Dricus Du Plessis walked into the cage at UFC 305 as the middleweight champion, and Saturday’s main event did not change that. But what did change as a result of his fourth-round submission win over Israel Adesanya: Du Plessis now owns a spot in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings.
Du Plessis, whose victory in Perth, Australia, over the weekend was his 10th in a row, had previously received votes from our panel, but not enough to make the men’s top 10.
To make room for the 185-pound champ, guess who fell out of the rankings. Yes, it was Adesanya, who dropped his second fight in a row and third in his past four.
The only other fighter to fall from the rankings was undefeated strawweight Tatiana Suarez, who has not competed in over a year and is ineligible. She was replaced by flyweight Erin Blanchfield.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Aug. 20. 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
1. Islam Makhachev 
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: Oct. 5 vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
3. Ilia Topuria
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 15-0
Last: W (KO2) vs. Alexander Volkanovski, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: Oct. 26 vs. Max Holloway
4. Sean O’Malley
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 18-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Marlon Vera, March 9, 2024
Next: Sept. 14 vs. Merab Dvalishvili
5. Tom Aspinall 
UFC heavyweight interim champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 15-3
Last: W (TKO1) vs. Curtis Blaydes, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
6. Alexandre Pantoja 
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 28-5
Last: W (UD) vs. Steve Erceg, May 4, 2024
Next: TBD
7. Alexander Volkanovski
UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: 8
Record: 26-4
Last: L (KO2) vs. Ilia Topuria, Feb. 17, 2024
Next: TBD
8. Belal Muhammad
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 24-3, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) vs. Leon Edwards, July 27, 2024
Next: TBD
T9. Dricus Du Plessis
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 22-2
Last: W (Sub4) vs. Israel Adesanya, Aug.17, 2024
Next: TBD
T9. Max Holloway
UFC featherweight
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 26-7
Last: W (KO5) vs. Justin Gaethje, April 13, 2024
Next: Oct. 26 vs. Ilia Topuria
Other fighters receiving votes: Leon Edwards, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Islam Makhachev; 2. Alex Pereira; 3. Ilia Topuria; 4. Tom Aspinall; 5. Alexandre Pantoja; 6. Sean O’Malley; 7. Belal Muhammad; 8. Alexander Volkanovski; 9. Max Holloway; 10. Dricus Du Plessis.
Andreas Hale: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Aspinall; 6. Muhammad; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Holloway; 10. Du Plessis.
Megan Anderson: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. O’Malley; 4. Aspinall; 5. Volkanovski; 6. Topuria; 7. Du Plessis; 8. Muhammad; 9. Leon Edwards; 10. Pantoja.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Du Plessis; 6. Edwards; 7. Pantoja; 8. Muhammad; 9. Aspinall; 10. Holloway.
Ian Parker: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. O’Malley; 5. Holloway; 6. Du Plessis; 7. Pantoja; 8. Muhammad; 9. Aspinall; 10. Sean Strickland.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Makhachev; 2. Pereira; 3. Pantoja; 4. Volkanovski; 5. Topuria; 6. O’Malley; 7. Edwards; 8. Holloway; 9. Aspinall;10. Du Plessis.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Pereira; 2. Makhachev; 3. Topuria; 4. Aspinall; 5. O’Malley; 6. Holloway; 7. Pantoja; 8. Volkanovski; 9. Muhammad; 10. Du Plessis.
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
3. 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: Oct. 19 vs. Larissa Pacheco
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: Oct. 5 vs. Ketlen Vieira
7. Raquel Pennington
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 16-8
Last: W (UD) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, Jan. 20, 2024
Next: Oct. 5 vs. Julianna Peña
8. Larissa Pacheco
PFL featherweight champion
Record: 23-4
Last: W (UD) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, Nov. 24, 2023
Next: Oct. 19 vs. Cris Cyborg
9. Erin Blanchfield
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 12-2
Last: L (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, March 30, 2024
Next: Nov. 2 vs. Rose Namajunas
10. Yan Xiaonan
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: T9
Record: 17-4, 1 NC
Last: L (UD) vs. Zhang Weili, April 13, 2024
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: 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. Rose Namajunas; 7. Erin Blanchfield; 8. Kayla Harrison; 9. Larissa Pacheco; 10. Yan Xiaonan.
Andreas Hale: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Harrison; 7. Raquel Pennington; 8. Pacheco; 9. Namajunas; 10. Blanchfield.
Megan Anderson: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Fiorot; 6. Pennington; 7. Harrison; 8. Yan; 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. Blanchfield; 10. Namajunas.
Ian Parker: 1. Zhang; 2. Grasso; 3. Shevchenko; 4. Cyborg; 5. Harrison; 6. Yan; 7. Pennington; 8. Pacheco; 9. Fiorot; 10. Namajunas.
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.
