Tag: UFC rankings

UFC Rankings Report: Max Holloway Gets Big LW Boost After Dana White’s Complaints

As always, the latest action on offer inside the UFC Octagon has been followed by the release of the updated rankings. And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes. Women’s Pound-for-Pound: The bad fortune has continued […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Max Holloway Gets Big LW Boost After Dana White’s Complaints at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the UFC Octagon has been followed by the release of the updated rankings.

And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: The bad fortune has continued to come for Raquel Pennington. A few weeks on from losing the bantamweight title at UFC 307, “Rocky” has further fallen down the P4P ladder to #9, being usurped by a victor at that event in Kayla Harrison (#8).

Further down, Maycee Barber has entered at #15, replacing former strawweight title challenger Amanda Lemos.

Women’s Strawweight: There was just one change at 115 pounds, with the rising Iasmin Lucindo (#7) swapping places with her fellow countrywoman Amanda Lemos (#8).

Women’s Flyweight: No changes.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: The biggest mover this week was Asu Almabayev, who has climbed a mammoth seven places to #7 after defeating Matheus Nicolau this past weekend. The defeated Brazilian, meanwhile, has dropped three spots to #10.

Further down, Charles Johnson’s latest victory this year has earned him the #15 spot. His entry has seen the removal of Matt Schnell, who announced his plans to retire earlier this year.

Bantamweight: Rob Font returned to winning ways at the expense of Kyler Phillips in Saturday’s co-headliner. As a result, the longtime contender has climbed one position to share #9 with Mario Bautista.

Featherweight: No changes.

Lightweight: Not long after UFC CEO Dana White used Max Holloway’s low spot in the 155-pound rankings as evidence that change is needed, “Blessed” has received a big boost. Ahead of his featherweight title challenge, the Hawaiian has risen by three places to #5 in the lightweight division.

That’s meant Dan Hooker’s stay in the top five was a brief one, with the New Zealander down to #6 after initially returning to the upper echelon of the weight class following a win over Mateusz Gamrot.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez has received a small reward for his main event win over Michel Pereira on Oct. 19. He’s up one spot to #12, leaving Khamzat Chimaev a position worse off at #13.

Light Heavyweight: After being snubbed of the latest shot at champion Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev has moved up one place to share the #1 rank in the division alongside former titleholder Ji?í Procházka.

Lower down the pecking order, Volkan Oezdemir has been relegated two spots to #8, providing small boosts for Nikita Krylov (#6) and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree (#7).

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Max Holloway Gets Big LW Boost After Dana White’s Complaints at MMA News.

Dana White Outraged Over UFC Rankings Panel, Plans System Overhaul

Dana White once again unleashed his fury at the UFC rankings panel in the aftermath of UFC 307. The UFC rankings system has faced intense criticism repeatedly over the past few months, and it appears that the latest outburst from the UFC CEO followed the weekly update released in the days after UFC light heavyweight […]

Continue Reading Dana White Outraged Over UFC Rankings Panel, Plans System Overhaul at MMA News.

Dana White once again unleashed his fury at the UFC rankings panel in the aftermath of UFC 307.

The UFC rankings system has faced intense criticism repeatedly over the past few months, and it appears that the latest outburst from the UFC CEO followed the weekly update released in the days after UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s successful title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr.

While “The War Horse” was unable to dethrone the Brazilian titleholder, he certainly made an impression with his performance in the early rounds, pushing “Poatan” to his limits. However, Rountree Jr. was unable to make any progress in the updated 205-pound rankings and remained at #8.

Infuriated by the recent developments, White took to his Instagram Stories to lash out at the members of the UFC rankings panel. He assured his followers that he would hold a meeting this week to address the issues and revamp the system.

“The morons strike again,” White said. “Khalil Rountree fights that badass fight against Pereira, and the morons rank him #8, keeping him at #8. Literally, this week, I have a meeting to try to fix the rankings and get all these no-nothing motherf**kers out of it. So hopefully, this week I get this fixed.”

White’s frustrations with the rankings panel are nothing new; he has voiced his dissatisfaction over reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones not being ranked as the top pound-for-pound fighter in recent months.

Just last month, in an interview with Kevin Iole, he discussed the controversy surrounding Renato Moicano, who believed he deserved a higher ranking in the lightweight division after his dominant victory over Benoît Saint Denis at UFC Fight Night Paris.

The UFC head honcho revealed that he is contemplating the integration of artificial intelligence into the UFC’s ranking system to replace the current panel, composed of media representatives from various MMA publications.

