MMA Divisional Rankings: Magomed Ankalaev title charge leads slow start to 2025

In the event you’re a fan of the phrase “And New,” you then’ve most likely had a tough time watching UFC currently.

Outdoors of this previous Saturday’s UFC 313 occasion that noticed Magomed Ankalaev full a protracted championship climb to knock Alex Pereira off his gentle heavyweight pedestal, there was little title motion to write down about, and barely any rankings drama in any respect. It’s been some time since we’ve completed a top-to-bottom revision of our division lists as a result of, frankly, what’s there to say when 4 out of 5 UFC champions have efficiently defended their titles by means of the primary week of March?

It’s not as if we had a scarcity of compelling challengers. Arman Tsarukyan had clearly established himself because the No. 1 contender at 155 kilos, Umar Nurmagomedov and Tatiana Suarez had been undefeated, and even Sean Strickland put within the work to earn himself a second crack at Dricus du Plessis.

However then Tsarukyan damage his again, Nurmagomedov wasn’t fairly as much as the problem, Suarez barely made a dent in opposition to Zhang Weili, and Strickland didn’t come near regaining the middleweight title. Props to Zhang, du Plessis, Islam Makhachev (who ended up preventing late-notice substitute Renato Moicano), and Merab Dvalishvili for caring for enterprise, however the fact is this sort of consistency isn’t all the time what’s greatest for enterprise.

Not that the UFC’s revenue margins are in any hazard. Regardless of the way you grade the present product from an leisure standpoint, the machine continues to roll on with what are positive to be record-breaking Kansas Metropolis and Des Moines struggle playing cards on the menu along with a contemporary slate of title fights at UFC 314 and UFC 315.

For the sake of selection and dialog, let’s hope we get not less than one contemporary champion within the coming months, in any other case fan apathy may proceed to escalate.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t shout out the fighters who did make strikes, so respect to the next:

• Gentle Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev up one spot to No. 1. Duh.
• Midleweight: Nassourdine Imavov is all the way in which as much as No. 3, really having risen 4 spots in complete since defeating two-time UFC champion Israel Adesanya.
• Males’s Bantamweight: Track Yadong beat Henry Cejudo to attain the largest win of his profession and transfer three spots nearer to the highest 10.
• Flyweight: Manel Kape is en fuego, leaping 5 spots to No. 5 and setting himself up for a title shot subsequent.
• Girls’s Bantamweight: A significant leap? On this division? Severely? That’s proper, Ailin Perez flies six spots into the highest 10 after defeating Karol Rosa and, extra importantly, having sorted out her weight-cutting points (fingers crossed).

Take a look at the complete division rankings under.

Heavyweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 7 Sergei Pavlovich def. No. 12 Jairzinho Rozenstruik, No. 8 Jailton Almeida vs. No. 9 Serghei Spivac, No. 11 Vadim Nemkov def. Timothy Johnson

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 10 Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin (UFC London, March 22)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Derrick Lewis (3), Anatoly Malykhin (2), Tai Tuivasa (2), Ryan Bader (1)

Gentle Heavyweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 2 Magomed Ankalaev def. No. 1 Alex Pereira, No. 3 Jiri Prochazka def. No. 6 Jamahal Hill, No. 15 (tied) Bogdan Guzkov def. Billy Elekana

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 5 Jan Blachowicz vs. No. 10 Carlos Ulberg (UFC London, March 22), No. 6 Jamahal Hill vs. No. 7 Khalil Rountree (UFC Kansas Metropolis, April 26), No. 9 Nikita Krylov vs. No. 15 (tied) Dominick Reyes (UFC 314, April 12)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Anatoly Malykhin (2), Dovlet Yagshimuradov (2), Roman Dolidze (1), Impa Kasanganay (1)

Middleweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Dricus du Plessis def. No. 3 Sean Strickland, 7 Nassourdine Imavov def. No. 4 Israel Adesanya, No. 9 Anthony Hernandez def. No. 12 Brendan Allen, No. 10 Jared Cannonier def. Gregory Rodrigues

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 13 Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal (UFC Des Moines, Could 3), No. 14 Roman Dolidze vs. Marvin Vettori (UFC Vegas 104, March 15)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Derek Brunson (2), Michael Web page (2), Fabian Edwards (1), Jack Hermansson (1), Roman Kopylov (1)

Welterweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): Shara Magomedov def. No. 13 Michael Web page (middleweight bout)

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 1 Belal Muhammad vs. No. 4 Jack Della Maddalena (UFC 315, Could 10), No. 2 (tied) Leon Edwards vs. No. 5 Sean Brady (UFC London, March 22), No. 7 (tied) Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales, No. 10 Jason Jackson vs. Andrey Koreshkov (PFL 2025 World Event, April 3), No. 11 Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates (UFC 314, April 12), No. 12 Yaroslav Amosov vs. Curtis Millender (CFFC 140, March 14)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Michael Morales (4), Carlos Prates (2), Rinat Fakhretdinov (1), Vicente Luque (1), Magomed Umalatov (1)

