The biggest changes to the UFC rankings following last Saturday's UFC London event have occurred in the upper echelons of the welterweight division.
Sean Brady (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has been rewarded for his exceptional performance in the main event against Leon Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) and moves up an impressive FOUR PLACES to replace Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) as the division's No. 1 contender.
After his unanimous decision victory over Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 310 in December, Rakhmonov seemed poised to be next in line to challenge Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the welterweight title. However, the Kazakh star is currently sidelined due to a knee injury, which has led to Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) getting the call-up to fight for the belt at UFC 315 in May.
Brady now sits one spot above Rakhmonov, though it remains unclear which of the two will get the nod to fight for the title next.
Following Saturday's result, Leon Edwards has dropped two places to No. 3. The former welterweight champion has also exited the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, as lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) enters the list at No. 15.
Ulberg On The Rise
In the light heavyweight division, Carlos Ulberg (12-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) jumps three spots to No. 3 following his victory over former titleholder Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event. Blachowicz, who was returning from a two-year layoff, slips two places to No. 5.
There has also been a minor reshuffling at the tail end of the flyweight rankings, as former title challenger Kai Asakura (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) re-enters the top 15 after a week on the outside, while Joshua Van (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) moves up one spot to No. 14 as Charles Johnson (17-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC) exits the list.
