UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC 169

At UFC 169, Jose Aldo picked up his sixth consecutive UFC title defense by beating Ricardo Lamas.

That tied him with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the most successful championship defenses during a current UFC title reign. Considering his dominance in the featherweight class dates back to his WEC days, Aldo could be considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA.

Was beating Lamas on Saturday enough to vault the Brazilian above Jones?

With UFC 169 in the books and UFC Fight Night 36 ahead, here are the latest official UFC rankings.

Pound-for-Pound

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Now an undisputed champion, Renan Barao is finally beginning to receive the respect he deserves.

The bantamweight titleholder starched Urijah Faber at UFC 169, beating the former WEC champion in the first round. While there was some controversy surrounding the stoppage, Barao clearly appeared the better fighter in his rematch with the Team Alpha Male captain.

In beating "The California Kid" and defending his belt for a third time, Barao established himself as one of the Top Five pound-for-pound fighters in MMA.

Official UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Jon Jones 
2. Jose Aldo 
3. Cain Velasquez
4. Renan Barao (+2) 
5. Demetrious Johnson (-1) 
6. Chris Weidman (-1)  
7. Anderson Silva 
8. Anthony Pettis 
9. Ronda Rousey 
10. Johny Hendricks 
11. Vitor Belfort  
12. Benson Henderson 
13. Urijah Faber 
14. Gilbert Melendez 
15. Alexander Gustafsson (NR) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Since both fighters have now defended their belts in three straight fights, Renan Barao and Demetrious Johnson are very close in the pound-for-pound rankings.

The panel made a good decision to put the Brazilian above "Mighty Mouse" following UFC 169.

Not only is Barao a champion in a division that Johnson was unable to capture the crown in, he's also beaten tougher competition during his title reign, overcoming Faber twice and besting another former WEC champion in Eddie Wineland. 

Johnson has picked up two impressive wins over a very solid contender in Joseph Benavidez, but he hasn't beaten any former champions in his flyweight title bouts. 

Bad Call

Right now, Barao and Johnson could probably be ranked above Cain Velasquez.

They both have more consecutive title defenses than the heavyweight champion, whose division has little or no more depth than the bantamweight or flyweight weight classes.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 2 Jose Aldo defeated Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision.
• No. 4 Renan Barao defeated No. 13 Urijah Faber by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 36 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

Heavyweight

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Alistair Overeem was sliding away from title contention with two straight losses heading into UFC 169. 

However, he turned things around against Frank Mir, who continued his own struggles on Saturday. Unable to get anything done while standing or threaten Overeem with many submissions on the ground, Mir suffered his fourth consecutive loss.

While a win over Mir doesn't mean what it once did, Overeem's victory over the weekend put him back in the hunt for a shot at the heavyweight championship. If only because a fight between the former Strikeforce champion and Cain Velasquez would sell well, Overeem could be one win away from battling for UFC gold.

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

1. Junior dos Santos 
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Travis Browne 
4. Daniel Cormier    
5. Antonio Silva (+1) 
6. Josh Barnett (-1)
7. Alistair Overeem (+2)
8. Stipe Miocic (-1)
9. Mark Hunt (-1)  
10. Roy Nelson (+1)
11. Frank Mir (-1)
12. Gabriel Gonzaga 
13. Minotauro Nogueira 
14. Stefan Struve 
15. Brendan Schaub 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

With a win over Mir, Overeem deserved to surpass Stipe Miocic, whose biggest victory came against a poorly conditioned Roy Nelson. However, the rankings panel also made a good decision to keep "The Reem" below Barnett, despite the American's recent loss to Travis Browne.

After all, Overeem was also knocked out by Browne, and he did not beat Mir as impressively as Barnett did at UFC 164, where "The Warmaster" stopped Mir in the first round.

Bad Call

Although he fought to a draw with an Antonio Silva, who failed his drug test at UFC Fight Night 33, Mark Hunt continues to fall further behind the Brazilian. 

If he is going to be ranked below Silva, Hunt should only sit one position below "Bigfoot" in the heavyweight rankings. Overeem does have a victory over Hunt, but that matchup occurred more than five years ago.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Heavyweight Fights

• No. 7 Alistair Overeem defeated No. 11 Frank Mir by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Heavyweight Fights

• None

Light Heavyweight

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The light heavyweight division is in the midst of a break in action.

