Brett OkamotoMar 31, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
- Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
The fighting life of a dethroned champion can turn into a redemption story or a free fall. Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Seattle saw both unfold.
The main event pitted two-time former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya against rising Joe Pyfer, and Pyfer scored a second-round knockout for his fourth straight victory. For Adesanya, 36, it was a fourth loss in a row, the past three by finish. He has not won a fight since 2023, when he was in his second reign as champ.
Contrast that result with that of the co-main event, in which former women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso ended a three-fight winless streak by producing one of the most stirring knockouts in recent memory, finishing fellow top-10 fighter Maycee Barber in the first round. Grasso is suddenly riding high again.
Grasso swaps places with Barber in the women's 125-pound rankings. At middleweight, Pyfer enters the top 10 for the first time at No. 8, and Adesanya falls three spots to No. 9.
Here are the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings and a list of current UFC champions in all weight classes.
Results are current; rankings as of March 31. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter must have competed over the past 12 months or must have an upcoming fight booked. Fighters who have been dropped for inactivity can be reinstated only after they compete.
