UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC Fight Night 30

Lyoto Machida is back in title contention. This time, though, the former light heavyweight champion is aiming at the middleweight championship.

At UFC Fight Night 30, Machida smoked Top Five middleweight Mark Munoz with a head kick in the first round. In finishing Munoz so decisively, Machida is already among the elite in the 185-pound class. With one more win, he could be looking at a title shot in a division that was owned by his teammate, Anderson Silva, until recently.

With such success in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, Machida is considered among the pound-for-pound best in MMA. Was his win on Saturday enough for him to break into the Top 10 pound-for-pound rankings?

With UFC Fight Night 30 in the books and UFC Fight Night 31 ahead, here are the latest official UFC rankings. 

Pound-for-Pound

No elite pound-for-pound fighters competed at UFC Fight Night 30, but Lyoto Machida may not be far from returning to these Top 10 rankings.

With a couple of more wins, Machida could join Randy Couture and B.J. Penn on the short list of fighters to win UFC championships in multiple divisions. Of course, Machida still has a few hurdles in front of him before then, though.

The Top 10 pound-for-pound rankings remained unchanged this time around and likely will stay the same through UFC Fight Night 31, with no fighters on the list competing at Fort Campbell.

Official UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Jon Jones 
2. Georges St-Pierre   
3. Jose Aldo 
4. Anderson Silva 
5. Cain Velasquez  
6. Renan Barao 
7. Demetrious Johnson  
8. Anthony Pettis 
9. Chris Weidman 
10. Benson Henderson 

Good Call

Excluding Lyoto Machida

Machida isn't far from the Top 10, but including him after a win over Mark Munoz would have been too reactionary. Though Machida has accomplished more than most middleweight contenders, he still has to prove himself a bit more in the 185-pound division before he can be undeniably viewed as the biggest title threat in the division.

Bad Call

Including Benson Henderson

Henderson is one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA, but there are fighters more deserving of a spot in the Top 10 than the former lightweight champion. While Henderson's been beaten twice by the current titleholder in his class, fighters like Alexander Gustafsson, Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson remain unranked despite giving their divisional champions legitimate scares. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 31 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

Heavyweight

Following Cain Velasquez's win over Junior dos Santos at UFC 166, the heavyweight division took a break at UFC Fight Night 30.

The class will remain outside the Octagon over the next month. 

No heavyweight bouts are scheduled over the next three UFC events. However, the TUF 18 finale will see Jared Rosholt and Walt Harris make their Octagon debuts.

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

1. Junior dos Santos
2. Daniel Cormier 
3. Fabricio Werdum 
4. Antonio Silva
5. Travis Browne
6. Josh Barnett   
7. Alistair Overeem 
8. Frank Mir 
9. Stipe Miocic 
10. Roy Nelson  

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings. 

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Heavyweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 31 Heavyweight Fights

• None

Light Heavyweight

Some voters are holding onto the possibility that Lyoto Machida could return to 205 pounds, but his win over Mark Munoz on Saturday essentially ensured the Brazilian won't be seeing light heavyweight action anytime soon.

One fighter who will be competing at 205 pounds again is Jimi Manuwa. The Englishman remained undefeated on Saturday, stopping Ryan Jimmo in the second round. A step up in competition could be coming for the scary British striker now.

Unless Machida slide completely out of the division's rankings, the light heavyweight Top 10 shouldn't change following UFC Fight Night 31, with no 205-pounders scheduled to compete on the fight card.

Official UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Alexander Gustafsson 
2. Glover Teixeira  
3. Phil Davis 
4. Rashad Evans     
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 
6. Dan Henderson (+1)  
7. Chael Sonnen (+1)
8. Gegard Mousasi (+1)   
9. Mauricio Rua (+1)
10. Lyoto Machida (-4)

Good Call

Voters Removing Lyoto Machida from Light Heavyweight Rankings 

Not all rankings panelists seem to be on board, but many have removed Machida from their light heavyweight rankings. This is the right call. Machida is a middleweight now, and it appears he plans on staying at 185 pounds. There's no reason to rank him as a 205-pounder unless he announces his intention to return. 

