Profession spotlight for ‘The Spotlight’: Title win places Gaethje in MMA pound-for-pound rankings

Justin Gaethje owned a UFC championship belt earlier than Sunday. Nevertheless it signified simply an interim title, which primarily made him the second-best light-weight on this planet.

That wasn’t ok for “The Spotlight.” He was in his second run with an interim belt, and he had misplaced in two earlier bids for the undisputed title. It was time for extra.

The long-awaited accomplishment got here on the most important stage of MMA historical past, the White Home garden in Washington, D.C., the place Gaethje lastly captured the large prize. The longtime fan favourite however large primary occasion underdog beat up Ilia Topuria to the purpose the place the undefeated champion’s nook stopped the battle after 4 rounds. At age 37, Gaethje lastly is UFC light-weight champion.

In consequence, Gaethje makes his debut within the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings, as does Ciryl Gane, who knocked out Alex Pereira in Sunday’s co-main occasion to win an interim heavyweight title. Gaethje is No. 7, Gane No. 10. Topuria, who went into the weekend ranked second, falls to No. 5, and Pereira, beforehand ranked third, lands at No. 10.

The defeats of the second- and third-ranked fighters threw the pound-for-pound males’s rankings into disarray. UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is now a unanimous alternative at No. 1, however that’s the place consensus ends. Eight fighters acquired votes for the opposite 4 spots within the high 5.

Within the girls’s rankings, essentially the most important change is the removing of bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who’s ineligible as a result of she has not fought in over a 12 months. Tatiana Suarez and Alexa Grasso beforehand had been tied at No. 10, however the newest voting nudged Suarez as much as the ninth spot.

For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click on right here.

Observe: Outcomes are present; rankings are as of June 17. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter will need to have competed over the previous 12 months or will need to have an upcoming battle booked. Fighters who’ve been dropped for inactivity might be reinstated solely after they compete.

Males’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Islam Makhachev

UFC welterweight champion
Document: 28-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Jack Della Maddalena, Nov. 15, 2025
Subsequent: Aug. 15 vs. Ian Machado Garry

Makhachev fulfilled his prophecy of turning into a two-division champion by snuffing out the specter of Della Maddalena’s hanging with relative ease at UFC 322. The win tied him with Anderson Silva for the longest profitable streak in UFC historical past at 16 and places Makhachev’s identify on the brief checklist of biggest MMA fighters of all time. With an extremely gifted crop of contenders at welterweight, there have been a number of potential opponents however Garry received the decision for UFC 330. — Andreas Hale

2. Petr Yan

UFC bantamweight champion
Earlier rating: 5
Document: 20-5
Final: W (UD) vs. Merab Dvalishvili, Dec. 6, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

What a return to the highest it has been for Yan. He started his profession with 15 consecutive wins earlier than occurring a 1-4 run from 2021 to 2023. That nearly does not really feel actual now, after watching him reclaim his throne against Dvalishvili, who as soon as handed him the worst lack of his profession. Yan took a significant detour, however this was the vacation spot we felt he was able to earlier than the skid. He as soon as once more appears to be like like one of many very best fighters on the planet. — Brett Okamoto

T-3. Tom Aspinall

UFC heavyweight champion

Earlier rating: 4
Document: 15-3, 1 NC
Final: NC1 vs. Ciryl Gane, Oct. 25, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

You can also make a case that Aspinall is essentially the most dynamic, skillful, gifted heavyweight the game has seen. He’s dominating opponents in a approach that’s unmatched. Nobody can final a spherical with him. He had hoped to show his supremacy in opposition to Jon Jones, however Jones opted to retire, elevating Aspinall from interim champion. His first protection of the undisputed belt ended anticlimactically, as a watch poke resulted in his UFC 321 battle with Gane being declared a no contest. — Okamoto

T-3. Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight
Earlier rating: 6
Document: 21-5
Final: L (UD) vs. Petr Yan, Dec. 6, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

