UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC 171

A new welterweight champion was crowned at UFC 171.

Following a narrow and controversial loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 167, Johny Hendricks was pegged as one of the fighters who would compete for the vacant crown when the Canadian departed from MMA. An immediate rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks was being considered, so Hendricks' spot in Saturday's title fight was a given.

Coming off of a win over St-Pierre teammate Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler was ultimately named Hendricks' adversary. One of the few welterweight fighters capable of hitting as hard as Hendricks, Lawler was expected to deliver a brawl.

That is exactly what Hendricks and Lawler turned in over the weekend. The elite welterweights stood toe-to-toe, and both were rocked before Hendricks sealed a decision win with a takedown in the final round.

Now with a belt around his waist, where does Hendricks stand in the pound-for-pound rankings? 

With UFC 171 in the books and UFC Fight Night 38 coming up on Sunday, here are the latest official UFC rankings via UFC.com.

Pound-for-Pound

Matt Strasen/Associated Press

Now a UFC champion, Hendricks has firmed up his position among the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters on the UFC roster.

While he had a sizable wrestling advantage over Robbie Lawler, Hendricks opted to stand on Saturday. During Monday's episode of The MMA Hour on MMAFighting.com, Hendricks told Ariel Helwani an injury may have played a part in that decision, but he was still able to scratch and claw his way to a decision win and UFC gold. 

Battling through injury to win a UFC championship adds to the growing legacy of Hendricks, who nearly dethroned St-Pierre at UFC 167.

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. Anthony Pettis (+1) 
8. Anderson Silva (-1)
9. Johny Hendricks 
10. Ronda Rousey 
11. Vitor Belfort  
12. Benson Henderson 
13. Alexander Gustafsson 
14. Gilbert Melendez 
15. Urijah Faber 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

As great as he was and can still be when he returns, Anderson Silva is no longer a UFC champion.

Recovering from a gruesome broken leg, he also won't be making his way to the Octagon in the coming months. Until "The Spider" steps in the cage again and proves he's still among the best in the world, he should probably be ranked behind most or all UFC titleholders. That's why bumping Anthony Pettis up above Silva in the pound-for-pound rankings was a good call by the voters.

Bad Call

For the same reason that Pettis moving above Silva was a good call, Hendricks remaining behind the Brazilian was a bad call.

Hendricks isn't a usual new UFC champion. He's one fight removed from nearly dethroning the best welterweight in MMA history. Many felt Hendricks should have won in a decision with St-Pierre, and there is a good chance he would have beaten the Canadian had there been an immediate rematch.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 9 Johny Hendricks defeated Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

Heavyweight

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The heavyweight division is taking a short break from action.

No UFC big men stepped into the Octagon at UFC 171, and none will during UFC Fight Night 38.

The next bout between ranked heavyweights will be the UFC Fight Night 39 headliner featuring Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on April 11. 

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

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

"Minotauro" 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

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Heavyweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 38 Heavyweight Fights

• None

Light Heavyweight

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Ovince St. Preux seems to have stepped up his game since transitioning to the UFC roster.

At UFC 171, the Strikeforce veteran steamrolled Nikita Krylov, picking up a submission win in the first round. The victory improved St. Preux's UFC record to 3-0 and could earn him a significant step up in competition.

On Sunday, Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson will bring the light heavyweight division into the spotlight, as they headline UFC Fight Night 38. The veterans have been sliding away from title contention as they pile on the mileage, but their rematch this weekend gives both fighters a chance to prove they still have enough left in the tank for another title run. 

Official UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Jon Jones

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

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

There really isn't a big separation between the two, but Rafael Cavalcante does deserve the No. 14 position over James Te Huna.

Aside from Te Huna's win over Ryan Jimmo, stoppages against Igor Pokrajac account for the biggest UFC victories for both men. While Te Huna entered the third round round tied with Pokrajac in the minds of many before his knockout win, Cavalcante submited the Croatian in the opening round.

Pile wins over Muhammed Lawal and Yoel Romero onto Cavalcante's resume, and he was worthy of surpassing Te Huna in the rankings.

 

Bad Call

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

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Light Heavyweight Fights

• St. Preux defeated Krylov by submission in the first round.

