3 hours ago
12
ESPN
Jun 25, 2025, 08:00 AM ET
Jon Jones has been a fixture of ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings for a decennary and a half, holding down the No. 1 spot for overmuch of that time. But his retirement implicit the play ended the Jones era.
Because of his inactivity successful caller years, Jones had fallen to the mediate of the men's apical 10. Even though helium held the UFC heavyweight title, Jones had been ranked beneath the antheral with the interim belt, Tom Aspinall, who has been named undisputed champion with the Jones retirement. Three different fighters besides were slotted up of Jones successful the astir caller erstwhile apical 10.
Now Jones is gone from the rankings.
The apical 4 spots bash not change, but Jones' departure results successful a reshuffling of astir who were beneath him. And Alexander Volkanovski, a onetime No. 1 who had fallen from the rankings aft losing the featherweight rubric past year, returns to the apical 10 connected the spot of having precocious regained the belt.
There could beryllium much changes aft this weekend's UFC 317 with its 2 rubric fights, but for present here's the reshuffled post-Jon Jones ESPN apical 10.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings arsenic of June 25. To beryllium eligible for the rankings, a combatant indispensable person competed implicit the past 12 months oregon indispensable person an upcoming combat booked. Fighters who person been dropped for inactivity tin beryllium reinstated lone aft they compete.
Men's pound-for-pound rankings
UFC welterweight
Record: 27-1
Last: W (Sub1) vs. Renato Moicano, Jan. 18
Next: TBD vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Makhachev staked his assertion arsenic the top lightweight of each clip by swiftly dispatching late-replacement Moicano astatine UFC 311. It was his UFC-record 4th rubric defence and tied Kamaru Usman for the second-longest winning streak successful UFC past astatine 15. Makhachev yet won implicit UFC CEO Dana White, who present agrees helium is the champion pound-for-pound combatant successful the world. Next up for Makhachev volition beryllium a determination up to welterweight to situation caller champion Della Maddalena, with the day and venue to beryllium determined. -- Andreas Hale
2. Ilia Topuria 
UFC lightweight
Record: 16-0
Last: W (KO3) vs. Max Holloway, Oct. 26, 2024
Next: June 28 vs. Charles Oliveira
After knocking retired 2 of the top featherweights successful UFC past (Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway) successful 2024, it was going to beryllium pugnacious for Topuria to apical that successful 2025. He moved up to lightweight with the extremity of challenging Islam Makhachev, but with Makhachev moving up a part himself, Topuria alternatively volition go for the vacant rubric against Oliveira, a erstwhile lightweight champ. -- Hale
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 20-4
Last: W (TechSub3) vs. Sean O'Malley, June 7
Next: TBD
Dvalishvili is connected 1 of the astir awesome runs done the UFC's bantamweight part ever. Not lone did helium decision O'Malley for the 2nd clip successful 9 months astatine UFC 316, helium showcased a caller portion of his game, finishing O'Malley with a third-round guillotine. Since August 2022, Dvalishvili has beaten José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, O'Malley (twice) and Umar Nurmagomedov, and helium has said helium wants to combat doubly much earlier the extremity of this year. -- Brett Okamoto
4. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 15-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
If you're going by the oculus test, you tin marque a lawsuit that Aspinall is the astir dynamic, skillful, people talented heavyweight the athletics has seen. He is dominating opponents successful a mode that is unmatched. No 1 tin past a circular with him. He had hoped to beryllium his supremacy against Jon Jones, but Jones opted to retire, elevating Aspinall from interim champion. -- Okamoto
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 29-5
Last: W (TechSub2) vs. Kai Asakura, Dec. 7, 2024
Next: June 28 vs. Kai Kara-France
The UFC's flyweight king has racked up 3 rubric defenses, including 2 successful pay-per-view main events successful 2024. He volition thrust a seven-fight winning streak into his adjacent rubric defence against Kara-France astatine UFC 317. Pantoja is rapidly taking laps astir the 125-pound division. -- Okamoto
