UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC 170

Ronda Rousey is quickly becoming one of the most dominant champions inside the Octagon.

At UFC 170, she scored her first knockout win, stopping Sara McMann with a knee to the body in the first round. The victory showed the women's bantamweight champion is beginning to grow into a more well-rounded fighter, which is scary for the rest of the competitors in her division.

She entered the weekend as one of the UFC's Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters. Where does she stand following a third successful title defense with the promotion?

With UFC 170 in the books and UFC Fight Night 37: Macau ahead, here are the latest official UFC rankings.

Pound-for-Pound

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Should female fighters have their own pound-for-pound rankings? The debate will rage on in the comments section below.

However, Ronda Rousey is establishing herself as one of the most commanding champions inside the Octagon today. With many voters using divisional dominance as their basis for the pound-for-pound discussion, it isn't too surprising to see the women's bantamweight titleholder among the Top 10 fighters under the UFC banner.  

Beating Sara McMann at UFC 170 did not improve Rousey's standing in the rankings, but it did solidify her position as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world's top MMA promotion.

Official UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the pound-for-pound rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the pound-for-pound rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 9 Ronda Rousey defeated Sara McMann by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

Heavyweight

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport

At UFC Fight Night 37: Macau, Matt Mitrione and Shawn Jordan will both be looking to rebound.

In his most recent outing, Mitrione suffered a submission loss to Brendan Schaub, who now owns a spot among the Top 15 UFC heavyweights. Jordan, meanwhile, was steamrolled by Gabriel Gonzaga in his latest showing.

Both fighters are a few wins away, but with now-light heavyweight Daniel Cormier plummeting in the heavyweight rankings, a spot in the Top 15 is still somehow within grasp.

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

He's at a low point in his career, but Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira still has a stronger resume than Gonzaga.

Nogueira has a win over a Top 15 heavyweight within his past five fights, while Gonzaga has no UFC victories over any currently ranked heavyweights. That Top 15 win for Nogueira also came against Schaub, who temporarily bounced Gonzaga from the UFC roster in October 2010.

Bad Call

Many voters have made the reasonable decision to remove Cormier from their heavyweight rankings. However, because others still rank the American Kickboxing Academy fighter in the division, he's sitting in an odd spot below several opponents he defeated decisively.

Cormier seems content to make a run at 205 pounds, so he should be completely removed from the heavyweight rankings unless he announces a return.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Heavyweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Heavyweight Fights

• Matt Mitrione vs. Shawn Jordan

Light Heavyweight

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

A Rashad Evans injury allowed Daniel Cormier to test the 205-pound waters on Saturday.

While it wasn't the opponent he wanted, Cormier was able to breeze through a warm-up with Patrick Cummins. The former heavyweight scored a knockout in the first round and will now await a new opponent—likely one ranked very high in the light heavyweight division.

Although he hasn't beaten any ranked 205-pounders, Cormier was one of the best in the heavyweight division, and that makes him worthy of a Top 10 spot in his new weight class. 

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. Daniel Cormier (NR)  
7. Mauricio Rua (-1)
8. Dan Henderson (-1)
9. Chael Sonnen (-1)
10. Ryan Bader (-1)
11. Jimi Manuwa (-1)
12. Vitor Belfort 
13. Gegard Mousasi (-2)
14. James Te Huna (-1)
15. Rafael Cavalcante (-1)

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi seem committed to the middleweight division now. 

Unless they make a return to the light heavyweight class, both men should be ranked at 185 pounds from now on.

It appears some voters have started to adopt that thinking, which is good. Machida was removed from the rankings, while Mousasi fell farther than any other fighter in the 205-pound standings.

 

Bad Call

There were no bad calls in this edition of the light heavyweight rankings.

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Light Heavyweight Fights

• No. 6 Daniel Cormier defeated Patrick Cummins by (T)KO in the first round.

 

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

Middleweight

David Becker/Associated Press

The middleweight division is in the midst of a break in action.

No 185-pounders competed at UFC 170, and none will appear at UFC Fight Night 37: Macau. It is a rare lull for a weight class that has become one of the most interesting under the UFC banner.