 

UFC Fight Night 38 Light Heavyweight Fights

• No. 7 Mauricio Rua vs. No. 8 Dan Henderson
• Fabio Maldonado vs. Gian Villante
• Francimar Barroso vs. Hans Stringer

Middleweight

Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

At UFC 171, promotional newcomer Sean Strickland became the newest prospect to watch in the middleweight division with a submission victory over Bubba McDaniel.

The 185-pound class will heat up a bit more at UFC Fight Night 38, where six middleweights will step into the Octagon.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira will look to continue rising against CB Dolloway. With three straight wins to start his UFC career, the Vitor Belfort training partner is becoming one of the brightest young fighters in the middleweight class.

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. Brad Tavares (+1)
14. Alan Belcher (-1)
15. Yoel Romero  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Alan Belcher has not competed in 11 months. 

In his most recent interview with MMAFighting.com, "The Talent" didn't seem in a hurry to take his talents to the Octagon. And before then, he was contemplating a move to the light heavyweight class.

All that considered, it is probably about time his stock began to fall in the 185-pound rankings.

Bad Call

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Middleweight Fights

• Strickland defeated McDaniel by submission in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 38 Middleweight Fights

• Cezar Ferreira vs. CB Dollaway
• Ronny Markes vs. Thiago Santos
• Thiago Perpetuo vs. Kenny Robertson

Welterweight

Matt Strasen/Associated Press

The UFC 171 fight card was a huge one for the welterweight division.

A total of 10 170-pounders stepped into the Octagon. Seven of those 10 fighters owned spots in the Top 15 heading into the weekend.

Needless to say, there were some changes to be made in the welterweight rankings based on the UFC 171 results. 

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: Johny Hendricks

1. Robbie Lawler (+2)
2. Rory MacDonald (+2)
3. Carlos Condit (-1)
4. Tyron Woodley (+7)
5. Jake Ellenberger     
6. Hector Lombard (+6)
7. Matt Brown (+1)
8. Demian Maia (-1)
9. Tarec Saffiedine 
10. Dong Hyun Kim 
11. Jake Shields (-5)
12. Mike Pyle (+1)
13. Kelvin Gastelum (NR)
14. Gunnar Nelson (NR)
15. Erick Silva (NR)     

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

With so much movement, there are several good calls worth noting.

I'm most pleased to see the No. 1 contender position was awarded to Lawler even though he lost over the weekend. Lawler looked as good as anyone has against Hendricks recently and was minutes away from claiming the welterweight championship.

His resurrection hit a speed bump at UFC 171 but don't assume we've seen the last of Lawler in UFC title fights. 

Bad Call

I could go in many different directions with the worst call in the new welterweight rankings.

The one that jumps out most is Woodley remaining behind Condit following his win over "The Natural Born Killer" on Saturday. Yeah, the bout was ended by a Condit injury, but Woodley was well on his way toward a win when the fight was stopped in the second round.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Welterweight Fights

• (C) Hendricks defeated No. 1 Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision.
• No. 4 Tyron Woodley defeated No. 3 Carlos Condit by (T)KO in the second round.
• No. 6 Hector Lombard defeated No. 11 Jake Shields by unanimous decision.
• No. 13 Kelvin Gastelum defeated Rick Story by split decision.
• Alex Garcia defeated Sean Spencer by split decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Welterweight Fights

• None

Lightweight

Matt Strasen/Associated Press

Welcome to lightweight title contention, Myles Jury.

At UFC 171, Jury picked up a victory over former 155-pound title challenger Diego Sanchez. With a 5-0 record inside the Octagon, it is about time he received some recognition in the lightweight rankings.

UFC newcomer Francisco Trevino also earned a win at UFC 171, but he obviously has a long way to go before he is considered for the Top 15 in a deep lightweight class. 

Official UFC Lightweight Rankings

Champion: Anthony Pettis

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

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

Bad Call

It might be nitpicking, but Jury should have been in the Top 15 long ago, and the panel had a chance to right their wrongs following his UFC 171 win.

Nonetheless, Jury is still ranked behind Johnson, a fighter he dominated at UFC 155. Considering Jury has not lost since then, he should be ranked above "The Menace" right now.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Lightweight Fights

• No. 13 Myles Jury defeated Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision.
• Francisco Trevino defeated Renee Forte by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Lightweight Fights

• Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke
• Michel Prazeres vs. Mairbek Taisumov

Featherweight

Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Bermudez can no longer be ignored.

