UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC Fight Night 38

At UFC Fight Night 38, Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua met in a battle to remain relevant in connection with light heavyweight title conversation.

It initially appeared Rua was going to push Henderson one step closer to retirement, as he had rocked "Hendo" multiple times in the first two rounds. However, Henderson answered with a huge right hook in the third frame, breaking Rua's nose and scoring an outstanding come-from-behind victory.

He's 43 years old, but Henderson remains among the best light heavyweights in the world with his win on Sunday. How did the weekend's results impact his standing in the 205-pound rankings? 

With UFC Fight Night 38 in the books and UFC Fight Night 39 coming up on April 11, here are the latest official UFC rankings, as voted on by various members of the MMA media, via UFC.com.

Pound-for-Pound

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There were no Top 15 pound-for-pound fighters on display at UFC Fight Night 38.

That will be the case for the next few UFC events as well. No elite pound-for-pound fighters are scheduled to compete at UFC Fight Night 39, The Ultimate Fighter: Nations Finale or UFC on Fox 11.

Jon Jones, the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, will be the next fighter from the below list to step into the Octagon when he meets Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April. 

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

There were no good calls in this edition of the pound-for-pound rankings.

Bad 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 down below Silva in the pound-for-pound rankings was a bad call by the voters.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 39 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

Heavyweight

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport

No heavyweights competed at UFC Fight Night 38, but the division will heat back up soon.

The UFC Fight Night 39 fight card is headlined by Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. While both fighters are ranked among the Top 15 heavyweights, neither is being talked about as a potential title challenger, so this will be a pivotal matchup.

Non-ranked heavyweights Jared Rosholt and Daniel Omielanczuk will also make the trip to Abu Dhabi for the event 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 
12. Gabriel Gonzaga 
13. Stefan Struve 
14. Brendan Schaub 
15. Daniel Cormier  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Heavyweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 39 Heavyweight Fights

• No. 9 Roy Nelson vs. No. 11 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
• Jared Rosholt vs. Daniel Omielanczuk

Light Heavyweight

Felipe Dana/Associated Press

Competing in a somewhat shallow light heavyweight division, Dan Henderson is back in title contention with his knockout win over Rua on Sunday.

The former Pride FC champion wasn't the only 205-pounder to impress at UFC Fight Night 38, though.

After being controlled on the ground in the first round, Fabio Maldonado stormed back to beat Gian Villante on the scorecards. Once on the verge of being released from the UFC roster, Maldonado has now won three in a row and could be one big win away from cracking the Top 15 rankings. 

Official UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Jon Jones

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

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Now 2-0 against Rua, Dan Henderson obviously deserved a spot above "Shogun" in the light heavyweight rankings. He also belongs above Antonio Rogerio Nogueira right now, so the rankings panel made a good call moving "Hendo" up two spots.

While Nogueira has won two in a row, including a victory over Rashad Evans, he has been inactive due to injuries for 13 months. Now 37 years old, Nogueira could be declining as he sits on the sidelines, so his stock should start to drop until he returns and proves he's still an elite light heavyweight. 

 

Bad Call

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

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Light Heavyweight Fights

• No. 6 Dan Henderson defeated No. 8 Mauricio Rua by (T)KO in the third round.
• Fabio Maldonado defeated Gian Villante by unanimous decision.
• Hans Stringer defeated Francimar Barroso by split decision.

 

UFC Fight Night 39 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

Middleweight

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

The middleweight division provided three opening-round finishes over the weekend.

CB Dollaway and Thiago Santos scored surprising knockouts in their respective bouts with Cezar Ferreira and Ronny Markes. Also, Kenny Robertson returned to the win column with a submission victory over Thiago Perpetuo.

Despite their wins, no middleweights who competed at UFC Fight Night 38 broke into the Top 15 rankings. 

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman

1. Anderson Silva  
2. Lyoto Machida (+1)
3. Vitor Belfort (-1)
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 (+1)
14. Brad Tavares (-1)
15. Yoel Romero  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

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

Bad Call

Lyoto Machida may be lined up to challenge Chris Weidman, but he's not more proven than Vitor Belfort in the middleweight division.

Belfort had been scheduled to fight Weidman before therapeutic use exemptions were abolished by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. While that could impact Belfort's abilities, his recent resume is stronger than Machida's.

With three straight knockout wins, including a stoppage against Dan Henderson, whom Machida narrowly defeated on the scorecards, Belfort should be ranked No. 2 among 185-pound contenders.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Middleweight Fights

• CB Dollaway defeated Cezar Ferreira by (T)KO in the first round.
• Thiago Santos defeated Ronny Markes by (T)KO in the first round.
• Kenny Robertson defeated Thiago Perpetuo by submission in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 39 Middleweight Fights

• Thales Leites vs. Trevor Smith
• Chris Camozzi vs. Andrew Craig

Welterweight

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

No welterweights appeared at UFC Fight Night 38, but a pair of 170-pounders will be on display at UFC Fight Night 39.