UFC airy heavyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Alex Pereira, March 8
Next: TBD
Ankalaev dethroned Pereira astatine UFC 313 for his 14th consecutive combat without a loss, a tally that began aft his UFC debut successful 2018. The Russian champion is enjoying his clip astatine the top, taunting imaginable challengers online. He's an incredibly hard puzzle to crack, and that's improbable to get immoderate easier fixed his increasing consciousness of confidence. -- Okamoto
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 23-2
Last: W (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Feb. 8
Next: Aug. 16 vs. Khamzat Chimaev
No 1 receives arsenic galore backhanded compliments arsenic Du Plessis, but arsenic agelong arsenic the wins support coming, who cares? The UFC's middleweight champ is known for breaking each of the method rules of MMA and making it work. He has taken retired immoderate of the biggest names of his division's past and has an accidental to adhd different when helium faces Chimaev astatine UFC 319. Du Plessis is connected his mode to becoming 1 of those large names himself if it keeps up. -- Okamoto
8. Alex Pereira 
UFC airy heavyweight
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 12-3
Last: L (UD) vs. Magomed Ankalaev, March 8
Next: TBD
A stellar 2024 cemented Pereira's spot arsenic a prima successful the UFC, but helium faced arguably his toughest trial arsenic airy heavyweight champion erstwhile helium stepped into the Octagon with Ankalaev astatine UFC 313. Pereira had dealt with strikers, but the question was whether helium could get the occupation done against a talented grappler. Pereira kept the combat lasting but fell abbreviated by unanimous decision. -- Hale
UFC welterweight champion
Record: 18-2
Last: W (UD) vs. Belal Muhammad, May 10
Next: TBD vs. Islam Makhachev
Della Maddalena seemingly came from obscurity to marque his debut connected the pound-for-pound list, but that's what happens erstwhile you win a UFC championship and drawback Muhammad's 11-fight triumph streak. Della Maddalena has had immoderate adjacent calls successful the UFC, but astatine the extremity of the time he's ever recovered a mode to win, going 8-0 wrong the Octagon. Can helium support it going against Makhachev? -- Okamoto
UFC featherweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 27-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Diego Lopes, April 12
Next: TBD
It felt arsenic if the athletics had started to constitute Volkanovski's eulogy pursuing his knockout nonaccomplishment to Ilia Topuria successful February 2024. Volkanovski noticed, and made a constituent of proving to everyone helium inactive has plentifulness near by recapturing the featherweight loop astatine UFC 314. His property volition apt proceed to beryllium a prefight topic, which is good due to the fact that Volkanovski enjoys proving radical wrong. -- Okamoto
Other fighters receiving votes: Francis Ngannou and Khamzat Chimaev.
How our sheet voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Ilia Topuria; 3. Merab Dvalishvili; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alexandre Pantoja; 6. Dricus du Plessis; 7. Magomed Ankalaev; 8. Alex Pereira; 9. Alexander Volkanovski 10. Jack Della Maddalena.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Aspinall; 5. Ankalaev; 6. Pantoja; 7. Della Maddalena; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Pereira; 10. du Plessis.
Ian Parker: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. du Plessis; 5. Ankalaev; 6. Pantoja; 7. Della Maddalena; 8. Aspinall; 9. Pereira; 10. Volkanovski.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Pantoja; 5. du Plessis; 6. Pereira; 7. Ankalaev; 8. Aspinall; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Della Maddalena.
Andrew Davis: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Dvalishvili; 4. Aspinall; 5. Ankalaev; 6. du Plessis; 7. Pantoja; 8. Della Maddalena; 9. Pereira; 10. Volkanovski.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Pantoja; 6. Francis Ngannou; 7. Ankalaev; 8. Khamzat Chimaev; 9. Pereira; 10. du Plessis.
Women's pound-for-pound rankings
1:11
Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to go caller UFC bantamweight champ
Kayla Harrison taps retired Julianna Pena successful Round 2 astatine UFC 316 to go the caller women's bantamweight champion.