After losing to Diego Brandao in The Ultimate Fighter 14 final, Bermudez has picked up six straight wins to become a legitimate contender in the featherweight division. On Saturday, Bermudez took another step forward, stopping Jimy Hettes with strikes in the third round.

Rob Whiteford also earned an important win at UFC 171, avoiding an 0-2 start to his UFC career with a decision victory over Daniel Pineda. 

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. Dennis Bermudez (+2)
11. Jeremy Stephens (-1)
12. Darren Elkins (-1)   
13. Conor McGregor 
14. Tatsuya Kawajiri 
15. Erik Koch 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

They have similar resumes, but the voters made a good call to move Bermudez above Darren Elkins.

Both fighters have recent decision wins over Steven Siler. And while Elkins owns a win over Brandao, he's now lost two of his past three fights, while Bermudez has clearly taken his game to another level since losing to the Brazilian.

It could really go either way, but Bermudez is carrying more momentum right now. 

Bad Call

Since it is tough to decide whether Bermudez should be ranked above or below Elkins, he probably should be ranked below Jeremy Stephens.

In his most recent outing, Stephens picked up a clear decision victory over Elkins. Bermudez might have more potential than a veteran like Stephens, but the win over Elkins gives "Lil' Heathen" a stronger resume as things currently stand.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Featherweight Fights

• No. 10 Dennis Bermudez defeated Jimy Hettes by (T)KO in the third round.
• Rob Whiteford defeated Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Featherweight Fights

• Rony Jason vs. Steven Siler
• Diego Brandao vs. Will Chope
• Godofredo Pepey vs. Noad Lahat

Bantamweight

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The bantamweight division is taking a break from action.

No 135-pounders stepped into the Octagon at UFC 171, and none will during UFC Fight Night 38.

The next ranked bantamweight to step into the Octagon will be Eddie Wineland. A former WEC champion, Wineland is expected to meet Johnny Eduardo at UFC Fight Night 40.

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Renan Barao

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

At 24 years old, Erik Perez has a higher ceiling than Francisco Rivera, but his resume is slightly less impressive right now.

While Perez is coming off a decision win over Edwin Figueroa, Rivera owns a knockout victory over Figueroa in addition to a victory over George Roop.

Bad Call

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 38 Bantamweight Fights

• None

Flyweight

Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Justin Scoggins might be the next big thing in the flyweight division.

At UFC 171, Scoggins dominated Will Campuzano in all areas. The 21-year-old only absorbed four significant strikes over 15 minutes while controlling his opponent on the ground for nearly 10 minutes. 

In the shallow 125-pound division, Scoggins should now expect a fight with a Top 15 adversary.

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. Brad Pickett 
12. Louis Gaudinot   
13. Scott Jorgensen (+1)
14. Dustin Ortiz (-1) 
15. Darrell Montague 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

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

Bad Call

Scott Jorgensen is still looking for his first win at 125 pounds. The former bantamweight lost his divisional debut against Zach Makovsky and will look to get the wheels turning against Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 38.

Although Dustin Ortiz only has one UFC win, he deserves a 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 ranked higher than Jorgensen, who was defeated more convincingly by the No. 10 125-pounder.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Flyweight Fights

• Scoggins defeated Campuzano by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Flyweight Fights

• No. 7 Jussier Formiga vs. No. 13 Scott Jorgensen

Women's Bantamweight

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

After a misstep in her UFC debut against Liz Carmouche, Jessica Andrade is starting to build some momentum.

On Saturday, the Brazilian edged Raquel Pennington on the scorecards. With back-to-back wins, Andrade may not be looking at a Top 10 opponent for her next outing. Pennington, on the other hand, will need to get things turned around quickly to prove she deserves her spot on the women's bantamweight roster.

Official UFC Women's Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Ronda Rousey

1. Cat Zingano  
2. Alexis Davis 
3. Miesha Tate 
4. Sara McMann 
5. Sarah Kaufman 
6. Jessica Eye 
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

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

Bad Call

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC 171 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• No. 9 Jessica Andrade defeated No. 13 Raquel Pennington by split decision.

UFC Fight Night 38 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None

Statistics via FightMetric.com.