UFC Rankings: Good Calls and Bad Calls Following UFC 179
Usually dominant, Jose Aldo ran into a tough bout Saturday against Chad Mendes.
In his first meeting with Mendes, Aldo took care of business quickly. After stuffing several takedowns, the featherweight champion defended his belt with a knee as the opening round neared an end. At UFC 179, Mendes was much more competitive, hurting the champion with heavy punches on multiple occasions. In the end, though, Aldo stood tall once again, winning on all three scorecards.
Currently, Aldo is now tied with Jon Jones for the most consecutive UFC title defenses among current champions. Will that be enough to move him upward in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Pound-for-Pound
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| 1 | Jon Jones |
| 2 | Jose Aldo |
| 3 | Demetrious Johnson |
| 4 | Chris Weidman |
| 5 | Cain Velasquez |
| 6 | Anthony Pettis |
| 7 | Anderson Silva |
| 8 | Ronda Rousey (+1) |
| 9 | Johny Hendricks (-1) |
| 10 | T.J. Dillashaw |
| 11 | Renan Barao |
| 12 | Vitor Belfort |
| 13 | Dominick Cruz (+1) |
| 14 | Daniel Cormier (+1) |
| 15 | Alexander Gustafsson (-2) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Ronda Rousey Surpassing Johny Hendricks
There are many who feel Ronda Rousey shouldn't be included in the pound-for-pound rankings or that female divisions should have their own separate pound-for-pound rankings.
However, if Rousey is going to be considered eligible for the pound-for-pound rankings, she should be ranked as any other champion would. With four title defenses already, Rousey is far more dominant over her division than Johny Hendricks is over his.
Based on the standards that are clearly in place for the male titleholders, Rousey should be ranked above Hendricks and possibly even belongs among the Top Five pound-for-pound fighters.
Dominick Cruz Slides into No. 13 Position
The only reason Dominick Cruz fell as far as he did in the pound-for-pound rankings was due to inactivity.
It was hard to determine how much multiple injuries and a long hiatus would hurt him. However, Cruz silenced all doubters in his return against Takeya Mizugaki.
Cruz could be the uncrowned champion in the bantamweight division. Not only should he be ranked above Gustafsson, but Cruz should probably be ranked above all non-champions.
Bad Calls
Alexander Gustafsson Falls Behind Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier has looked great recently, but he has not done enough to surpass Gustafsson in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Strikeforce veteran has beaten some of the best in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. However, he hasn't met the 205-pound king.
Gustafsson has and nearly dethroned Jon Jones in September 2013. Until Cormier looks as good against Jones as Gustafsson did, he shouldn't be ranked above the Swedish contender.
Heavyweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Cain Velasquez |
| 1 | Fabricio Werdum |
| 2 | Junior Dos Santos |
| 3 | Travis Browne |
| 4 | Mark Hunt |
| 5 | Stipe Miocic |
| 6 | Josh Barnett |
| 7 | Andrei Arlovski |
| 8 | Antonio Silva |
| 9 | Roy Nelson |
| 10 | Ben Rothwell |
| 11 | Alistair Overeem |
| 12 | Gabriel Gonzaga |
| 13 | Frank Mir |
| 14 | Stefan Struve |
| 15 | Matt Mitrione (NR) |
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in this edition of the heavyweight rankings.
Bad Calls
Matt Mitrione Replaces Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at No. 15
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira may be slumping, but he's still a high-level heavyweight until he gets beaten by an unranked fighter.
While Matt Mitrione has looked good in two straight knockout victories, he's still looking for a win over a Top 15 heavyweight contender. Additionally, Mitrione is only two appearances removed from a loss to Brendan Schaub, who is not currently ranked.
Since joining the UFC roster, Nogueira has only lost to current Top 15 heavyweights. He also owns a knockout win over Schaub, so the Brazilian should still be ranked above Mitrione right now.
Light Heavyweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jon Jones |
| 1 | Alexander Gustafsson |
| 2 | Daniel Cormier |
| 3 | Anthony Johnson (+2) |
| 4 | Rashad Evans (-1) |
| 5 | Phil Davis (+1) |
| 6 | Glover Teixeira (-2) |
| 7 | Dan Henderson (+1) |
| 8 | Ryan Bader (-1) |
| 9 | Mauricio Rua |
| 10 | Ovince Saint Preux |
| 11 | Jimi Manuwa |
| 12 | Rafael Cavalcante |
| 13 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira |
| 14 | Fabio Maldonado (+1) |
| 15 | Vitor Belfort (-1) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Anthony Johnson Leaps to No. 3, Passing Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira
With wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Phil Davis in his past two outings, Anthony Johnson has proved he's among the very best in the light heavyweight class.
