The rise of Islam Makhachev in the UFC’s lightweight division culminated on Saturday, when he captured the championship at UFC 280 in a virtuoso performance against Charles Oliveira. But that rise took a while. Makhachev has been in the UFC since 2015, and this past weekend’s bout in Abu Dhabi was his 13th trip inside the Octagon.
Makhachev’s rise in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings, on the other hand, has been fast and furious.
The 31-year-old from Dagestan was unranked until now, but in our latest voting he’s not only in the men’s top 10, he’s up near the top.
That’s what happens when you end the 11-fight winning streak of then-No. 2 Oliveira by finishing the greatest finisher in UFC history.
Makhachev is being overlooked no more. And Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t even on the voting panel.
For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Oct. 25.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
UFC featherweight champion
Record: 25-1
Last: W (UD) Max Holloway, July 2
Next: TBD
UFC middleweight champion
Previous ranking: 3
Record: 23-1
Last: W (UD) Jared Cannonier, July 2
Next: Nov. 12 vs. Alex Pereira
UFC lightweight champion
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 23-1
Last: W (Sub2) Charles Oliveira, Oct. 22, 2022
Next: TBD
4. Kamaru Usman 
UFC welterweight
Record: 20-2
Last: L (KO5) Leon Edwards, Aug. 20
Next: TBD
UFC heavyweight champion
Record: 17-3
Last: W (UD) Ciryl Gane, Jan. 22
Next: TBD
UFC lightweight
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 33-9, 1 NC
Last: L (Sub2) Islam Makhachev, Oct. 22, 2022
Next: TBD
7. Leon Edwards 
UFC welterweight champion
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 20-3, 1 NC
Last: W (KO5) Kamaru Usman, Aug. 20
Next: TBD
UFC bantamweight champion
Record: 22-3
Last: W (TKO2) TJ Dillashaw, Oct. 22, 2022
Next: TBD
UFC light heavyweight champion
Previous ranking: 7
Record: 29-3-1
Last: W (Sub5) Glover Teixeira, June 11
Next: Dec. 10 vs. Glover Teixeira
T-10. Deiveson Figueiredo
UFC flyweight champion
Previous ranking: Tied for 9
Record: 21-2-1
Last: W (UD) Brandon Moreno, Jan. 22
Next: Jan. 21 vs. Brandon Moreno
T-10. Robert Whittaker 
UFC middleweight
Previous ranking: Unranked
Record: 24-6
Last: W (UD) Marvin Vettori, Sept. 3, 2022
Next: Feb. 12 vs. Paulo Costa
Other fighters receiving votes: Ciryl Gane, Brandon Moreno and Dustin Poirier.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Alexander Volkanovski; 2. Israel Adesanya; 3. Islam Makhachev; 4. Kamaru Usman; 5. Robert Whittaker; 6. Charles Oliveira; 7. Aljamain Sterling; 8. Francis Ngannou; 9. Deiveson Figueiredo; 10. Brandon Moreno.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Adesanya; 3. Makhachev; 4. Usman; 5. Oliveira; 6. Ngannou; 7. Sterling; 8. Edwards; 9. Ciryl Gane; 10. Figueiredo.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Makhachev; 3. Usman; 4. Adesanya; 5. Ngannou; 6. Oliveira; 7. Edwards; 8. Prochazka; 9. Sterling; 10. Figueiredo.
Megan Anderson: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Adesanya; 3. Makhachev; 4. Usman; 5. Oliveira; 6. Ngannou; 7. Edwards; 8. Prochazka; 9. Whittaker; 10. Figueiredo.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Adesanya; 2. Volkanovski; 3. Makhachev; 4. Usman; 5. Ngannou; 6. Oliveira; 7. Dustin Poirier; 8. Figueiredo; 9. Sterling; 10. Prochazka.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Volkanovski; 2. Ngannou; 3. Makhachev; 4. Adesanya; 5. Usman; 6. Oliveira; 7. Edwards; 8. Prochazka; 9. Sterling; 10. Poirier.
1. Amanda Nunes
UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion
Record: 22-5
Last: W (UD) Julianna Peña, July 30
Next: TBD
UFC flyweight champion
Record: 22-3
Last: W (SD) Taila Santos, June 11
Next: TBD
3. Cris Cyborg
Bellator featherweight champion
Record: 26-2, 1 NC
Last: W (UD) Arlene Blencowe, April 23
Next: TBD
T-4. Julianna Peña
UFC bantamweight
Record: 11-5
Last: L (UD) Amanda Nunes, July 30
Next: TBD
T-4. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight
Record: 22-3
Last: W (KO2) Joanna Jedrzejczyk, June 11
Next: Nov. 12 vs. Carla Esparza
UFC strawweight champion
Record: 19-6
Last: W (SD) Rose Namajunas, May 7
Next: Nov. 12 vs. Zhang Weili
UFC strawweight
Record: 11-5
Last: L (SD) Carla Esparza, May 7
Next: TBD
PFL lightweight champion
Record: 15-0
Last: W (Sub1) Martina Jindrova, Aug. 20
Next: Nov. 25 vs. Larissa Pacheco
UFC flyweight
Record: 23-9
Last: W (Sub1) Amanda Lemos, April 23
Next: Jan. 21 vs. Lauren Murphy
10. Marina Rodriguez
UFC strawweight
Record: 16-1-2
Last: W (SD) Yan Xiaonan, March 5
Next: Nov. 5 vs. Amanda Lemos
Other fighters receiving votes: Manon Fiorot and Holly Holm.
How our panel voted
Brett Okamoto: 1. Amanda Nunes; 2. Valentina Shevchenko; 3. Cris Cyborg; 4. Rose Namajunas; 5. Zhang Weili; 6. Julianna Peña; 7. Kayla Harrison; 8. Carla Esparza; 9. Jessica Andrade; 10. Marina Rodriguez.
Marc Raimondi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Peña; 5. Esparza; 6. Harrison; 7. Namajunas; 8. Weili; 9. Andrade; 10. Manon Fiorot.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Peña; 4. Harrison; 5. Cyborg; 6. Esparza; 7. Weili; 8. Namajunas; 9. Andrade; 10. Holly Holm.
Megan Anderson: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Weili; 5. Namajunas; 6. Esparza; 7. Andrade; 8. Rodriguez; 9. Harrison; 10. Peña.
Eddie Maisonet III: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Peña; 4. Weili; 5. Cyborg; 6. Esparza; 7. Andrade; 8. Namajunas; 9. Harrison; 10. Rodriguez.
Jeff Wagenheim: 1. Nunes; 2. Shevchenko; 3. Cyborg; 4. Weili; 5. Andrade; 6. Peña; 7. Esparza; 8. Namajunas; 9. Harrison; 10. Fiorot.