MMA pound-for-pound rankings: Van shows he's a top...
Key takeaways
- Van produced a clearer, more emphatic victory on Saturday at UFC 328, knocking out Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round of his first title defense.
- Falling from the top 10 is Khamzat Chimaev, who lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event.
- For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Joshua Van's knockout performance at UFC 328 propelled him into the ESPN pound-for-pound top 10. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCESPNMultiple Authors May 13, 2026, 08:00 AM ETEmail Print Open Extended Reactions After Joshua Van became UFC men's flyweight champion in December, he received some support in the ESPN pound-for-pound voting but not enough to make the top 10. That likely was because of the odd circumstance surrounding the title fight, which ended in just 26 seconds after Van's opponent, then-champ Alexandre Pantoja, injured his arm.
Van produced a clearer, more emphatic victory on Saturday at UFC 328, knocking out Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round of his first title defense. As a result, Van makes his debut in the men's rankings at No. 9.
Falling from the top 10 is Khamzat Chimaev, who lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event. Chimaev previously was ranked fifth. Strickland received pound-for-pound votes but not enough to break into the rankings.