UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC on Fox 11

Fabricio Werdum earned a shot at heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez on Saturday, when he bested Travis Browne in all areas en route to a decision win.

The Brazilian is 4-0 since returning to the Octagon. Since he left the UFC following a loss to Junior dos Santos in October 2008, Werdum has only been defeated by Alistair Overeem.

Was a win over Browne enough to make Werdum the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight class?

With UFC on Fox 11 in the books and UFC 172 coming up on Saturday, here are the latest official UFC rankings as voted on by various members of the MMA media, via UFC.com.

Pound-for-Pound

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No Top 15 pound-for-pound fighters competed at UFC on Fox 11, but the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world will step into the Octagon this Saturday.

Jon Jones is set to defend his light heavyweight championship against Glover Teixeira. A win would give Jones more consecutive UFC title defenses than any current champion with the organization, breaking his tie with Jose Aldo.

While that would be impressive, Jones has his sights set on being the best ever, and he's already not far from matching Anderson Silva's records. 

Official UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Jon Jones 
2. Jose Aldo 
3. Renan Barao 
4. Cain Velasquez       
5. Demetrious Johnson (+1)
6. Chris Weidman (-1)   
7. Anderson Silva 
8. Anthony Pettis 
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

Chris Weidman did what seemed impossible by dethroning Anderson Silva, but he hasn't earned a spot above Demetrious Johnson in the pound-for-pound rankings. While Weidman has only defended his belt once, "Mighty Mouse" will be looking to defend his championship for a fourth time when he meets Ali Bagautinov on June 14.

Bad Call

In his latest title fight, Alexander Gustafsson nearly defeated Jones in a controversial decision. Meanwhile, Gilbert Melendez arguably should have beaten then-champion Benson Henderson in his most recent championship bout.

Considering Jones is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and Henderson is No. 12, Gustafsson probably deserves the No. 13 position over Melendez right now.  

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• None

UFC 172 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 1 Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira

Heavyweight

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While Werdum is now next in line to fight Velasquez, Browne will have to work his way back up.

The Hawaiian won three straight fights heading into UFC on Fox 11 and was expected to give Werdum problems with his striking. Aside from landing a big shot early on, Browne was outclassed in all areas against the Brazilian, though.

In other heavyweight action on Saturday, Derrick Lewis beat Jack May in a battle between UFC newcomers.

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has not won in a long time and looked bad against Roy Nelson, but it was a loss that many expected against a more highly ranked adversary.

"Minotauro" has lost to Top 10 heavyweights Roy Nelson, Fabricio Werdum and Frank Mir since knocking out Brendan Schaub in August 2011. Schaub has only beaten unranked fighters Matt Mitrione and Lavar Johnson since that loss, so he hasn't earned a spot above Nogueira. 

Bad Call

Since beating Fabricio Werdum in October 2008, Dos Santos has only lost to Velasquez, while Werdum went on to lose again in a bout with Overeem. "Vai Cavalo" might be riding more momentum, but he hasn't done nearly enough to surpass the former UFC champion in the heavyweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Heavyweight Fights

• No. 1 Fabricio Werdum defeated No. 3 Travis Browne by unanimous decision.
• Derrick Lewis defeated Jack May by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC 172 Heavyweight Fights

• None

Light Heavyweight

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No light heavyweights competed at UFC on Fox 11, but UFC 172 will be a big event for the 205-pound division.

In addition to the title fight between Jones and Teixeira, Phil Davis will welcome Anthony Johnson back to the Octagon on Saturday. The winner isn't likely to surpass Gustafsson in the line for the next shot at the championship, but he could be close behind.

Davis has won three in a row, including a victory over former champion Lyoto Machida. Johnson, meanwhile, was a former welterweight contender before failing to make weight repeatedly.

