Ngannou and Cyborg make heavy impact

Ngannou and Cyborg make heavy impact
  • ESPN

Oct 22, 2024, 07:44 AM ET

Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg are heavy hitters. Their latest impact is on the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.

Ngannou had been a mainstay of the men’s top 10 back when he was the UFC heavyweight champion. However, after departing the Octagon two years ago to pursue his dream of professional boxing, he fell from our rankings because his inactivity in MMA made him ineligible. But now he’s back in the top 10, after returning with a bang over the weekend. Ngannou knocked out Renan Ferreira in the first round of their PFL Battle of the Giants main event.

Cyborg competed in the co-main event of that same card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and by defeating fellow top-10 fighter Larissa PachecoCyborg added a PFL Super Fights featherweight belt to the Bellator strap she already owned. The victory boosted Cyborg up one spot into the top three of our women’s rankings.

For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.

Note: Results are current; rankings as of Oct. 22. 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.


1. Islam Makhachev

UFC lightweight champion
Record: 26-1
Last: W (Sub5) vs. Dustin PoirierJune 1, 2024
Next: TBD


2. Alex Pereira

UFC light heavyweight champion
Record: 12-2
Last: W (TKO4) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.Oct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD


3. Ilia Topuria

UFC featherweight champion
Record: 15-0
Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander VolkanovskiFeb. 17, 2024
Next: Oct. 26 vs. Max Holloway


4. Alexandre Pantoja

UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 28-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Steve ErcegMay 4, 2024
Next: Dec. 7 vs. Kai Asakura


5. Tom Aspinall

UFC heavyweight interim champion
Record: 15-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis BlaydesJuly 27, 2024
Next: TBD


6. Francis Ngannou

PFL heavyweight Super Fights champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 18-3
Last: W (KO1) vs. Renan FerreiraOct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD


7. Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 18-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Sean O’MalleySept.14, 2024
Next: TBD


8. Belal Muhammad

UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 24-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Leon EdwardsJuly 27, 2024
Next: Dec. 7 vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov


T-9. Dricus Du Plessis

UFC middleweight champion
Record: 22-2
Last: W (Sub4) vs. Israel AdesanyaAug.17, 2024
Next: TBD


T-9. Alexander Volkanovski

UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia TopuriaFeb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD


Other fighters receiving votes: Max Holloway, Leon Edwards, Sean O’Malley and Sean Strickland.


How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Alex Pereira; 3. Ilia Topuria; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alexandre Pantoja; 6. Belal Muhammad; 7. Merab Dvalishvili; 8. Alexander Volkanovski; 9. Max Holloway; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.

Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. Aspinall; 5. Dvalishvili; 6. Muhammad; 7. Francis Ngannou; 8. Pledges; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Holloway.

Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Ngannou; 4. Aspinall; 5. Topuria; 6. Volkanovski; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Pledges; 9. Muhammad; 10. Dvalishvili.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. Du Plessis; 5. Pantoja; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Ngannou; 8. Muhammad; 9. Aspinall; 10. O’Malley.

Ian Parker: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Holloway; 6. Du Plessis; 7. Pledges; 8. Muhammad; 9. Aspinall; 10. Sean Strickland.

Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Pledges; 4. Ngannou; 5. Topuria; 6. Volkanovski; 6. Muhammad; 7. Leon Edwards; 8. Holloway; 9. Aspinall.

Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Ngannou; 4. Topuria; 5. Aspinall; 6. Pledges; 7. Dvalishvili; 8. Holloway; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Muhammad.


Women’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Zhang Weili

UFC strawweight champion
Record: 25-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Yan XiaonanApril 13, 2024
Next: TBD


2. Valentina Shevchenko

UFC flyweight champion
Record: 23-4-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Alexa GrassoSept. 14, 2024
Next: TBD


3. Cris Cyborg

Bellator featherweight and PFL Super Fights champion
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 28-2, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Larissa PachecoOct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD


4. Alexa Grasso

UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 16-4-1
Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina ShevchenkoSept. 14, 2024
Next: TBD


5. Kayla Harrison

UFC bantamweight
Record: 18-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Ketlen VieiraOct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD


6. Manon Fiorot

UFC flyweight
Record: 12-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Erin BlanchfieldMarch 30, 2024
Next: TBD


7. Larissa Pacheco

PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-5
Last: L (UD) vs. Cris CyborgOct. 19, 2024
Next: TBD


8. Julianna Pena

UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 12-5
Last: W (SD) vs. Raquel PenningtonOct. 5, 2024
Next: TBD


9. Erin Blanchfield

UFC flyweight
Record: 12-2
Last: L (UD) vs. Manon FiorotMarch 30, 2024
Next: Nov. 2 vs. Rose Namajunas


10. Yan Xiaonan

UFC strawweight
Record: 17-4, 1 NC
Last: L (UD) vs. Zhang WeiliApril 13, 2024
Next: TBD


Other fighters receiving votes: Rose Namajunas, Raquel Pennington, Seika Izawa and Amanda Lemos.


How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Alexa Fat; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Rose Namajunas; 7. Erin Blanchfield; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Yan Xiaonan.

Andreas Hale: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Fatty; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Pacheco; 8. Namajunas; 9. Peña; 10. Blanchfield.

Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Grasso; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Rock; 8. Yan; 9. Pacheco; 10. Blanchfield.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Peña; 7. Raquel Pennington; 8. Pacheco; 9. Fiorot; 10. Blanchfield.

Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Harrison; 5. Fatty; 6. Here; 7. Peña; 8. Pacheco; 9. Fiorot; 10. Namajunas.

Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Grasso; 4. Cyborg; 5. Pacheco; 6. Harrison; 7. Rock; 8. Fiorot; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Amanda Lemos.

Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Flower; 5. Fat; 6. Package; 7. Harrison; 8. Exist; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Seika Izawa.

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