UFC Rankings: Good Calls and Bad Calls Following UFC 181
It's been a long and winding road for Robbie Lawler, but he reached the top of the welterweight division with a narrow decision victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 on Saturday.
Lawler wasn't dominant, but he did more damage and defended 12 takedown attempts. Hendricks fell short on two scorecards, but his five takedowns resulted in most MMA media members believing he should have retained the 170-pound championship, according to MMADecisions.com.
While the decision could have gone either way, Lawler again proved he's one of the best in the world. Was his performance enough to earn him a spot in the pound-for-pound UFC rankings?
Here are the latest official UFC rankings, via UFC.com, which are voted on by several MMA media members.
Pound-for-Pound
1 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| 1 | Jon Jones |
| 2 | Jose Aldo |
| 3 | Demetrious Johnson |
| 4 | Chris Weidman |
| 5 | Cain Velasquez |
| 6 | Anthony Pettis |
| 7 | Ronda Rousey (+1) |
| 8 | Anderson Silva (-1) |
| 9 | T.J. Dillashaw (+1) |
| 10 | Renan Barao (+1) |
| 11 | Robbie Lawler (NR) |
| 12 | Johny Hendricks (-3) |
| 13 | Dominick Cruz (-1) |
| 14 | Daniel Cormier |
| 15 | Vitor Belfort (-2) |
Removed: Alexander Gustafsson
Analysis
Good Calls
Ronda Rousey Surpasses Anderson Silva
I don't particularly like pound-for-pound rankings, and Ronda Rousey's position in them will always be hotly debated. However, divisional dominance is probably the most accurate way to rank fighters across different divisions, and Rousey might be the most dominant champion right now.
Silva used to be the clear No. 1 in these rankings, but he's no longer a champion. Due to injuries, he's also gone 25 months without recording a win. Unless he regains his crown, he should be rated below current UFC champions in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Vitor Belfort Loses Ground to Daniel Cormier
Both Daniel Cormier and Vitor Belfort are coming off stoppage wins over Dan Henderson, and both have had success in multiple divisions recently, so an argument could be made that they are pretty much tied in terms of accomplishments.
However, Belfort has not competed in 13 months. In my opinion, fighters who are inactive for over a year should be removed from the rankings temporarily, so I feel elevating Cormier above Belfort was a move in the right direction.
Bad Calls
Johny Hendricks Falls Below Renan Barao, and Robbie Lawler Doesn't Surpass the Brazilian
Having lost his belt, Johny Hendricks was rightly surpassed by Lawler and bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. However, considering how close he came to retaining his 170-pound championship, Hendricks should be ranked higher than Renan Barao, who was thoroughly dominated by Dillashaw in May.
Similarly, Lawler should have surpassed Barao, as well as Silva, with his belt-clinching performance on Saturday. Now sitting atop the welterweight division, controversially or not, Lawler deserves to be ranked among the other UFC champions.
Heavyweight
2 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Cain Velasquez |
| 1 | Fabricio Werdum (IC) |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos |
| 3 | Travis Browne |
| 4 | Stipe Miocic |
| 5 | Mark Hunt |
| 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 | Matt Mitrione |
| 15 | Stefan Struve |
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the heavyweight rankings.
Light Heavyweight
3 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jon Jones |
| 1 | Alexander Gustafsson |
| 2 | Daniel Cormier |
| 3 | Anthony Johnson |
| 4 | Rashad Evans |
| 5 | Phil Davis |
| 6 | Glover Teixeira |
| 7 | Ryan Bader |
| 8 | Dan Henderson |
| 9 | Ovince Saint Preux |
| 10 | Jimi Manuwa |
| 11 | Mauricio Rua |
| 12 | Rafael Cavalcante |
| 13 | Fabio Maldonado |
| 14 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira |
| 15 | Vitor Belfort |
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the light heavyweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the light heavyweight rankings.
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Middleweight
4 of 10
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 (+1) |
| 12 | Costas Philippou (-1) |
| 13 | Tim Boetsch |
| 14 | Mark Munoz |
| 15 | Brad Tavares |
Analysis
Good Calls
Thales Leites Overtakes Costas Philippou
With four straight wins, Thales Leites has much more positive momentum than Costas Philippou. More importantly, though, he's coming off a win over Francis Carmont.
