Category: MMA Rankings

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 11: Nassourdine Imavov makes big leap

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 57 in Louisville.

Following UFC on ESPN 57, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the feature bout of the UFC event at the KFC Yum! Center in Lousiville, Ky., [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] outstruck former title challenger Jared Cannonier to pick up a TKO victory. Although the stoppage was controversial, Imavov had Cannonier wobbly and in survival mode. Imavov picks up his sixth UFC victory, and climbs from No. 12 to No. 6 in the middleweight division.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 4: Jailton Almeida, Ailin Perez climb up

UFC 302 is in the books. Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

UFC 302 is in the books and with a handful of ranked fighters on the card, there was bound to be movement.

The biggest winner in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings is heavyweight contender [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag], who quickly submitted Alexandr Romanov in the first round. As a result, Almeida has moved from No. 10 to No. 7 in the divisional rankings.

Also, women’s bantamweight [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] entered the honorable mentions, replacing Melissa Gatto. Perez defeated rival Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision on the prelims.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 21: Patchy Mix, Lerone Murphy move up

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 241 and Bellator Champions Series: Paris.

Following Bellator Champions Series: Paris and UFC Fight Night 241, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the feature bout of the UFC event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, rising featherweight contender [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] defeated the always-exciting Edson Barboza in a dominant display to remain undefeated in his pro career.

At Accor Arena in Paris, France, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] recorded a successful defense of his Bellator title by edging out a split decision nod in the main event over Magomed Magomedov.

Both fighters moved up in the rankings in their respective divisions following their impressive performances.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 14: Joaquin Buckley making waves at welterweight

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 56 in St. Louis.

Following UFC on ESPN 56, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the feature bout of the event at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] knocked out Rodrigo Nascimento, extending his UFC knockout record.

A few other notables made their presence felt in a big way with strong showings. In the co-feature, [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] continued an impressive run since dropping down to welterweight by shutting out Nursulton Ruziboev. Also, [autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag] scored a lightning-fast finish of Alonzo Menifield.

Both fighters moved up in the rankings in their respective divisions following their impressive performances.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 7: Jose Aldo returns to top 10

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.

Following UFC 301, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the main event of UFC 301 at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, flyweight champion [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] denied challenger [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag] to maintain his position as No. 1.

The co-main event produced the biggest move of the week. Former UFC champion Jose Aldo returned to action to fight on home soil, facing Jonathan Martinez. It was a vintage performance from Aldo, who won every round on the scorecards. After his removal from the rankings due to a brief retirement from MMA, Aldo reenters the top 10, landing at No. 7. Martinez, who entered as an honorable mention, maintains his status there.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 30: Alex Perez joins top 15 at flyweight after upset KO

The women’s and men’s flyweight divisions saw some movement in the MMA Junkie Rankings after UFC on ESPN 55, with Alex Perez making the biggest leap.

Although it was a low-profile event by UFC standards, this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 55 event created some movement in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Two main card winners in particular gained attention. Former UFC flyweight title challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] snapped a three-fight losing skid with a blistering knockout of Matheus Nicolau in the headliner, while Brazilian women’s flyweight [autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag] made it 4-0 inside the octagon with a unanimous decision over Ariane da Silva at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out where both fighters are now slotted in their respective weight classes after notable victories.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 2: Manon Fiorot climbs closer to top

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 54 in New Jersey.

Following UFC on ESPN 54, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

Making her case for a title fight even stronger, [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] shut out Erin Blanchfield in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event in front of a sold-out crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. It was a dominant performance for Fiorot, who kept her UFC unbeaten record alive, while handing Blanchfield her first loss in the promotion. Entering the week at No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, Fiorot jumps two spots to claim No. 3.

Also making a splash this week is [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag], who enters the welterweight rankings after stopping Vicente Luque with heavy ground and pound. Buckley has won three straight since dropping down from middleweight, and settles in at the No. 14 spot, while Luque falls to the honorable mentions.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 26: Corey Anderson rises with title win

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following Bellator Champions Series: Belfast and UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas.

Following UFC on ESPN 53 and Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

At the Bellator event in Northern Ireland, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] defeated Karl Moore by unanimous decision to claim the vacant light heavyweight title. Along with Anderson’s new hardware comes a new spot in the rankings, as he climbs from No. 6 to No. 5.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 53, former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] won a flyweight fight over Amanda Ribas by unanimous decision. Entering the bout unranked at 125 pounds, Namajunas now has a number next to her name, settling in at No. 12.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 19: Marcin Tybura makes a move at heavyweight

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 239 in Las Vegas.

After a big win in the main event at UFC Fight Night 239, [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] is making moves at heavyweight.

Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) took out Tai Tuivasa (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) with a first-round submission in Las Vegas. He’s won eight of his past 10 fights with setbacks against current interim champion Tom Aspinall and former Bellator champ Alexander Volkov, and he moves to No. 7 on the charts. Tuivasa took a slight tumble and is on a four-fight skid, but the losses have been to some of the elite in the division.

Also at the event, Macy Chiasson (10-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) submitted Pannie Kianzad (17-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in the first round and made a big leap at women’s bantamweight.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 5: Muhammad Mokaev, Umar Nurmagomedov climb

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 238 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was the sole source of rankings moves in this week’s update.

First, in the bantamweight division, [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] turned in a dominant performance against Bekzat Almakhan after getting clipped early, still earning multiple 10-8 scores on the official cards. Entering the week at No. 15, Nurmagomedov jumps up to No. 12.

In the next fight, [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] picked up a key win in the flyweight division, earning a unanimous nod over Alex Perez. Mokaev entered the week at #6, and exits one spot higher, breaking into the top 5.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.