Carla Esparza walked out of the Octagon as strawweight champion on the conclusion of the UFC 274 co-main occasion. The daybreak of her second reign ought to haver been a second of glory. As an alternative, Esparza and the lady she dethroned, Rose Namajunas, have taken warmth for theirn uneventful 5 rounds, that are being held up as one of many worst title fights in UFC historical past.
And but Esparza did stroll away as champ, eight years after she reigned because the UFC’s first 115-pound champ. And for that alone, she has risen within the ESPN strawweight rankings.
A few new champs in Bellator — males’s featherweight Patricio Freire and girls’s flyweight Liz Carmouche — have moved up as properly.
Total, there may be motion in a number of of the burden lessons within the ESPN rankings. However not a lot dramatic change, regardless of among the impactful current combat outcomes.
For the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings, click here. For an inventory of present UFC champions in all weight lessons, click here.
Word: Outcomes are present; rankings as of Could 11.
Heavyweight – Light heavyweight – Middleweight – Welterweight
Lightweight – Men’s featherweight – Men’s bantamweight – Men’s flyweight
Women’s bantamweight – Women’s flyweight – Strawweight
HEAVYWEIGHT (as much as 265 kilos)
1. Francis Ngannou 
Promotion: UFC champion
Document: 17-3
Final: W (UD) Ciryl Gane, Jan. 22, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
2. Ciryl Gane
Promotion: UFC
Document: 10-1
Final: L (UD) Francis Ngannou, Jan. 22, 2022
Subsequent: Sept. 3 vs. Tai Tuivasa
3. Stipe Miocic
Promotion: UFC
Document: 12-4
Final: L (KO2) Francis Ngannou, March 27, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
4. Curtis Blaydes
Promotion: UFC
Document: 16-3, 1 NC
Final: W (TKO2) Chris Daukaus, March 26, 2022
Subsequent: July 23 vs. Tom Aspinall
5. Tai Tuivasa
Promotion: UFC
Document: 14-3
Final: W (KO2) Derrick Lewis, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: Sept. 3 vs. Ciryl Gane
6. Tom Aspinall
Promotion: UFC
Document: 12-2
Final: W (Sub1) Alexander Volkov, March 19, 2022
Subsequent: July 23 vs. Curtis Blaydes
7. Derrick Lewis
Promotion: UFC
Document: 26-9, 1 NC
Final: L (KO2) Tai Tuivasa, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: July 30 vs. Sergei Pavlovich
8. Alexander Volkov
Promotion: UFC
Document: 34-10
Final: L (Sub1) Tom Aspinall, March 19, 2022
Subsequent: June 4 vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
9. Ryan Bader
Promotion: Bellator champion
Document: 30-7, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) Cheick Kongo, Could 6, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
10. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Promotion: UFC
Document: 12-3
Final: L (UD) Curtis Blaydes, Sept. 25, 2021
Subsequent: June 4 vs. Alexander Volkov
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (as much as 205 kilos)
1. Glover Teixeira
Promotion: UFC champion
Document: 33-7
Final: W (Sub2) Jan Blachowicz, Oct. 30, 2021
Subsequent: June 11 vs. Jiri Prochazka
2. Jan Blachowicz
Promotion: UFC
Document: 28-9
Final: L (Sub2) Glover Teixeira, Oct. 30, 2021
Subsequent: Could 14 vs. Aleksandar Rakic
3. Corey Anderson
Promotion: Bellator
Document: 16-5, 1 NC
Final: NC3 Vadim Nemkov, April 15, 2022
Subsequent: TBD vs. Vadim Nemkov
4. Jiri Prochazka
Promotion: UFC
Document: 28-3-1
Final: W (KO2) Dominick Reyes, Could 1, 2021
Subsequent: June 11 vs. Glover Teixeira
5. Aleksandar Rakic
Promotion: UFC
Document: 14-2
Final: W (UD) Thiago Santos, March 6, 2021
Subsequent: Could 14 vs. Jan Blachowicz
6. Vadim Nemkov
Promotion: Bellator champion
Document: 15-2, 1 NC
Final: NC3 Corey Anderson, April 15, 2022
Subsequent: TBD vs. Corey Anderson
7. Anthony Smith
Promotion: UFC
Document: 35-16
Final: W (Sub1) Ryan Spann, Sept. 18, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
8. Magomed Ankalaev
Promotion: UFC
Document: 17-1
Final: W (UD) Thiago Silva, March 12, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
9. Thiago Santos
Promotion: UFC
Document: 22-10
Final: L (UD) Magomed Ankalaev, March 12, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
10. Dominick Reyes
Promotion: UFC
Document: 12-3
Final: L (KO2) Jiri Prochazka, Could 1, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
MIDDLEWEIGHT (as much as 185 kilos)
1. Israel Adesanya
Promotion: UFC champion
Document: 22-1