No 205-pound bouts were contested at UFC 169, and none are scheduled for UFC Fight Night 36.

At UFC 170, Rashad Evans will bring the light heavyweight class back into focus when he welcomes Daniel Cormier to the division. The winner of that matchup could be a leader in the race to earn a shot at the victor of an April title fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira. 

Official UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Alexander Gustafsson 
2. Glover Teixeira 
3. Rashad Evans 
4. Phil Davis 
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira  
6. Dan Henderson (+1)
7. Mauricio Rua (-1)
8. Chael Sonnen 
9. Gegard Mousasi 
10. Ryan Bader 
11. Jimi Manuwa 
12. Thiago Silva 
13. Vitor Belfort 
14. Lyoto Machida 
15. James Te Huna 

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Dan Henderson has lost three fights in a row. However, two of those fights ended in split decisions with highly ranked fighters Evans and Lyoto Machida, while a third came against a possessed Vitor Belfort in Brazil.

Mauricio Rua has beaten James Te Huna and Brandon Vera since losing to "Hendo" at UFC 139. "Shogun" was expected to beat those opponents and didn't look great in victory against Vera.

While Henderson has been struggling lately, Rua hasn't proved he's closed the gap between him and the American. Luckily, the pair will meet in March to bring some clarity to the situation.

 

Bad Call

One change was made to the light heavyweight rankings, and it was a good call.

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

 

UFC Fight Night 36 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

Middleweight

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At UFC Fight Night 36, Lyoto Machida will welcome Gegard Mousasi back to the middleweight division.

The Brazilian recently took his first UFC fight at 185 pounds and stopped Mark Munoz with a head kick. Beating Munoz quickly placed Machida in title contention, and he could earn a title shot with a victory in his home country of Brazil.

Mousasi picked up a forgettable win over Ilir Latifi in his first UFC outing. However, his career resume earned him a big fight with Machida, which could vault him into the 185-pound title conversation. 

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman

1. Anderson Silva 
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Ronaldo Souza  
4. Lyoto Machida 
5. Michael Bisping 
6. Luke Rockhold 
7. Mark Munoz 
8. Francis Carmont  
9. Tim Kennedy 
10. Costas Philippou 
11. Tim Boetsch 
12. Alan Belcher
13. Brad Tavares 
14. Yoel Romero 
15. Thales Leites (NR) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Chael Sonnen has been removed from the middleweight rankings. Replacing him in the Top 15 is Thales Leites.

Sonnen has not competed at 185 pounds since July 2012. Scheduled to meet Wanderlei Silva at 205 pounds, Sonnen should only be ranked at light heavyweight until he makes his return to the middleweight division.

Bad Call

One change was made to the middleweight rankings, and it was a good call.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Middleweight Fights

• Nick Catone defeated Tom Watson by split decision.
• Clint Hester defeated Andy Enz by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Middleweight Fights

• No. 3 Ronaldo Souza vs. No. 8 Francis Carmont
• No. 4 Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

Welterweight

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No elite welterweights competed at UFC 169, but Neil Magny bounced back against UFC newcomer Gasan Umalatov. The win likely saved Magny from being released from the world's top MMA promotion.

At UFC Fight Night 36, Erick Silva will look to get back on track against UFC newcomer Takenori Sato. The Brazilian has been touted as a future title contender, but he's been slow to grow into that role, recording a 3-3 record in six UFC bouts.

On the horizon, Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler are expected to meet in March to determine a new welterweight champion in the absence of Georges St-Pierre.

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: N/A

1. Johny Hendricks
2. Carlos Condit
3. Robbie Lawler 
4. Rory MacDonald    
5. Jake Ellenberger 
6. Demian Maia       
7. Jake Shields 
8. Matt Brown  
9. Tarec Saffiedine 
10. Tyron Woodley 
11. Dong Hyun Kim
12. Hector Lombard 
13. Josh Koscheck (+1) 
14. Rick Story (-1)
15. Mike Pyle 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

While Josh Koscheck has lost three in a row, he's only lost to Top 10 fighters during that skid. Rick Story, meanwhile, recently bounced back from No. 15 welterweight Mike Pyle.

