Tom Aspinall and Belal Muhammad put on outstanding performances over the weekend at UFC 304, and as a result, both have staked their places in the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings for the first time.
Aspinall successfully defended his UFC interim heavyweight championship with a 60-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes, his third straight first-round knockout. Aside from an injury-related loss to Blaydes in 2021, in which he blew out his knee in the first 15 seconds, Aspinall has finished everyone he’s faced in the UFC, all but one of them in Round 1.
Now Aspinall is ranked in our top 10 and the heavyweight with the real UFC belt is not. Jon Jones has not fought since March 2023, and his inactivity makes him ineligible for these rankings. The UFC is planning for Jones to return later this year against former champ Stipe Miocic, who has not competed since 2021 and has no wins in nearly four years. Apparently, fans will have to wait a while for Jones and Aspinall to collide.
Muhammad is UFC welterweight champion after dethroning Leon Edwards. It was not as rousing a performance as the Aspinall fight, but Muhammad seized control early and never let up, extending his unbeaten streak to 11 in a row.
Edwards, who lost for the first time since 2015 — 13 fights ago — drops out of the top 10 after previously having been ranked No. 3.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of July 30. 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.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
UFC lightweight champion
Record: 26-1
Last: W (Sub5) vs. Dustin Poirier, June 1, 2024
Next: TBD
2. Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight champion
Record: 11-2
Last: W (TKO2) vs. Jirí Procházka, June 29, 2024
Next: TBD
3. Ilia Topuria 
UFC featherweight champion
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 15-0
Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 18-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Marlon Vera, March 9, 2024
Next: Sept. 14 vs. Merab Dvalishvili
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 28-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Steve Erceg, May 4, 2024
Next: TBD
6. Tom Aspinall
UFC heavyweight interim champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 15-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 24-3
Last: L (UD) vs. Sean Strickland, Sept. 9, 2023
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Dricus Du Plessis
UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 24-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Leon Edwards, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
10. Max Holloway 
UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 26-7
Last: W (KO5) vs. Justin Gaethje, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Leon Edwards, Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Alex Pereira; 3. Israel Adesanya; 4. Ilia Topuria; 5. Tom Aspinall; 6. Alexandre Pantoja; 7. Sean O’Malley; 8. Belal Muhammad; 9. Alexander Volkanovski; 10. Max Holloway.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Aspinall; 6. Muhammad; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Holloway; 10. Adesanya.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. O’Malley; 4. Aspinall; 5. Volkanovski; 6. Topuria; 7. Muhammad; 8. Du Plessis; 9. Leon Edwards; 10. Pantoja.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Edwards; 6. Pantoja; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Muhammad; 9. Adesanya; 10. Holloway.
Ian Parker: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Holloway; 6. Du Plessis; 7. Pantoja; 8. Adesanya; 9. Sean Strickland; 10.Muhammad.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Pantoja; 4. Edwards; 5. Adesanya; 6. Volkanovski; 7. Topuria; 8. O’Malley; 9. Holloway; 10. Aspinall.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Aspinall; 5. O’Malley; 6. Holloway; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Muhammad; 10. Edwards.
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 25-3
Last: W (UD) vs. Yan Xiaonan, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
2. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 16-3-1
Last: Split draw vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Sept. 16, 2023
Next: Sept. 14 vs. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC flyweight
Record: 22-4-1
Last: Split draw vs. Alexa Grasso, Sept. 16, 2023
Next: Sept. 14 vs. Alexa Grasso
4. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 27-2, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Cat Zingano, Oct. 7, 2023
Next: TBD
T-5. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Record: 12-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Erin Blanchfield, March 30, 2024
Next: TBD
T-5. Kayla Harrison
UFC bantamweight
Record: 17-1
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Holly Holm, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 16-8
Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: TBD
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: TBD
T-9. Tatiana Suarez
UFC strawweight
Record: 10-0
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Jessica Andrade, Aug. 5, 2023
Next: TBD
T-9. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweight
Record: 17-4, 1 NC
Last: L (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Erin Blanchfield, Rose Namajunas, Seika Izawa, Amanda Lemos and Julianna Peña.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Zhang Weili; 2. Alexa Grasso; 3. Valentina Shevchenko; 4. Manon Fiorot; 5. Cris Cyborg. 6. Tatiana Suarez; 7. Rose Namajunas; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Kayla Harrison; 10. Larissa Pacheco.
Andreas Hale: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Suarez; 8. Raquel Pennington; 9. Pacheco; 10. Namajunas.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pennington; 7. Harrison; 8. Yan Xiaonan; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Julianna Peña.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Harrison; 4. Shevchenko; 5. Cyborg; 6. Pennington; 7. Pacheco; 8. Fiorot; 9. Suarez; 10. Blanchfield.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Yan; 7. Suarez; 8. Pennington; 9. Pacheco; 10. Fiorot.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Pacheco; 5. Cyborg; 6. Harrison; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Amanda Lemos; 10. Seika Izawa.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Cyborg; 4. Shevchenko; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pennington; 7. Yan; 8. Harrison; 9. Blanchfield; 10. Izawa.