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 26-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Tatiana Suarez, Feb. 8
Next: TBD
Amanda Nunes near a large spread successful women's MMA erstwhile she announced her retirement successful 2023, but Zhang has filled that void successful presumption of a ascendant presence. -- Okamoto
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 25-4-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, May 10
Next: TBD
Shevchenko enactment a headdress connected the Alexa Grasso trilogy successful 2024 with a ascendant show that enactment to furniture immoderate remaining questions astir that rivalry. She followed that up with a well-rounded show against Fiorot to amended to 10-1-1 successful UFC rubric fights. -- Okamoto
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 19-1
Last: W (TechSub2) vs. Julianna Peña, June 7
Next: TBD
The longtime look of the PFL is rapidly becoming the look of the UFC's women's divisions arsenic well. With a ascendant triumph implicit Peña astatine UFC 316, Harrison is present 4-0 successful the UFC and has the hardware to adhd to her 2 Olympic golden medals. She won't person it casual successful her archetypal rubric defense, though, due to the fact that Nunes is coming backmost with the loop successful her sights. -- Okamoto
4. Cris Cyborg
PFL Super Fights featherweight champion
Record: 28-2, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Larissa Pacheco, Oct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD
It had been a portion since Cyborg had fought an elite hostile successful MMA until she met Pacheco successful 2024. That was a morganatic matchup -- and galore wrong the manufacture were predicting Cyborg's downfall. Instead, she took retired the PFL's two-weight champion, upending each of Pacheco's momentum. One of the archetypal pioneers of women's MMA is someway inactive going strong. -- Okamoto
UFC flyweight
Record: 19-5-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso, May 10
Next: TBD
Silva is looking each spot the portion of a aboriginal UFC champion, pursuing a ascendant show implicit Grasso astatine UFC 315. Her stick-and-move benignant has frustrated adjacent the highest level of opponent, and she's got younker connected her broadside arsenic she won't crook 30 until 2027. -- Okamoto
6. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Record: 12-2
Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, May 10
Next: TBD
Fiorot fell abbreviated successful her situation of Shevchenko, the champ, astatine UFC 315. But by knocking disconnected Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield successful her erstwhile 2 fights, Fiorot has shown she has the tools to go champion. -- Hale
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-5
Last: L (UD) vs. Cris Cyborg, Oct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD
As the lone pistillate to decision Kayla Harrison and aft coming adjacent to beating Cyborg past October, Pacheco deserves her spot connected this list. Unfortunately, the deficiency of prime opponents successful the PFL volition forestall her from climbing higher. At 30, Pacheco is inactive improving, but it volition beryllium absorbing to spot who the PFL finds to look her next. -- Hale
UFC flyweight
Record: 13-2
Last: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas, Nov. 2, 2024
Next: TBD
Blanchfield dug herself retired of a spread to bushed Namajunas successful November, and she was scheduled to person a accidental to physique much momentum successful a gathering with different young imaginable -- until Maycee Barber pulled retired of their May 31 bout connected combat night. Blanchfield has immense imaginable and has shown caller wrinkles successful her crippled since dropping a determination to Manon Fiorot past year. -- Hale
UFC strawweight
Record: 22-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan, April 12
Next: TBD
Jandiroba thrust herself into rubric contention by dominating Yan astatine UFC 314, neutralizing the striking menace of the onetime rubric challenger and forcing Yan into her satellite -- a grappling bout. With the win, Jandiroba extended her winning streak to five. With champion Zhang Weili awaiting her adjacent challenger, Jandiroba is successful presumption to capable the void. -- Hale
10. Dakota Ditcheva
PFL flyweight champion
Record: 14-0
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Taila Santos, Nov. 29, 2024
Next: June 26 vs. Sumiko Inaba
Not lone did Ditcheva triumph the PFL's flyweight play past year, she did truthful successful spectacular manner -- a TKO decorativeness implicit Santos, who erstwhile challenged for a UFC title. She volition unfastened her 2025 run against Inaba (8-1) successful the co-main lawsuit of the archetypal PFL Champions Series paper July 26 successful Cape Town, South Africa. -- Okamoto
Other fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Alexa Grasso and Julianna Peña.
How our sheet voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Kayla Harrison; 4. Cris Cyborg; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Natalia Silva; 7. Rose Namajunas; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Virna Jandiroba.
Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Pacheco; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Jandiroba; 10. Dakota Ditcheva.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Harrison; 4. Silva; 5. Cyborg; 6. Jandiroba; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Pacheco.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Harrison; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Julianna Peña; 6. Alexa Grasso; 7. Pacheco; 8. Ditcheva; 9. Fiorot; 10. Silva.
Andrew Davis: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Fiorot; 7. Pacheco; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Peña.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pacheco; 7. Silva; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Jandiroba; 10. Ditcheva.
English (US) ·