The UFC fighter rankings saw some major turnaround, especially in the lightweight division after a cracking UFC 274 fight card
UFC 274 was an emotional transience – from the build-up, to the champion missing weight, and all of it was capped off by some brilliant and some forgetful performances. It was palpable, that this would directly impact the rankings, and it did in a spectacular fashion.
Here’s everything you need to know about the changes in fighter rankings post-UFC 274.
Men’s P4P – Oliveira jumps up one spot to be ranked fourth now, which dropped Francis Ngannou to five. Aljamain Sterling moved up a rank higher for a tie at nine with Jon Jones. Robert Whittaker is up to one to 14, pushing Brandon Moreno down to 15.
Heavyweight – No changes.
Light Heavyweight – No changes.
Middleweight – No changes.
Welterweight – No changes.
Lightweight – The entire division took a topsy-turvy curve to sixes and sevens in the freshly released rankings. With the lightweight belt being vacant now, everyone moved down a spot. Oliveira is the undeniable number one contender, with Dustin Poirier dropping to two. Gaethje moves down to the third position, while Dagestani Islam Makhachev is down to four. Beneil Dariush falls two slots to six. Rafael dos Anjos is down one to seven. Ferguson sees a massive fall from six to ten.
Featherweight – No changes.
Bantamweight – No changes.
Flyweight – Alexandre Pantoja moves back up for tied position at three with Askar Askarov. Brandon Royval’s quick win on the weekend moves him up to four, pushing Alex Perez to five.
Women’s P4P – Julianna Pena rises to the third position, with Thug Rose moving down to four. New champ Esparza is up two spots to six. Jessica Andrade and Holly Holm go down one spot each to seven and eight respectively. Mackenzie Dern and Irene Aldana exchange the 12 and 13 spots.
Women’s Bantamweight – Pannie Kianzad passes Miesha Tate for the nine spot, dropping the former champ to ten.
Women’s Flyweight – Tracy Cortez enters the rankings for the first time at 15.
Women’s Strawweight – Esparza sits atop the division. Namajunas is the number one contender, with Zhang Weili dropping to two. Yan Xiaonan moves up into a tie for five with Andrade.
Tony Ferguson releases statement following his loss to Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler shocked the world when he knocked out Tony Ferguson cold in the second round of their lightweight bout at UFC 274. This was Ferguson’s fourth consecutive loss in a row, and many have suggested that Tony should either lace his gloves, or reflect upon his past few losses and take some time off.
Ferguson has a reputation for being too competitive, and also for not giving props to his opponent when he looses. People may mistake it for being too arrogant, but Ferguson showed today that he can take one to the chin however bitter the pill is to swallow.
He congratulated Chandler over his win, and even referred to him as ‘Champ’. Tony wrote,’ Congratulations to @MikeChandlerMMA On his victory at UFC274. Had lots of fun in there, you fans are Fuckin’ wild I love this shit! Feels good to be back & hungry again. We were just getting started. Best Of Luck In Your Next Fight- Champ # ForTheLoveOfTheGame -CSO- ’
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