Final: W (UD) Robert Whittaker, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: July 2 vs. Jared Cannonier
2. Robert Whittaker
Promotion: UFC
Document: 23-6
Final: L (UD) Israel Adesanya, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
3. Jared Cannonier
Promotion: UFC
Document: 15-5
Final: W (KO2) Derek Brunson, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: July 2 vs. Israel Adesanya
4. Marvin Vettori
Promotion: UFC
Document: 18-5-1
Final: W (UD) Paulo Costa, Oct. 23, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
5. Paulo Costa
Promotion: UFC
Document: 13-2
Final: L (UD) Marvin Vettori, Oct. 23, 2021
Subsequent: July 30 vs. Luke Rockhold
6. Derek Brunson
Promotion: UFC
Document: 23-8
Final: L (KO2) Jared Cannonier, Feb. 12, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
7. Sean Strickland
Promotion: UFC
Document: 25-3
Final: W (SD) Jack Hermansson, Feb. 5, 2022
Subsequent: July 30 vs. Alex Pereira
8. Gegard Mousasi
Promotion: Bellator champion
Document: 49-7-2
Final: W (TKO1) Austin Vanderford, Feb. 25, 2022
Subsequent: June 24 vs. Johnny Eblen
9. Darren Till
Promotion: UFC
Document: 18-4-1
Final: L (Sub3) Derek Brunson, Sept. 4, 2021
Subsequent: July 23 vs. Jack Hermansson
10. Jack Hermansson
Promotion: UFC
Document: 22-6
Final: L (SD) Sean Strickland, Feb. 5, 2022
Subsequent: July 23 vs. Darren Till
WELTERWEIGHT (as much as 170 kilos)
1. Kamaru Usman
Promotion: UFC champion
Document: 20-1
Final: W (UD) Colby Covington, Nov. 6, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
2. Colby Covington
Promotion: UFC
Document: 17-3
Final: W (UD) Jorge Masvidal, March 5, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
3. Khamzat Chimaev
Promotion: UFC
Document: 11-0
Final: W (UD) Gilbert Burns, April 9, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
4. Leon Edwards
Promotion: UFC
Document: 19-3, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) Nate Diaz, June 12, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
5. Gilbert Burns
Promotion: UFC
Document: 20-5
Final: L (UD) Khamzat Chimaev, April 9, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
6. Vicente Luque
Promotion: UFC
Document: 21-8-1
Final: L (UD) Belal Muhammad, April 16, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
7. Belal Muhammad
Promotion: UFC
Document: 21-3, 1 NC
Final: W (UD) Vicente Luque, April 16, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
8. Yaroslav Amosov
Promotion: Bellator champion
Document: 26-0
Final: W (UD) Douglas Lima, June 11, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
9. Stephen Thompson
Promotion: UFC
Document: 16-6-1
Final: L (UD) Belal Muhammad, Dec. 18, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
10. Sean Brady
Promotion: UFC
Document: 15-0
Final: W (UD) Michael Chiesa, Nov. 20, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
LIGHTWEIGHT (as much as 155 kilos)
1. Charles Oliveira
Promotion: UFC
Document: 33-8, 1 NC
Final: W (Sub1) Justin Gaethje, Could 7, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
2. Dustin Poirier
Promotion: UFC
Document: 28-7, 1 NC
Final: L (Sub3) Charles Oliveira, Dec. 11, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
3. Justin Gaethje
Promotion: UFC
Document: 23-4
Final: L (Sub1) Charles Oliveira, Could 7, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
4. Islam Makhachev
Promotion: UFC
Document: 21-1
Final: W (TKO1) Bobby Green, Feb. 26, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
5. Beneil Dariush
Promotion: UFC
Document: 21-4-1
Final: W (UD) Tony Ferguson, Could 15, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
6. Michael Chandler
Promotion: UFC
Document: 23-7
Final: W (KO2) Tony Ferguson, Could 7, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
7. Rafael dos Anjos
Promotion: UFC
Document: 31-14
Final: W (UD) Renato Moicano, March 5, 2022
Subsequent: July 9 vs. Rafael Fiziev
8. Rafael Fiziev
Promotion: UFC
Document: 25-6
Final: L (UD) Beneil Dariush, Could 15, 2021
Subsequent: July 9 vs. Rafael dos Anjos
9. Gregor Gillespie
Promotion: UFC
Document: 14-1
Final: W (TKO2) Diego Ferreira, Could 8, 2021
Subsequent: TBD
10. Arman Tsarukyan
Promotion: UFC
Document: 18-2
Final: W (TKO2) Joel Alvarez, Feb. 26, 2022
Subsequent: TBD
MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT (as much as 145 kilos)
1. Alexander Volkanovski
Promotion: UFC champion
Document: 23-1
Final: W (TKO4) Chan Sung Jung, April 9, 2022
Subsequent: July 2 vs. Max Holloway