While no bouts between ranked middleweights are coming in March, a highly anticipated title fight between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort isn't far over the horizon. 

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Chael Sonnen has been removed from the middleweight rankings. 

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.

The surging Yoel Romero makes much more sense in the No. 15 position.

Bad Call

No bad calls were made in this edition of the middleweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Middleweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Middleweight Fights

• None

Welterweight

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Rory MacDonald is back in the hunt for a shot at the welterweight championship.

At UFC 170, he overcame a rough first round to defeat Demian Maia on the scorecards. After being controlled on the ground in the opening stanza, the Canadian shut down Maia's takedowns in the following rounds and picked the Brazilian apart with his striking.

Having only lost to elite contenders Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit inside the Octagon, MacDonald is only a few adjustments away from being a real threat to become the 170-pound champion.

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. Mike Pyle (+2)
14. Rick Story 
15. Josh Koscheck (-2) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

With his recent struggles, Josh Koscheck now has no UFC wins over any currently ranked welterweights.

Mike Pyle, on the other hand, has won five of his past six fights, including a victory over Rick Story. While "Quicksand" may not match Koscheck's career credentials, he deserves to be ranked above the former title challenger and Story right now.

Bad Call

Even following a second consecutive loss, Demian Maia is still ranked above Jake Shields, who defeated the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 29. 

It is truly puzzling.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Welterweight Fights

• No. 4 Rory MacDonald defeated No. 6 Demian Maia by unanimous decision.
• No. 13 Mike Pyle defeated TJ Waldburger by (T)KO in the third round.
• Stephen Thompson defeated Robert Whittaker by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Welterweight Fights

• Dong Hyun Kim vs. John Hathaway
• Wang Sai vs. Zhang Lipeng
• Zak Cummings vs. Alberto Mina
• Albert Cheng vs. Wang Anying

Lightweight

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Erik Koch made a successful return to the lightweight division over the weekend.

After sliding further from title contention in the 145-pound class, he decided to try to turn things around at 155 pounds. At UFC 170, he made a statement with a knockout victory over Rafaello Oliveira.

While it will take him a few more wins to get to where he was in the featherweight division, Koch appears to have made a smart career decision.

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 (+1)
14. Rustam Khabilov (-1) 
15. Diego Sanchez  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

There were no good calls in this edition of the lightweight rankings.

Bad Call

Undefeated inside the Octagon and coming off a win over Jorge Masvidal, Rustam Khabilov is already close to becoming a Top 10 UFC lightweight.

Michael Johnson has a similarly strong resume, but he should be ranked lower than he is. 

At UFC 155, Johnson was dominated on the ground by Myles Jury. Nonetheless, Jury does not even own a spot in the Top 15 right now.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Lightweight Fights

• Erik Koch defeated Rafaello Oliveira by (T)KO in the first round.
• Ernest Chavez defeated Yosdenis Cedeno by split decision.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Lightweight Fights

• Kazuki Tokudome vs. Yui Chul Nam

Featherweight

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

At UFC Fight Night 37: Macau, Ivan Menjivar will move to 145 pounds in hopes of avoiding a third straight loss.

Welcoming him to the featherweight division will be Hatsu Hioki, who has also been slumping. The Japanese fighter was brought in by the UFC as a potential title threat to Jose Aldo, but he hasn't sniffed contention since entering the Octagon.

The winner of this matchup will take a big step forward, but the loser could be forced to look for a new promotion.

Official UFC Featherweight Rankings

Champion: Jose Aldo

1. Chad Mendes
2. Frankie Edgar 
3. Ricardo Lamas 
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. Conor McGregor (+1)
13. Dennis Bermudez (+1)
14. Tatsuya Kawajiri (+1)
15. Erik Koch (-3)  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Now competing in the lightweight division, Erik Koch should be removed from the featherweight rankings.

He's only hanging onto the No. 15 spot by a thread now, so hopefully he'll be replaced by a current 145-pounder in the next release of these rankings.

