MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Superfight win over Israel Adesanya opens the door for Jan Blachowicz

Saturday night’s superfight at UFC 259 did not produce a double champion, but it did provide one of the fighters with a ticket to the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings.

Jan Blachowicz came away from the weekend still in possession of the UFC light heavyweight championship and as a new entrant in the men’s top 10. The 38-year-old’s unanimous decision win over middleweight champ Israel Adesanya was impressive enough to nudge a couple of other ranked fighters out of Blachowicz’s way.

Adesanya remains in the rankings, just one spot lower. Following the first loss of his MMA career, he said he’s headed back to the 185-pound division.

Bumped from the rankings was former UFC men’s flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who has not competed since 2019. He has a shot to regain a spot on April 7 when he challenges Adriano Moraes for the One Championship flyweight title.

Two fighters in the men’s top 10 compete on March 27 at UFC 260: Stipe Miocic defends his heavyweight belt against Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkanovski puts his featherweight belt on the line against Brian Ortega.

The women’s rankings do not change. Two-division champion Amanda Nunes put on a dominant performance on Saturday against Megan Anderson in defending her featherweight title, but she already was No. 1, so there is no upward mobility available to her.

(For Brett Okamoto’s division-by-division rankings, go here.)

Note: Results are current; rankings as of March 9.

Men’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov  

UFC lightweight champion
Record: 29-0
Last: W (SUB2) Justin Gaethje, Oct. 24, 2020
Next: Announced retirement

2. Jon Jones  

UFC light heavyweight/announced move to heavyweight
Record: 26-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) Dominick Reyes, Feb. 8, 2020
Next: TBD

3. Stipe Miocic  

UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 20-3
Last: W (UD) Daniel Cormier, Aug. 15, 2020
Next: March 27 vs. Francis Ngannou

4. Kamaru Usman  

UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 18-1
Last: W (TKO3) Gilbert Burns, Feb. 13, 2021
Next: TBD

5. Israel Adesanya  

UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 20-1
Last: L (UD) Jan Blachowicz, March 6, 2021
Next: TBD

6. Alexander Volkanovski  

UFC featherweight champion
Record: 22-1
Last: W (SD) Max Holloway, July 11, 2020
Next: March 27 vs. Brian Ortega

T-7. Jan Blachowicz  

UFC light heavyweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 28-8
Last: W (UD) Israel Adesanya, March 6, 2021
Next: TBD

T-7. Deiveson Figueiredo  

UFC flyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1
Last: D (MD) Brandon Moreno, Dec. 12, 2020
Next: June 12 vs. Brandon Moreno

9. Dustin Poirier  

UFC lightweight
Previous ranking: T-7
Record: 27-6, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO2) Conor McGregor, Jan. 23, 2021
Next: TBD

10. Max Holloway  

UFC featherweight
Record: 22-6
Last: W (UD) Calvin Kattar, Jan. 16, 2021
Next: TBD

Other fighters receiving votes: Demetrious Johnson, Justin Gaethje and Francis Ngannou

How our writers voted

Brett Okamoto
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Kamaru Usman
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Israel Adesanya
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Deiveson Figueiredo
8. Jan Blachowicz
9. Dustin Poirier
10. Max Holloway

Marc Raimondi
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Kamaru Usman
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Israel Adesanya
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Dustin Poirier
8. Jan Blachowicz
9. Deiveson Figueiredo
10. Max Holloway

Ariel Helwani
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Israel Adesanya
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Dustin Poirier
8. Max Holloway
9. Jan Blachowicz
10. Deiveson Figueiredo

Jeff Wagenheim
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Demetrious Johnson
5. Kamaru Usman
6. Israel Adesanya
7. Deiveson Figueiredo
8. Jan Blachowicz
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Francis Ngannou

1. Amanda Nunes  

UFC bantamweight/featherweight champion
Record: 21-4
Last: W (Sub1) Megan Anderson, March 6, 2021
Next: TBD

2. Valentina Shevchenko  

UFC flyweight champion
Record: 20-3
Last: W (UD) Jennifer Maia, Nov. 21, 2020
Next: April 24 vs. Jessica Andrade

3. Cris Cyborg  

Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 23-2, 1 NC
Last: W (SUB2) Arlene Blencowe, Oct. 15, 2020
Next: TBD

4. Zhang Weili  

UFC strawweight champion
Record: 21-1
Last: W (SD) Joanna Jedrzejczyk, March 7, 2020
Next: April 24 vs. Rose Namajunas

5. Rose Namajunas  

UFC strawweight
Record: 9-4
Last: W (SD) Jessica Andrade, July 11, 2020
Next: April 24 vs. Zhang Weili

6. Jessica Andrade  

UFC flyweight
Record: 21-8
Last: W (TKO1) Katlyn Chookagian, Oct. 17, 2020
Next: April 24 vs. Valentina Shevchenko

7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk  

UFC strawweight
Record: 16-4
Last: L (SD) Zhang Weili, March 7, 2020
Next: TBD

8. Germaine de Randamie  

UFC bantamweight
Record: 10-4
Last: W (TechSUB3) Julianna Peña, Oct. 3, 2020
Next: TBD

9. Holly Holm  

UFC bantamweight
Record: 14-5
Last: W (UD) Irene Aldana, Oct. 3, 2020
Next: TBD

10. Katlyn Chookagian  

UFC flyweight
Record: 15-4
Last: W (UD) Cynthia Calvillo, Nov. 21, 2020
Next: TBD

Other fighters receiving votes: Julia Budd and Seo Hee Ham

How our writers voted

Brett Okamoto
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Jessica Andrade
7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Katlyn Chookagian

Marc Raimondi
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Jessica Andrade
7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
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. Jessica Andrade
7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Julia Budd