Category: MMA Rankings

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Feb. 18: Jan Blachowicz makes his move

Jan Blachowicz made the most of his big opportunity at UFC Rio Rancho, and now he soars up the rankings.

Opportunity only comes knocking so many times during a fighter’s career.

And in [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]’s case, when that opportunity arrived, he sidestepped the door and burst through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man.

The Polish powerhouse altered the equation at 205 pounds with his vicious first-round knockout of Corey Anderson in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 in Rio Rancho, N.M.

He did so with champion Jon Jones, who expressed his approval, seated cageside.

And just like that, the conventional wisdom that a rematch between Jons and Blachowicz was an obvious choice got muddied in a hurry.

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So what does this mean for Blachowicz, who has now won seven of his past eight? It means he vaults up to No. 6 in the light heavyweight division in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

UFC Rio Rancho was filled with all sorts of important results. So to find out where your favorite — or least favorite — competitor places this week, scroll up to the top of the page and select a division from the drop-down menu.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Feb. 11: Jon Jones regains the throne

Jon Jones may very well be the greatest of all-time, and he’s once again the world’s current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) may very well be the greatest of all-time, and he’s once again the world’s current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

The UFC’s light heavyweight champion enjoyed the position before, an understandable ranking considering his unparalleled run of success in the octagon. But challenges outside of the cage repeatedly forced him to the sidelines, slowing his dominant run and allowing a new face to ascend the list: undefeated UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC).

But after Jones’ UFC 247 win over Dominick Reyes – however controversial it may be – it’s impossible to not reward for Jones for his remarkable run as a dominant force at 205 pounds.

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Jones returns to the No. 1 slot of the pound-for-pound rankings in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings – though Nurmagomedov could certainly make a case to push back to the top of the pile when he takes on Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April.

In the meantime, check out the new-look pound-for-pound rankings, as well as all of the changes implemented following this past weekend’s UFC 247 event in Houston.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Feb. 4: What changes will UFC 247 bring?

Could victories by Jon Jones or Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 247 push either into the top spot of their respective pound-for-pound lists?

We don’t say this very often around these parts, but here it is: There’s not much to report in this week’s MMA rankings.

The UFC was off last weekend. So was Bellator. And PFL. And Invicta. And RIZIN. And, well, you get the point. The only events were held by regional promotions, and while they serve an important role in the food chain, they’re under the radar of everyone but the most obsessed hardcores and don’t affect the rankings.

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But fear not. Fights which matter in the big picture are back. UFC 247 begins a run in which the UFC has a card every weekend through the end of April. And while the defending champions in the evening’s top two fights, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and flyweight titleholder [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag], are prohibitive favorites in their respective bouts against Dominick Reyes and Katlyn Chookagian, upset losses by either would make for a major shake-up in both divisions (in which the champs are obviously No. 1, and also their respective pound-for-pound lists (where each rank No. 2).

While you wait with breathless anticipation for UFC 247, now’s as good a time as any for a refresher course on where things stand among the sport’s best. To check where your favorite — or least favorite — fighter currently stands, click the drop-down menu above to access our full list of rankings.

UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+

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MMA rankings report: Curtis Blaydes, Michael Chiesa start their climbs – but how high?

MMA Junkie’s George Garcia and John Morgan break down the changes in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings.

[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] were a solid one-two punch atop the UFC’s first visit to Raleigh, N.C.

Chiesa was a decent underdog against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in their welterweight fight. Blaydes was a slight favorite against former heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos in the headliner.

Both Brazilian ex-champs fell in their fights, which means they had to fall in the rankings, as well. But the victors are in tough situations in terms of how high they can climb in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

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Chiesa still is relatively new to the welterweight division, but is 3-0 since his arrival. His wins are over Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez and dos Anjos – solid veterans, to be certain, but veterans clearly on slides down at the backends of their careers.

Ahead of Blaydes at heavyweight are champ Stipe Miocic and former champ Daniel Cormier, who presumably is waiting for a rematch trilogy fight. Plus, there’s Francis Ngannou, who has two wins over Blaydes – and is the only one to have beaten the Chicagoan.

To hear about this week’s moves, MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George and John Morgan walk you through things in the video above.

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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.