Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event shouldn’t be short on action. Justin Gaethje will take on Donald Cerrone in Vancouver, with a stoppage very likely. Gaethje hasn’t had a fight decided by the judges in five years, while 12 of Cerrone’s last 15 fights didn’t go the distance.
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This was the question ESPN’s panel of voters wrestled with, and in the end you might say it came down to a split decision. Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim voted to elevate Nurmagomedov, previously ranked second, to the top spot. Ariel Helwani and Marc Raimondi opted to stick with Jones. So “Bones” and Khabib are tied for No. 1.
Here is the thinking of ESPN’s panelists:
Okamoto: Pound-for-pound rankings are about splitting hairs. You can make a strong case for Nurmagomedov or Jones as No. 1. Both are undefeated — Nurmagomedov officially, Jones unofficially. Nurmagomedov is clearly dominant in one specific area; Jones is the complete package, and actually seems to enjoy beating his opponents in their areas of strength. I have Nurmagomedov at No. 1 because he has a skill set that no one seems to have any idea what to do with, let alone defeat. Jones is coming off a razor-thin decision against Thiago Santos . Both are great, but I feel Nurmagomedov has a slight edge in consistency right now. I know exactly what I’m getting with Nurmagomedov and I know that something has proved, thus far, impossible to beat or even slow down.
Raimondi: Jones is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world for me until he loses. In 21 UFC fights, Jones has never been beaten. The only loss on his record is that ridiculous disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009. Nurmagomedov is absolutely amazing. But he has two title defenses. Jones has 10.
Helwani: Honestly, I don’t have a great reason why I went with Jones, other than he was No. 1 last month and didn’t lose, so I don’t think it’s right to bump him. There’s no wrong answer here. Nurmagomedov is most certainly deserving, but Jones has been at the top longer, so he gets the nod.
Wagenheim: For me, pound-for-pound rankings come down to who’s most dominant within his or her domain. That’s the only way I can fathom stacking up, say, 125-pound Henry Cejudo alongside Stipe Miocic , a heavyweight champ nearly twice his size. And by that measure, I see Nurmagomedov totally in command every time out, while Jones squeaked by in his last fight and didn’t exactly blow the doors off his previous opponent, either. “Jonny Bones” is an all-time great, but right now my No. 1 is Khabib.
On the women’s side , there also is some movement in the pound-for-pound top 10. In winning the UFC strawweight championship on Aug.31, Zhang Weili knocked off previously No. 4 Jessica Andrade and takes her spot, bumping the Brazilian down the rankings.
(You can find Okamoto’s division-by-division rankings here .)
Note: Rankings were updated Sept. 11.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
T-1. Jon Jones
Record: 25-1, 1 NCWeight class: Light heavyweightLast: W (SD) Thiago Santos , July 6Next: TBD
T-1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Record: 28-0Weight class: LightweightLast: W (SUB3) Dustin Poirier , Sept. 7Next: TBD
3. Henry Cejudo
Record: 15-2Weight class: Flyweight/bantamweightLast: W (TKO3) Marlon Moraes , June 8Next: TBD
4. Stipe Miocic
Record: 19-3Weight class: HeavyweightLast: W (TKO4) Daniel Cormier , Aug. 17Next: TBD
5. Daniel Cormier
Record: 22-2, 1 NCWeight class: HeavyweightLast: L (TKO4) Stipe Miocic , Aug. 17Next: TBD
6. Tony Ferguson
Record: 25-3Weight class: LightweightLast: W (TKO2) Donald Cerrone , June 8Next: TBD
7. Demetrious Johnson
Record: 29-3-1Weight class: FlyweightLast: W (UD) Tatsumitsu Wada , Aug. 2Next: Oct. 12 vs. Danny Kingad
T-8. Max Holloway
Record: 21-4Weight class: FeatherweightLast: W (UD) Frankie Edgar , July 27Next: TBD
T-8. Robert Whittaker
Record: 20-4Weight class: MiddleweightLast: W (SD) Yoel Romero , June 9, 2018Next: Oct. 6 vs. Israel Adesanya
10. Kamaru Usman
Record: 15-1Weight class: WelterweightLast: W (UD) Tyron Woodley , March 2Next: TBD
Other fighters receiving votes: Dustin Poirier and Israel Adesanya .
Robert Whittaker defends his UFC middleweight championship for the first time in 16 months at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Oct. 6. Darrian Traynor for Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
Marc Raimondi
Ariel Helwani
Jeff Wagenheim
1. Amanda Nunes
Record: 18-4Weight class: Bantamweight/featherweightLast: W (TKO1) Holly Holm , July 6Next: Dec. 14 vs. Germaine de Randamie
2. Valentina Shevchenko
Record: 18-3Weight class: FlyweightLast: W (UD) Liz Carmouche , Aug. 10Next: TBD
3. Cris Cyborg
Record: 21-2, 1 NCWeight class: FeatherweightLast: W (UD) Felicia Spencer , July 27Next: TBD
4. Zhang Weili
Record: 20-1Weight class: StrawweightLast: W (TKO1) Jessica Andrade , Aug. 31Next: TBD
5. Rose Namajunas
Record: 9-4Weight class: StrawweightLast: L (TKO2) Jessica Andrade , May 11Next: TBD
6. Jessica Andrade
Record: 20-7Weight class: StrawweightLast: L (TKO1) Zhang Weili , Aug. 31Next: TBD
7. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Record: 15-3Weight class: FlyweightLast: L (UD) Valentina Shevchenko , Dec. 8Next: Oct. 12 vs. Michelle Waterson
T-8. Germaine de Randamie
Record: 9-3Weight class: BantamweightLast: W (TKO1) Aspen Ladd , July 13Next: Dec. 14 vs. Amanda Nunes
T-8. Tatiana Suarez
Record: 8-0Weight class: StrawweightLast: W (UD) Nina Ansaroff , June 8Next: TBD
10. Holly Holm
Record: 12-5Weight class: BantamweightLast: L (TKO1) Amanda Nunes , July 6Next: TBD
Other fighter receiving a vote: Ketlen Vieira .
By grabbing the UFC strawweight belt on Aug. 31, Zhang Weili earned a spot in the women’s top 10. Zhe Ji/Getty Images
How our writers voted
Brett Okamoto
Marc Raimondi
Ariel Helwani
Jeff Wagenheim
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