Jack Della Maddalena is the new champion. Alexander Volkanovski is a champion again.
Both Della Maddalena and Volkanovski successfully navigated their respective title challenges at UFC 315 and UFC 314. Della Maddalena dethroned welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, while Volkanovski claimed a vacant featherweight title to become a two-time champion with a hard-fought victory over Diego Lopes.
These results significantly impacted the May update of MMA Fighting’s Men’s Pound-for-Pound rankings. Belal Muhammad, who was No. 5 before UFC 315, dropped eight places to No. 13 after his title defense attempt fell short. Meanwhile, Della Maddalena soared from being unranked directly into the No. 9 position, securing gold and his 18th consecutive win. The new champion hasn`t lost a professional bout since starting his career 0-2 in 2016 and has the potential to cause further shifts in the rankings with a potential fight against Islam Makhachev later this year.
As for Volkanovski, he climbed from No. 13 to No. 8, reaching his highest rank since July 2024. Following his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, Volkanovski understandably fell in the rankings, and it was speculated that the 36-year-old might continue to drop. However, with an impressive performance against Lopes, “The Great” not only regained a UFC championship but also solidified his place in the top 10 for the foreseeable future.
Notably, since the previous update in March, former champion Leon Edwards suffered a decisive defeat against Sean Brady. Although this wasn`t enough to immediately put Brady into the rankings (he did receive votes), it caused Edwards to fall dramatically from No. 12 completely out of the list.
And Jon Jones? He continues to drop. He needs to step back into the octagon.
There was also significant movement in the women`s rankings, thanks to Natalia Silva and Virna Jandiroba. These Brazilian fighters are making a strong case against postponing a potential Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili superfight. Silva secured a clear decision victory over former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso at UFC 315, and Jandiroba extended her winning streak to five with a decision win over recent strawweight title challenger Yan Xiaonan at UFC 314.
While a fight between Zhang and Shevchenko remains possible, Silva and Jandiroba have earned their championship opportunities and rocketed up the Pound-for-Pound list. Silva jumped 11 spots, tying for No. 5 with Manon Fiorot, who recently delivered a spirited performance against Shevchenko. Jandiroba rose seven places to No. 11.
See the updated Pound-for-Pound lists below:
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown):
Jack Della Maddalena def. No. 5 Belal Muhammad
No 13 (tied) Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes
Sean Brady def. No. 12 Leon Edwards
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters:
No. 2 Ilia Topuria vs. No. 18 Charles Oliveira (UFC 317, June 28)
No. 3 Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France (UFC 317, June 28)
No. 4 Merab Dvalishvili vs. No. 19 Sean O’Malley (UFC 316, June 7)
No. 5 Dricus du Plessis vs. No. 15 Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 319, Aug. 16)
No. 12 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC 318, July 19)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):
Sean Brady (4), Movsar Evloev (2), Francis Ngannou (2), Jiri Prochazka (2), Brandon Moreno (1), Usman Nurmagomedov (1)
Falling out of the rankings (previous ranking shown):
No. 12 Leon Edwards
Recent results for ranked fighters (previous ranking shown):
No. 2 Valentina Shevchenko def. No. 5 Manon Fiorot
No. 16 Natalia Silva def. No. 3 Alexa Grasso
No. 18 Virna Jandiroba def. No. 11 Yan Xiaonan
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. No. 19 Jessica Andrade
No. 20 Liz Carmouche def. Ilara Joanne
Upcoming bouts featuring ranked fighters:
No. 4 Kayla Harrison vs. No. 13 Julianna Peña (UFC 316, June 7)
No. 7 Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber (UFC Vegas 107, May 31)
No. 8 (tied) Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba (PFL Africa, July 26)
No. 14 Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick (UFC Atlanta, June 14)
No. 19 Liz Carmouche vs. Elora Dana (PFL 6, June 20)
Fighters also receiving votes (number of ballot appearances shown):
Maycee Barber (3), Jessica Andrade (2), Norma Dumont (2), Macy Chiasson (1), Amanda Lemos (1), Gillian Robertson (1)
Falling out of the rankings (previous ranking shown):
No. 19 Jessica Andrade
Percy Harlow