Major Shifts After UFC 322
UFC 322 delivers major movement across several divisions and reshapes multiple rankings. Some fighters rise toward title contention, while others lose crucial positions.
Makhachev Claims the Top Spot on the Men’s Pound-For-Pound List
Islam Makhachev moves to the top of the men’s pound-for-pound rankings after his welterweight title win. He passes Ilia Topuria, who now holds the second spot. Jack Della Maddalena drops to ninth place and switches positions with Tom Aspinall, who rises to eighth.
Big Changes in the Women’s Pound-For-Pound Rankings
Weili Zhang falls to third place after her defeat, while Kayla Harrison climbs to second. Erin Blanchfield rises two spots to seventh after her victory. Alexa Grasso and Julianna Pena each slide down one position to eighth and ninth. Mackenzie Dern jumps to fifth and swaps places with Manon Fiorot, who moves to sixth. Virna Jandiroba climbs to tenth, pushing Raquel Pennington to eleventh.
Strawweight Sees New Faces and Falls
Weili Zhang drops one place to second in the strawweight division after sharing the top spot with Tatiana Suarez. Fatima Kline enters the rankings at twelfth after her win. Angela Hill falls two places to fourteenth. Alexa Thainara moves down one position to fifteenth. Tecia Pennington drops out of the rankings entirely.
No Movement in Women’s Flyweight and Bantamweight
The women’s flyweight and bantamweight divisions remain unchanged this week.
Flyweight Gains a New Contender
Kai Kara-France loses his ranking spot and disappears from the flyweight list without explanation. Rafael Estevam enters at fifteenth. Manel Kape, Alex Perez, Asu Almabayev, Tim Elliott, Steve Erceg, Tagir Ulanbekov, Charles Johnson, Bruno Silva and Joseph Morales each move up one place.
Bantamweight and Featherweight Stay Steady
Both divisions show no changes following UFC 322.
Lightweight Adjusts After Makhachev’s Move to Welterweight
Islam Makhachev becomes ineligible for lightweight ranking after winning the welterweight title. Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot each rise one spot to fill positions one through seven. Benoit Saint-Denis climbs five places to eighth after his win. Beneil Dariush falls three spots to twelfth. Rafael Fiziev, Renato Moicano and Michael Chandler each move up one place and now sit at ninth, tenth and eleventh. Grant Dawson and Mauricio Ruffy climb to thirteenth and fourteenth. Ignacio Bahamondes enters at fifteenth.
Welterweight Crowns a New Champion and Shuffles the Field
Islam Makhachev now leads the welterweight division as champion. Jack Della Maddalena becomes the top contender. Belal Muhammad falls to second. Michael Morales jumps five spots to third after his win. Carlos Prates climbs four places to fifth. Sean Brady drops five places to seventh. Leon Edwards falls five spots to ninth. Shavkat Rakhmonov slips to fourth. Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley each fall three positions to eighth and tenth. Gabriel Bonfim moves to eleventh. Colby Covington drops to thirteenth. Geoff Neal and Daniel Rodriguez fall to fourteenth and fifteenth. Mike Malott loses his ranking.
Middleweight Welcomes a New Arrival
Gregory Rodrigues enters the rankings at fifteenth after his UFC 322 victory. Joe Pyfer drops out.
Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Remain Unchanged
Both divisions hold their rankings without any movement.
