Following this past weekend's UFC 259 pay-per-view event, the updated fighter rankings have been released.

Saturday's card featured no less than three championship fights and so was always going to impact the pound-for-pound picture. However, after two current UFC champions tasted defeat, there were some significant moves in the men's pound-for-pound rankings.

New UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling may have picked up the 135-pound title in controversial fashion, but his disqualification victory over Petr Yan was enough to see him sneak into the pound-for-pound list at number 15.

Sterling replaces Irish superstar Conor McGregor to become the only new arrival in the countdown. Despite his loss, Yan remains ranked above Sterling in 12th place (dropping two spots).

Predictably, the biggest climb on this latest list belongs to Jan Blachowicz. The UFC light heavyweight champion surged six places up the pound-for-pound ladder after his upset victory over middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The Polish powerhouse is now slotted in eighth position overall. 

The quality of Adesanya's work at 185 pounds, though, means that he still outranks Blachowicz with his sixth-placed pound-for-pound ranking (having previously occupied third spot).

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Although he has shown little sign of reversing his decision to retire, top spot in the pound-for-pound stakes still belongs to Khabib Nurmagomedov. 'The Eagle' announced his decision all the way back in October last year, but UFC - and in particular Dana White - continue to hold out hope that he can be persuaded to change his mind.

Until the company accepts that the door is completely closed on a Khabib return, expect him to feature prominently in these rankings.

Amanda Nunes Remains Female GOAT

On the female side of the pound-for-pound picture, Amanda Nunes reinforced her status as the MMA female GOAT by dismantling Megan Anderson at UFC 259. 'The Lioness' occupies the number one spot in the women's list - and will probably do so until she herself chooses to retire.

The next major movements in the pound-for-pound list look likely to come at UFC 260 later this month, when UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic meets top contender Francis Ngannou for a second time. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski also appears on the March 27 card, defending against Brian Ortega. 

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Latest UFC Men's Pound-For-Pound Rankings:

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov

2. Jon Jones

3. Kamaru Usman +1

4. Stipe Miocic +1

5. Alexander Volkanovski +1

6. Israel Adesanya -3

7. Dustin Poirier

8. Jan Blachowicz +6

9. Max Holloway -1

10. Deiveson Figueiredo -1

11. Justin Gaethje

12. Petr Yan -2

13. Robert Whittaker -1

14. Francis Ngannou -1

15. Aljamain Sterling *NR