With the booking of his second heavyweight fight, Alex Pereira moves to that top 10 from the No. 1 spot in the light heavyweight rankings. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCBrett OkamotoOct 6, 2026, 09:00 AM ETCloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Multiple AuthorsThe fighter who won a UFC championship on Saturday does not move an inch in the ESPN divisional rankings.
But several other fighters who did not even compete over the weekend do rise in their divisions’ top 10s. One shifts from the top of one division’s rankings to the middle of the pack in another weight class.The new champion is Natalia Silva, who cruised past unranked Wang Cong at UFC 332 to capture the vacant women’s flyweight title. Silva stays put at No. 2, however, below Valentina Shevchenko, who vacated the title while recovering from injury.Several other weight classes saw significant shifts, in some cases because of a lack of fights and in one case because of a fight booking for the future.The most significant move is Alex Pereira shifting into the heavyweight rankings following the UFC’s announcement that he will face Sergei Pavlovich on Dec. 12. It will be the second straight heavyweight fight for the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, who has been No. 1 in the 205-pound rankings.
He now moves to the heavyweight top 10, where he is ranked No. 7, two spots behind Pavlovich.At light heavyweight, everyone previously below Pereira moves up, with ex-champion Magomed Ankalaev now No. 1. New to the top 10 are ninth-ranked Bogdan Guskov and No. 10 Robert Whittaker, as Khalil Rountree Jr. is out because he has not fought in over a year.Also ineligible because of inactivity is middleweight Nassourdine Imavov, who is replaced in the 185-pound rankings by Christian Leroy Duncan. Perfect timing, as Duncan fights No. 5 Brendan Allen on Saturday’s UFC card.The other top-10 newcomer is men’s bantamweight Payton Talbott, who knocked out Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332 to oust him from the rankings.Here are the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings and a list of current UFC champions in all weight classes.Results are current; rankings as of Oct. 6. 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.HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 265 pounds)LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 205 pounds)MIDDLEWEIGHT (up to 185 pounds)WELTERWEIGHT (up to 170 pounds)LIGHTWEIGHT (up to 155 pounds)FEATHERWEIGHT (up to 145 pounds)MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 135 pounds)MEN’S FLYWEIGHT (up to 125 pounds)WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 135 pounds)WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT (up to 125 pounds)STRAWWEIGHT (up to 115 pounds)
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