UFC Rankings: Good Calls and Bad Calls Following UFC 184
Ronda Rousey is well on her way toward becoming the most dominant current UFC champion.
On Saturday, Rousey defended her UFC belt in a fifth consecutive outing by submitting Cat Zingano. Though Zingano was widely considered to be the toughest challenger remaining for Rousey in the women's bantamweight division, the champion locked up another armbar in only 14 seconds.
That gave Rousey the record for quickest win in a UFC championship bout.
Was the win enough to move Rousey into the Top Five in the pound-for-pound rankings? How much did Zingano's loss hurt her standing in the 135-pound class?
Pound-for-Pound
1 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| 1 | Jon Jones |
| 2 | Jose Aldo |
| 3 | Demetrious Johnson |
| 4 | Chris Weidman |
| 5 | Anthony Pettis |
| 6 | Cain Velasquez |
| 7 | Ronda Rousey |
| 8 | TJ Dillashaw |
| 9 | Anderson Silva |
| 10 | Robbie Lawler |
| 11 | Renan Barao |
| 12 | Johny Hendricks |
| 13 | Vitor Belfort |
| 14 | Dominick Cruz |
| 15 | Fabricio Werdum |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the pound-for-pound rankings.
Bad Calls
Ronda Rousey Stays Put in No. 7 Position
There is an argument that a separate pound-for-pound ranking list should be created for female divisions, but that is clearly not the situation we are currently in, with Rousey sitting comfortably among the Top 10 pound-for-pound UFC competitors.
If men and women are going to be ranked together, the truth is that Rousey is really ranked too low. With five consecutive title defenses, Rousey is more dominant in her division than Chris Weidman, Anthony Pettis or Cain Velasquez have been in theirs.
Since Weidman dethroned the former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Anderson Silva, and Velasquez is a two-time champion, cases can be made that they deserve to be ranked above Rousey. I'm not sure the same can be said about Pettis.
Rousey should have moved up at least one position with her win over Zingano on Saturday.
Heavyweight
2 of 11
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 | Roy Nelson |
| 9 | Alistair Overeem |
| 10 | Ben Rothwell |
| 11 | Frank Mir |
| 12 | Antonio Silva |
| 13 | Matt Mitrione |
| 14 | Gabriel Gonzaga |
| 15 | Stefan Struve |
Removed: None
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 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jon Jones |
| 1 | Anthony Johnson |
| 2 | Alexander Gustafsson |
| 3 | Daniel Cormier |
| 4 | Rashad Evans |
| 5 | Ryan Bader |
| 6 | Glover Teixeira |
| 7 | Phil Davis |
| 8 | Ovince Saint Preux |
| 9 | Jimi Manuwa |
| 10 | Mauricio Rua |
| 11 | Rafael Cavalcante |
| 12 | Fabio Maldonado |
| 13 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira |
| 14 | Patrick Cummins |
| 15 | Dan Henderson |
Removed: None
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 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Chris Weidman |
| 1 | Ronaldo Souza |
| 1 | Lyoto Machida (+2) |
| 3 | Vitor Belfort (+1) |
| 4 | Luke Rockhold (+1) |
| 5 | Anderson Silva (-3) |
| 6 | Yoel Romero |
| 7 | Gegard Mousasi |
| 8 | Tim Kennedy |
| 9 | Michael Bisping |
| 10 | Thales Leites |
| 11 | C.B. Dollaway |
| 12 | Costas Philippou |
| 13 | Tim Boetsch (+1) |
| 14 | Brad Tavares (+1) |
| 15 | Roan Carneiro (NR) |
Removed: Mark Munoz
Analysis
Good Calls
Lyoto Machida Surpasses Vitor Belfort, Moves into Tie for No. 1 Spot
Having competed against the middleweight champion and taken him to such a close decision, Lyoto Machida is the second best fighter in the 185-pound class.