Bad Call

There were no bad calls in this edition of the featherweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Featherweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Featherweight Fights

• Hatsu Hioki vs. Ivan Menjivar
• Jumabieke Tuerxun vs. Mark Eddiva

Bantamweight

Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

A win over a UFC newcomer rarely earns a fighter a title shot, but beating Pedro Munhoz on Saturday may have been all Raphael Assuncao needed.

The Brazilian carried five straight wins into UFC 170 and took care of business against an overmatched replacement opponent over the weekend. 

Now the most highly ranked bantamweight without a loss to titleholder Renan Barao on his record, Assuncao may be defaulted into a shot at the 135-pound championship.

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. Iuri Alcantara (+1)
10. Dominick Cruz (-1) 
11. Francisco Rivera  
12. Erik Perez 
13. Alex Caceres  
14. Bryan Caraway (+1)
15. Ivan Menjivar (-1)

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

There were no good calls made in this edition of the bantamweight rankings.

Bad Call

Despite another solid performance at UFC Fight Night 36, even though it resulted in a narrow decision loss to Iuri Alcantara, Wilson Reis is not ranked among the Top 15 bantamweights.

Meanwhile, a fighter he defeated in September, Ivan Menjivar, is on the rise in the rankings. Menjivar was bumped down one position, but considering the Tristar Gym fighter is also getting ready to compete at 145 pounds, Reis should have replaced him.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Bantamweight Fights

• No. 3 Raphael Assuncao defeated Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision.
• Aljamain Sterling defeated Cody Gibson by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Bantamweight Fights

• Nam Phan vs. Vaughan Lee

Flyweight

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

He's only made two trips to the Octagon, but Zach Makovsky is looking like a true contender in the flyweight division.

On Saturday, he cruised to a decision win over Josh Sampo.

With four straight wins, the Bellator MMA veteran should already be looked at as a title threat in the still-shallow 125-pound class.

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

1. John Dodson 
2. Joseph Benavidez 
3. Ian McCall
4. John Moraga
5. Ali Bagautinov 
6. John Lineker 
7. Jussier Formiga 
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

Scott Jorgensen is still looking for his first win at 125 pounds. The former bantamweight lost his divisional debut against Makovsky and will look to get the wheels turning against Jussier Formiga in March.

Although Dustin Ortiz only has one UFC win, he deserves his higher ranking than Jorgensen right now. The 25-year-old arguably defeated former title challenger John Moraga in January, falling in a controversial split decision.

With Moraga sitting in the No. 4 position, Ortiz should be sitting higher than Jorgensen, who was defeated more convincingly by the No. 10 125-pounder.

Bad Call

There were no bad calls in this edition of the flyweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Flyweight Fights

• No. 10 Zach Makovsky defeated Josh Sampo by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Flyweight Fights

• None

Women's Bantamweight

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sp

Rousey Rousey wasn't the only female fighter to pick up a win on Saturday.

Alexis Davis also earned an important victory. While it was controversial, Davis' decision win over Jessica eye makes her one of the top contenders in the women's bantamweight division.

If Cat Zingano is unable to compete soon, Davis could be Rousey's next challenger.

Official UFC Women's Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Ronda Rousey

1. Cat Zingano  
2. Alexis Davis (+1)
3. Miesha Tate (-1)
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

Now 3-0 inside the Octagon, Alexis Davis has earned her position above Miesha Tate.

Tate is still one of the best in the women's bantamweight division. However, she has had trouble picking up wins recently. Her only victory since becoming Strikeforce champion came in a close fight with Julie Kedzie, who has since retired.

Bad 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. Now that Eye arguably defeated the No. 3 contender in Davis, she should be considered a slightly better fighter than Kaufman.

The gap between Eye and Davis should have closed following their bout on Saturday. Instead, Eye now finds herself two positions further from her UFC 170 adversary.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 170 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• (C) Ronda Rousey defeated No. 4 Sara McMann by (T)KO in the first round.
• No. 2 Alexis Davis defeated No. 6 Jessica Eye by split decision.

UFC Fight Night 37: Macau Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None