UFC 279 went down on Saturday night in Las Vegas, which means it’s time for another update to Bleacher Report’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings.

The event had arguably the most chaotic build-up of any in UFC history. First, the pre-fight press conference was canceled due to a skirmish involving multiple fighters and their teams. Six main-card fighters then received new opponents on the eve of the card after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight for his main-event battle with welterweight veteran Nate Diaz by a ridiculous 7.5 pounds. The fights themselves were pretty wild, too.

In the short-notice main event, Diaz defeated fellow veteran Tony Ferguson by third-round submission. Ferguson had initially been slated to meet China’s Li Jingliang in the welterweight co-main event.

Chimaev was reassigned to the new co-main event, where he posted an effortless first-round submission over Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight fight. Holland had originally been scheduled to meet Daniel Rodriguez at the same weight earlier on the main card.

Rodriguez picked up a split-decision win over Ferguson’s original foe earlier on the main card, also at 180 pounds, although the victory was quite controversial.

Throw in a pair of wild finishes from Irene Aldana and Johnny Walker, who knocked out Macy Chiasson and submitted Ion Cuțelaba, respectively, and most fans were ready for a breather by the time it was all over.

Now that we’ve had a chance to digest everything that happened at UFC 279, let’s get to the updated pound-by-pound rankings.

Men: Nos. 10-6

 

Khamzat Chimaev submits Kevin Holland (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

10. Aljamain Sterling

9. Deiveson Figueiredo

8. Dustin Poirier

7. Max Holloway

6. Leon Edwards

Khamzat Chimaev was the only male fighter on the UFC 279 bill who was anywhere near pound-for-pound consideration before the event.

As much as Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz have accomplished, neither guy has beaten a relevant opponent in years. And as good as Kevin Holland, Daniel Rodriguez and Li Jingliang can be, none of them have been consistent enough to put themselves in the pound-for-pound conversation. The same goes for Johnny Walker, who is 2-4 in his last six fights.

However, Chimaev is definitely consistent. The unbeaten Chechen-Swede has been dominant in all but one of his UFC appearances, including his UFC 279 submission win over Holland. The only fight he hasn’t dominated was his April decision win over Gilbert Burns, who is a former welterweight title challenger and one of the division’s best fighters.

While Chimaev looks increasingly like a future member of this list, he’s still on the outside looking in after UFC 279. He doesn’t have many wins over truly world-class fighters. His competitive decision win over Burns is arguably the only one, though his UFC 279 victory over Holland and his 2021 win over Li—both of which were first-round submissions—could also be included depending on your interpretation of the term world-class.

Either way, he will need to beat a few more top-five or top-10 fighters either at welterweight or middleweight before he displaces anybody on the pound-for-pound list.

Men: Nos. 5-1

 

Charles Oliveira (Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

5. Charles Oliveira

4. Francis Ngannou

3. Kamaru Usman

2. Israel Adesanya

1. Alexander Volkanovski

Since UFC 279 was devoid of top-tier male talent, the top of our men’s pound-for-pound rankings have not changed in the wake of the event.

However, that could change soon.

Charles Oliveira, our No. 5 male fighter, is slated to meet Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi. The pair’s title fight will probably have an impact on these rankings no matter who comes out on top.

Our No. 2 fighter, middleweight king Israel Adesanya, will also be in action again soon. He’s slated to defend his title against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 on November 12 in New York City.

Pereira has beaten Adesanya twice under kickboxing rules, and many fans believe the Brazilian will do so under MMA rules in the Big Apple. If that does happen, it will completely shake up our rankings.

Women: Nos. 10-6

 

Irene Aldana punches Macy Chiasson (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

10. Holly Holm

9. Ketlen Vieira

8. Marina Rodriguez

7. Julianna Peña

6. Jessica Andrade

UFC 279 was also short on women in the pound-for-pound conversation. The only fighter on the bill who was anywhere near the discussion was Mexican bantamweight Irene Aldana, who certainly strengthened her case by stopping Macy Chiasson with an upkick to the body on the main card.

However, Aldana is still only two wins removed from a decision loss to our No. 10 fighter, Holly Holm. She still has a bit more work to do before she makes her debut on this list.

Then again, Aldana might be the next woman in line for bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who also holds the featherweight title. While Aldana’s win streak leaves a bit to be desired, she is a solid 4-1 in her last five, and she should benefit from the fact that nobody else has a better argument for a shot at the champ.

In the unlikely event that Aldana were to dethrone Nunes, her entry onto this list would be guaranteed. It seems like a long shot, but as Leon Edwards proved when he knocked out Kamaru Usman earlier this summer, anything is possible in MMA.

Women: Nos. 5-1

 

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

5. Carla Esparza

4. Zhang Weili

3. Rose Namajunas

2. Amanda Nunes

1. Valentina Shevchenko

The top half of our women’s rankings is also unchanged after UFC 279 since none of the fighters were in action at the event. However, we could see some movement here soon.

Reigning strawweight champion Carla Esparza is slated to defend her title against former champ Zhang Weili at UFC 281 on November 12 in New York City.

Amanda Nunes is also seemingly due for a fight, whether she defends her featherweight or bantamweight title next. Nobody at featherweight has made much of a case for a title shot, although Mexico’s Irene Aldana could be up for that opportunity at bantamweight.

The same is true of our pound-for-pound queen, Valentina Shevchenko. The UFC flyweight champ has not stepped foot in the Octagon since she beat Taila Santos by decision in June.