Natalia Silva won her 14th fight in a row Saturday night, beating two-time former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. It was a significant victory for Silva, one of the top contenders at women's flyweight and the only fighter at UFC 324 who is in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.
Though it was a close fight that could have been judged either way, the unanimous decision victory boosted Silva two spots to No. 5 in the women's top 10.
However, that is not the only movement in the rankings. Because the ESPN voting panel has shifted to five members from the previous six, several fighters shuffled positions. Most notable: Kayla Harrison leapfrogged Zhang Weili to No. 2 among women, and Arman Tsarukyan replaces Jack Della Maddalena in the men's 10th position.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings are as of Jan. 28. 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 welterweight champion
Record: 28-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Jack Della Maddalena, Nov. 15, 2025
Next: TBD
Makhachev fulfilled his prophecy of becoming a two-division champion by snuffing out the threat of Della Maddalena's striking with relative ease at UFC 322. The win tied him with Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history at 16 and puts Makhachev's name on the short list of greatest MMA fighters of all time. With an incredibly talented crop of contenders at welterweight, he'll have no shortage of opponents. Still, the fight everyone wants to see is a clash with current lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. -- Andreas Hale
2. Ilia Topuria 
UFC lightweight champion
Record: 17-0
Last: W (KO1) vs. Charles Oliveira, June 28, 2025
Next: TBD
After knocking out two of the greatest featherweights in UFC history (Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway) in 2024, it was going to be tough for Topuria to top that in 2025. He moved up to lightweight with the goal of challenging Makhachev, but with Makhachev moving up a division, Topuria instead captured the vacant title by knocking out Oliveira at UFC 317. -- Hale
T-3. Tom Aspinall 
UFC heavyweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 15-3, 1 NC
Last: NC1 vs. Ciryl Gane, Oct. 25, 2025
Next: TBD
You can make a case that Aspinall is the most dynamic, skillful, talented heavyweight the sport has seen. He is dominating opponents in a way that is unmatched. No one can last a round with him. He had hoped to prove his supremacy against Jon Jones, but Jones opted to retire, elevating Aspinall from interim champion. His first defense of the undisputed belt ended anticlimactically, as an eye poke resulted in his UFC 321 fight with Gane being declared a no contest. -- Brett Okamoto
T-3. Alex Pereira
UFC light heavyweight champion
Record: 13-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Magomed Ankalaev, Oct. 4, 2025
Next: TBD
A stellar 2024 cemented Pereira's place as a star in the UFC, but he faced arguably his toughest test as light heavyweight champion when he stepped into the Octagon with Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira had dealt with strikers, but the question was whether he could get the job done against a talented grappler. Pereira kept the fight standing but fell short by unanimous decision. He changed that outcome quickly and violently when he met Ankalaev in a rematch at UFC 320. -- Hale
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: Tied for 3
Record: 15-0
Last: W (UD) vs. Dricus Du Plessis, Aug. 16, 2025
Next: TBD
After five years of hype, Chimaev finally fought for a championship at UFC 319 -- and the result was one of the most dominant title fight performances in UFC history. Chimaev failed to record a finish but thoroughly demolished Du Plessis in their five-round bout and answered questions about his cardio along the way. If Chimaev can stay healthy and compete frequently, there is still plenty of time for him to rise to the very top of this list. -- Okamoto
6. Petr Yan
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 20-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Merab Dvalishvili, Dec. 6, 2025
Next: TBD
What a return to the top it's been for Yan. He began his career with 15 consecutive wins before going on a 1-4 run from 2021 to 2023. That almost doesn't feel real now, after watching him reclaim his throne against Dvalishvili, who once handed him the worst loss of his career. Yan took a major detour, but this was the destination we felt he was capable of before the skid. He once again looks like one of the absolute best fighters on the planet. -- Okamoto
UFC bantamweight
Record: 21-5
Last: L (UD) vs. Petr Yan, Dec. 6, 2025
Next: TBD
Dvalishvili was on one of the most impressive runs through the UFC's bantamweight division ever. Not only did he defeat Sean O'Malley for the second time in nine months at UFC 316, but he showcased a new part of his game, finishing O'Malley with a third-round guillotine. Starting in August 2022, Dvalishvili beat José Aldo, Yan, Henry Cejudo, O'Malley (twice), Umar Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen. But at UFC 323, in an attempt to become the first champion in UFC history to successfully defend his title four times in a calendar year, Dvalishvili lost his title in a rematch with Yan. -- Okamoto
