Which MMA fighter is the best, regardless of weight division or fight promotion?
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Ariel Helwani and Jeff Wagenheim provide their top-10 picks, and their votes produce our consensus men’s and women’s pound-for-pound lists.
(You can find Okamoto’s division-by-division rankings here.)
Note: Rankings were updated May 14.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Jon Jones
Record: 24-1, 1 NC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Last: W (UD) Anthony Smith, March 2
Next: July 6 vs. Thiago Santos
Record: 22-1, 1 NC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Last: W (SUB2) Derrick Lewis, Nov. 3
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Stipe Miocic
Record: 27-0
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (SUB4) Conor McGregor, Oct. 6
Next: TBD
4. Henry Cejudo
Record: 14-2
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (TKO1) TJ Dillashaw, Jan. 19
Next: June 8 vs. Marlon Moraes
T-5. Demetrious Johnson
Record: 28-3-1
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (SUB2) Yuya Wakamatsu, March 31
Next: TBD
T-5. Robert Whittaker
Record: 20-4
Weight class: Middleweight
Last: W (SD) Yoel Romero, June 9
Next: TBD
7. Kamaru Usman
Record: 15-1
Weight class: Welterweight
Last: W (UD) Tyron Woodley, March 2
Next: TBD
Record: 24-3
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (TKO2) Anthony Pettis, Oct. 6
Next: June 8 vs. Donald Cerrone
Record: 25-5
Weight class: Lightweight
Last: W (UD) Max Holloway, April 13
Next: TBD
10. Max Holloway
Record: 20-4
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: L (UD) Dustin Poirier, April 13
Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving a vote: Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya.
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Robert Whittaker
7. Tony Ferguson
8. Kamaru Usman
9. Max Holloway
10. Yoel Romero
Marc Raimondi
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Robert Whittaker
7. Kamaru Usman
8. Tony Ferguson
9. Dustin Poirier
10. Max Holloway
Ariel Helwani
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Robert Whittaker
6. Kamaru Usman
7. Tony Ferguson
8. Dustin Poirier
9. Max Holloway
10. Israel Adesanya
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Demetrious Johnson
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Max Holloway
8. Kamaru Usman
9. Robert Whittaker
10. Tony Ferguson
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Amanda Nunes
Record: 17-4
Weight class: Bantamweight/featherweight
Last: W (TKO1) Cris Cyborg, Dec. 29
Next: July 6 vs. Holly Holm
2. Cris Cyborg
Record: 20-2, 1 NC
Weight class: Featherweight
Last: L (TKO1) Amanda Nunes, Dec. 29
Next: TBD
Record: 16-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: W (UD) Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Dec. 8
Next: June 8 vs. Jessica Eye
Record: 20-6
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (TKO2) Rose Namajunas, May 11
Next: TBD
Record: 9-4
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: L (TKO2) Jessica Andrade, May 11
Next: TBD
Record: 15-3
Weight class: Flyweight
Last: L (UD) Valentina Shevchenko, Dec. 8
Next: TBD
Record: 7-0
Weight class: Strawweight
Last: W (TKO3) Carla Esparza, Sept. 8
Next: June 8 vs. Nina Ansaroff
8. Holly Holm
Record: 12-4
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (UD) Megan Anderson, June 9
Next: July 6 vs. Amanda Nunes
Record: 8-3
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (UD) Raquel Pennington, Nov. 10
Next: TBD
10. Ketlen Vieira
Record: 10-0
Weight class: Bantamweight
Last: W (SD) Cat Zingano, March 3
Next: TBD
Other fighter receiving a vote: Julia Budd.
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Holly Holm
9. Ketlen Vieira
10. Germaine de Randamie
Marc Raimondi
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Cris Cyborg
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Holly Holm
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Tatiana Suarez
10. Ketlen Vieira
Ariel Helwani
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Cris Cyborg
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Holly Holm
8. Tatiana Suarez
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Julia Budd
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Cris Cyborg
3. Valentina Shevchenko
4. Jessica Andrade
5. Rose Namajunas
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Tatiana Suarez
8. Ketlen Vieira
9. Germaine de Randamie
10. Holly Holm