MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Victory in top-10 UFC clash boosts Suarez

November 11, 2026 at 5:10 pmIn: Sports

Tatiana Suarez got her hand raised in a top-10 matchup with Virna Jandiroba on Nov. 7, boosting her standing in the P4P rankings. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCESPNMultiple AuthorsNov 11, 2026, 09:00 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsIt’s not every weekend that two fighters ranked in the pound-for-pound top 10 meet inside the Octagon. It’s even rarer for that fight to not be a main event.But that was the case last Saturday when strawweights Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba fought at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Slotted as the co-main event on a fight card headlined by heavyweights Waldo Cortes Acosta and Johnny Walker, Suarez and Jandioroba became the latest pairing of top-10 women the UFC has billed below a matchup of lower-ranked or unranked men.Suarez controlled the fight and won by unanimous decision, a result that boosted her up two spots to No. 7 in the latest ESPN pound-for-pound women’s rankings. Jandiroba, who went into the fight at No. 10, drops from the rankings.

She has been replaced by flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius, who earned her place with last month’s win over Erin Blanchfield.There is no change to the men’s rankings.For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.Note: Results are current; rankings are as of Nov. 11. 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.Women’s pound-for-pound rankings1. Valentina ShevchenkoUFC flyweight Record: 26-4-1 Last: W (UD) vs.

Zhang Weili, Nov. 15, 2025 Next: TBAShevchenko’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 more than reasserted herself as the best flyweight in the world, and then she established 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.

Shevchenko is out injured, however, so she has vacated her UFC title, which Natalia Silva captured by beating Wang Cong at UFC 332. When Shevchenko is healed up, she’ll be looking to take back the belt.2. Zhang WeiliUFC flyweight / strawweight Record: 26-4 Last: L (UD) vs. Valentina Shevchenko, Nov. 15, 2025 Next: TBAIt’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 flyweight, it certainly seems reasonable to believe she’ll fare better in the future.3. Cris CyborgPFL featherweight champion Record: 30-2, 1 NC Last: W (UD) vs.

Ketlen Vieira, Aug. 22 Next: TBAIt 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 once again a champion after getting her second career submission at PFL Lyon in December.

The PFL promoted her fight with Vieira as a retirement bout, but after her win Cyborg did not sound like someone who is done fighting.4. Natalia SilvaUFC flyweight champion Record: 21-5-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Wang Cong, Oct. 3 Next: TBASilva was looking every bit the part of a future UFC champion following a dominant display against Alexa Grasso at UFC 315 and a victory over Rose Namajunas at UFC 324. And now she has fulfilled that expectation, beating Wang at UFC 332 to win the belt vacated by injured Valentina Shevchenko.

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 2027.5. Mackenzie DernUFC strawweight champion Record: 17-5 Last: W (UD) vs. Gillian Robertson, Aug. 15 Next: TBADern’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 four fights in a row, including a dominant performance against a fellow grappling-heavy fighter, Robertson, in her first title defense.6. Alexa GrassoUFC flyweight Record: 18-5-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Manon Fiorot, Sept. 12 Next: TBAGrasso went nearly three years without winning a fight, but her 2023 win right before the skid 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 Natalia Silva.

But she reasserted herself with a finish of Maycee Barber in March, then got the best of Fiorot, a fellow title contender, at Noche UFC to put herself in position for another title shot.7. Tatiana SuarezUFC strawweight Previous ranking: 9 Record: 13-1 Last: W (UD) vs. Virna Jandiroba, Nov. 7 Next: TBAIf Suarez was still feeling the effects of last year’s humbling defeat to Zhang Weili in a title challenge, she certainly didn’t show it at UFC 327, overcoming early adversity to thrash Loopy Godínez. Then she went on to beat another fellow top-10 strawweight, Jandiroba, sending a message to the division that Suarez is going to be a tough out for anyone at 115 pounds.8.

Dakota DitchevaPFL flyweight Previous ranking: 7 Record: 16-0 Last: W (UD) vs. Denise Kielholtz, July 31 Next: TBANot 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 Sumiko Inaba in the co-main event of the first PFL Champions Series card in Cape Town, South Africa. She then spent over a year on the sideline, healing injuries to both hands, before returning at PFL New York with a dominant win over Kielholtz.9.

Manon FiorotUFC flyweight Previous ranking: 8 Record: 13-3 Last: L (UD) vs. Alexa Grasso, Sept. 12 Next: TBAFiorot had handled everyone the UFC put in front of her — except the champion, Valentina Shevchenko, who defeated the Frenchwoman at UFC 315 in May 2025. But then, with another title shot within her grasp, Fiorot ran into Grasso, a former champion, at Noche UFC and lost a competitive fight.10. Jasmine JasudaviciusUFC flyweight Previous ranking: Unranked Record: 16-4 Last: W (UD) vs.

Erin Blanchfield, Oct. 17 Next: TBAJasudavicius was rising in the 125-pound division until being knocked out by Manon Fiorot last year, halting a five-fight winning streak. But she got back up and won two in a row, most recently an impressive grappling performance against Blanchfield, to reassert herself as a contender.Other fighter receiving votes: Virna Jandiroba and Joselyne Edwards.How our panel votedBrett Okamoto: 1. Valentina Shevchenko; 2. Zhang Weili; 3.

Mackenzie Dern; 4. Natalia Silva; 5. Tatiana Suarez; 6. Cris Cyborg; 7.

Alexa Grasso; 8. Manon Fiorot; 9. Dakota Ditcheva; 10. Virna Jandiroba.Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1.

Shevchenko; 2. Cyborg; 3. Silva; 4. Zhang; 5.

Dern; 6. Grasso; 7. Ditcheva; 8. Suarez; 9.

Fiorot; 10. Jasmine Jasudavicius.Andrew Davis: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3.

Cyborg; 4. Silva; 5. Dern; 6. Grasso; 7.

Ditcheva; 8. Fiorot; 9. Suarez; 10. Jasudavicius.Dre Waters: 1.

Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3. Cyborg; 4. Dern; 5.

Silva; 6. Grasso; 7. Ditcheva; 8. Suarez; 9.

Fiorot; 10. Joselyne Edwards.Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Shevchenko; 2. Zhang; 3.

Cyborg; 4. Silva; 5. Grasso; 6. Dern; 7.

Fiorot; 8. Suarez; 9. Ditcheva; 10. Jasudavicius.Men’s pound-for-pound rankings1.