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  
7. Chael Sonnen 
8. Mauricio Rua 
9. Ryan Bader 
10. Jimi Manuwa 
11. Ovince Saint Preux  
12. Rafael Cavalcante (+1)
13. Vitor Belfort (-1) 
14. Anthony Johnson   
15. James Te Huna 

 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Vitor Belfort's last bout came at 205 pounds, but he was booked to fight Chris Weidman for the middleweight championship before the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy. Most expect Belfort will return to 185 pounds once he gets his testosterone levels under control, so that is probably where he should be ranked.

So, I'm OK with him falling below Rafael Cavalcante in the light heavyweight rankings as long as it means he'll be completely removed soon.

 

Bad Call

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

 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

 

UFC 172 Light Heavyweight Fights

• (C) Jon Jones vs. No. 2 Glover Teixeira
• No. 4 Phil Davis vs. No. 14 Anthony Johnson

Middleweight

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Yoel Romero is becoming a legitimate title threat in the middleweight division.

At UFC on Fox 11, he took Brad Tavares down at will. Tavares had proved difficult to take down in prior appearances, but Romero grounded the Hawaiian seven times in three rounds.

Caio Magalhaes also recorded a win in the 185-pound class on Saturday. 

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

He may or may not be the same without TRT, but Belfort's recent resume is stronger than Machida's. 

"The Phenom" stopped Dan Henderson in his latest outing. Machida, on the other hand, is only a few fights removed from a split-decision win over the former Pride FC champion.

Bad Call

Romero has more momentum going for him than Costas Philippou or Tim Boetsch, but he probably shouldn't have surpassed both in the middleweight rankings.

Philippou stopped Boetsch not long ago. With wins over Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard, "The Barbarian" has wins over bigger names than Romero, so the Cuban is fortunate enough to be ranked above Boetsch, let alone Philippou.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Middleweight Fights

• No. 11 Yoel Romero defeated No. 14 Brad Tavares by unanimous decision.
• Caio Magalhaes defeated Luke Zachrich (T)KO in the first round.

UFC 172 Middleweight Fights

• No. 5 Luke Rockhold vs. No. 13 Tim Boetsch

Welterweight

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Thiago Alves made a successful return to the Octagon on Saturday.

Following 25 months of inactivity due to injury, he picked Seth Baczynski apart with his striking. The win was Alves' first since he submitted Papy Abedi in November 2011.

Also out of action for a long period, Jordan Mein picked up a win at UFC on Fox 11. The Canadian defeated Hernani Perpetuo after 12 months on the sidelines. 

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: Johny Hendricks

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Tarec Saffiedine became a welterweight contender with his win over Nate Marquardt under the Strikeforce banner. In the 15 months since then, he has picked up one win, and Marquardt has still not rebounded.

Meanwhile, Demian Maia has beaten Jon Fitch, and Dong Hyun Kim has built up four straight wins. Maia and Kim have earned their spots above Saffiedine for now.

Bad Call

There were no bad calls in this edition of the welterweight division.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Welterweight Fights

• Thiago Alves defeated Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision.
• Jordan Mein defeated Hernani Perpetuo by split decision.

UFC 172 Welterweight Fights

• None

Lightweight

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With his win over Rafael dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov became a Top Five contender in the lightweight division.

The Russian is now undefeated in six UFC appearances. In beating Dos Anjos on the ground, Nurmagomedov showed he's ready for a title-shot eliminator matchup.

Also at UFC on Fox 11, Donald Cerrone earned a third straight victory by submitting Edson Barboza.

Official UFC Lightweight Rankings

Champion: Anthony Pettis

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Not only is Michael Johnson riding more momentum than Barboza, he has a stronger overall resume than the Brazilian as well.

Johnson's record includes a knockout win over Danny Castillo, who took Barboza to a majority decision in December 2013.

Bad Call

There is a strong argument against Gilbert Melendez surpassing Benson Henderson for the No. 1 position, but I will focus on Cerrone moving above Dos Anjos.

