The frustration in the air was palpable at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena following Saturday’s main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. While the event ended on an anticlimactic note and may have lacked standout moments, several fighters still managed to improve their positions moving forward.
Let’s take a look at who made the biggest moves in this week’s updated UFC rankings.
Mackenzie Dern Into Pound-For-Pound Rankings
After capturing the UFC strawweight title with her decision win over Virna Jandiroba in Saturday’s co-main event, Mackenzie Dern has debuted at No. 6 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings, while Jandiroba falls to No. 11.
Within the strawweight division, Jandiroba now sits in third place, behind Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez.
Umar Nurmagomedov In Pole Position
After returning to the win column on Saturday night, Umar Nurmagomedov has leapfrogged former champion Sean O’Malley to become the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds. His victory over Mario Bautista puts the Dagestani standout in prime position to challenge the winner of the upcoming bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
Stalemate at Heavyweight
The lack of closure from Saturday’s main event has carried over into the UFC heavyweight rankings. Despite two bouts featuring top-10 fighters on the main card, there’s been no movement among the division’s elite. Tom Aspinall (champion), Ciryl Gane (No. 1), Alexander Volkov (No. 2), and Jailton Almeida (No. 5) all remain in place.
Valter Walker, however, made some progress. The Brazilian earned his fourth consecutive win by heel hook, submitting Louie Sutherland and climbing one spot to No. 14.
Murzakanov Continues His Rise
Following his sixth consecutive victory inside the Octagon in Saturday’s main card opener, Azamat Murzakanov climbs three spots to No. 7 in the light heavyweight rankings. Aleksandar Rakić, whom he knocked out in the opening round, drops three places to No. 10.