Bad Call

Lyoto Machida's Inclusion

If Machida is to be included in the light heavyweight division, all voters should work under that assumption. Based on his rapid decline in the rankings, it's clear some panelists believe the now-middleweight should be removed from light heavyweight rankings consideration, while others have continued to list him. That's resulted in a funky ranking for a fighter who would be in the Top Five, at minimum, had he remained at 205 pounds. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Light Heavyweight Fights

• Jimi Manuwa defeated Ryan Jimmo by (T)KO in the second round.

UFC Fight Night 31 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

Middleweight

Machida made a statement at UFC Fight Night 30. 

With his first-round knockout of Mark Munoz on Saturday, Machida quickly became a Top Five UFC middleweight. Considering his name value and the fact that he was already considered a contender in the light heavyweight class, Machida may only be a win or two away from a shot at the 185-pound championship.

The rest of the UFC Fight Night 30 middleweight winners are still a long ways from the Top 10, but Tim Kennedy could make a case to be included in the rankings with a statement win over Rafael Natal at UFC Fight Night 31.

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman 

1. Anderson Silva 
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Ronaldo Souza 
4. Michael Bisping 
5. Lyoto Machida (NR)
6. Luke Rockhold 
7. Mark Munoz (-2)
8. Francis Carmont (-1) 
9. Costa Philippou (-1)
10. Chael Sonnen 

Good Call

Lyoto Machida Entering the Top Five

In the past, we've seen the voters hesitate to boost non-ranked fighters into the Top Five after big wins. However, Machida has enough of a track record to show his win over Munoz on Saturday was no fluke victory. Despite his lack of experience in the middleweight division, Machida is a legitimate title threat already. 

Bad Call

Chael Sonnen Remaining in the Top 10

If a middleweight at all, Sonnen is one of the best at 185 pounds. However, 15 months removed from his last appearance in the middleweight division, Sonnen should be ranked exclusively as a light heavyweight right now. He may make a return to middleweight eventually, but Sonnen is currently preparing for a third straight fight in the 205-pound class.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Middleweight Fights

• No. 5 Lyoto Machida defeated No. 7 Mark Munoz by (T)KO in the first round.
• Nicholas Musoke defeated Alessio Sakara by submission in the first round.
• Luke Barnatt defeated Andrew Craig by submission in the second round.
• Bradley Scott defeated Michael Kuiper by submission in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 31 Middleweight Fights

• Tim Kennedy vs. Rafael Natal
• Ronny Markes vs. Yoel Romero
• Chris Camozzi vs. Lorenz Larkin
• Derek Brunson vs. Brian Houston

Welterweight

Things have been quiet on the welterweight front recently, but a huge title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks looms. On November 16, the two best welterweights in the world will square off at UFC 167 in Lav Vegas.

At UFC Fight Night 31, Neil Magny and Seth Baczynski will meet in the 170-pound class. However, that matchup shouldn't have any impact on the Top 10 rankings.

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: Georges St-Pierre

1. Johny Hendricks
2. Carlos Condit
3. Rory MacDonald  
4. Jake Ellenberger 
5. Demian Maia 
6. Nick Diaz 
7. Martin Kampmann 
8. Jake Shields  
9. Matt Brown 
10. Robbie Lawler 

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings. 

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Welterweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 31 Welterweight Fights

• Neil Magny vs. Seth Baczynski

Lightweight

Melvin Guillard and Ross Pearson both hoped to inch closer to the lightweight Top 10 on Saturday. Instead, their bout ended in an unfortunate no-contest due to knees that were deemed to be illegal by referee Marc Goddard.

Now, Guillard and Pearson will be put on ice for a rematch expected to be contested in March 2014.

At UFC Fight Night 31, two more fringe contenders, Jorge Masvidal and Rustam Khabilov, will try to make their case for a spot in the lightweight Top 10. Additionally, recent UFC additions Bobby Green and James Krause will try to keep their momentum going.

Official UFC Lightweight Rankings

Champion: Anthony Pettis 

1. Benson Henderson 
2. Gilbert Melendez 
3. TJ Grant  
4. Josh Thomson 
5. Gray Maynard 
6. Rafael dos Anjos 
7. Khabib Nurmagomedov 
8. Nate Diaz 
9. Jim Miller 
10. Donald Cerrone 

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the lightweight rankings. 

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the lightweight rankings. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 30 Lightweight Fights

• Melvin Guillard and Ross Pearson fought to a no-contest.
• Norman Parke defeated Jon Tuck by decision.
• Al Iaquinta defeated Piotr Hallman by decision.

