As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder towards contention and others fall away.
And in the aftermath of UFC 294, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.
Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Following Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski’s first fight, the pound-for-pound order was a prominent talking point after the Dagestani wasn’t elevated above his Australian counterpart despite beating him. Second time around, the reigning UFC lightweight champion has leapfrogged “Alexander the Great” (#3) to now occupy the #2 spot. He does, however, remain behind heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones.
Doesn’t matter who’s next, @MakhachevMMA is ready 😤 #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/gqCQvdfQBo
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
There was also movement further down the pecking order, with former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman dropping six places to #13 after his narrow defeat to Khamzat Chimaev. As a result, Sean Strickland (#7), Israel Adesanya (#8), Alexandre Pantoja (#9), and Alex Pereira (#10) have climbed a place apiece, while Aljamain Sterling (#11) has been boosted by two.
Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.
Women’s Strawweight: No changes.
Women’s Flyweight: At 125 pounds, Jennifer Maia’s release from the promotion has opened up a spot. That’s been taken by Andrea Lee, who’s secured the #15 position despite losing three on the bounce. Because of Maia’s exit, Tracy Cortez (#11), Natália Silva (#12), Casey O’Neill (#13), and Karine Silva (#14) have climbed one place each.
Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.
Flyweight: There was just one adjustment in the men’s 125-pound division, with Muhammad Mokaev (#10) swapping places with Tim Elliott (#11) courtesy of the Dagestani-born Brit’s submission victory over the Kansas native in the UFC 294 featured preliminary bout.
Bantamweight: Also at Saturday’s pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, 135lber Said Nurmagomedov bounced back from his setback against Jonathan Martinez earlier this year in style. He opened the UFC 294 main card by submitting Muin Gafarov in just 73 seconds, a result that’s seen him enter contention at #15. His arrival has left the formerly ranked Adrian Yañez out in the cold.
Featherweight: No changes.
Lightweight: No changes.
Welterweight: After seemingly securing a title shot at 185 pounds with his victory over Kamaru Usman this past weekend., Khamzat Chimaev has been removed from the rankings at 170 pounds. As a result, all those previously ranked between #5 and #15 have received one-spot climbs. The spot vacated by “Borz,” meanwhile, has been snapped up by the in-form Rinat Fakhretdinov, who now occupies the #15 step on the ladder.
Elsewhere, Belal Muhammad (#2) has interestingly swapped places with Colby Covington (#3). “Chaos” is due to challenge for the title next despite many branding “Remember the Name” the more deserving contender.
Middleweight: With Chimaev no longer boasting a seat at the top five table in the division below, the Chechen-born UAE representative has arrived in the top 10 at 185 pounds. While the UFC appears to see the undefeated star as the number one contender to Sean Strickland’s title, he’s entered the pecking order at #9.
Chimaev’s entry has led to the removal of André Muniz and one-spot falls for Brendan Allen (#10), Kelvin Gastelum (#11), Nassourdine Imavov (#12), Paul Craig (#13), and Chris Curtis (#14).
Chimaev reflects on how far he’s come in such a short amount of time 👏👏 #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/lqK3h0fZLK
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
Light Heavyweight: No changes.
Heavyweight: No changes.
You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.
