Can anyone bump Jones, Nunes from pound-for-pound No. 1 spots?
Which MMA fighter is the best, regardless of weight division or fight promotion?
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Ariel Helwani and Jeff Wagenheim provide their top-10 picks, and their votes produce our consensus men’s and women’s pound-for-pound lists.
(You can find Okamoto’s division-by-division rankings here.)
Note: Rankings were updated July 9.
1. Jon Jones
Record: 25-1, 1 NC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Last: W (SD) Thiago Santos, July 6
Next: TBD
Record: 22-1, 1 NC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Last: W (SUB2) Derrick Lewis, Nov. 3
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Stipe Miocic
Record: 27-0
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (SUB4) Conor McGregor, Oct. 6
Next: Sept. 7 vs. Dustin Poirier
4. Henry Cejudo
Record: 15-2
Weight class: Flyweight/bantamweight
Last: W (TKO3) Marlon Moraes, June 8
Next: TBD
Record: 25-3
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (TKO2) Donald Cerrone, June 8
Next: TBD
Record: 28-3-1
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (SUB2) Yuya Wakamatsu, March 31
Next: Aug. 2 vs. Tatsumitsu Wada
7. Kamaru Usman
Record: 15-1
Weight class: Welterweight
Last: W (UD) Tyron Woodley, March 2
Next: TBD
Record: 25-5
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (UD) Max Holloway, April 13
Next: Sept. 7 vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
9. Max Holloway
Record: 20-4
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: L (UD) Dustin Poirier, April 13
Next: July 27 vs. Frankie Edgar
10. Robert Whittaker
Record: 20-4
Weight class: Middleweight
Last: W (SD) Yoel Romero, June 9, 2018
Next: Oct. 6 vs. Israel Adesanya
Other fighters receiving a vote: Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya.
Brett Okamoto
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Tony Ferguson
6. Demetrious Johnson
7. Robert Whittaker
8. Kamaru Usman
9. Max Holloway
10. Yoel Romero
Marc Raimondi
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Tony Ferguson
6. Demetrious Johnson
7. Robert Whittaker
8. Kamaru Usman
9. Dustin Poirier
10. Max Holloway
Ariel Helwani
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Tony Ferguson
6. Kamaru Usman
7. Dustin Poirier
8. Max Holloway
9. Israel Adesanya
10. Demetrious Johnson
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Max Holloway
8. Tony Ferguson
9. Kamaru Usman
10. Robert Whittaker
1. Amanda Nunes
Record: 18-4
Weight class: Bantamweight/featherweight
Last: W (TKO1) Holly Holm, July 6
Next: TBD
T-2. Cris Cyborg
Record: 20-2, 1 NC
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: L (TKO1) Amanda Nunes, Dec. 29
Next: July 27 vs. Felicia Spencer
T-2. Valentina Shevchenko
Record: 17-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (KO2) Jessica Eye, June 8
Next: Aug. 10 vs. Liz Carmouche
Record: 20-6
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (TKO2) Rose Namajunas, May 11
Next: Aug. 31 vs. Zhang Weili
Record: 9-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (TKO2) Jessica Andrade, May 11
Next: TBD
Record: 15-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: L (UD) Valentina Shevchenko, Dec. 8
Next: Oct. 12 vs. Michelle Waterson
Record: 8-0
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (UD) Nina Ansaroff, June 8
Next: TBD
8. Holly Holm
Record: 12-5
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: L (TKO1) Amanda Nunes, July 6
Next: TBD
Record: 8-3
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (UD) Raquel Pennington, Nov. 10
Next: July 13 vs. Aspen Ladd
10. Ketlen Vieira
Record: 10-0
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (SD) Cat Zingano, March 3, 2018
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving a vote: Julia Budd, Ayaka Hamasaki and Zhang Weili.
Brett Okamoto
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Ketlen Vieira
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Holly Holm
Marc Raimondi
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Cris Cyborg
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Holly Holm
9. Ayaka Hamasaki
10. Germaine de Randamie
Ariel Helwani
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Holly Holm
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Julia Budd
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Cris Cyborg
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Zhang Weili