The relentless Kamaru Usman makes his move in pound-for-pound rankings

It was not the rock-’em-sock-’em thriller that fans were hoping for when they saw that Jorge Masvidal was challenging for the UFC welterweight championship, but that was the whole point for Kamaru Usman.

Making his second defense of the 170-pound belt in the UFC 251 main event on July 11, Usman relentlessly crowded Masvidal, taking his explosiveness out of the equation and rolling to a dominant, unanimous-decision victory.

That victory boosted Usman a couple of spots in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

The rest of the men’s and women’s top 10s remained intact, though Daniel Cormier and Israel Adesanya each dropped one spot to make room for the ascent of Usman.

Deiveson Figueiredo garnered a vote on the strength of his July 19 victory, which earned him the vacant UFC men’s flyweight championship. But one vote was not enough to put him in the top 10, which is still topped by lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Cormier and heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will put their rankings on the line when they meet Aug. 15 to complete their championship trilogy.

The women’s top 10 remained intact, with featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes still No. 1.

(You can find Brett Okamoto’s division-by-division rankings here.)

Note: Rankings were previously updated July 29.

Men’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov  

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. Henry Cejudo  

Record: 16-2
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (TKO2) Dominick Cruz, May 9
Next: TBD

4. Stipe Miocic  

Record: 19-3
Weight class: Heavyweight
Last: W (TKO4) Daniel Cormier, Aug. 17
Next: Aug. 15 vs. Daniel Cormier

5. Kamaru Usman  

Previous ranking: T-6
Record: 17-1
Weight class: Welterweight
Last: W (UD) Jorge Masvidal, July 11
Next: TBD

6. Daniel Cormier  

Previous ranking: 5
Record: 22-2, 1 NC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Last: L (TKO4) Stipe Miocic, Aug. 17
Next: Aug. 15 vs. Stipe Miocic

7. Israel Adesanya  

Previous ranking: T-6
Record: 19-0
Weight class: Middleweight
Last: W (UD) Yoel Romero, March 7
Next: Sept. 19 vs. Paulo Costa

8. Demetrious Johnson  

Record: 30-3-1
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (UD) Danny Kingad, Oct. 12
Next: TBD vs. Adriano Moraes

9. Alexander Volkanovski  

Record: 22-1
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: W (SD) Max Holloway, July 11
Next: TBD

10. Justin Gaethje  

Record: 22-2
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (TKO5) Tony Ferguson, May 9
Next: Oct. 24 vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Other fighters receiving votes: Deiveson Figueiredo and Dustin Poirier.

How our writers voted

Brett Okamoto
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Henry Cejudo
3. Jon Jones
4. Israel Adesanya
5. Stipe Miocic
6. Kamaru Usman
7. Daniel Cormier
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Justin Gaethje
10. Deiveson Figueiredo

Marc Raimondi
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Henry Cejudo
4. Kamaru Usman
5. Daniel Cormier
6. Stipe Miocic
7. Demetrious Johnson
8. Israel Adesanya
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Justin Gaethje

Ariel Helwani
1. Jon Jones
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov
3. Henry Cejudo
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Daniel Cormier
6. Israel Adesanya
7. Kamaru Usman
8. Justin Gaethje
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Dustin Poirier

Jeff Wagenheim
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
2. Jon Jones
3. Henry Cejudo
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Kamaru Usman
7. Daniel Cormier
8. Israel Adesanya
9. Alexander Volkanovski
10. Justin Gaethje

1. Amanda Nunes  

Record: 20-4
Weight class: Bantamweight/featherweight
Last: W (UD) Felicia Spencer, June 6
Next: TBD

2. Valentina Shevchenko  

Record: 19-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (TKO3) Katlyn Chookagian, Feb. 8
Next: TBD

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

5. Rose Namajunas  

Record: 9-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (SD) Jessica Andrade, July 11
Next: TBD

6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk  

Record: 16-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (SD) Zhang Weili, March 7
Next: TBD

7. Jessica Andrade  

Record: 20-8
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (SD) Rose Namajunas, July 11
Next: TBD

8. Tatiana Suarez  

Record: 8-0
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (UD) Nina Ansaroff, June 8, 2019
Next: TBD

9. Germaine de Randamie  

Record: 9-4
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, Dec. 14
Next: TBD

T-10. Katlyn Chookagian  

Record: 14-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (UD) Antonina Shevchenko, May 30
Next: TBD

T-10. Holly Holm  

Record: 13-5
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (UD) Raquel Pennington, Jan. 18
Next: TBD

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. Tatiana Suarez
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Katlyn Chookagian

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

Ariel Helwani
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Tatiana Suarez
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Holly Holm

Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Zhang Weili
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Tatiana Suarez
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Katlyn Chookagian