Before losing to Nurmagomedov, Dos Anjos dominated Cerrone in August 2013. Cerrone has rebounded well, but he still has some work to do to make up for that loss to the Brazilian.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Lightweight Fights

• No. 5 Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated No. 8 Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision.
• No. 7 Donald Cerrone defeated No. 13 Edson Barboza by submission in the first round.
• Jorge Masvidal defeated Pat Healy by unanimous decision.

UFC 172 Lightweight Fights

• No. 9 Jim Miller vs. Yancy Medeiros
• Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
• Joe Ellenberger vs. Vagner Rocha
• Danny Castillo vs. Charlie Brenneman

Featherweight

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Alex White made a big splash in his debut as a UFC featherweight on Saturday.

The promotional newcomer met Strikeforce veteran Estevan Payan at UFC on Fox 11. Less than two minutes into the bout, White stopped Payan with punches.

Mirsad Bektic also picked up a win despite being rocked badly by an illegal knee from opponent Chas Skelly.

Official UFC Featherweight Rankings

Champion: Jose Aldo

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

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

Bad Call

Since losing to Chan Sung Jung, Dustin Poirier has beaten one fighter who is currently ranked in the Top 15—Erik Koch, who is now competing at 155 pounds. Jung, meanwhile, has only lost to Jose Aldo since then. Until Poirier beats a more highly ranked adversary, he should still be ranked below "The Korean Zombie."

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Featherweight Fights

• Alex White defeated Estevan Payan by (T)KO in the first round.
• Mirsad Bektic defeated Chas Skelly by majority decision.

UFC 172 Featherweight Fights

• Max Holloway vs. Andre Fili

Bantamweight

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No bantamweights competed at UFC on Fox 11.

At UFC 172, Chris Beal and Patrick Williams will make their UFC debuts. However, no ranked 135-pounders will appear on the card.

The next Top 15 bantamweight to step into the Octagon will be Eddie Wineland, who will face Johnny Eduardo on May 10.

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Renan Barao

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

Raphael Assuncao and Michael McDonald have fairly comparable resumes. With that being the case, the fighter with more momentum should be ranked higher, and Assuncao has won six in a row.

Bad Call

Alex Caceres is on a roll, but he hasn't earned a spot above Francisco Rivera or Erik Perez. Both those men have decisive wins over Edwin Figueroa, who beat Caceres in a split decision at UFC 143. 

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC 172 Bantamweight Fights

• Chris Beal vs. Patrick Williams

Flyweight

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With a win over Ray Borg on Saturday, Dustin Ortiz strengthened his position as a Top 15 fighter in the flyweight division.

Since joining the UFC roster, he has posted a 2-1 record. The 25-year-old has only lost to former title challenger John Moraga inside the Octagon.

At UFC 172, Joseph Benavidez will look to remain one of the best at 125 pounds by beating Top 10 flyweight Tim Elliott.

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

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

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

With a win over Scott Jorgensen, Zach Makovsky should be ranked above Chris Cariaso. While Makovsky owns a win over the former title challenger, Cariaso is still looking for a flyweight win over a big name and isn't nearly as accomplished as Jorgensen in the class.

Bad Call

Darren Uyenoyama has been slumping, but he has a couple of UFC wins. Darrell Montague has not won inside the Octagon, so it was a bad decision to have him replace Uyenoyama.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 11 Flyweight Fights

• No. 13 Dustin Ortiz defeated Ray Borg by split decision.

UFC 167 Flyweight Fights

• No. 2 Joseph Benavidez vs. No. 8 Tim Elliott

Women's Bantamweight

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Miesha Tate avoided a third straight loss at UFC on Fox 11, ensuring she'll stick around with the UFC for several more fights.

Despite a slow start to her bout with Liz Carmouche, Tate rallied back and dominated the third round. The former Strikeforce champion nearly submitted Carmouche, but she ended up needed help from the judges to pick up a win.

This Saturday, Bethe Correia and Jessamyn Duke will keep the women's bantamweight division rolling.

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 on Fox 11 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• No. 3 Miesha Tate defeated No. 7 Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision.

UFC 172 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• No. 12 Bethe Correia vs. No. 14 Jessamyn Duke