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MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Amanda Nunes back in familiar spot after avenging loss to Julianna Peña

Kevin Iole
·Combat columnist
·2 min read
In this article:
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  • Amanda Nunes
    Amanda Nunes
    Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • Valentina Shevchenko
    Mixed martial artist

Amanda Nunes attributed her loss in a women’s bantamweight title fight to Julianna Peña at UFC 269 to “not being right” physically and not having the right team around her. Nunes had a bout of COVID-19 before the fight and said her knees were injured.

After that loss by second-round rear naked choke in December, Nunes left American Top Team and created a new team. She worked out of a gym she opened. And most importantly, Nunes was healthy when she faced Peña for the rematch on July 30 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Nunes was so dominant — she scored three knockdowns and had six takedowns, as well as a submission attempt — that she leaped from No. 4 back into her familiar spot atop the pound-for-pound rankings.

UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko dropped from first to second to accommodate Nunes’ rise. Peña performed admirably enough despite Nunes’ efforts to hold the No. 3 slot. PFL lightweight Kayla Harrison dropped from No. 2 to No. 4.

There were no changes on the men’s side.

Men’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings as of Aug. 1

  1. Kamaru Usman (20-1, 9 KOs), UFC welterweight champion. Previous Ranking: 1

  2. Alexander Volkanovski (25-1, 12 KOs), UFC featherweight champion. PR: 2

  3. Charles Oliveira (33-8, 9 KOs), UFC lightweight contender. PR: 3

  4. Israel Adesanya (23-1, 15 KOs), UFC middleweight champion. PR: 4

  5. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 14 KOs), UFC lightweight contender. PR: 5

  6. Islam Makhachev (22-1, 4 KOs), UFC lightweight contender. PR: 6

  7. Francis Ngannou (17-3, 12 KOs), UFC heavyweight champion. PR: 7

  8. Jiri Prochazka (29-3, 25 KOs), UFC light heavyweight champion. PR: 8

  9. Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2, 9 KOs), UFC flyweight champion. PR: 9

  10. Colby Covington (17-3, 4 KOs), UFC welterweight contender. PR: 10

Women’s MMA pound-for-pound rankings as of Aug. 1

  1. Amanda Nunes (22-5, 13 KOs), UFC bantamweight/featherweight champion. PR: 4

  2. Valentina Shevchenko (23-3, 8 KOs), UFC flyweight champion. PR: 1

  3. Julianna Peña (12-5, 3 KOs), UFC bantamweight contender. PR: 3

  4. Kayla Harrison (14-0, 6 KOs), PFL lightweight champion: PR: 2

  5. Zhang Weili (22-3, 11 KOs), UFC strawweight contender. PR: 5

  6. Cris Cyborg (26-2, 20 KOs), Bellator featherweight champion. PR: 6

  7. Carla Esparza (19-6, 4 KOs), UFC strawweight champion. PR: 7

  8. Rose Namajunas (11-5, 2 KOs), UFC strawweight contender. PR: 8

  9. Marina Rodriguez (16-1, 6 KOs), UFC strawweight contender. PR: 9

  10. Lupita Godinez (8-2, 1 KO), UFC strawweight contender. PR: 10

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 30: Amanda Nunes of Brazil celebrates after defeating Julianna Pena in their bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Amanda Nunes won via unanimous decision. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 30: Amanda Nunes of Brazil celebrates after defeating Julianna Pena in their bantamweight title bout during UFC 277 at American Airlines Center on July 30, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Amanda Nunes won via unanimous decision. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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