USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 17: Umar Nurmagomedov enters top 15

The first event of 2023 caused some movement in this week’s rankings, including the debut of Umar Nurmagomedov among the top 15 at bantamweight.

The first UFC event of 2023 is in the books, and it produced the year’s first rankings shuffle across a few divisions.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 217, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] defeated Nassourdine Imavov by decision in a short-notice bout. Strickland remains at No. 8 in this week’s update, but fights elsewhere on the card caused divisional movement.

Former title challenger [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] improved her current win streak to five with a win over Ketlen Vieira. It’s an impressive streak that has her knocking on the door of another title opportunity, and caused her to jump from No. 6 to No. 4, taking Vieira’s old slot at women’s bantamweight.

The men’s bantamweight division has a new face in the top 15. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] emerged from the honorable mentions to claim the No. 13 spot after a vicious knockout finish of Raoni Barcelos.

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