Sean O'Malley's star continues to rise, along with his place in top 10
If Sean O’Malley had any self-doubts, he was confronted by them over the weekend at UFC 299. In his first defense of the men’s bantamweight championship, he was up against the only fighter to defeat him. And even though “Suga Sean” had insisted ever since the 2020 loss that it was a fluke injury that did him in, the blemish on his record was real.
But O’Malley used the rematch with Marlon “Chito” Vera to make an emphatic statement that the 135-pound division is his domain. And O’Malley’s victory gave him a boost in the latest ESPN pound-for-pound rankings, as he moved up into the men’s top five.
One other significant change in the top 10: Jon Jones, who was ranked No. 2, drops out of the rankings because he has been inactive for over a year (last fight: March 4, 2023). We’ll see the UFC heavyweight champ again when he returns from injury, but for now his absence makes room in the rankings for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.
The women’s rankings remain unchanged.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of March 12. 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: 25-1
Last: W (KO1) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Oct. 21, 2023
Next: TBD
2. Leon Edwards 
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 22-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs Colby Covington, Dec. 16, 2023
Next: TBD
3. Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight champion
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 9-2
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Jirí Procházka, Nov. 11, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Jamahal Hill
4. Ilia Topuria
UFC featherweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 15-0
Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
5. Sean O’Malley .
UFC bantamweight champion
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 18-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Marlon Vera, March 9, 2024
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 featherweight
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight
Record: 24-3
Last: L (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Sept. 9, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 21-2
Last: W (SD) vs. Sean Strickland, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Merab Dvalishvili, Demetrious Johnson, Khamzat Chimaev, Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Leon Edwards; 3. Israel Adesanya; 4. Alex Pereira; 5. Ilia Topuria; 6. Alexandre Pantoja; 7. Sean O’Malley; 8. Alexander Volkanovski; 9. Charles Oliveira; 10. Max Holloway.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Oliveira; 4. Pereira; 5. O’Malley; 6. Topuria; 7. Volkanovski; 8. Pantoja; 9. Merab Dvalishvili; 10. Justin Gaethje.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Pereira; 4. Volkanovski; 5. Oliveira; 6. O’Malley; 7. Topuria; 8. Dricus Du Plessis; 9. Adesanya; 10. Pantoja.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Topuria; 4. Pereira; 5. O’Malley; 6. Adesanya; 7. Volkanovski; 8. Pantoja; 9. Du Plessis; 10. Oliveira.
Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. Edwards; 5. O’Malley; 6. Pantoja; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Demetrious Johnson; 9. Khamzat Chimaev; 10. Adesanya.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Pantoja; 4. Oliveira; 5. Adesanya; 6. Pereira; 7. Volkanovski; 8. Topuria; 9. O’Malley; 10. Holloway.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Edwards; 3. Oliveira; 4. Pereira; 5. Topuria; 6. O’Malley; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Dvalishvili; 10. Gaethje.
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
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
Record: 17-3
Last: W (KO1) vs. Jessica Andrade, May 6, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight
Record: 10-0
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Jessica Andrade, Aug. 5, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 16-8
Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
T-9. Kayla Harrison
UFC bantamweight
Record: 16-1
Last: L (UD) vs. Aspen Ladd, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: April 13 vs. Holly Holm
T-9. Larissa Pacheco
PFL featherweight champion
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.
