MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Where does KO of Alexander Volkanovski put Ilia Topuria in top 10?
Some were shocked over the weekend, some not so much. Among the latter
group were oddsmakers, who made longtime UFC men’s featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski only a slight betting favorite in his sixth title defense.
Most prominent among those who foresaw a change at the top of the game was
Volkanovski’s opponent — that is, Volkanovski’s undefeated opponent. Ilia Topuria did not merely say he was going to defeat Volkanovski, the
longest-reigning UFC champion with 11 straight featherweight wins,
including conquests of the greatest 145-pounders the sport has produced.
Topuria said he was going to finish Volkanovski early.
This prediction sounded like folly.
Until it happened just as Topuria said it would.
Now, after knocking Volkanovski out cold in the second round of the UFC 298 main event on Saturday, Topuria has entered the top five in
the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Volkanovski remains in the top 10, just lower down.
The women’s top 10 is unchanged.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Feb. 20. 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
Ilia Topuria left the Octagon with the men’s featherweight belt at the end
of UFC 298. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
1. Islam Makhachev
UFC lightweight championRecord: 25-1Last: W (KO1) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Oct. 21, 2023Next: TBD
2. Jon Jones
UFC heavyweight championRecord: 27-1, 1 NCLast: W (Sub1) vs. Ciryl Gane, March 4, 2023Next: TBD
3. Leon Edwards
UFC welterweight championPrevious ranking: 4Record: 22-3, 1 NCLast: W (UD) vs Colby Covington, Dec. 16, 2023Next: TBD
4. Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight championPrevious ranking: 5Record: 9-2Last: W (TKO2) vs. Jirí Procházka, Nov. 11, 2023Next: April 13 vs. Jamahal Hill
5. Ilia Topuria
UFC featherweight championPrevious ranking: UnrankedRecord: 15-0Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 17, 2024Next: TBD
6. Charles Oliveira
UFC lightweightRecord: 34-9, 1 NCLast: W (TKO1) vs. Beneil Dariush, June 10, 2023Next: April 13 vs. Arman Tsarukyan
7. Alexandre Pantoja
UFC flyweight championRecord: 27-5Last: W (UD) vs. Brandon Royval, Dec. 16, 2023Next: TBD
8. Alexander Volkanovski
UFC featherweightPrevious ranking: 3Record: 26-4Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024Next: TBD
9. Israel Adesanya
UFC middleweightPrevious ranking: 8Record: 24-3Last: L (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Sept. 9, 2023Next: TBD
10. Sean O’Malley
UFC bantamweight championPrevious ranking: 9Record: 17-1, 1 NCLast: W (TKO2) vs. Aljamain Sterling, Aug. 19, 2023Next: March 9 vs. Marlon Vera
Other fighters receiving votes: Dricus Du Plessis, Merab Dvalishvili, Max Holloway, Khamzat Chimaev and Demetrious Johnson.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Leon Edwards; 3. Jon Jones; 4. Israel Adesanya; 5.
Alex Pereira; 6. Ilia Topuria; 7. Alexandre Pantoja; 8. Alexander
Volkanovski; 9. Charles Oliveira; 10. Max Holloway.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Oliveira; 5. Pereira; 6. Topuria;
7. Volkanovski; 8. Pantoja; 9. Sean O’Malley; 10. Merab Dvalishvili.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Volkanovski; 5. Pereira; 6.
Oliveira; 7. Adesanya; 8. O’Malley; 9. Topuria; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Topuria; 5. Pereira; 6. Adesanya;
7. O’Malley; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Pantoja; 10. Du Plessis.
Ian Parker: 1. Jones; 2. Makhachev; 3. Pereira; 4. Topuria; 5. Edwards; 6. O’Malley;
7. Pantoja; 8. Du Plessis; 9. Demetrious Johnson; 10. Khamzat Chimaev.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Pantoja; 5. Oliveira; 6. Adesanya;
7. Pereira; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Topuria; 10. Holloway.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Jones; 3. Edwards; 4. Oliveira; 5. Pereira; 6. Topuria;
7. O’Malley; 8. Pantoja; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Dvalishvili.
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
Raquel Pennington became a UFC champion on Jan. 20 in her second shot at
the women’s bantamweight belt. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight championRecord: 24-3Last: W (UD) vs. Amanda Lemos, Aug. 19, 2023Next: April 13 vs. Yan Xiaonan
2. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight championRecord: 16-3-1Last: Split draw vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Sept. 16, 2023Next: TBD
3. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC flyweightRecord: 22-4-1Last: Split draw vs. Alexa Grasso, Sept. 16, 2023Next: TBD
4. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight championRecord: 27-2, 1 NCLast: W (TKO1) vs. Cat Zingano, Oct. 7, 2023Next: TBD
5. Erin Blanchfield
UFC flyweightRecord: 12-1Last: W (UD) vs. Taila Santos, Aug. 26, 2023Next: March 30 vs. Manon Fiorot
6. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweightRecord: 17-3Last: W (KO1) vs. Jessica Andrade, May 6, 2023Next: April 13 vs. Zhang Weili
7. Tatiana Suarez
UFC strawweightRecord: 10-0Last: W (Sub2) vs. Jessica Andrade, Aug. 5, 2023Next: TBD
8. Raquel Pennington
UFC bantamweight championRecord: 16-8Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024Next: TBD
T-9. Kayla Harrison
PFL featherweightRecord: 16-1Last: L (UD) vs. Aspen Ladd, Nov. 24, 2023Next: April 13 vs. Holly Holm
T-9. Larissa Pacheco
PFL featherweight championRecord: 23-4Last: W (UD) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, Nov. 24, 2023Next: 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.
Source: After winning the UFC men’s featherweight title, undefeated Topuria moves into ESPN rankings.