Both fighters have lost four of their past seven bouts. Over that period, Koscheck has picked up the more notable wins, beating Mike Pierce, Matt Hughes and Paul Daley. Story's wins, on the other hand, came against Brian Ebersole, Quinn Mulhern and Brock Jardine.

Koscheck deserves to be ranked above Story right now. 

Bad Call

One change was made to the welterweight rankings, and it was a good call. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Welterweight Fights

• Neil Magny defeated Gasan Umalatov by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Welterweight Fights

• Erick Silva vs. Takenori Sato
• Viscardi Andrade vs. Nicholas Musoke
• Ildemar Alcantara vs. Albert Tumenov

Lightweight

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Abel Trujillo is coming for the Top 15 lightweight fighters.

A win over Jamie Varner at UFC 169 didn't elevate him into the 155-pound rankings, but his Knockout of the Night performance likely earned him a big fight for his next outing. The Blackzilian is far from flawless, but his power makes him a threat to any lightweight.

On Saturday, Al Iaquinta and Alan Patrick also picked up important decision wins, pushing them slightly closer to the top of the 155-pound division. 

Official UFC Lightweight Rankings

Champion: Anthony Pettis

1. Benson Henderson 
2. Gilbert Melendez 
3. TJ Grant 
4. Josh Thomson 
5. Nate Diaz  
6. Rafael dos Anjos
7. Khabib Nurmagomedov   
8. Donald Cerrone 
9. Jim Miller 
10. Gray Maynard 
11. Edson Barboza 
12. Bobby Green 
13. Michael Johnson 
14. Rustam Khabilov (+1)
15. Diego Sanchez (-1) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

One change was made to the lightweight rankings, and it was a bad call.

Bad Call

Rustam Khabilov may be riding more momentum than Diego Sanchez, but a win over Jorge Masvidal shouldn't be enough for the Russian to surpass the former lightweight title challenger. Sanchez has a much longer track record of success and should be ranked higher right now.

With a win over No. 13 lightweight Michael Johnson, Myles Jury could be ranked above both men. Thankfully, Jury will get a chance to prove his worth against Sanchez at UFC 171.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Lightweight Fights

• Abel Trujillo defeated Jamie Varner by (T)KO in the second round.
• Alan Patrick defeated John Makdessi by unanimous decision.
• Al Iaquinta defeated Kevin Lee by unanimous decision.
• Rashid Magomedov defeated Tony Martin by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Lightweight Fights

• Cristiano Marcello vs. Joe Proctor
• Rodrigo Damm vs. Ivan Jorge
• Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jesse Ronson

Featherweight

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Jose Aldo continues to distance himself as the greatest featherweight in MMA history.

At UFC 169, the Brazilian defended his UFC championship for a sixth time in a row. He was able to slow Ricardo Lamas with leg kicks and coasted to a decision victory despite fading in the latter portion of the fifth round.

Being so dominant at 145 pounds, Aldo could soon make a move to the lightweight class, where he'd be matched with fellow champion Anthony Pettis, who previously withdrew from a featherweight title fight with the Nova Uniao fighter due to injury.

Official UFC Featherweight Rankings

Champion: Jose Aldo

1. Chad Mendes
2. Frankie Edgar (+1)
3. Ricardo Lamas (-1)
4. Cub Swanson 
5. Chan Sung Jung 
6. Dustin Poirier 
7. Dennis Siver 
8. Nik Lentz 
9. Clay Guida 
10. Jeremy Stephens 
11. Darren Elkins 
12. Erik Koch  
13. Conor McGregor 
14. Dennis Bermudez 
15. Tatsuya Kawajiri   

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Ricardo Lamas may have more experience in the lightweight division, but Frankie Edgar is clearly the better fighter of the two. 

While both men lost to Aldo in title fights, Edgar was more competitive with the champion. He also brought a strong lightweight resume with him when he moved to the featherweight class.

Bad Call

One change was made to the featherweight rankings, and it was a good call.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Featherweight Fights

• (C) Jose Aldo defeated No. 3 Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Featherweight Fights

• Thiago Tavares vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
• Charles Oliveira vs. Andy Ogle
• Felipe Arantes vs. Maximo Blanco

Bantamweight

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Urijah Faber came up empty in his third shot at UFC gold on Saturday.