Dvalishvili was on probably the most spectacular runs by the UFC’s bantamweight division ever. Not solely did he defeat Sean O’Malley for the second time in 9 months at UFC 316, however he showcased a brand new a part of his sport, ending O’Malley with a third-round guillotine. Beginning in August 2022, Dvalishvili beat José Aldo, Yan, Henry Cejudo, O’Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov and Cory Sandhagen. However at UFC 323, in an try and turn into the primary champion in UFC historical past to efficiently defend his title 4 occasions in a calendar 12 months, Dvalishvili misplaced his title in a rematch with Yan. — Okamoto

5. Ilia Topuria

UFC light-weight
Earlier rating: 2
Document: 17-1
Final: L (TKO4) vs. Justin Gaethje, June 14
Subsequent: TBA

After knocking out two of the best featherweights in UFC historical past (Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway) in 2024, it was going to be robust for Topuria to high that in 2025. He tried, shifting as much as light-weight with the aim of difficult Islam Makhachev. However with Makhachev shifting up a division as nicely, Topuria as a substitute captured the vacant title by knocking out Oliveira at UFC 317. He misplaced the belt in his first protection, nonetheless, taking a beating from Gaethje. — Hale

6. Alexandre Pantoja

UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: 8
Document: 30-6
Final: L (TKO1) vs. Joshua Van, Dec. 6, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

Pantoja turned the UFC’s unquestioned flyweight king by racking up 4 title defenses, together with two in pay-per-view primary occasions in 2024. He constructed his profitable streak to eight in his UFC 317 win over Kai Kara-France, whom he had already defeated earlier than, like different challengers. However he misplaced his belt in a ugly approach, injuring his elbow within the opening seconds of a UFC 323 battle with Van. — Okamoto

7. Justin Gaethje

UFC light-weight champion
Earlier rating: Unranked
Document: 28-5
Final: W (TKO4) vs. Ilia Topuria, June 14
Subsequent: TBA

Gaethje has spent his 15-year profession thrilling MMA followers, however earlier than this previous weekend, all he needed to present for it — other than 15 bonus checks in 15 UFC appearances — had been two missed alternatives to be an undisputed champion. However his fourth-round TKO of Topuria received Gaethje over the hump. It was an aggressive, resilient efficiency in a back-and-forth battle that may be a prime candidate for battle of the 12 months. Extra necessary for Gaethje: At age 37, he’s lastly sitting on the high of the mountain. — Jeff Wagenheim

8. Alexander Volkanovski

UFC featherweight champion
Earlier rating: 7
Document: 28-4
Final: W (UD) vs. Diego Lopes, Jan. 31
Subsequent: TBA

It felt as if the game had began to write down Volkanovski’s eulogy following his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in February 2024. Volkanovski observed and made a degree of proving to everybody he nonetheless has loads left by recapturing the featherweight belt at UFC 314, the primary of two consecutive wins over Lopes. His age (37) will seemingly proceed to be a prefight matter, which is ok as a result of Volkanovski enjoys proving individuals fallacious. — Okamoto

9. Alex Pereira

UFC heavyweight / gentle heavyweight
Earlier rating: 3
Document: 13-4
Final: L (TKO2) vs. Ciryl Gane, June 14
Subsequent: TBA

A stellar 2024 cemented Pereira’s place as a star within the UFC, however he confronted arguably his hardest check as gentle heavyweight champion when he stepped into the Octagon with Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira had handled strikers, however the query was whether or not he might get the job accomplished in opposition to a gifted grappler. Pereira saved the battle standing however fell brief by unanimous choice. He modified that consequence shortly and violently when he met Ankalaev in a rematch at UFC 320. Pereira’s reign as gentle heavyweight champion is over, nonetheless, as he vacated the title to battle Gane for an interim heavyweight title on the White Home card. Pereira fell brief in that check. — Hale

10. Ciryl Gane

UFC heavyweight interim champion
Earlier rating: Unranked
Document: 14-2, 1 NC
Final: W (TKO2) vs. Alex Pereira, June 14
Subsequent: TBA

Gane is fairly distinctive in that he’s the primary — and will very nicely go down as the one — heavyweight to face its 4 greatest names in Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall and Pereira. None of these 4 have fought one another, but all 4 have have fought the Frenchman. Gane was 0-2 with a no- contest in opposition to that group, earlier than he knocked out Pereira within the second spherical of their interim title battle. Gane was heralded as the way forward for the era when he first broke onto the scene, however endured rising pains in losses to Ngannou and Jones. He appears to be like very formidable now, and nobody might be counting him out if and when he faces Aspinall in a title unification bout. — Okamoto

Different fighters receiving votes: Joshua Van and Arman Tsarukyan.