Continue Reading Dana White Outraged Over UFC Rankings Panel, Plans System Overhaul at MMA News.

Top Lightweight Calls Out UFC Rankings Panel ‘Bulls***’ After Renato Moicano Victory

Top Lightweight Calls Out UFC Rankings Panel 'Bulls***' After Renato Moicano VictoryRenato Moicano is pissed and he’s letting the UFC’s rankings panel know it. Last weekend, ‘Money’ walked into UFC…

Top Lightweight Calls Out UFC Rankings Panel 'Bulls***' After Renato Moicano Victory

Renato Moicano is pissed and he’s letting the UFC’s rankings panel know it.

Last weekend, ‘Money’ walked into UFC Paris as the No. 11 ranked lightweight in the world. After delivering an absolutely dominant performance against Benoit Saint-Denis in enemy territory and forcing a doctor’s stoppage following the second round, Moicano still finds himself stuck outside of the division’s top 10 rankings.

Renato Moicano

With no 50k bonus for his performance and no move up the rankings, the Brazilian is feeling understandably cheated and decided to vent his frustration via a series of posts on X explaining why he deserves a spot far closer to the top five than where he appears to be stuck at.

Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano

“If UFC Rankings Aren’t Total Bullsh*t, I Should Be Ranked #6 in the Lightweight Division Tomorrow,” Moicano wrote. “Why? In the last 8 months, I’ve fought 3 times and I’m on a 6-fight win streak in the lightweight division, with 5 stoppages.

Yet, ranked above me are:

#10 Max Holloway: A legend, but he’s a 145 and will be facing Topuria for the featherweight belt at UFC 308. Even if he loses, his spot in the lightweight rankings makes no sense. He just beat Gaethje, so if anything, he should be ranked #3. I’d gladly take #7 if that was case.

#9 Rafael Fiziev: Coming off 2 losses to Mateusz Gamrot and Justin Gaethje. His last fight was in September 2023. #8 Mateusz Gamrot: Coming off a loss to Dan Hooker in August 2024. #7 Beneil Dariush: Coming off 2 losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. His last fight was in December 2023.

#7 Beneil Dariush: Coming off 2 losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. His last fight was in December 2023. #6 Michael Chandler: If anyone doesn’t deserve this spot, it’s Michael Chandler. He’s 2-3 in the UFC, coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier in November 2022. Since then, he’s been sitting out, waiting for Conor McGregor’s return, and only now decided to fight Charles Oliveira.

“There’s no way I’m not #6 in the lightweight division right now.”

Renato Moicano eyes clash with UFC’s fifth-ranked lightweight, Dan Hooker

If Moicano is trying to find the fastest way to a top-five ranking, Dan Hooker is probably his best option. Following a couple of big wins over Jalin Turn and Mateusz Gamrot, ‘The Hangman’ finds himself as the fifth-ranked contender in the division and a prime target for anyone looking to break in.

Moicano and Hooker have already agreed to a scrap after exchanging some unpleasantries on social media. Now it’s just a matter of drawing up the contracts.

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UFC Rankings Report: Renato Moicano Gets No Reward For Paris Beatdown

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes. Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes. Women’s […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Renato Moicano Gets No Reward For Paris Beatdown at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: No changes.

Women’s Bantamweight: Ailín Pérez secured one of the standout wins on Saturday’s preliminary card, submitting Russia’s Darya Zheleznyakova to make it four victories on the bounce. While she did miss weight for the contest, the Argentine has still received a small boost in the rankings, jumping one place above Chelsea Chandler (#15) to #14.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: No changes.

Featherweight: Brian Ortega has slipped out of the top five at 145 pounds a couple of weeks on from his defeat at Noche UFC. “T-City” has found himself at #6, with Movsar Evloev getting boosted to #5 a few months out from his return against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310.

Lightweight: There was no movement at 155 pounds this week, and that’s despite Moicano’s headline win in Paris. His beatdown on Saint Denis was evidently not enough to warrant him a spot in the top 10 in the eyes of the rankings panel, who have kept the Brazilian unmoved at #11.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Renato Moicano Gets No Reward For Paris Beatdown at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals UFC Rules He Would Change: ‘Aljo Does It…’

Many rules have been a bone of contention in MMA circles as they can vary across promotions. For instance, the UFC doesn’t allow knees to grounded opponents or 12-6 elbows, unlike ONE Championship. On the flip side, moves like eye pokes, groin strikes, and headbutts are banned across all major promotions for obvious safety reasons. […]

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals UFC Rules He Would Change: ‘Aljo Does It…’ at MMA News.

