There were lots of changes to the UFC rankings in the wake of the Boston event last weekend. Some were directly related to the outcome of that event, while others came about because of a suspension and a legal situation. That suspension led to 14 changes in one division too, which is highly unusual. Without further ado, here are your UFC rankings for this week, now featuring a Sledgehammer.
P4P – T.J. Dillashaw’s close loss to Dominick Cruz sent him tumbling down the P4P list. He dropped eight spots from four to 12. This allowed Robbie Lawler to move up one to four and Fabricio Werdum up two spots to five. Luke Rockhold moved up two spots from nine to seven, while Jose Aldo dropped one spot to eight. Cruz re-enters the list at nine. Holly Holm moved up one spot to 13, bumping Joanna Jedrzejczyk to 14. Cain Velasquez fell three spots to 15.
Heavyweight – The only change saw Andrei Arlovski drop out of a tie for three with Alistair Overeem and take over the four spot on his own.
Light Heavyweight – One of the major removals mentioned above was Quinton Jackson, who is no longer ranked at LHW. He had hovered around the 10 spot since his return to the UFC last April. It’s unclear exactly why he was taken out, but it likely has something to do with the lawsuit he’s involved in with Bellator, who still say he’s under contract to them. This led to changes at the bottom of the LHW rankings. Patrick Cummins moved up two spots to 10, while Corey Anderson, Rafael Cavalcante, and Gian Villante moved up to 12, 13, and 14 respectively. Future legend Ilir Latifi made his rankings debut at 15.
Middleweight – The other major change – top contender Yoel Romero has been removed from the MW rankings following his positive steroid test. He had been in the 2 spot, so virtually everyone in the division moved up a spot with his removal. The only person that didn’t change was Chris Weidman, who still holds the number one contender spot. The removal allowed Rafael Natal to crack the top 15 for the first time.
Welterweight – Johny Hendricks moved past Tyron Woodley for the two spot, bumping Woodley to three. Stephen Thompson moved into a tie with Neil Magny for the eight spot. Rick Story moved back into the top 10, bumping Tarec Saffiedine down to 11. And Gunnar Nelson moved into a tie with Thiago Alves for 14.
Lightweight – Here’s something I’m surprised about – the panel actually made Eddie Alvarez the number one contender after beating Anthony Pettis at UFC Fight Night 81. Good job, folks. He moved up three spots to one, dropping Pettis two spots to three and Donald Cerrone one spot to four. Nate Diaz passed Michael Johnson for the six spot (rightfully so). Edson Barboza dropped from a tie for eight to take nine on his own. Finally, Evan Dunham passed Ben Henderson for the 14 spot. Henderson still lingers on the LW list at 15.
Featherweight – Brian Ortega moved up two spots to 13, dropping Clay Guida to 14 and Nik Lentz (who is now a lightweight) to 15.
Bantamweight – Obviously Dillashaw is no longer the champ, and is now the number one contender. Cruz gets champ status. Bryan Caraway moved into a tie for the seven spot with Thomas Almeida. Frankie Saenz moved up two spots to 11, bumping John Lineker to 12 and Eddie Wineland to 13. Iuri Alcantara also moved up to 15, dropping Francisco Rivera to 15.
Flyweight – No changes.
Women’s Bantamweight – No changes.
Women’s Strawweight – No changes.
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