The Dragon has not lost to any other middleweight since dropping down to his new division. He also looked much better against Weidman than even Anderson Silva, who is widely considered to be the best fighter in MMA history.
Vitor Belfort has looked excellent in three straight knockout wins, but he's been inactive recently. It's been more than 15 since Belfort last stepped into the Octagon. The Phenom will soon have a chance to prove he's better than Machida when he meets Weidman in May, but he should sit below Machida now.
Anderson Silva Plummets Following Failed Drug Test
In January, Silva picked up his first win since losing the middleweight championship, but that victory over Nick Diaz is likely to be overturned when The Spider receives his punishment for failing a drug test.
Obviously, Silva's failed drug test will call into question everything he has accomplished in MMA. However, even disregarding his performance-enhancing drug use, Silva really hasn't done much recently, so it's time he starts dropping in the 185-pound rankings.
Considering Diaz usually competes at welterweight, Silva hasn't defeated a ranked middleweight since his July 2012 win over Chael Sonnen. The Spider does have a win over Belfort, but that victory came more than four years ago.
Silva may have the ability to climb back to the top of the 185-pound class, but he should be penalized from a rankings standpoint for his failed drug test and inactivity.
Bad Calls
Mark Munoz Removed from Middleweight Rankings
As bad as Mark Munoz has looked in his past three bouts, he does own a win over Tim Boetsch.
Nonetheless, he fell behind Boetsch and Brad Tavares, who does not own a win over a Top 15 middleweight. At some point, Munoz's win over Boetsch will lose its relevance, but that bout came less than two years ago.
The rankings panel was right to move Roan Carneiro into the middleweight rankings even if he does plan to return to 170 pounds for his next outing. However, for the time being, Munoz should have remained above Boetsch and Tavares.
Welterweight
5 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Robbie Lawler |
| 1 | Johny Hendricks |
| 2 | Rory MacDonald |
| 3 | Tyron Woodley |
| 4 | Carlos Condit |
| 5 | Matt Brown |
| 6 | Hector Lombard |
| 7 | Demian Maia |
| 8 | Tarec Saffiedine |
| 9 | Dong Hyun Kim (+1) |
| 10 | Jake Ellenberger (+1) |
| 11 | Kelvin Gastelum (-2) |
| 12 | Rick Story |
| 13 | Thiago Alves |
| 14 | Gunnar Nelson |
| 15 | Ryan LaFlare |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No good calls were made in the welterweight rankings.
Bad Calls
Kelvin Gastelum Falls Behind Jake Ellenberger
While Jake Ellenberger looked good in his UFC 184 win over Josh Koscheck, it hardly erased his opening-round submission loss to Kelvin Gastelum three months ago.
This was Ellenberger's first win since that loss to Gastelum, and it didn't even come against a ranked opponent. While the win secured Ellenberger's status as a welterweight contender, it shouldn't have improved his positioning in the 170-pound rankings.
Since beating Ellenberger, Gastelum has only lost to Tyron Woodley in a split decision. That defeat was certainly not a reason for the The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner to fall behind Ellenberger.
Lightweight
6 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Anthony Pettis |
| 1 | Rafael dos Anjos |
| 2 | Khabib Nurmagomedov |
| 3 | Donald Cerrone |
| 4 | Gilbert Melendez |
| 5 | Benson Henderson |
| 6 | Michael Johnson |
| 7 | Josh Thomson |
| 8 | Edson Barboza |
| 9 | Myles Jury |
| 10 | Eddie Alvarez (+1) |
| 11 | Bobby Green (-1) |
| 12 | Jim Miller |
| 13 | Tony Ferguson (NR) |
| 14 | Jorge Masvidal (-1) |
| 15 | Al Iaquinta (-1) |
Removed: Nate Diaz
Analysis
Good Calls
Eddie Alvarez Takes Bobby Green's Top 10 Position
He's still looking for his first UFC win, but Eddie Alvarez has a strong enough resume outside the Octagon to have earned a spot among the Top 10 UFC lightweights.
