Stock Up, Stock Down: Pound-for-Pound Rankings After UFC 276

The stacked UFC 276 event went down last Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which means it's time for another update to B/R's pound-for-pound rankings.

The card was awash with talent.

In the headlining attraction, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya picked up his fifth title defense with a unanimous-decision win over Jared Cannonier. In the co-headliner, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski picked up a unanimous-decision win over Max Holloway to defend his belt for the fourth time.

Of the fighters named above, all but Cannonier were ranked on the top half of our men's pound-for-pound list heading into the card, so it should come as no surprise that our rankings are looking a little different this week.

Keep scrolling to see where everyone landed in the wake of the event.

10. Aljamain Sterling

9. Deiveson Figueiredo

8. Dustin Poirier

7. Stipe Miocic

6. Max Holloway

Max Holloway was ranked No. 4 on our men's pound-for-pound list heading into UFC 276, but his unanimous-decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in the card's co-main event left him more bloodied and battered than we had seen before.

The defeat pushed Holloway down two spots on our list to No. 6. He's now one spot ahead of former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who is at risk of being axed from our list altogether for inactivity.

We've been threatening to cut Miocic, who hasn't fought since a March 2021 knockout loss to Francis Ngannou, for months. We might have done it in this rankings update had Chris Weidman not just supercharged Miocic comeback talk by revealing to The Schmo (h/t Drake Riggs of MMA Mania) that the former champion has been quietly bulking up.

That should give him an edge in his long-rumored fight with long-absent former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones—arguably the greatest fighter of all time—which will have gargantuan implications for our rankings, no matter who wins.

5. Charles Oliveira

4. Francis Ngannou

3. Israel Adesanya

2. Alexander Volkanovski

1. Kamaru Usman

One of the big questions after UFC 276 has been where Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski—who defeated Jared Cannonier and Max Holloway, respectively, by unanimous decision in the main and co-main events—belong in the pound-for-pound pecking order.

This might be a bit controversial, but we've decided not to change anything on our list.

Adesanya is still at No. 3, because his win over Cannonier, while impressive, didn't suggest that he's gotten much better than he already was. Volkanovski, meanwhile, is still at No. 2, which is probably where we're going to catch some flak.

After UFC 276, many fans believe Volkanovski is the top pound-for-pound fighter. That's a tough one because the case can easily be made for either Volkanovski or welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. In fact, they're on remarkably similar streaks.

Volkanovski has won his last 22 fights, including 12 in the UFC. Usman has won is last 19, including 15 in the UFC. Both guys have come out on top in razor-close rivalries with worthy foes: Volkanovski against Holloway and Usman against Colby Covington.

Both guys have beaten top-class contenders: Brian Ortega and Gilbert Burns, respectively. And both have peppered in lopsided wins over popular veterans. Volkanovski recently walloped "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung to a stoppage, and Usman holds two recent wins over Jorge Masvidal.

Deciding which guy belongs at the top of the list is a matter of perspective. Ours is that Usman has a few more wins in the UFC, so he remains an inch ahead.

Of course, if Volkanovski gets his desired fight with former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira—now our No. 5 fighter—he will make his case irrefutable.

Usman's Aug. 20 fight with Leon Edwards at UFC 278 is also worth keeping an eye on, although he is a gargantuan favorite for a reason.

10. Holly Holm

9. Ketlen Vieira

8. Marina Rodriguez

7. Jessica Andrade

6. Carla Esparza

There's only been one change to our women's pound-for-pound list, and it has nothing to do with UFC 276: We've decided it's time to cut former featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie for inactivity.

De Randamie has not fought since a 2020 technical submission win over Julianna Pena at UFC on ESPN 16. That victory was a valuable commodity now that Pena is the bantamweight champ. She was slated to fight Irene Aldana last year at UFC 268, but has not made a peep since that plan was nixed because of an injury. Throw in the fact that she's now 38 years old, and the chances of her returning to her old form seem slim—if she even returns at all.

With De Randamie gone from her previous roost at No. 8, strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez has moved into that spot, while bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira moved up one slot to No. 9. Former bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who is riding a controversial split-decision loss to Vieira at UFC Fight Night 206 in May, is back on the list at No. 10.

Former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade remains at No. 7, while the division's current champ, Carla Esparza, is still at 6.

5. Zhang Weili

4. Rose Namajunas

3. Julianna Pena

2. Amanda Nunes

1. Valentina Shevchenko

The top half of our women's list is also unchanged after UFC 276, and that should come as no surprise. There were only two women's bouts on the card, and none of the four fighters involved (Jessica Eye vs. Maycee Barber, Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Julija Stoliarenko) are anywhere near the pound-for-pound conversation.

That being said, we could see some changes to this list soon.

On July 30, in the main event of UFC 277 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Julianna Pena will attempt to defend the bantamweight title against featherweight champ Amanda Nunes. She will be looking for a second victory over the Brazilian after submitting her to win the title last December, knocking her out of the No. 1 spot on pound-for-pound lists everywhere in the process.

That fight will change our rankings no matter who comes out on top, as either woman should move up in victory.