Movers & Shakers summarizes changes to the MMA Ratings Top 15 Weekly Men’s Divisional Rankings across the various weight classes, based on the previous week’s fights. As fighter rankings move, and divisions are shaken up, it attempts to explain the rationale behind the shifts, based on our Rankings methodology. It also highlights the fights and fighters to watch for the current week.
The heavyweight division saw Josh Barnett‘s (controversial) win over Frank Mir at UFC 164 push him up to the #8 spot, with bigger and better things likely on the horizon for him. Mir, however, already has a UFC 167 date booked with #6 Alistair Overeem, who has been a little less “bigger and better” since moving over to the Octagon to compete. The loser of that fight could see himself exiled from the Top 10 for good, depending on what happens with the men in the 11-15 spots. Ben Rothwell’s win over Brandon Vera puts him right on the edge of the Top 15, and between Stefan Struve‘s long-term health concerns and other fighters potentially faltering in the coming months, something could open up.
Chael Sonnen continues his improbable late-career surge at 205 by agreeing to face #6 Rashad Evans at UFC 167, and with a win, he could be flirting with a Top 5 spot. Glover Teixeira will hold on to his #8 spot after the win over #11 Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night 28, but could easily leapfrog the three men ahead of him in the rankings if they lose their next fights. Already expected to face the winner of UFC 165‘s Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson (let’s just say Jon Jones), he could get up to the Top 10 of the division by the time he gets that title shot.
#10 Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza‘s first round knockout of #7 Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 28 is likely to shake up the rankings, as we can expect him to take over the #6 spot in next week’s list. The division is likely to shuffle further in the coming months, with Mark Munoz vs. Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold vs. Costa Philippou on the slate.
Carlos Condit has a solid grip on the #3 spot, and doesn’t look like he’ll be relinquishing it anytime soon, as he now has wins over five of the men currently listed in the Top 15. In contrast, the man he defeated at UFC Fight Night 27, Martin Kampmann, could find himself drop a few spots if some of the men in the bottom half of the division begin to surge. Luckily, his win over Jake Ellenberger ensures that he shouldn’t fall too far. However, the welterweight-heavy UFC 167 card is a couple of months away, and not too much should change in the interim.
There are changes throughout the rankings, as Anthony Pettis vaults up to the #1 spot after his dominant win over Benson Henderson at UFC 164, and Rafael Dos Anjos makes his first appearance in the Top 10 after defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 27. That bumps Michael Johnson out of the #15 spot, though given the nature of lightweight, we shouldn’t be surprised if the #15 spot proves difficult to hold on to in the coming weeks.
Featherweight proved almost as volatile as lightweight, as Dustin Poirier pushed himself up to #13 with his win over Erik Koch, and Darren Elkins was able to push past both Hatsu Hioki and Clay Guida (as well as Chan Sung Jung and Nik Lentz) to secure the #7 spot. With his only defeat at 145 coming to Chad Mendes, it remains to be seen whether he peaks there or surges higher.
At Flyweight, Jussier Formiga‘s loss at UFC Fight Night 28 to #2 Joseph Benavidez will likely not cause him to relinquish his #5 spot yet, but with Tim Elliot surging and Darrell Montague about to make his UFC debut, he could be freefalling out of the Top 10 sooner than later. As the UFC continues to stock its flyweight division, it seems like no spot from #3 down is safe, so who knows what will happen when the dust settles.
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UFC Fight Night 27: Kampmann vs. Condit II took place on August 28, 2013 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis II took place on August 31, 2013 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader took place on September 4, 2013 at the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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