Category: MMA Rankings

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 28: Michael Chiesa making welterweight moves

Now 3-0 in his new weight class, it seems Michael Chiesa is coming into his own at 170 pounds.

Now 3-0 in his new weight class, it seems [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] is coming into his own at 170 pounds.

Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) picked up a win over former UFC champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (29-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) at this past weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in North Carolina, marking his third consecutive victory since moving up to the welterweight division. The effort was rewarded in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, with “Maverick” debuting on the 170-pound list at No. 13, settling just ahead of dos Anjos, who entered the week as a top-10 fighter but drops now to No. 14.

That wasn’t the only action to come out of UFC Raleigh. Heavyweight [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) also moved up the list following his big win over former champ [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC), while [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) each earned spots as honorable mentions in their respective categories following their octagon victories, as well.

And, of course, one of the sport’s all-time greats, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), was in action this past weekend, as well, claiming Bellator’s women’s featherweight title with a TKO victory over [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) at Bellator 238.

Check out all the movement in the latest update to our rankings.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 21: Where does Conor McGregor go now?

How do you rank a former lightweight and featherweight champion who returns and wins at welterweight?

Where do you rank a former lightweight and featherweight champion who went three years without a victory and then returned to fight at welterweight?

The person in question, of course, is not just any old fighter, but the biggest star in all of mixed martial arts, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]. If we have to actually go ahead and tell you at the point that he defeated Donald Cerrone via TKO in just 40 seconds on Saturday at UFC 246, then we can only assume you’ve never watched MMA in your life and somehow stumbled on this site by accident.

What’s clear coming out of McGregor’s steamroller of a victory is that he can now pick his spot and take whatever fight captures his fancy next. Jorge Masvidal? Kamaru Usman? Nate Diaz? The winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson? Floyd Mayweather (shudder)?

Mystic Mac has many money matchups to choose from.

But what this means for the rankings is something else entirely. Due to inactivity, McGregor had long since slid out of the pound-for-pound rankings and down the lightweight ladder.

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After winning at welterweight? Well, Cerrone’s not a top-level 170er, and McGregor has not yet committed to any future welterweight bouts. And all the noise UFC president Dana White has made has indicated he’s trying to steer McGregor toward a lightweight title shot.

With that, we’re putting the emphasis on lightweight. With the win, McGregor shoots up to No. 4 at lightweight, up from No. 13 last time out.

Beyond a much-needed win for Holly Holm at bantamweight, there wasn’t much noteworthy, rankings-wise, coming out of UFC 246 aside from McGregor’s victory. But if you want to see where your favorite — or least favorite — fighter places in the rankings, you can check them out division-by-division in the drop-down menu above.

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MMA rankings report: Kayla Harrison makes the pound-for-pound chart

Check out our breakdown of the latest MMA Junkie rankings updates, including a big move for Kayla Harrison.

There wasn’t a lot of opportunity for movement in the rankings to open the next decade.

But nevertheless, we’re starting 2020 with some movement on the women’s pound-for-pound list. And who knows where the new entrant will be on that chart later this decade.

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[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] became the PFL’s first women’s millionaire by winning the 2019 women’s lightweight season on New Year’s Eve with a decision over Larissa Pacheco. And while she hasn’t had as many opportunities for fights against big-name competition as her counterparts in lower weight classes, her unbeaten record still warrants a spot on the pound-for-pound list, even though we don’t currently chart women’s lightweights.

Let MMA Junkie’s own “Gorgeous” George Garcia and John Morgan walk you through that change and more in the video above.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 7: Kayla Harrison cracks women’s P4P list

She might not have the deepest pool of competition at lightweight, but it’s clear Kayla Harrison is the real deal.

If there’s anyone out there capable of beating [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] at 155 pounds, we haven’t heard from them yet.

Harrison, the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, hasn’t been fighting all that long, but it’s already clear she’s the world’s best women’s lightweight. That’s in part due to the fact we really don’t have enough high-level 155-pounders competing to flesh out a full division. Heck, if we’re being fully honest, sometimes we’re stretching things a bit just to come up with a full slate of 145-pound competitors.

But with her convincing victory on New Year’s Eve over Larissa Pacheco at the PFL Championship in New York, it’s become just as clear the time has come to consider her spot in the overall women’s pound-for-pound list.

Harrison is 7-0 now. She’s steamrolled most of her opponents. Even when she hasn’t, no one has come close to stopping her. And while it’s too soon to put Harrison up there with the Amanda Nuneses of the world, she’s plainly earned a spot among the pound-for-pound bests.

With that, Harrison, who had previously been listed in our honorable mentions, makes her top 15 debut at No. 14.

We’ve got one more slow weekend before things kick back into high gear. In the meantime, if you want a refresher course on where your favorite — or least favorite — fighter stands, check out the new edition of the rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 31: How did Bellator 237 shake things up?

Take a look at the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings for Dec. 31 after Bellator 237 caused change at 170 pounds.

