Demetrious Johnson jumped two spots up ESPN's pound-for-pound list following his victory over the weekend, surpassing the promotion's heavyweight and lightweight champs. That's quite an accomplishment for a 125-pound fighter whose division is yet to garner the attention or respect of his peers. It could be seriously argued that Johnson's combination of physical attributes and technical skill is the best of anyone on the list. See how the other fighters rank.
Pound-for-pound Power Rankings | |||||
RANK | FIGHTER | TRENDING | COMMENT | ||
1 | Jon Jones Light Heavyweight 18-1-0 | -- Last Rank: 1 | Annnnnnd the NEW, pound-for-pound king, Mr. Jon Jones. Jones didn't look happy about Anderson Silva's loss. Maybe because he's just a huge fan of Silva, or maybe because he saw a big-money superfight go down with him. | ||
2 | Georges St-Pierre Welterweight 24-2-0 | -- Last Rank: 2 | St-Pierre called the upset. He had Chris Weidman winning all the way in this one. Now it's up to him to not suffer a fate similar to Silva's. Johny Hendricks awaits in November. | ||
3 | Jose Aldo Featherweight 22-1-0 | -- Last Rank: 3 | As fun as the "Korean Zombie" matchup is, it just doesn't have the same sparkle as an Anthony Pettis fight. Nevertheless, Aldo will seek his fifth consecutive title defense in August. | ||
4 | Anderson Silva Middleweight 33-5-0 | -- Last Rank: 4 | Hey, everybody gets caught, right? Of course, if you leave your hands down and act a fool, it increases the odds of it happening. But this is Anderson Silva we're talking about, after all. How will he respond? | ||
5 | Chris Weidman Middleweight 10-0-0 | -- Last Rank: 5 | We suspected Weidman had the skill to be a UFC star. Now he has the signature win. Knocking out Anderson Silva? That's something nobody is forgetting any time soon. Weidman says it's just the beginning. | ||
6 | Demetrious Johnson Flyweight 18-2-1 | 2 Last Rank: 8 | UFC's flyweight champ did everything right against John Moraga, showing the full scope of his pound-for-pound abilities en route to his first non-decision Octagon-bound victory. | ||
7 | Benson Henderson Lightweight 19-2-0 | 1 Last Rank: 6 | A win is a win, and Henderson now has seven in the UFC after beating Gilbert Melendez. Close fights happen when you operate in the UFC's most talented division. Anthony Pettis is next. | ||
8 | Cain Velasquez Heavyweight 12-1-0 | 1 Last Rank: 7 | His first title defense against Antonio Silva was, with respect to "Bigfoot," a bit of a gimme. The second one is where it's at: Velasquez-Junior dos Santos III in October. Mark it down on your calendar. | ||
9 | Renan Barao Bantamweight 30-1-0 | -- Last Rank: 9 | The bantamweight division is no longer on (Dominick) Cruz control thanks to this Brazilian phenom. Forget waiting for the champ; Barao looks to defend the interim title (again) later this year. | ||
10 | Gilbert Melendez Lightweight 21-3-0 | -- Last Rank: 10 | Color us all impressed, Gil. You might not have won the title against Ben Henderson, but it didn't feel like you really lost, either. Henderson expects to see Melendez again down the road. Probably a good guess. |