The recipe for making it to the top of the sport is no secret: Win your fights. But that doesn’t always get a fighter where he or she wants to be, because there can be a traffic jam ahead in the rankings. Sometimes you just have to wait for others to fall by the wayside and create space for you to shine.
That is what has happened for several fighters who are rising in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings and others who have just showed up in the men’s and women’s top 10s.
The recent retirements of Henry Cejudo and Daniel Cormier, who were ranked Nos. 3 and 6 respectively among the men, left a void in the top 10. So did the inactivity of Tatiana Suarez, formerly No. 8 among women, who drops out after not having competed since June 2019.
With those fighters gone from the rankings, Stipe Miocic leads an upward march of fighters moving up a spot or more in the men’s top 10. New to the list are Deiveson Figueiredo and Dustin Poirier, both of whom had votes the last time the rankings were updated, but not enough to be ranked. Now they are.
There are no new entrants in the women’s rankings, because previously the top 10 was really a top 11 — there are two fighters tied for the No. 10 spot. Katlyn Chookagian and Holly Holm are still tied, but now at No. 9.
Note: Rankings were updated Sept. 9.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
Record: 28-0
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (SUB3) Dustin Poirier, Sept. 7
Next: Oct. 24 vs. Justin Gaethje
2. Jon Jones
Record: 26-1, 1 NC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Last: W (UD) Dominick Reyes, Feb. 8
Next: TBD
3. Stipe Miocic
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 20-3
Weight class: Heavyweight
Last: W (UD) Daniel Cormier, Aug. 15
Next: TBD
T-4. Israel Adesanya
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 19-0
Weight class: Middleweight
Last: W (UD) Yoel Romero, March 7
Next: Sept. 26 vs. Paulo Costa
T-4. Kamaru Usman
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 17-1
Weight class: Welterweight
Last: W (UD) Jorge Masvidal, July 11
Next: Dec. 12 vs. Gilbert Burns
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 22-1
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: W (SD) Max Holloway, July 11
Next: TBD
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 30-3-1
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (UD) Danny Kingad, Oct. 12
Next: TBD vs. Adriano Moraes
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 22-2
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (TKO5) Tony Ferguson, May 9
Next: Oct. 24 vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 19-1
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (TechSub1) Joseph Benavidez, July 19
Next: Nov. 21 vs. Cody Garbrandt
10. Dustin Poirier
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 25-6, 1 NC
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (UD) Dan Hooker, June 27
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou and Petr Yan.
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Israel Adesanya
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Justin Gaethje
8. Deiveson Figueiredo
9. Demetrious Johnson
10. Dustin Poirier
Marc Raimondi
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Kamaru Usman
5. Israel Adesanya
6. Demetrious Johnson
7. Alexander Volkanovski
8. Deiveson Figueiredo
9. Justin Gaethje
10. Petr Yan
Ariel Helwani
1. Jon Jones
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Israel Adesanya
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Justin Gaethje
7. Alexander Volkanovski
8. Dustin Poirier
9. Demetrious Johnson
10. Conor McGregor
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Israel Adesanya
7. Alexander Volkanovski
8. Justin Gaethje
9. Deiveson Figueiredo
10. Francis Ngannou
1. Amanda Nunes
Record: 20-4
Weight class: Bantamweight/featherweight
Last: W (UD) Felicia Spencer, June 6
Next: Dec. 12 vs. Megan Anderson
Record: 19-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (TKO3) Katlyn Chookagian, Feb. 8
Next: Nov. 21 vs. Jennifer Maia
3. Cris Cyborg
Record: 21-2, 1 NC
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: W (UD) Julia Budd, Jan. 25
Next: TBD
4. Zhang Weili
Record: 21-1
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (SD) Joanna Jedrzejczyk, March 7
Next: TBD
Record: 9-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (SD) Jessica Andrade, July 11
Next: TBD
Record: 16-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (SD) Zhang Weili, March 7
Next: TBD
Record: 20-8
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (SD) Rose Namajunas, July 11
Next: TBD
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 9-4
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, Dec. 14
Next: TBD
T-9. Katlyn Chookagian
Previous ranking: T-10
Record: 14-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (UD) Antonina Shevchenko, May 30
Next: TBD
T-9. Holly Holm
Previous ranking: T-10
Record: 13-5
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (UD) Raquel Pennington, Jan. 18
Next: Oct. 3 vs. Irene Aldana
Other fighters receiving votes: Julia Budd and Seo Hee Ham.
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Zhang Weili
4. Rose Namajunas
5. Cris Cyborg
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Katlyn Chookagian
10. Holly Holm
Marc Raimondi
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Seo Hee Ham
Ariel Helwani
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Katlyn Chookagian
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Katlyn Chookagian
10. Julia Budd