USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 23: Jon Jones, Dustin Poirier take top positions

With UFC officials finally recognizing that Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) is no longer an active fighter, a pair of lists needed new names at the top.

“The Eagle” walked away from the sport while holding the No. 1 position in both the lightweight and pound-for-pound lists in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, leaving openings on both spots. A familiar name returns to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, with Jon Jones ascending back to a position he held for quite some time before Nurmagomedov’s title run brought that to an end.

Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) will have a chance to further solidify that standing later this year when the longtime UFC light heavyweight champion moves up to heavyweight, where he is expected to challenge the winner of this weekend’s UFC 260 clash between champ Stipe Miocic and challenger Francis Ngannou.

Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier moves to the No. 1 slot at 155 pounds for the first time in his career. The former interim UFC lightweight champion is 7-1 in his last eight official appearances, with a UFC 242 loss to Nurmagomedov in September 2019 standing as the only blemish during that run.

Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) could potentially fight for the currently vacant UFC lightweight belt sometime later this year, though No. 3 Charles Oliveira and No. 7 Michael Chandler will get that honor first, with “The Diamond” expected to face No. 5 Conor McGregor in a trilogy fight this summer.

Use the drop-down menu above to check out the new look of those two lists following Nurmagomedov’s official departure, as well as other impacts made by this past weekend’s action at UFC on ESPN 21.