Many rules have been a bone of contention in MMA circles as they can vary across promotions. For instance, the UFC doesn’t allow knees to grounded opponents or 12-6 elbows, unlike ONE Championship. On the flip side, moves like eye pokes, groin strikes, and headbutts are banned across all major promotions for obvious safety reasons.

Obeying the rules of the promotion and the commission you’re fighting under is very important for fighters. Jon Jones lost to Matt Hamill via DQ because he landed multiple 12-6 elbows and similarly, Petr Yan lost his UFC bantamweight championship for landing an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling.

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch believes a couple of rules in MMA should change to stop fighters from exploiting them…

Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals How Aljamain Sterling Exploits A UFC Rule And Wishes To Get It Changed

Welch was asked about the MMA rules he would change on his official YouTube podcast, recently. Right away, he mentioned that fighters should be able to upkick opponents on top of them.

It is worth noting that upkicks from the ground to a standing opponent aren’t illegal in the UFC. In fact, Niko Price and Jon Fitch finished their opponents via upkicks in the promotion.

However, it is illegal to upkick an opponent while their knees are down. Back in May 2021, Randa Markos was disqualified for kicking Luana Pinheiro from the ground while the latter’s was sitting on the ground.

Charles Oliveira is notorious for landing upkicks too. He threw one at Islam Makhachev that could’ve knocked the Dagestani fighter out. Even against Tsarukyan, he landed an illegal upkick as the opponent’s knees were grounded following which the referee warned “Do Bronxs” and stopped the action temporarily.

Welch, though, believes that the upkicks to a grounded opponent should be legal in the UFC. Another tactic he dislikes is fighters staying in a safe front headlock position to rest up as they cannot be kneed during the time.

Welch called out Sterling for exploiting the grounded fighter rule sometimes and a great example of this is when “Funkmaster” took on Henry Cejudo. During multiple exchanges when Aljo would shoot for a takedown and fail, he would immediately bend his knees, leaving Cejudo with no viable moves.

“The upkicks. If some f*****g guy’s on top of you, on his knees, whatever, you should be able to upkick him to his f*****g lips. I think that front headlock one too. People shoot into a front headlock and they can hang out there without getting damage and almost rest there. I mean, Aljo does it sometimes but to be able to knee the top of their head, boom, boom, boom, so they can’t rest there. So if you shoot in a front headlock, you fail on a shot, you got to pull the half guard and get to your back or you got to make a move. Not just sit in that frontlock thinking I’m safe.”

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley’s Coach Reveals UFC Rules He Would Change: ‘Aljo Does It…’ at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 306 (Noche UFC), MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: Merab Dvalishvili closed out Saturday’s event with his long-awaited championship crowning. As a result, the bantamweight kingpin has debuted on the P4P list at #7, one position above interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. Further up, welterweight champ Belal Muhammad (#5) has jumped his middleweight counterpart Dricus Du Plessis (#6).

The defeated O’Malley, meanwhile, has slid seven positions to #13. Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling is out of the top 15 entirely following the Georgian’s arrival.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: Valentina Shevchenko is once again the flyweight queen, and she’s also back on the P4P mountaintop. “Bullet” has climbed two places back to top spot, while previous #1 Alexa Grasso has fallen to #3 following her lopsided loss to Shevchenko in their trilogy.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: The sole change at 125 pounds has seen Grasso slip back to top contender status, swapping positions with now-champ Shevchenko.

Women’s Bantamweight: Norma Dumont secured the biggest win of her career in the Noche UFC featured prelim, outpointing a badly damaged Irene Aldana. The result has seen the Brazilian ascend by three positions to #5 at 135 pounds. The defeated Mexican, on the other hand, is down just one spot to #6.

Flyweight: In the male 125-pound weight class, Asu Almabayev has moved up one place to share #14 with the recently retired Matt Schnell.

Bantamweight: Like in the women’s flyweight division, the only change in the men’s 135-pound division came with the switch on the throne. With Dvalishvili now occupying it, O’Malley is the #1-ranked bantamweight.

Featherweight: The biggest climber this week is the charging Diego Lopes, who got the better of former two-time title challenger and longtime top-five contender Brian Ortega on Saturday night. The Mexico-residing Brazilian has risen by a mammoth 10 positions to #3. “T-City,” meanwhile, has been relegated to #5.

With Movsar Evloev staying put at #6, the changes have led to a two-place fall to #7 for Arnold Allen.

Lightweight: No changes.

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Dvalishvili Lands Above Aspinall In P4P Top 10, Muhammad Jumps Du Plessis at MMA News.