UFC flyweight
Record: 30-6
Last: L (TKO1) vs. Joshua Van, Dec. 6, 2025
Next: TBD
Pantoja became the UFC's unquestioned flyweight king by racking up four title defenses, including two in pay-per-view main events in 2024. He built his winning streak to eight in his UFC 317 win over Kara-France, whom he had already defeated before, like other challengers. But he lost his belt in a gruesome way, injuring his elbow in the opening seconds of a UFC 323 fight with Van. -- Okamoto
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 27-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Diego Lopes, April 12, 2025
Next: Jan. 31 vs. Diego Lopes
It felt as if the sport had started to write Volkanovski's eulogy following his knockout loss to Topuria in February 2024. Volkanovski noticed and made a point of proving to everyone he still has plenty left by recapturing the featherweight belt at UFC 314. His age (37) will likely continue to be a prefight topic, which is fine because Volkanovski enjoys proving people wrong. -- Okamoto
10. Arman Tsarukyan
UFC lightweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 23-3
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Dan Hooker, Nov. 22, 2025
Next: TBD
Tsarukyan's status as a lightweight title contender is murky, but only in terms of what's official. In the eyes of basically every unbiased observer, Tsarukyan holds a claim as the best lightweight in the world, and it figures to only be a matter of time until he gets a chance to prove it. -- Okamoto
Other fighters receiving votes: Magomed Ankalaev, Dricus Du Plessis and Joshua Van.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Ilia Topuria; 3. Petr Yan; 4. Merab Dvalishvili; 5. Tom Aspinall; 6. Alex Pereira; 7. Khamzat Chimaev; 8. Alexander Volkanovski 9. Arman Tsarukyan; 10. Alexandre Pantoja.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Pereira; 5. Chimaev; 6. Pantoja; 7. Yan; 8. Dvalishvili; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Topuria; 2. Makhachev; 3. Pereira; 4. Dvalishvili; 5. Chimaev; 6. Yan; 7. Pantoja; 8. Aspinall; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Joshua Van.
Andrew Davis: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Chimaev; 4. Aspinall; 5. Pereira; 6. Yan; 7. Dvalishvili; 8. Pantoja; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Magomed Ankalaev.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Makhachev; 2. Topuria; 3. Aspinall; 4. Chimaev; 5. Pereira; 6. Pantoja; 7. Yan; 8. Dvalishvili; 9. Volkanovski; 10. Tsarukyan.
Women's pound-for-pound rankings
Valentina Shevchenko takes control, beats Zhang Weili
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 26-4-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, Nov. 15, 2025
Next: TBD
Shevchenko's dominance came under question in 2022 and 2023, when she went 1-1-1 in a trilogy with Alexa Grasso. Boy, does that feel like a long time ago now. Shevchenko has more than reasserted herself as the best flyweight in the world, and now she's asserted herself as the No. 1 woman in the world, period. It wasn't surprising that she beat Zhang, but it was surprising how easy she made it look. -- Okamoto
UFC bantamweight champion
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 19-1
Last: W (TechSub2) vs. Julianna Peña, June 7, 2025
Next: TBD
The longtime face of the PFL is quickly becoming the face of the UFC's women's divisions as well. With a dominant win over Peña at UFC 316, Harrison is 4-0 in the UFC and has the hardware to add to her two Olympic judo gold medals. Harrison was to face a massive challenge in her first title defense, with Amanda Nunes coming out of retirement looking to regain her old belt, but their Jan. 24 bout was postponed because of a Harrison neck injury that required surgery. -- Okamoto
3. Zhang Weili 
UFC flyweight / strawweight
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 26-4
Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Nov. 15, 2025
Next: TBD
It's hard to move up in weight, especially at the highest level. That sounds like it should be obvious, but Zhang had been dominant at 115 pounds for so long, some of us might have taken for granted how big of a challenge moving to 125 would be. UFC 322 was a bad night for Zhang, but she doesn't have many. And if she decides to stay at 125, it certainly seems reasonable she'll fare better in the future. -- Okamoto
4. Cris Cyborg
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 29-2, 1 NC
Last: W (Sub3) vs. Sara Collins, Dec. 13, 2025
Next: TBD
It had been a while since Cyborg had fought an elite opponent in MMA until she met Larissa Pacheco in 2024. That was a legitimate matchup -- and many within the industry were predicting Cyborg's downfall. Instead, she took out the PFL's two-weight champion, upending all of Pacheco's momentum. One of the original pioneers of women's MMA is somehow still going strong, and now she's once again a champion after getting her second career submission at PFL Lyon. -- Okamoto
