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MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Former No. 1 Kamaru Usman drops out of Top 5

Kevin Iole
·Senior boxing/MMA columnist
·2 min read
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Leon Edwards of Jamaica reacts after defeating Kamaru Usman of Nigeria in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 286 event at The O2 Arena on March 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Leon Edwards retained the UFC welterweight title with a second-straight win over former pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman on Saturday at UFC 286. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)

Leon Edwards’ majority decision win over Kamaru Usman in their welterweight title bout on Saturday at UFC 286 in London, England, shook up the Yahoo Sports MMA men’s pound-for-pound poll ever so slightly.

There were no exits from the poll, nor are their any newcomers, though UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov and Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen all received strong consideration for spots at the bottom of the Top 10.

Edwards moved up a spot from No. 5 to No. 4 after his impressive victory over Usman, his second win in a row over the former pound-for-pound king. Usman, who fought well in defeat, dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 after his second loss in a row, while unbeaten UFC welterweight and middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev moved up a spot from No. 6 to No. 5.

There were no changes in the women’s rankings, though PFL lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco and former champion Kayla Harrison were considered for the bottom slots in the Top 10.

Men’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings as of March 20

  1. Jon Jones (27-1), UFC heavyweight champion. Previous Ranking: 1.

  2. Islam Makhachev (24-1), UFC lightweight champion. Previous Ranking: 2.

  3. Alexander Volkanovski (25-2), UFC featherweight champion. Previous Ranking: 3.

  4. Leon Edwards (21-3), UFC welterweight champion. Previous Ranking: 5.

  5. Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) UFC welterweight/middleweight contender. Previous Ranking: 6.

  6. Kamaru Usman (20-3), former UFC welterweight champion. Previous Ranking: 4.

  7. Charles Oliveira (33-9), former UFC lightweight champion. Previous Ranking: 7.

  8. Israel Adesanya (23-2), former UFC middleweight champion. Previous Ranking: 8.

  9. Jiri Prochazka (29-3), former UFC light heavyweight champion. Previous Ranking: 9

  10. Brandon Moreno (21-6-2), UFC flyweight champion. Previous Ranking: 10.

Women’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings as of March 20

  1. Amanda Nunes (22-5), UFC bantamweight/featherweight champion. Previous Ranking: 1.

  2. Julianna Peña (12-5), former UFC bantamweight champion. Previous Ranking: 2.

  3. Alexa Grasso (16-3), UFC flyweight champion. Previous Ranking: 3.

  4. Valentina Shevchenko (23-4), former UFC flyweight champion. Previous Ranking: 4.

  5. Zhang Weili (23-3), UFC strawweight champion. Previous Ranking: 5.

  6. Cris Cyborg (26-2), Bellator featherweight champion. Previous Ranking: 6.

  7. Rose Namajunas (11-5), former UFC strawweight champion. Previous Ranking: 7.

  8. Erin Blanchfield (11-1), UFC flyweight contender. Previous Ranking: 8.

  9. Manon Fiorot (10-1), UFC flyweight contender. Previous Ranking: 9.

  10. Taila Santos (19-2), UFC flyweight contender. Previous Ranking: 10.