Evans is only two bouts removed from a loss to Nogueira. Johnson knocking the Brazilian out in the first round should have already moved him above the former light heavyweight champion, Evans.
Heading into this past weekend, there was still an argument that Teixeira could be ranked above Johnson. However, with Teixeira losing to Davis at UFC 179, it's clear Rumble has surpassed him.
Phil Davis Enters Top Five with Win over Glover Teixeira
As expected, Davis surpassed Teixeira in the light heavyweight rankings as a result of his win Saturday in Brazil.
Given his bad losses to Johnson and Evans, Davis is going to have a rough time moving up any more, though. His current position reflects that, as he sits directly behind the past two opponents who defeated him inside the Octagon.
Dan Henderson Takes No. 7 Slot from Ryan Bader
With only one win in his past five appearances, Dan Henderson is in a rough stretch. However, his recent losses have all come against Top Five contenders in the light heavyweight or middleweight divisions, meaning it has hardly been proven that he's rapidly declining.
Ryan Bader has momentum on his side, winning three in a row. However, the most highly ranked opponent he's beaten is No. 10 Ovince St. Preux. With Henderson scoring a recent win over No. 9 Mauricio Rua, the former Pride FC champion deserves a slight edge over Bader at the moment.
Bad Calls
Vitor Belfort Now Ranked Behind Fabio Maldonado
This is undoubtedly resulting from more voters removing Vitor Belfort from the light heavyweight rankings.
Considering the Brazilian is preparing to fight middleweight champion Chris Weidman, it's hard to argue against that decision. However, the entire rankings panel needs to get on board.
With wins over Henderson and Johnson, Belfort should be ranked among the Top Five light heavyweights or not ranked at all in the division.
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Middleweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Chris Weidman |
| 1 | Anderson Silva |
| 2 | Ronaldo Souza |
| 3 | Vitor Belfort |
| 4 | Lyoto Machida |
| 5 | Luke Rockhold |
| 6 | Yoel Romero |
| 7 | Tim Kennedy |
| 8 | Gegard Mousasi |
| 9 | Michael Bisping |
| 10 | CB Dollaway |
| 11 | Thales Leites |
| 12 | Costas Philippou |
| 13 | Tim Boetsch (+1) |
| 13 | Mark Munoz (-1) |
| 15 | Brad Tavares |
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in this edition of the middleweight rankings.
Bad Calls
Mark Munoz Falls Behind Tim Boetsch
I'm not sure why the rankings panel would have Mark Munoz ranked below Tim Boetsch.
Munoz defeated Boetsch by a wide margin on the scorecards in July 2013. Since then, Munoz has only lost to Top 10 middleweights Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi.
Boetsch did pick up a win over CB Dollaway since his loss to Munoz, but it was a controversial decision victory, and Munoz knocked Dollaway out in a previous outing.
Welterweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Johny Hendricks |
| 1 | Robbie Lawler |
| 2 | Rory MacDonald |
| 3 | Tyron Woodley |
| 4 | Carlos Condit |
| 5 | Matt Brown |
| 6 | Hector Lombard |
| 7 | Demian Maia |
| 8 | Jake Ellenberger |
| 9 | Tarec Saffiedine |
| 10 | Dong Hyun Kim (-1) |
| 11 | Kelvin Gastelum |
| 12 | Rick Story |
| 13 | Jordan Mein |
| 14 | Gunnar Nelson |
| 15 | Ryan LaFlare |
Analysis
Good Calls
Tarec Saffiedine Breaks Tie with Dong Hyun Kim
It's not by a large margin, but Tarec Saffiedine should be holding on to a spot above Dong Hyun Kim.
Both fighters have recently suffered setbacks against Top Five welterweights. Saffiedine's came against Rory MacDonald, while Kim's came against Tyron Woodley. Considering that Woodley is ranked below MacDonald, Kim shouldn't be even with Saffiedine after being stopped by Woodley.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the welterweight rankings.
Lightweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Anthony Pettis |
| 1 | Gilbert Melendez |
| 2 | Khabib Nurmagomedov |
| 3 | Rafael dos Anjos |
| 4 | Donald Cerrone |
| 5 | Benson Henderson |
| 6 | Josh Thomson |
| 7 | Bobby Green |
| 8 | Myles Jury |
| 9 | Jim Miller |
| 10 | Eddie Alvarez |
| 11 | Michael Johnson |
| 12 | Edson Barboza |
| 13 | Jorge Masvidal |
| 14 | Nate Diaz (+1) |
| 15 | Rustam Khabilov (-1) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Nate Diaz Moves Above Rustam Khabilov
With a 3-1 record to start his UFC career, Rustam Khabilov has a bright future ahead. However, the Russian has not built a stronger resume than former title challenger Nate Diaz.