How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Petr Yan; 3. Merab Dvalishvili; 4. Ilia Topuria; 5. Alexander Volkanovski; 6. Ciryl Gane; 7. Tom Aspinall; 8. Arman Tsarukyan; 9. Alex Pereira; 10. Alexandre Pantoja.

Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Aspinall; 3. Pantoja; 4. Yan; 5. Dvalishvili; 6. Pereira; 7. Justin Gaethje; 8. Topuria; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Joshua Van.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Gaethje; 4. Topuria; 5. Pereira; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Gane; 8. Van; 9. Yan; 10. Pantoja.

Andrew Davis: 1. Makhachev; 2. Aspinall; 3. Yan; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Pantoja; 6. Gaethje; 7. Topuria; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Gane; 10. Pereira.

Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Aspinall; 3. Pantoja; 4. Yan; 5. Gaethje; 6. Dvalishvili; 7. Topuria; 8. Gane; 9. Pereira; 10. Volkanovski.

Girls’s pound-for-pound rankings

1. Valentina Shevchenko

UFC flyweight champion
Document: 26-4-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, Nov. 15, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

Shevchenko’s dominance got here beneath query in 2022 and 2023, when she went 1-1-1 in a trilogy with Alexa Grasso. Boy, does that really feel like a very long time in the past now. Shevchenko has greater than reasserted herself as the very best flyweight on this planet, and now she’s asserted herself because the No. 1 lady on this planet, interval. It wasn’t shocking that she beat Zhang, nevertheless it was shocking how straightforward she made it look. — Okamoto

2. Zhang Weili

UFC flyweight / strawweight
Earlier rating: 3
Document: 26-4
Final: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Nov. 15, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

It is onerous to maneuver up in weight, particularly on the highest degree. That sounds prefer it ought to be apparent, however Zhang had been dominant at 115 kilos for thus lengthy, a few of us may need taken as a right how large of a problem shifting to 125 can be. UFC 322 was a nasty evening for Zhang, however she does not have many. And if she decides to remain at 125, it definitely appears cheap she’ll fare higher sooner or later. — Okamoto

3. Cris Cyborg

PFL featherweight champion
Earlier rating: 4
Document: 29-2, 1 NC
Final: W (Sub3) vs. Sara Collins, Dec. 13, 2025
Subsequent: Aug. 22 vs. Ketlen Vieira

It had been some time since Cyborg had fought an elite opponent in MMA till she met Larissa Pacheco in 2024. That was a legit matchup — and plenty of throughout the business had been predicting Cyborg’s downfall. As a substitute, she took out the PFL’s two-weight champion, upending all of Pacheco’s momentum. One of many unique pioneers of girls’s MMA is as soon as once more a champion after getting her second profession submission at PFL Lyon in December, however now she says she’s able to name it a profession after her retirement battle with Vieiera. — Okamoto

4. Natalia Silva

UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: 5
Document: 20-5-1
Final: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas, Jan. 24
Subsequent: TBA

Silva is wanting each bit the a part of a future UFC champion following a dominant show in opposition to Alexa Grasso at UFC 315 and a victory over Namajunas at UFC 324. Silva’s stick-and-move type has annoyed even the very best degree of opponent, and he or she’s received youth on her aspect as she will not flip 30 till 2027. — Okamoto

5. Manon Fiorot

UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: 6
Document: 13-2
Final: W (TKO1) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Oct. 18, 2025
Subsequent: TBA