Light-weight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Islam Makhachev def. No. 12 Renato Moicano, No. 5 Justin Gaethje def. No. 11 Rafael Fiziev, No. 6 Usman Nurmagomedov def. No. 14 Paul Hughes

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 13 Paul Hughes vs. Bruno Miranda (PFL Belfast, Could 10), No. 14 Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett (UFC 314, April 12)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Gadzhi Rabadanov (2), Benoit Saint Denis (2), Grant Dawson (1), Matt Frevola (1), Paddy Pimblett (1), Alexandr Shabliy (1), Jalin Turner (1), Fares Ziam (1)

Featherweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): Youssef Zalal def. No. 13 Calvin Kattar

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 2 Alexander Volkanovski vs. No. 5 Diego Lopes (UFC 314, April 12), No. 8 Yair Rodriguez vs. No. 9 Patricio Pitbull (UFC 314, April 12), No. 10 Josh Emmett vs. No. 13 Lerone Murphy (UFC Vegas 105, April 5), No. 14 Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama (UFC Kansas Metropolis, April 26)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Dan Ige (2), Calvin Kattar (2), Timur Khizriev (2), Adam Borics (1), Kleber Koike Erbst (1), Chepe Mariscal (1), Jean Silva (1)

Bantamweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov, No. 9 Kyoji Horiguchi def. Nkazimulo Zulu (flyweight bout), No. 15 Track Yadong def. No. 10 Henry Cejudo, No. 14 Rob Font def. Jean Matsumoto

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 4 Cory Sandhagen vs. No. 7 Deiveson Figueiredo (UFC Des Moines, Could 3), No. 9 Jose Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi (UFC 315, Could 10), No. 10 Mario Bautista vs. No. 13 Marlon Vera (UFC Des Moines, Could 3)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Raufeon Stots (3), Magomed Magomedov (2), Kai Asakura (1), Montel Jackson (1), Marcus McGhee (1), Kyler Phillips (1)

Flyweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 2 (tied) Kyoji Horiguchi def. Nkazimulo Zulu, No. 10 Manel Kape def. No. 13 Asu Almabayev

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 4 Brandon Moreno vs. No. 13 Steve Erceg (UFC Mexico Metropolis, March 29), No. 7 Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (ONE 172, March 23)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Matheus Nicolau (3), Hiromasa Ougikubo (2), Askar Akarov (1), Tim Elliott (1), Charles Johnson (1)

Girls’s Bantamweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): Jasmine Jasudavicius def. No. 7 Mayra Bueno Silva (flyweight bout), No. 15 Ailin Perez def. No. 10 Karol Rosa, No. 14 Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Julia Avila

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 12 Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate (UFC Des Moines, Could 3)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Nora Cornolle (2), Miesha Tate (2)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 7 Mayra Bueno Silva (drop to flyweight)

Girls’s Flyweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): Mackenzie Dern def. No. 12 Amanda Ribas (strawweight bout)

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 2 Alexa Grasso vs. No. 9 Natalia Silva (UFC 315, Could 10), No. 6 Taila Santos vs. Juliana Velasquez (PFL 2025 World Event, April 11), No. 8 Liz Carmouche vs. Ilara Joanne (PFL 2025 World Event, April 11), No. 14 Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. No. 15 Jessica Andrade (UFC 315, Could 10)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Miranda Maverick (3), Karine Silva (2), Ariane da Silva (1), Jena Bishop (1)

Strawweight

Latest outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Zhang Weili def. No. 2 Tatiana Suarez, No. 6 Amanda Lemos def. No. 7 Iasmin Lucindo, No. 8 Mackenzie Dern def. No. 10 Amanda Ribas

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 3 Yan Xiaonan vs. No. 5 Virna Jandiroba (UFC 314, April 12), No. 9 Marina Rodriguez vs. No. 14 Gillian Robertson (UFC Des Moines, Could 3), No. 11 Crazy Godinez vs. Julia Polastri (UFC Mexico Metropolis, March 29)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Tecia Pennington (3), Loma Lookboonmee (2)

A refresher on the bottom guidelines:

• The six-person voting panel consists of MMA Preventing staffers Alexander Okay. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew.
• Fighters can be faraway from the rankings if they don’t compete inside 18 months of their most up-to-date bout in a given weight class. Updates to the rankings are sometimes accomplished following every month’s UFC pay-per-view.
• Ought to a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will resolve whether or not that fighter ought to instantly be faraway from the rankings or keep their place till additional discover. (Let’s put it this manner: We’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings rather a lot faster than the UFC did.)
• Holding a promotion’s title doesn’t assure that fighter can be seen as the perfect of their promotion. Moreover, fighters who usually compete or maintain titles in a number of weight lessons are eligible to be ranked in a number of lists.

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