Philippou is only two bouts removed from a loss to Carmont, and he hasn't beaten a currently ranked opponent since then. It was hard to justify him being ranked higher than Leites.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the middleweight rankings.
Welterweight
5 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Robbie Lawler (+1) |
| 1 | Johny Hendricks (-1) |
| 2 | Rory MacDonald |
| 3 | Tyron Woodley |
| 4 | Carlos Condit |
| 5 | Matt Brown |
| 6 | Hector Lombard |
| 7 | Kelvin Gastelum |
| 8 | Demian Maia |
| 9 | Tarec Saffiedine |
| 10 | Dong Hyun Kim |
| 11 | Jake Ellenberger |
| 12 | Rick Story |
| 13 | Jordan Mein |
| 14 | Gunnar Nelson |
| 15 | Ryan LaFlare |
Analysis
Good Calls
Johny Hendricks Now No. 1 Contender Following Loss to Robbie Lawler
One change was made to the welterweight rankings, and it's one the rankings panel didn't have a choice on. With his win over Hendricks at UFC 181, Lawler is now the 170-pound champion, and Bigg Rigg is the No. 1 contender.
Considering how close the decision was, Hendricks didn't deserve to fall below any other contenders. One has to wonder how far away a rubber match is.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the welterweight rankings.
Lightweight
6 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Anthony Pettis |
| 1 | Khabib Nurmagomedov (+1) |
| 2 | Gilbert Melendez (-1) |
| 3 | Rafael dos Anjos |
| 4 | Donald Cerrone |
| 5 | Benson Henderson |
| 6 | Edson Barboza |
| 7 | Josh Thomson (-1) |
| 8 | Myles Jury |
| 9 | Bobby Green |
| 10 | Jim Miller |
| 11 | Eddie Alvarez |
| 12 | Michael Johnson |
| 13 | Jorge Masvidal |
| 14 | Nate Diaz |
| 15 | Rustam Khabilov |
Analysis
Good Calls
Khabib Nurmagomedov Becomes No. 1 Contender with Gilbert Melendez Loss
Gilbert Melendez has competed in two title fights since joining the UFC roster, but he has only one win inside the Octagon. With his submission loss to Anthony Pettis over the weekend, it makes sense that Melendez lost ground to a contender with more momentum.
While Melendez has beaten only an unranked Diego Sanchez over his past three bouts, Khabib Nurmagomedov earned a clear victory over No. 3 contender Rafael dos Anjos. The Russian has looked better than Melendez lately and is probably next in line to challenge Pettis.
Edson Barboza Breaks Tie with Josh Thomson
Brazilian striker Edson Barboza deserves to be alone in the No. 6 spot right now.
In his most recent outing, Barboza soundly defeated Bobby Green. Meanwhile, Josh Thomson has not competed since a debatable July decision loss to Green.
Whether you believe Thomson won or lost again Green, it's hard to deny Barboza looked better against the common adversary.
Bad Calls
No bad calls were made in this edition of the lightweight rankings.
Featherweight
7 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jose Aldo |
| 1 | Chad Mendes |
| 2 | Frankie Edgar |
| 3 | Ricardo Lamas |
| 4 | Cub Swanson |
| 5 | Conor McGregor |
| 6 | Dustin Poirier |
| 7 | Dennis Bermudez |
| 8 | Dennis Siver |
| 9 | Nik Lentz |
| 10 | Jeremy Stephens |
| 11 | Clay Guida |
| 12 | Darren Elkins |
| 13 | Max Holloway (+1) |
| 14 | Charles Oliveira (-1) |
| 15 | Tatsuya Kawajiri |
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in this edition of the featherweight rankings.
Bad Calls
Max Holloway Takes No. 13 Position from Charles Oliveira
With four straight wins, Max Holloway has huge potential. However, he's still without a win over a ranked 145-pounder. The ability to become an elite featherweight is there, but Holloway is still a win or two away from proving he's as good as a Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira has won two in a row, so he doesn't have as much momentum going as Holloway. That said, Oliveira's most recent win over Hatsu Hioki was more impressive than any Holloway win. The Brazilian also owns a victory over No. 12 featherweight contender Darren Elkins, which should give him a spot above Holloway right now.
