Stock Up, Stock Down: Pound-for-Pound Rankings After UFC 278

UFC 278 went down last Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the card sent shockwaves through pound-for-pound rankings everywhere—B/R's included. That's what happens when the pound-for-pound king gets brutally knocked out by an opponent he was supposed to walk through.

The card was topped by a welterweight title fight between champ Kamaru Usman—the No. 1 fighter on most credible men's pound-for-pound list—and streaking contender Leon Edwards. Usman had beaten Edwards before and looked fully capable of beating him again, but that's not what happened.

After a surprisingly tough first round, Usman took total control of the matchup, and by the time the fifth round began, he looked like he was minutes away from a lopsided unanimous-decision victory. Then, with less than a minute on the clock, he bit on an Edwards feint and ducked his head right into a kick, getting knocked out instantly.

It was about as shocking an outcome as we've seen in MMA lately and a regicide that will not be forgotten for years to come.

Keep scrolling to see how our rankings have changed in the aftermath.

Men: Nos. 10-6

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - AUGUST 20: Leon Edwards of Jamaica celebrates after defeating Kamaru Usman of Nigeria in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 278 event at Vivint Arena on August 20, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

10. Aljamain Sterling

9. Deiveson Figueiredo

8. Dustin Poirier

7. Max Holloway

6. Leon Edwards

When a fighter like Leon Edwards beats a fighter like Kamaru Usman, it poses an interesting dilemma for the people behind MMA's pound-for-pound rankings across the World Wide Web: If a fighter not previously in the pound-for-pound conversation knocks out the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, does the unranked fighter jump to the No. 1 spot?

There is an argument to be made for such a switch, but it's a weak one.

Allow us to explain: As impressive as Edwards' win over Usman was, and as valuable as it was for his pound-for-pound standing, it does not erase everything Usman has done.

The former champion has spent the last few years beating the best welterweights alive, several of whom are not far from the pound-for-pound ranks themselves, most notably Colby Covington.

Edwards, meanwhile, has spent the recent years of his career fighting the likes of Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone—all great fighters in their heydays but a far cry from the people Usman has been defending his title against. In fact, the only win on Edwards' resume that makes him worthy of a pound-for-spot is his win over Usman. It's as valuable as a win gets, but it's still just one win.

All that to say, Edwards' UFC 278 title win was not enough to push him past Usman in our rankings because earning pound-for-pound status is a long game, and he's really just getting started. It was enough to launch him into the No. 6 spot, though, not bad considering he wasn't even on the board beforehand.

Of course, the new welterweight champ's arrival on our list means somebody else had to go, and this time around, it was a pretty easy choice.

After several months of flip-flopping, we've finally decided it's time to give former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic the boot. Miocic is probably the greatest heavyweight of all time, but he hasn't fought since March 2021, when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou. The 40-year-old hasn't won since August 2020, when he defeated Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision.

There are rumors swirling that Miocic will battle former pound-for-pound king Jon Jones at UFC 282—most of them started by the latter. If that fight happens, it will have massive implications for our rankings.

For the moment, though, there are simply too many hard-working fighters worthy of pound-for-pound consideration to keep a guy as inactive as Miocic around. So Edwards is in at No. 6, and Miocic exits from his previous roost at No. 7.

Men: Nos. 5-1

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - AUGUST 20: Kamaru Usman of Nigeria reacts after being defeated by Leon Edwards of Jamaica in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 278 event at Vivint Arena on August 20, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

5. Charles Oliveira

4. Francis Ngannou

3. Kamaru Usman

2. Israel Adesanya

1. Alexander Volkanovski

As we covered on the last slide, Kamaru Usman is still ranked ahead of Leon Edwards, the man who handed him—footed him?—his first knockout loss in the UFC 278 main event.

Of course, Usman has taken a tumble in defeat. After a prolonged reign as our No. 1 male fighter, he has dropped to No. 3, clearing a path for middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to climb into the top two spots.

If Usman can reclaim his title from Edwards in what seems like an inevitable rematch, expect him to inch back toward the top spot. But for now, he'll have to get used to slightly less lofty environs.

Women: Nos. 10-6

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 05: (L-R) Marina Rodriguez of Brazil battles Yan Xiaonan of China in their lightweight fight during the UFC 272 event on March 05, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

10. Holly Holm

9. Ketlen Vieira

8. Marina Rodriguez

7. Julianna Peña

6. Jessica Andrade

None of the fighters in the back half of our women's pound-for-pound rankings have been in action since our last update, so we don't have any changes to report.

And unfortunately, only one woman on this segment of the list currently has a fight booked: strawweight striker Marina Rodriguez, who will risk her spot near the top of her division in a fight with fellow Brazilian Amanda Lemos at UFC 280 on October 22.

Hopefully, we see some action from bantamweights Holly Holm, Ketlen Vieira, and Julianna Peña—all of whom seem like good opponents for each other—and former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade soon.

Women: Nos. 5-1

Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - JUNE 12: Zhang Weili of China reacts after defeating Joanna Jedrzejcyk of Poland during their Women's Strawweight Fight at Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

5. Carla Esparza

4. Zhang Weili

3. Rose Namajunas

2. Amanda Nunes

1. Valentina Shevchenko

Nobody at the top of our women's pound-for-pound rankings has been in action since UFC 277 when Amanda Nunes avenged a shocking knockout loss to Julianna Peña with a clear unanimous decision victory.

And honestly, that's a bit of a relief. Imagine the scenes if the UFC had thrown flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko on the UFC 278 bill and she had somehow lost her title like Usman did. The entire sport would have been dumped on its head. We'd be picking up the pieces for weeks.

While there haven't been any changes to the top half of our women's rankings, we could be in for some movement soon, as former strawweight champ Zhang Weili is set to challenge the division's new queen, Carla Esparza, at UFC 281 in New York City on November 12. In fact, it's likely that fight will change our rankings no matter the outcome, so stay tuned.