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 20-5-1
Last: W (UD) vs. Rose Namajunas, Jan. 24
Next: TBD
Silva is looking every bit the part of a future UFC champion following a dominant display against Alexa Grasso at UFC 315 and a victory over Namajunas at UFC 324. Silva's stick-and-move style has frustrated even the highest level of opponent, and she's got youth on her side as she won't turn 30 until 2027. -- Okamoto
6. Manon Fiorot
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 13-2
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Oct. 18, 2025
Next: TBD
Fiorot fell short in her challenge of Valentina Shevchenko, the champ, at UFC 315. But by knocking off Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield in her previous two fights, Fiorot has shown she has the tools to become champion. -- Hale
UFC strawweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 16-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Virna Jandiroba, Oct. 25, 2025
Next: TBD
Dern's rise to the 115-pound throne was truly a changing of the guard. She is the division's first first-time champion since 2019, because the previous three champs -- Zhang Weili, Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas -- all were in their second reigns. Dern, nearly a decade into her MMA career after multiple jiu-jitsu world championships, has won three fights in a row. -- Jeff Wagenheim
UFC flyweight
Record: 14-2
Last: W (Sub2) vs. Tracy Cortez, Nov. 15, 2025
Next: TBD
Blanchfield avenged her 2019 loss to Cortez in emphatic fashion at UFC 322, submitting her in the second round of their rematch. Still only 26, Blanchfield continues to evolve with improved striking and suffocating grappling. She will have to wait her turn for a title opportunity, with Natalia Silva likely up next, but Blanchfield's turn is certainly coming. -- Hale
PFL flyweight
Record: 14-0
Last: W (UD) vs. Sumiko Inaba, July 19, 2025
Next: TBD
Not only did Ditcheva win the PFL's flyweight season in 2024, but she did so in spectacular fashion -- a TKO finish over Taila Santos, who once challenged for a UFC title. Ditcheva fought only once in 2025, dominating Inaba in the co-main event of the first PFL Champions Series card in Cape Town, South Africa. She was scheduled to open 2026 with a matchup with fellow kickboxer Denise Kielholtz, but Ditcheva withdrew with an injury. -- Okamoto
T-10. Alexa Grasso
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 16-5-1
Last: L (UD) vs. Natalia Silva, May 10, 2025
Next: March 28 vs. Maycee Barber
It's been nearly three years since Grasso won a fight, but that win was a huge one, a submission of Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC title. What followed were two more fights with Shevchenko -- a draw, then a loss -- and then a loss to Silva. This long skid makes the upcoming fight with Barber a must for Silva. -- Wagenheim
T-10. Rose Namajunas
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 14-8
Last: L (UD) vs. Natalia Silva, Jan. 24
Next: TBD
It's been an up-and-down four years for Namajunas since she lost the strawweight title and moved up a division. The loss to Silva at UFC 324 was narrow, suggesting she can still compete with the best in the world. But where does Namajunas go from here, especially now that she's dealing with an eye injury after being poked by Silva? -- Wagenheim
T-10. Julianna Peña
UFC bantamweight
Record: 12-6
Last: L (Sub2) vs. Kayla Harrison, June 7, 2025
Next: TBD
Peña is a two-time women's bantamweight champion, with one of those reigns made possible by one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, her 2021 submission win over Amanda Nunes. Peña's four most recent appearances have all been in title bouts, so she's built for big moments. -- Wagenheim
Other fighters receiving votes: Virna Jandiroba and Tatiana Suarez.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Valentina Shevchenko; 2. Zhang Weili; 3. Kayla Harrison; 4. Cris Cyborg; 5. Manon Fiorot; 6. Mackenzie Dern; 7. Natalia Silva; 8. Erin Blanchfield; 9. Rose Namajunas; 10. Virna Jandiroba.
Andreas Hale: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Silva; 6. Fiorot; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Dakota Ditcheva; 9. Dern; 10. Namajunas.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Harrison; 3. Cyborg; 4. Zhang; 5. Ditcheva; 6. Dern; 7. Silva; 8. Alexa Grasso; 9. Julianna Peña; 10. Fiorot.
Andrew Davis: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Harrison; 3. Zhang; 4. Cyborg; 5. Dern; 6. Silva; 7. Fiorot; 8. Blanchfield; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Peña.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Harrison; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Silva; 7. Blanchfield; 8. Dern; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Tatiana Suarez.