We’re finally done with 2019, but the holiday season didn’t come and go until one final fight card with rankings implications went down.

Bellator 237 was the company’s debut in Japan, and with it came heavy doses of firepower, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko’s knockout of Quinton Jackson.

But the most relevant fights of the night, at least for rankings purposes, went down at welterweight, where both [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] scored big wins.

So where did that duo place in the current USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? To find out where “MVP” and “Da Monsoon” are now ranked, or to check out where you favorite — or least favorite — fighter stands, check out the rankings above.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 24: Did Bellator’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane climb the pound-for-pound chart?

Take a look at the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings for Dec. 24 after a pair of Bellator fights and a UFC event.

This past weekend featured three big events with a lot of opportunities for movement in the rankings.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) once again defended her women’s flyweight title with a decisive scorecard sweep of Kate Jackson (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 236 main event in front of her home fans in Honolulu. Macfarlane may have a hard time climbing higher in her divisional rankings, but she still can make leaps on the women’s pound-for-pound list.

In the UFC, Chan Sung Jung (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) had a dominant finish of former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC) in their featherweight headliner in Busan, South Korea. How far did “The Korean Zombie” climb in the 145-pound charts?

Take a look at the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings in all divisions after the UFC show and a pair of Bellator cards.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 17: Welcome to the pound-for-pound list, Alexander Volkanovski

UFC 245 featured three title fights, so some of the biggest names in the sport were in action, but many of them were already at the top.

UFC 245 featured three massive title fights, so some of the biggest names in the sport were in action this past weekend, but many of them were already at the top of their divisions.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and women’s double champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] were already ranked No. 1 in the world, so their victories simply kept them in position. But [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] was not in the same situation.

Entering the card at No. 3 in the featherweight division, Volkanovski upset Max Holloway en route to claiming the UFC featherweight title with a fantastic five-round performance. As an added bonus, he now moves up to No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, while also debuting on the pound-for-pound list at No. 11.

Volkanovski wasn’t the only one making moves, though. Check out the updated list to see where names like [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag], [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] and others sit following their UFC 245 performances.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 10: Where does big win place Jairzinho Rozenstruik?

A fantastic finish of a knockout has Suriname’s favorite son rocketing up the rankings.

A big swing for the UFC kicked into gear last weekend with UFC on ESPN 7. And speaking of swings, [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] sure did swing and connect in the main event at UFC DC.

The Suriname native capped a tremendous 2019 campaign with his knockout of Alistair Overeem with just four seconds remaining in their main-event fight. That result capped off a breathtaking UFC rookie year for the heavyweight in which he won all four of his fights, three of them via finish.

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So where does that place him in the division with the heaviest hitters? The undefeated kickboxer lands No. 10 at heavyweight for now. But we’re pretty sure that if his 2020 is anything like his 2019, this time next year he’s going to be a whole lot higher in the rankings.

There were other consequential bouts at UFC on ESPN 7, with repercussions for competitors like Aspen Ladd, Cody Stamann, and Song Yadong. To see where they place in this week’s rankings — or where your favorite or least-favorite fighter lands — check out the rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 3: The month ahead is big

With all the big fights coming up, the end of the year will impact our rankings immensely.

Coming off the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the U.S., there was no major MMA action that took place. And so, that means no changes in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

That being said, the end of the year is packed with fights that undoubtedly will impact the rankings in the coming month. It starts with UFC on ESPN 7 this weekend before the massive UFC 245 card that features three title fights on Dec. 14. Then Bellator takes over the following week with a doubleheader in Hawaii on Dec. 20 (Bellator Salute) and Dec. 21 (Bellator 238), but you’ve also got UFC on ESPN+ 23 on Dec. 21. Then there’s a big Bellator card in Japan on Dec. 28 to close out the year.

Among the ranked fights that should be on your radar:

  • Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington
  • Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski
  • Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie
  • Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Ilima-Lei MacFarlane vs. Kate Jackson
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee
  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson

Be sure to check above for where these fighters and more stand in the current rankings before the inevitable shakeup this month.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Nov. 26: Is Michael Page ready?

Michael Page picked up another win this past Saturday – but was it enough to get him into our welterweight rankings?

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] picked up another win this past Saturday – but it came with some controversy.

There wasn’t controversy over how Page (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) beat Giovanni Melillo (13-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) – by first-round knockout. But instead, the Bellator welterweight continued to take criticism for the level of opponents he’s been in the cage with so far in his career.

Page has been in the cage with some standouts like Paul Daley and David Rickels, and has wins over them. But his resume also includes names like Melillo, Richard Kiely and Jeremie Holloway who are unheralded, to put it mildly.

Page’s lone loss came by knockout against Douglas Lima in Bellator’s welterweight tournament. Lima went on to win the tournament and the title. And before that, his win over Daley was a unanimous decision, and some had Daley winning.

So with his latest win at Bellator Europe 6 at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London, has Page done enough to break into our USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings?

Check out the latest rankings in the drop-down menu above.