Topuria
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 16-0
Last: W (KO3) vs. Max Holloway, Oct. 26, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 28-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Steve Erceg, May 4, 2024
Next: Dec. 7 vs. Kai Asakura
5. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight interim champion
Record: 15-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
PFL heavyweight Super Fights champion
Record: 18-3
Last: W (KO1) vs. Renan Ferreira, Oct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 18-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Sean O’Malley, Sept.14, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC welterweight champion
Record: 24-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Leon Edwards, July 27, 2024
Next: Dec. 7 vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
UFC middleweight champion
Record: 22-2
Last: W (Sub4) vs. Israel Adesanya, Aug.17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: Tied for 9
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards, Max Holloway, Sean O’Malley and Sean Strickland.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Ilia Topuria; 2. Islam Makhachev; 3. Alex Pereira; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alexandre Pantoja; 6. Belal Muhammad; 7. Merab Dvalishvili; 8. Alexander Volkanovski; 9. Dricus Du Plessis; 10. Khamzat Chimaev.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. Aspinall; 5. Dvalishvili; 6. Muhammad; 7. Francis Ngannou; 8. Pantoja; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Holloway.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Ngannou; 4. Topuria; 5. Aspinall; 6. Volkanovski; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Pantoja; 9. Muhammad; 10. Dvalishvili.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. Du Plessis; 5. Pantoja; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Ngannou; 8. Muhammad; 9. Aspinall; 10. Sean O’Malley.
Ian Parker: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Du Plessis; 6. Pantoja; 7. Muhammad; 8. Aspinall; 9. Chimaev; 10. Sean Strickland.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Pantoja; 4. Topuria; 5. Ngannou; 6. Volkanovski; 6. Muhammad; 7. Leon Edwards; 8. Holloway; 9. Aspinall.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Ngannou; 5. Aspinall; 6. Pantoja; 7. Dvalishvili; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Chimaev; 10. Muhammad.
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
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 23-4-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso, Sept. 14, 2024
Next: TBD
3. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight and PFL Super Fights champion
Record: 28-2, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Larissa Pacheco, Oct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD
4. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight
Record: 16-4-1
Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Sept. 14, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight
Record: 18-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Ketlen Vieira, Oct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD
6. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Record: 12-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Erin Blanchfield, March 30, 2024
Next: TBD
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-5
Last: L (UD) vs. Cris Cyborg, Oct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 12-5
Last: W (SD) vs. Raquel Pennington, Oct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Record: 12-2
Last: L (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, March 30, 2024
Next: Nov. 2 vs. Rose Namajunas
10. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweight
Record: 17-4, 1 NC
Last: L (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Raquel Pennington, Seika Izawa and Amanda Lemos.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Alexa Grasso; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Rose Namajunas; 7. Erin Blanchfield; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Yan Xiaonan.
Andreas Hale: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Pacheco; 8. Namajunas; 9. Peña; 10. Blanchfield.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Grasso; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Peña; 8. Yan; 9. Pacheco; 10. Blanchfield.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Peña; 7. Raquel Pennington; 8. Pacheco; 9. Fiorot; 10. Blanchfield.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Grasso; 6. Yan; 7. Peña; 8. Pacheco; 9. Fiorot; 10. Namajunas.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Pacheco; 6. Harrison; 7. Peña; 8. Fiorot; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Amanda Lemos.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Fiorot; 5. Grasso; 6. Pacheco; 7. Harrison; 8. Yan; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Seika Izawa.
