Pound for pound: Erin Blanchfield stakes her place among the elite of women's MMA
Erin Blanchfield burst into the women’s flyweight rankings on the strength of last weekend’s victory over Jessica Andrade, a former UFC strawweight champion and flyweight title challenger who has long been in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.
Now Blanchfield has a place in the pound-for-pound women’s top 10 as well.
Our voting panel was unanimous that Blanchfield belongs in those rankings, but was split on exactly where to slot her in. Above Andrade because of her dominant finish when they met on Saturday? Or below her because the Brazilian took the bout on short notice after fighting just four weeks earlier?
Just like the last time ESPN took a pound-for-pound vote, when three panelists elevated Islam Makhachev to No. 1 among men and the other three kept Alexander Volkanovski on top, there’s an even split of support for fighters who’ve just tussled in the cage. Unanimity isn’t as fun to talk about, right?
The bottom line for Blanchfield is that in her first four UFC wins, she showed herself to be a future star. But with a masterful stoppage win over Andrade, the 23-year-old’s future appears to have arrived. It’s even possible that Blanchfield will be next for Valentina Shevchenko, if the 125-pound champion gets by challenger Alexa Grasso on March 4. It’s big fights for Blanchfield from here on out.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Feb. 23.
1. Amanda Nunes 
UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion
Record: 22-5
Last: W (UD) Julianna Peña, July 30, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 22-3
Last: W (SD) Taila Santos, June 11, 2022
Next: March 4 vs. Alexa Grasso
3. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 23-3
Last: W (Sub2) Carla Esparza, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: TBD
4. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 26-2, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) Arlene Blencowe, April 23, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 11-5
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, July 30, 2022
Next: TBD
T-6. Jessica Andrade 
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 24-10
Last: L (Sub2) Erin Blanchfield, Feb. 18, 2023
Next: TBD
T-6. Rose Namajunas 
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 11-5
Last: L (SD) Carla Esparza, May 7, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 11-1
Last: W (Sub2) Jessica Andrade, Feb. 18, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 19-7
Last: L (Sub2) Zhang Weili, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: TBD
10. Kayla Harrison
PFL lightweight
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 15-1
Last: L (UD) Larissa Pacheco, Nov. 25, 2022
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Larissa Pacheco, Raquel Pennington, Amanda Lemos and Alexa Grasso.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Amanda Nunes; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Zhang Weili; 4. Cris Cyborg; 5. Rose Namajunas; 6. Jessica Andrade; 7. Julianna Peña; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Erin Blanchfield; 10. Larissa Pacheco.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Zhang; 5. Peña; 6. Namajunas; 7. Andrade; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Esparza; 10. Amanda Lemos.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Peña; 6. Harrison; 7. Esparza; 8. Andrade; 9. Pacheco; 10. Blanchfield.
Megan Anderson: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Namajunas; 6. Esparza; 7. Raquel Pennington; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Andrade; 10. Alexa Grasso.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Zhang; 4. Peña; 5. Cyborg; 6. Blanchfield; 7. Andrade; 8. Namajunas; 9. Lemos; 10. Pacheco.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Peña; 6. Blanchfield; 7. Andrade; 8. Esparza; 9. Namajunas; 10. Lemos.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
T-1. Islam Makhachev
UFC lightweight champion
Record: 24-1
Last: W (UD) Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 11, 2023
Next: TBD
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 25-2
Last: L (UD) Islam Makhachev, Feb. 11, 2023
Next: TBD
3. Kamaru Usman
UFC welterweight
Record: 20-2
Last: L (KO5) Leon Edwards, Aug. 20, 2022
Next: March 18 vs. Leon Edwards
UFC middleweight
Record: 23-2
Last: L (TKO5) Alex Pereira, Nov. 12, 2022
Next: April 8 vs. Alex Pereira
Heavyweight
Record: 17-3
Last: W (UD) Ciryl Gane, Jan. 22, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC lightweight
Record: 33-9, 1 NC
Last: L (Sub2) Islam Makhachev, Oct. 22, 2022
Next: May 6 vs. Beneil Dariush
7. Leon Edwards
UFC welterweight champion
Record: 20-3, 1 NC
Last: W (KO5) Kamaru Usman, Aug. 20, 2022
Next: March 18 vs. Kamaru Usman
T-8. Brandon Moreno
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 21-6-2
Last: W (TKO3) Deiveson Figueiredo, Jan. 21, 2023
Next: TBD
T-8. Aljamain Sterling
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 22-3
Last: W (TKO2) TJ Dillashaw, Oct. 22, 2022
Next: May 6 vs. Henry Cejudo
10. Robert Whittaker
UFC middleweight
Record: 24-6
Last: W (UD) Marvin Vettori, Sept. 3, 2022
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Alex Pereira, Dustin Poirier and Jiri Prochazka.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Alexander Volkanovski; 3. Israel Adesanya; 4. Kamaru Usman; 5. Robert Whittaker; 6. Charles Oliveira; 7. Aljamain Sterling; 8. Brandon Moreno; 9. Francis Ngannou; 10. Leon Edwards.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Usman; 4. Oliveira; 5. Ngannou; 6. Adesanya; 7. Sterling; 8. Edwards; 9. Moreno; 10. Alex Pereira.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Usman; 4. Ngannou; 5. Oliveira; 6. Adesanya; 7. Edwards; 8. Jiri Prochazka; 9. Moreno; 10. Pereira.
Megan Anderson: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Adesanya; 4. Usman; 5. Oliveira; 6. Ngannou; 7. Edwards; 8. Whittaker; 9. Pereira; 10. Moreno.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Ngannou; 4. Adesanya; 5. Usman; 6. Oliveira; 7. Dustin Poirier; 8. Moreno; 9. Sterling; 10. Prochazka.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Ngannou; 4. Usman; 5. Oliveira; 6. Adesanya; 7. Edwards; 8. Pereira; 9. Sterling; 10. Moreno.
