Rankings Report | Week of February 19, 2024
See Which Fighters Moved Up And Down In The Latest Edition Of The Rankings
The latest updates to the UFC rankings across all divisions are here. Take a look at which fighters moved up and down in the most recent edition and take a look at which spots are on the line at UFC Mexico City.
Seven divisions – bantamweight, featherweight, welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight, women's flyweight, and strawweight - saw updates to their rankings following UFC 298. The men’s pound-for-pound list also saw changes.
Men’s Pound-For-Pound
This week saw significant changes in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings, notably with the emergence of the new featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, who claimed the No.5 spot. Topuria's inclusion led to Alex Pereira and Leon Edwards advancing to spots No. 4 and No. 3.
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Alexander Volkanovski plummeted four places to No. 7 following his UFC 298 defeat, causing a ripple effect that pushed competitors from No. 8 to No. 11 down one place each. Additionally, Sean Strickland slipped two positions to No. 13, while Aljamain Sterling dropped three spots to No. 15.
Bantamweight
After his impressive victory at UFC 298, Merab Dvalishvili climbed a spot to seize the top position in the bantamweight contender rankings. This move knocked Aljamain Sterling down to No. 2. Henry Cejudo took a tumble after his loss to Dvalishvili, dropping three spots to No. 6.
Consequently, Marlon Vera, Petr Yan, and Cory Sandhagen each moved up one spot to No. 5, No. 4, and No. 3, respectively.
Featherweight
The featherweight division sees a fresh face at the top, with Ilia Topuria claiming the undisputed champion title following his first-round knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last weekend.
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This shift in rankings moved the top three featherweights—Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Yair Rodriguez—each down a spot to No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, respectively.
Welterweight
Last weekend, Ian Machado Garry stretched his undefeated record to 14-0, propelling him up four spots in the welterweight rankings to claim the No. 6 position.
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As a result of his ascent, Sean Brady, Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal, and Vicente Luque all slid down one spot each, and they’re now occupying positions No. 7 through No. 10.
Middleweight
After suffering a loss against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker last weekend, Paulo Costa slipped to No. 7 in the rankings, causing Brendan Allen to move up to No. 6. Jack Hermansson also climbed to No. 9 as a result.
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Meanwhile, Anthony Hernandez's submission win over Romna Kopylov at UFC 298 propelled him up two spots to No. 13, nudging Chris Curtis and Caio Borralho down to No. 14 and No. 15.
Heavyweight
The only movement in the heavyweight division was Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Rodrigo Nascimento swapping positions. De Lima currently occupies the No. 14 spot, while Nascimento now holds the No. 15 position.
Women’s flyweight
This week, the women’s flyweight division sees the arrival of Miranda Maverick following her decision win against Andrea Lee at UFC 298. Maverick's victory secured her the No. 14 spot in the rankings, while also resulting in Jasmine Jasudavicius slipping down one position to No. 15.
Women's Strawweight
Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern exchanged positions after Dern lost a decision to Amanda Lemos. Ribas now occupies the No. 7 spot, while Dern moved down to No. 8.
Rankings On The Line This Weekend At UFC Mexico City
The co-main and main event at UFC Mexico City this weekend feature ranked matchups, with both contests determining who will claim the top spot in their respective divisions, aiming to secure a shot at the title.
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In the co-main event, the No. 3 ranked featherweight, Yair Rodriguez, will have a rematch with No. 4 Brian Ortega. They previously faced off at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez in 2022, where Rodriguez secured a TKO victory over Ortega due to injury in the first round. Remarkably, that was Ortega’s most recent fight, while Rodriguez’s last bout was a featherweight title shot against former champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290.
The main event on Saturday features a battle between two Brandons: former two-time flyweight champion and No. 1 ranked contender Brandon Moreno and No. 3 ranked Brandon Royval. Moreno's last fight was at UFC 290, where he lost via decision to current champion Alexandre Pantoja. Royval's last outing was also an attempt to snatch the belt from Pantoja.
This matchup is particularly intriguing as it marks the second time these two have shared the Octagon, with their previous encounter taking place at UFC 255, where Moreno emerged victorious with a first-round TKO.
