USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Sept. 13: Irene Aldana gaining steam

Check out our MMA rankings update after a matchup shakeup at UFC 279.

After a last-minute shuffling of bouts and issues on the scale, UFC 279 ended up with three catchweight bouts on the main card, which left some winners and losers seeing no movement this week. However, there were some that gained or lost ground in the rankings.

Although it wasn’t his original opponent, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] got his promotional send-off by defeating former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson in a welterweight bout. For Ferguson, it was his fifth-straight setback. Although the fight didn’t take place in the weight class in which he’s ranked, being finished by an unranked Diaz causes him to lose a couple of spots, landing at No. 12 among lightweights.

In another catchweight bout, [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] faced Macy Chiasson on the main card. Chiasson had a tough first round, but just as things were turning in her favor, Aldana landed a very rare finish with an upkick to the liver, resulting in a TKO victory. Again, even though this bout technically took place outside of the division, Aldana’s performance was worthy of a bump up from No. 8 to No. 7 in this week’s update.

Check out all of the changes following UFC 279.

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