Kamaru Usman has risen to the top of the game, taking over the No. 1 spot in the ESPN pound-for-pound men’s MMA rankings.
Usman (19-1) retained his UFC welterweight championship with a dazzling knockout of Jorge Masvidal on Saturday, his 18th consecutive victory and fourth title defense.
He takes over the top spot from Jon Jones, whose stay was brief. The former light heavyweight champ, who vacated his title in August in order to fight at heavyweight, had moved up to No. 1 in March after the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Jones (26-1, 1 NC) had been a longtime No. 1 prior to Nurmagomedov taking over. Now he has been surpassed again, and at the same time his career is in limbo, as he has been unable to come to terms with the UFC on a fight against heavyweight titlist Francis Ngannou.
Usman has been steadily rising. He moved from fourth to second in the March rankings, then grabbed the top spot on the strength of his UFC 261 performance, earning the first-place nod from three of the ESPN panel’s four voters.
The men’s top 10 also has a pair of new arrivals, as former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and ex-bantamweight champ Petr Yan share 10th place.
In the women’s rankings, Rose Namajunas leapfrogs Zhang Weili after dethroning her at strawweight at UFC 261, moving up from No. 5. And Jessica Andrade slips one spot, to No. 7, after being knocked out by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of April 28.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Kamaru Usman 
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 19-1
Last: W (KO2) Jorge Masvidal, April 24, 2021
Next: TBD vs. Colby Covington
2. Jon Jones 
UFC light heavyweight/announced move to heavyweight
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 26-1, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) Dominick Reyes, Feb. 8, 2020
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight champion
Record: 20-1
Last: L (UD) Jan Blachowicz, March 6, 2021
Next: June 12 vs. Marvin Vettori
UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 16-3
Last: W (KO2) Stipe Miocic, March 27, 2021
Next: TBD vs. Derrick Lewis
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 22-1
Last: W (SD) Max Holloway, July 11, 2020
Next: TBD vs. Brian Ortega
T-6. Jan Blachowicz 
UFC light heavyweight champion
Record: 28-8
Last: W (UD) Israel Adesanya, March 6, 2021
Next: Sept. 4 vs. Glover Teixeira
T-6. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 20-1-1
Last: D (MD) Brandon Moreno, Dec. 12, 2020
Next: June 12 vs. Brandon Moreno
T-6. Dustin Poirier
UFC lightweight
Record: 27-6, 1 NC
Last: W (TKO2) Conor McGregor, Jan. 23, 2021
Next: July 10 vs. Conor McGregor
9. Max Holloway
UFC featherweight
Record: 22-6
Last: W (UD) Calvin Kattar, Jan. 16, 2021
Next: TBD
T-10. Robert Whittaker
UFC middleweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 23-5
Last: W (UD) Kelvin Gastelum, April 17, 2021
Next: TBD
T-10. Petr Yan
UFC bantamweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 15-2
Last: L (DQ4) Aljamain Sterling, March 6, 2021
Next: TBD
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Kamaru Usman
2. Jon Jones
3. Israel Adesanya
4. Alexander Volkanovski
5. Deiveson Figueiredo
6. Jan Blachowicz
7. Dustin Poirier
8. Max Holloway
9. Petr Yan
10. Francis Ngannou
Marc Raimondi
1. Kamaru Usman
2. Jon Jones
3. Israel Adesanya
4. Francis Ngannou
5. Stipe Miocic
6. Alexander Volkanovski
7. Dustin Poirier
8. Jan Blachowicz
9. Deiveson Figueiredo
10. Max Holloway
Ariel Helwani
1. Kamaru Usman
2. Jon Jones
3. Israel Adesanya
4. Alexander Volkanovski
5. Francis Ngannou
6. Dustin Poirier
7. Max Holloway
8. Jan Blachowicz
9. Deiveson Figueiredo
10. Robert Whittaker
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Jon Jones
2. Francis Ngannou
3. Kamaru Usman
4. Israel Adesanya
5. Stipe Miocic
6. Deiveson Figueiredo
7. Jan Blachowicz
8. Alexander Volkanovski
9. Dustin Poirier
10. Robert Whittaker
1. Amanda Nunes
UFC bantamweight/featherweight champion
Record: 21-4
Last: W (Sub1) Megan Anderson, March 6, 2021
Next: TBD vs. Julianna Peña
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 21-3
Last: W (TKO2) Jessica Andrade, April 24, 2021
Next: TBD
3. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 23-2, 1 NC
Last: W (Sub2) Arlene Blencowe, Oct. 15, 2020
Next: May 21 vs. Leslie Smith
UFC strawweight champion
Previous ranking: 5
Record: 10-4
Last: W (KO1) Zhang Weili, April 24, 2021
Next: TBD
5. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 21-2
Last: L (KO1) Rose Namajunas, April 24, 2020
Next: TBD
UFC strawweight
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 16-4
Last: L (SD) Zhang Weili, March 7, 2020
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 21-9
Last: L (TKO2) Valentina Shevchenko, April 24, 2021
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight
Record: 10-4
Last: W (TechSub3) Julianna Peña, Oct. 3, 2020
Next: TBD
9. Holly Holm
UFC bantamweight
Record: 14-5
Last: W (UD) Irene Aldana, Oct. 3, 2020
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight
Record: 15-4
Last: W (UD) Cynthia Calvillo, Nov. 21, 2020
Next: May 15 vs. Viviane Araujo
Other fighters receiving votes: Ayaka Hamasaki and Yan Xiaonan
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Rose Namajunas
4. Cris Cyborg
5. Zhang Weili
6. Jessica Andrade
7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Katlyn Chookagian
Marc Raimondi
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Rose Namajunas
5. Zhang Weili
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Ayaka Hamasaki
Ariel Helwani
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Rose Namajunas
5. Zhang Weili
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Katlyn Chookagian
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
2. Valentina Shevchenko
3. Cris Cyborg
4. Rose Namajunas
5. Zhang Weili
6. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
7. Jessica Andrade
8. Germaine de Randamie
9. Holly Holm
10. Yan Xiaonan