Bantamweight
8 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | T.J. Dillashaw |
| 1 | Renan Barao |
| 2 | Dominick Cruz |
| 3 | Urijah Faber |
| 4 | Raphael Assuncao |
| 5 | Michael McDonald |
| 6 | Takeya Mizugaki (+1) |
| 7 | Eddie Wineland (-1) |
| 8 | Iuri Alcantara |
| 9 | Johnny Eduardo |
| 10 | Bryan Caraway |
| 11 | Francisco Rivera |
| 12 | Alex Caceres (+1) |
| 13 | Erik Perez (-1) |
| 14 | Mitch Gagnon |
| 15 | Joe Soto |
Analysis
Good Calls
Takeya Mizugaki Surpasses Eddie Wineland
While Takeya Mizugaki and Eddie Wineland have comparable resumes, the Japanese fighter does have a slight edge.
Prior to a loss against former 135-pound king Dominick Cruz, Mizugaki had won five in a row. That streak included three victories over currently ranked bantamweight contenders.
Wineland, on the other hand, does not own a UFC win over a currently ranked 135-pounder. That's not to say he hasn't had some big victories inside the Octagon, but it does hurt Wineland in a comparison with another contender with a strong track record.
Bad Calls
Alex Caceres Moves Up to No. 12 Position
This has less to do with comparing Alex Caceres with Erik Perez and more to do with Bruce Leeroy gaining ground on Masanori Kanehara.
In his latest outing, Caceres was beaten by Kanehara in a clear decision. Nonetheless, Kanehara has not been awarded a spot in the Top 15 rankings. Until he is, Caceres shouldn't be moving anywhere except downward.
Flyweight
9 of 10
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Demetrious Johnson |
| 1 | John Dodson |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez |
| 3 | Ian McCall |
| 4 | Jussier Formiga |
| 5 | John Moraga |
| 6 | John Lineker (+1) |
| 7 | Ali Bagautinov (-1) |
| 8 | Chris Cariaso |
| 9 | Zach Makovsky (+1) |
| 10 | Tim Elliott (-1) |
| 11 | Kyoji Horiguchi |
| 12 | Brad Pickett |
| 13 | Dustin Ortiz |
| 14 | Louis Gaudinot |
| 15 | Chico Camus |
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in this edition of the flyweight rankings.
Bad Calls
John Lineker Steals No. 6 Position from Ali Bagautinov
Ali Bagautinov obviously deserved his spot above John Lineker, but he now sits behind the Brazilian.
In February, Bagautinov defeated Lineker on the scorecards. Since then, he's only lost to 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson.
A loss to the titleholder is hardly a reason for a fighter to fall behind an opponent he so recently beat inside the Octagon.
Tim Elliott Drops Below Zach Makovsky
With a 2-1 UFC record, Zach Makovsky has a better winning percentage inside the Octagon than Tim Elliott, but he also hasn't faced as many elite 125-pounders.
Elliott's recent struggles came against Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez, both Top 10 flyweights. Unlike Makovsky, Elliott also owns a win over a Top 15 125-pounder, Louis Gaudinot.
Having beaten Scott Jorgensen, Makovsky has the talent to be ranked above Elliott. However, he won't have earned it until he beats a currently ranked adversary.
Women's Bantamweight
10 of 10
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 | Raquel Pennington (+1) |
| 13 | Germaine de Randamie (-1) |
| 14 | Holly Holm (+1) |
| 15 | Leslie Smith (-1) |
Analysis
Good Calls
Raquel Pennington Moves Above Germaine de Randamie
Though Raquel Pennington is still looking for her first win against a ranked opponent, she's done more than Germaine de Randamie has inside the Octagon.
De Randamie defeated Julie Kedzie in her UFC debut. However, The Iron Lady has not gotten her hand raised in the 16 months since.
With her submission win over Ashlee Evans-Smith on Saturday, Pennington showed she is improving and has a brighter future ahead than De Randamie does.
Bad Calls
Holly Holm Rising Despite Not Having Made Her UFC Debut
It's clear Holly Holm is a talented striker, but she has not been tested by high-level bantamweights.
Holm will be thrown into the fire as one of the bigger names in the division, so she'll have her chance to prove she's elite at 135 pounds. However, until then, it's hard to know where she stands in the bantamweight rankings.
She definitely hasn't proved she should be ranked above Leslie Smith, who has already picked up a UFC victory.
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