Although they aren't ranked, John Howard and Ryan LaFlare could take a big step toward title contention on April 11. Howard is undefeated in his two fights since returning to the UFC roster, while LaFlare has gotten off to a 3-0 start inside the Octagon.

It's unlikely the winner of their matchup will earn a spot in the Top 15 right away, but they should be matched up with a ranked opponent for their following outing. 

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: Johny Hendricks

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Welterweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 39 Welterweight Fights

• John Howard vs. Ryan LaFlare

Lightweight

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Undefeated inside the Octagon, Norman Parke arguably had his spotless UFC record stolen from him in his UFC Fight Night 38 bout with Leonardo Santos.

Parke looked to be the better fighter in the second and third rounds of his bout with the Brazilian, but a controversial point deduction led to the Irishman settling for a draw. He still hasn't been beaten under the UFC banner, but Parke probably would have won on Sunday had he been warned about grabbing Santos' shorts before having a point taken away.

Either way, Parke still has a few more wins to go before he's considered for a spot in the Top 15 rankings.  

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  
12. Myles Jury (+1)
13. Michael Johnson (-1)
14. Bobby Green   
15. Rustam Khabilov  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

I have been harping on this for a while, but the rankings panel has finally placed Myles Jury above Michael Johnson. Since defeating Johnson at UFC 155, Jury has kept on winning, but it wasn't until now that he finds himself above "The Menace" in the 155-pound rankings.

Bad Call

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Lightweight Fights

• Norman Parke and Leonardo Santos fought to a draw.
• Michel Prazeres defeated Mairbek Taisumov by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 39 Lightweight Fights

• Ramsey Nijem vs. Beneil Dariush

Featherweight

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Rony Jason and Godofredo Pepey scored impressive wins at UFC Fight Night 38.

Both The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil finalists scored opening-round knockouts in their respective bouts with Steven Siler and Noad Lahat. While neither Jason nor Pepey have earned spots in the Top 15, UFC Fight Night 39 will feature two featherweight fighters who are ranked.

Coming off of a loss to Chad Mendes, Clay Guida will look to get back on track against Tatsuya Kawajiri, who picked up a win in his highly anticipated UFC debut.

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Since it is tough to decide whether Dennis Bermudez should be ranked above or below Darren Elkins—given that both have recent wins over Steven Siler and the latter owns a win over Diego Brandao, who submitted the former—Bermudez 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.

Bad Call

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

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Featherweight Fights

• Rony Jason defeated Steven Siler by (T)KO in the first round.
• Godofredo Pepey defeated Noad Lahat by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC Fight Night 39 Featherweight Fights

• No. 9 Clay Guida vs. No. 12 Tatsuya Kawajiri
• Alan Omer vs. Jim Alers

Bantamweight

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No 135-pounders stepped into the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 38.

However, a couple bantamweights will be on display at UFC Fight Night 39. Neither is likely to earn a spot in the Top 15 with a win, but Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford are both solid fighters and could eventually find themselves in the rankings.

The first step will be picking up a win in Abu Dhabi on April 11.

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Renan Barao

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Dominick Cruz has not been able to fight in nearly two-and-a-half years. We have no idea how the hiatus has affected his fighting abilities, so he really shouldn't be ranked until he returns to competition.

It looks like some more members of the rankings panel have started dropping Cruz from their Top 15, but the former champion may be ready to fight again by the time he is completely removed from the rankings.

Bad Call

At 24 years old, Erik Perez has a higher ceiling than that of 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.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 39 Bantamweight Fights

• Rani Yahya vs. Johnny Bedford

Flyweight

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Jussier Formiga has been slow to make an impact in the UFC flyweight division, but he made waves on Sunday.

The Brazilian picked up a submission win over former title challenger Scott Jorgensen. Beating "Young Guns" moves Formiga into title contention and could put him in a position to earn a title shot with another impressive victory or two. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Jorgensen could now be released from the world's top MMA promotion. The WEC veteran has lost three in a row and five of his past six fights.

 

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

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

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Formiga's 2-2 UFC record is not as strong as John Lineker's 4-2 UFC record. 

That said, Formiga's submission win over Jorgensen at UFC Fight Night 38 was more impressive than any one of Linker's victories inside the Octagon. So, Formiga deserved his promotion to No. 6 in the flyweight rankings.

 

Bad Call

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

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC Fight Night 38 Flyweight Fights

• No. 6 Jussier Formiga defeated No. 13 Scott Jorgensen by submission in the first round.

 

UFC Fight Night 39 Flyweight Fights

• No. 14 Dustin Ortiz vs. Alptekin Ozkilic

Women's Bantamweight

Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Spor

It's another lull in action for the developing women's bantamweight division.

No females fought at UFC Fight Night 38, and none will appear at UFC Fight Night 39.

The next women's bantamweight bout is set to occur at The Ultimate Fighter: Nations Finale on April 16. Sarah Kaufman will officially welcome Shayna Baszler to the Octagon on that fight card.

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 Fight Night 38 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC Fight Night 39 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None