Diaz has beaten multiple ranked lightweights, including Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller, while Khabilov does not have a win over a Top 15 lightweight contender. Khabilov was also stopped by Benson Henderson, who was not able to finish Diaz.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the lightweight rankings.
Featherweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jose Aldo |
| 1 | Chad Mendes |
| 2 | Cub Swanson |
| 3 | Frankie Edgar |
| 4 | Ricardo Lamas |
| 5 | Conor McGregor |
| 6 | Dustin Poirier (+1) |
| 7 | Dennis Bermudez (+1) |
| 8 | Dennis Siver (+2) |
| 9 | Nik Lentz |
| 10 | Jeremy Stephens (+1) |
| 11 | Clay Guida (+1) |
| 12 | Darren Elkins (+1) |
| 13 | Charles Oliveira (+1) |
| 14 | Max Holloway (+1) |
| 15 | Tatsuya Kawajiri (NR) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Chan Sung Jung Removed From the Rankings
Already inactive the past 14 months, Chan Sung Jung is now serving military commitments in Korea that will keep him out of the Octagon another two years.
With injuries, it's easy to delay removing a fighter from the rankings. However, in this situation, Jung will clearly be out for a long time, so the rankings panel made the right decision to remove The Korean Zombie until he returns to competition.
Bad Calls
Dennis Siver Surpasses Nik Lentz
Having similar performances against Manny Gamburyan and Diego Nunes, Dennis Siver and Nik Lentz have very comparable resumes.
That said, Siver should be penalized for a failed drug test following his bout with Gamburyan. Since Lentz beat Gamburyan clean and didn't have his win overturned like Siver did, The Carny should own the No. 8 position right now.
Bantamweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | T.J. Dillashaw |
| 1 | Renan Barao |
| 2 | Dominick Cruz |
| 3 | Urijah Faber |
| 4 | Raphael Assuncao |
| 5 | Michael McDonald |
| 6 | Eddie Wineland (+1) |
| 7 | Takeya Mizugaki (-1) |
| 8 | Iuri Alcantara |
| 9 | Johnny Eduardo |
| 10 | Bryan Caraway |
| 11 | Francisco Rivera |
| 12 | Alex Caceres |
| 13 | Erik Perez |
| 14 | Joe Soto |
| 15 | Mitch Gagnon |
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in this edition of the bantamweight rankings.
Bad Calls
Eddie Wineland Takes No. 6 Spot from Takeya Mizugaki
Recently, Takeya Mizugaki had a five-bout winning streak ended by Dominick Cruz, but that hardly damages what he had accomplished. Losing to the former 135-pound titleholder was expected.
Having lost to No. 9 Johnny Eduardo in his most recent outing, Wineland was already ranked too high. Moving him up, even farther away from Eduardo, was a poor decision by the rankings panel.
Flyweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Demetrious Johnson |
| 1 | John Dodson |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez |
| 3 | Ian McCall |
| 4 | Jussier Formiga |
| 5 | John Moraga |
| 6 | John Lineker |
| 7 | Ali Bagautinov |
| 8 | Chris Cariaso |
| 9 | Zach Makovsky |
| 10 | Tim Elliott |
| 11 | Brad Pickett |
| 12 | Kyoji Horiguchi |
| 13 | Dustin Ortiz |
| 14 | Louis Gaudinot |
| 15 | Wilson Reis (NR) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Wilson Reis Breaks into Top 15 Rankings
At UFC 179, Wilson Reis submitted Scott Jorgensen in the opening round.
Heading into this past weekend, Scott Jorgensen was sitting at No. 15 in the 125-pound rankings. Reis deserved to take a spot in the rankings as a result of his victory over the former WEC bantamweight title challenger.
Considering Top 10 flyweight Zach Makovsky wasn't able to finish Jorgensen, Reis could really be ranked even higher than No. 15 already.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the flyweight rankings.
Women's Bantamweight
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Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Ronda Rousey |
| 1 | Cat Zingano |
| 2 | Miesha Tate |
| 3 | Sara McMann |
| 4 | Alexis Davis |
| 5 | Sarah Kaufman |
| 6 | Jessica Eye |
| 7 | Liz Carmouche |
| 8 | Bethe Correia |
| 9 | Amanda Nunes |
| 10 | Jessica Andrade |
| 11 | Julianna Pena |
| 12 | Germaine de Randamie |
| 13 | Leslie Smith |
| 14 | Raquel Pennington |
| 15 | Holly Holm |
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.
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