UFC Fight Night 31 Lightweight Fights

• Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov
• Colton Smith vs. Michael Chiesa
• Bobby Green vs. James Krause
• Yves Edwards vs. Yancy Medeiros

Featherweight

Cole Miller and Jimy Hettes picked up important wins at UFC Fight Night 30. Both featherweights are still a few wins away from the Top 10, however.

At UFC Fight Night 31, Dennis Bermudez will try to sneak into the Top 10 with a fifth straight victory. He may need more than a win over Steven Siler, but Bermudez's impressive run does have him nearing title contention in the featherweight division. 

Official UFC Featherweight Rankings

Champion: Jose Aldo

1. Chad Mendes
2. Ricardo Lamas
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Cub Swanson 
5. Chan Sung Jung  
6. Dustin Poirier 
7. Dennis Siver 
8. Nik Lentz 
9. Clay Guida 
10. Erik Koch 

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the featherweight rankings.

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the featherweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights 

UFC Fight Night 30 Featherweight Fights

• Cole Miller defeated Andy Ogle by decision.
• Jimy Hettes defeated Rob Whiteford by submission in the second round.

UFC Fight Night 31 Featherweight Fights

• Dennis Bermudez vs. Steven Siler

Bantamweight

The bantamweight division has been going through a bit of a lull.

George Roop and Francisco Rivera will try to heat things up again at UFC Fight Night 31, though. Coming off of a huge win over Brian Bowles, Roop isn't far from being a contender in the bantamweight division. Neither is Rivera, who has won his past four official fights.

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Dominick Cruz

1. Renan Barao (interim champion)
2. Urijah Faber
3. Michael McDonald
4. Raphael Assuncao 
5. Eddie Wineland  
6. Brad Pickett 
7. Scott Jorgensen
8. TJ Dillashaw 
9. Mike Easton 
10. Takeya Mizugaki    

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the bantamweight rankings.

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the bantamweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights 

UFC Fight Night 30 Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 31 Bantamweight Fights

• George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera

Flyweight

John Lineker picked up his fourth straight win at UFC Fight Night 30. At this point, he'd probably have earned a title shot, but he continues to miss weight, coming in over 126 pounds for three of his five UFC bouts.

The flyweight division will take a rest for UFC Fight Night 31. However, it will be back in action for UFC Fight Night 32, where Jose Maria will welcome Dustin Ortiz to the Octagon.

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

1. Joseph Benavidez
2. John Dodson
3. Ian McCall
4. John Moraga
5. John Lineker 
6. Jussier Formiga 
7. Tim Elliott  
8. Chris Cariaso 
9. Louis Gaudinot 
10. Darren Uyenoyama 

Good Call

John Lineker Remains at No. 5

If he made weight regularly, Lineker would be deserving of consideration for a higher spot in the flyweight rankings. However, he's effectively been beating 125-pounders as a bantamweight over recent appearances. Additionally, none of the fighters he's beaten inside the Octagon are currently ranked in the Top 10.

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the flyweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights  

UFC Fight Night 30 Flyweight Fights

• No. 5 John Lineker defeated Phil Harris by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 31 Flyweight Fights

• None

Women's Bantamweight

Jessica Andrade picked up an important win over Rosi Sexton at UFC Fight Night 30.

While some Top 10 women's bantamweight fighters haven't won inside the Octagon, Andrade hasn't proved she's among the best in the division yet. Her win over Sexton kept her UFC career going, but she'll need another win to be considered a contender.

UFC Fight Night 31 will be a big event for the UFC's only female division. Four Top 10 fighters will appear on the fight card, with Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis potentially battling for a title shot against the winner of an upcoming championship bout between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.

Official UFC Women's Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Ronda Rousey

1. Cat Zingano 
2. Miesha Tate 
3. Sara McMann 
4. Liz Carmouche 
5. Sarah Kaufman 
6. Alexis Davis 
7. Jessica Eye 
8. Amanda Nunes 
9. Germaine de Randamie 
10. Julie Kedzie 

Good Call

N/A

No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.

Bad Call

N/A

No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights 

UFC Fight Night 30 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• Jessica Andrade defeated Rosi Sexton by decision.

UFC Fight Night 31 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• No. 4 Liz Carmouche vs. No. 6 Alexis Davis
• No. 8 Amanda Nunes vs. No. 9 Germain de Randamie