UFC rankings report after UFC 266

At UFC 266, fans were treated to two successful title defenses, one of the comebacks of the year and the return of a legend. The card truly lived up to its high expectations and as the dust settles, the UFC have adjusted their rankings accordingly.

Both Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko defended their respective featherweight and flyweight belts and so remain at the top of their divisions. Volkanovski did move up one place in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings, switching places with his teammate Israel Adesanya to claim the No.3 spot.

Dan Hooker was victorious against Nasrat Haqparast and has climbed to No.6 in the lightweight rankings as a result.

Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili’s incredible comeback victory against Marlon Moraes has seen him climb five places in the 135-pound division. Like Hooker, the Georgian also now sits at No.6 in his division.

Chris Daukaus knocked out Shamil Abdurakhimov in emphatic fashion. As a result, he’s moved to No.7 at heavyweight. He’s also reportedly secured a bout against Derrick Lewis in December.

Talia Santos put on an impressive display against Roxanne Modafferi, dominating the UFC veteran over three rounds. She’s broken into the top-10 of the women’s flyweight division, forcing Modafferi out in the process.

Of course, the big change to the rankings is not at all related to the events that took place at UFC 266. Jon Jones has lost his spot as men’s pound-for-pound number one. Kamaru Usman has claimed the coveted position and sent ‘Bones’ to No.2.

Fights to make after UFC 266

Alexander Volkanovski stated in his post-fight press conference that he wished to remain active. However, the opponent many thought he would face next, Max Holloway, has recently been matched up against Yair Rodriguez.

This leaves Volkanovski in a limbo of sorts, with the top four in his division all unable to fight in the immediate future (No.4-ranked Chan Sung Jung is reportedly injured).

One man who has called out the champion is No.8-ranked Giga Chikadze, which could well be an intriguing matchup.

Also Read

Valentina Shevchenko has essentially cleared out her division at this point. It may finally be time to make the trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes, possibly at a 130-pound catchweight, as Michael Bisping has suggested.

Mark Hunt’s lawsuit against the UFC may be a big win for the fighters – read more here!