The former WEC champion is one of the best in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, but he hasn't been able to capture the title that would take his legacy to the next level. Now looking at two losses to Renan Barao, "The California Kid" will need to put together another incredible run to earn another shot at a championship.

Undoubtedly, Faber would be disappointed to finish his career without winning a UFC belt, but he joined the promotion after the prime of his career and continues to be a force at 135 pounds. 

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Renan Barao

1. Urijah Faber 
2. Michael McDonald  
3. Raphael Assuncao 
4. Eddie Wineland 
5. TJ Dillashaw 
6. Brad Pickett  
7. Takeya Mizugaki 
8. Mike Easton 
9. Dominick Cruz (+1)
10. Iuri Alcantara (-1) 
11. Francisco Rivera  
12. Erik Perez 
13. Alex Caceres (+2)
14. Bryan Caraway (-1)
15. Ivan Menjivar (-1)

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

None of the changes made to the bantamweight rankings were good calls.

Bad Call

Dominick Cruz continues to rise in the bantamweight rankings despite being out of action for more than two years.

If the former 135-pound champion is going to be ranked, he should be near the top. More preferably, Cruz should not be ranked until he returns and proves that his several injuries have not had a massive impact on his fighting abilities. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Bantamweight Fights

• (C) Renan Barao defeated No. 1 Urijah Faber by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 36 Bantamweight Fights

• No. 10 Iuri Alcantara vs. Wilson Reis

Flyweight

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Ali Bagautinov has made his case for a shot at flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

On Saturday, the Russian defeated John Lineker to remain undefeated inside the Octagon. Lineker was on an impressive run; he was only being held back from a title shot of his own due to his inability to make 126 pounds regularly.

Chris Cariaso also earned an important win at UFC 169, beating Danny Martinez to maintain in the Top 10.

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

1. John Dodson 
2. Joseph Benavidez 
3. Ian McCall
4. John Moraga
5. Ali Bagautinov (+2)
6. John Lineker (-1)
7. Jussier Formiga (-1) 
8. Tim Elliott 
9. Chris Cariaso 
10. Zach Makovsky 
11. Louis Gaudinot 
12. Dustin Ortiz (+1)
13. Scott Jorgensen (-1)  
14. Darrell Montague 
15. Darren Uyenoyama  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

The rankings panel has been slow to move fighters above opponents positioned higher than them even after decisive wins. However, Bagautinov established himself as a better fighter than Lineker at UFC 169 and has rightly been awarded a Top Five position.

Bad Call

None of the changes made to the flyweight rankings were bad calls.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Flyweight Fights

• No. 5 Ali Bagautinov defeated No. 6 John Lineker by unanimous decision.
• No. 9 Chris Cariaso defeated Danny Martinez by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 36 Flyweight Fights

• None

Women's Bantamweight

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Although she just competed at UFC 168, Ronda Rousey is making a quick turnaround and will be one of the next female fighters to step into the Octagon.

No ladies competed at UFC 169, and none will appear at UFC Fight Night 36.

Headlined by Rousey and Sara McMann, UFC 170 will be the next fight card to feature women's bantamweight bouts. Alexis Davis and Jessica Eye will also compete at the event in a matchup that could possibly determine the next title challenger.

Official UFC Women's Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Ronda Rousey

1. Cat Zingano 
2. Miesha Tate 
3. Alexis Davis
4. Sara McMann
5. Sarah Kaufman (+1)
6. Jessica Eye (-1) 
7. Liz Carmouche 
8. Amanda Nunes 
9. Jessica Andrade 
10. Julianna Pena 
11. Germaine de Randamie 
12. Bethe Correia 
13. Raquel Pennington 
14. Jessamyn Duke 
15. Jessica Rakoczy 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Considering how close their fight was at UFC 166, Sarah Kaufman and Eye were interchangeable to begin with in the women's bantamweight rankings.

Following news that Eye failed her drug test and the result was overturned to a no-contest, per MMA Junkie, it's hard to complain about Kaufman surpassing the 27-year-old. Eye will have a chance to redeem herself against Davis at UFC 170, though. 

Bad Call

None of the changes made to the women's bantamweight rankings were bad calls.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 169 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 36 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None