Fiorot fell brief in her problem of Valentina Shevchenko, the champ, at UFC 315. However by knocking off Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her earlier two fights, Fiorot has proven she has the instruments to turn into champion. — Hale

6. Mackenzie Dern

UFC strawweight champion
Earlier rating: 7
Document: 16-5
Final: W (UD) vs. Virna Jandiroba, Oct. 25, 2025
Subsequent: Aug. 15 vs. Gillian Robertson

Dern’s rise to the 115-pound throne was really a altering of the guard. She is the division’s first first-time champion since 2019, as a result of the earlier three champs — Zhang Weili, Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas — all had been of their second reigns. Dern, almost a decade into her MMA profession after a number of jiu-jitsu world championships, has gained three fights in a row. Her first protection is in opposition to one other grappling-heavy fighter, Robertson, this summer season in Philadelphia. — Wagenheim

7. Dakota Ditcheva

PFL flyweight
Earlier rating: 8
Document: 14-0
Final: W (UD) vs. Sumiko Inaba, July 19, 2025
Subsequent: July 31 vs Denise Kielholtz

Not solely did Ditcheva win the PFL’s flyweight season in 2024, however she did so in spectacular vogue — a TKO end over Taila Santos, who as soon as challenged for a UFC title. Ditcheva fought solely as soon as in 2025, dominating Inaba within the co-main occasion of the primary PFL Champions Collection card in Cape City, South Africa. She was scheduled to open 2026 with a matchup with fellow kickboxer Denise Kielholtz, however Ditcheva withdrew with an harm. Now they’ll meet in the summertime. — Okamoto

8. Erin Blanchfield

UFC flyweight
Earlier rating: 9
Document: 14-2
Final: W (Sub2) vs. Tracy Cortez, Nov. 15, 2025
Subsequent: Aug. 15 vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

Blanchfield avenged her 2019 loss to Cortez in emphatic vogue at UFC 322, submitting her within the second spherical of their rematch. Nonetheless solely 26, Blanchfield continues to evolve with improved hanging and suffocating grappling. She must wait her flip for a title alternative, with Natalia Silva seemingly up subsequent. Blanchfield subsequent faces fellow top-10 flyweight Jasudavisius. — Hale

9. Tatiana Suarez

UFC strawweight
Earlier rating: Tied for 10
Document: 12-1
Final: W (Sub2) vs. Crazy Godínez, April 11
Subsequent: TBA

If Suarez continues to be feeling the results of final 12 months’s humbling defeat to Zhang Weili in a title problem, she definitely did not present it at UFC 327, overcoming early adversity to thrash Godinez, a fellow top-10 strawweight. Suarez goes to be a tricky out for anybody at 115 kilos. — Wagenheim

10. Alexa Grasso

UFC flyweight
Document: 17-5-1
Final: W (KO) vs. Maycee Barber, March 28
Subsequent: TBA

Grasso went almost three years with out profitable a battle, however her 2023 win proper earlier than the skid was an enormous one, a submission of Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC title. What adopted had been two extra fights with Shevchenko — a draw, then a loss — after which a loss to Natalia Silva. That made the battle with Barber a must-win, and Grasso got here by explosively. — Wagenheim

Different fighter receiving votes: Virna Jandiroba.

How our panel voted

Brett Okamoto: 1. Valentina Shevchenko; 2. Zhang Weili; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Manon Fiorot; 5. Mackenzie Dern; 6. Dakota Ditcheva; 7. Natalia Silva; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Tatiana Suarez; 10. Virna Jandiroba.

Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Silva; 5. Fiorot; 6. Blanchfield; 7. Ditcheva; 8. Dern; 9. Alexa Grasso; 10. Suarez.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Cyborg; 3. Zhang; 4. Ditcheva; 5. Dern; 6. Silva; 7. Grasso; 8. Suarez; 9. Fiorot; 10. Blanchfield.

Andrew Davis: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Dern; 5. Silva; 6. Fiorot; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Ditcheva; 9. Suarez; 10. Jandiroba.

Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Fiorot; 5. Silva; 6. Blanchfield; 7. Dern; 8. Suarez; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Grasso.