Prior to joining the UFC roster, Alvarez was a Bellator MMA champion and had earned wins over Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Shinya Aoki, Pat Curran, Roger Huerta, Tatsuya Kawajiri and other notables. In his debut, Alvarez was beaten by Donald Cerrone, but he went the distance with Cowboy.
Green has looked good in the UFC since the Strikeforce merger, but he's coming off a loss to Edson Barboza. Considering Barboza was stopped by Cerrone, whom Alvarez took to a decision, Green does belong just outside the Top 10 right now.
Tony Ferguson Jumps to No. 13 with Win over Gleison Tibau
With a win over Gleison Tibau on Saturday, Tony Ferguson became a legitimate contender in the lightweight division.
Having only lost to Top 10 lightweight Michael Johnson, Ferguson has earned a spot in the Top 15 rankings. To take it a step farther, Ferguson did deserve to leap above Jorge Masvidal and Al Iaquinta as well rather than being placed in the No. 15 position.
While Masvidal and Iaquinta are both serious 155-pound contenders as well, both have suffered a UFC loss to an unranked opponent unlike Ferguson. Masvidal is three bouts removed from a loss to Rustam Khabilov, while Iaquinta was submitted by Mitch Clarke less than one year ago.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the lightweight rankings.
Featherweight
7 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Jose Aldo |
| 1 | Frankie Edgar |
| 2 | Chad Mendes |
| 3 | Conor McGregor |
| 4 | Ricardo Lamas |
| 5 | Cub Swanson |
| 6 | Dennis Bermudez |
| 7 | Dustin Poirier |
| 8 | Nik Lentz |
| 9 | Charles Oliveira |
| 10 | Max Holloway |
| 11 | Jeremy Stephens |
| 12 | Clay Guida |
| 13 | Dennis Siver |
| 14 | Darren Elkins |
| 15 | Hacran Dias |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the featherweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the featherweight rankings.
Bantamweight
8 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | TJ Dillashaw |
| 1 | Renan Barao |
| 2 | Dominick Cruz |
| 3 | Urijah Faber |
| 4 | Raphael Assuncao |
| 5 | Michael McDonald |
| 6 | Takeya Mizugaki |
| 7 | Eddie Wineland |
| 8 | Johnny Eduardo |
| 9 | Bryan Caraway |
| 10 | Iuri Alcantara |
| 11 | Francisco Rivera |
| 12 | Frankie Saenz |
| 13 | Erik Perez |
| 14 | Alex Caceres |
| 15 | Mitch Gagnon |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the bantamweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the bantamweight rankings.
Flyweight
9 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Demetrious Johnson |
| 1 | John Dodson |
| 2 | Joseph Benavidez |
| 3 | Ian McCall |
| 4 | John Moraga |
| 5 | Jussier Formiga |
| 6 | Ali Bagautinov |
| 7 | John Lineker |
| 8 | Kyoji Horiguchi |
| 9 | Zach Makovsky |
| 10 | Chris Cariaso |
| 11 | Timothy Elliott |
| 12 | Dustin Ortiz |
| 13 | Wilson Reis |
| 14 | Brad Pickett |
| 15 | Chico Camus |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made to the flyweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made to the flyweight rankings.
Women's Bantamweight
10 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Ronda Rousey |
| 1 | Cat Zingano |
| 2 | Miesha Tate |
| 3 | Alexis Davis |
| 4 | Sara McMann |
| 5 | Sarah Kaufman |
| 6 | Jessica Eye |
| 7 | Bethe Correia |
| 8 | Liz Carmouche |
| 9 | Amanda Nunes |
| 10 | Holly Holm (+3) |
| 11 | Jessica Andrade |
| 12 | Marion Reneau (-2) |
| 13 | Julianna Pena (-1) |
| 14 | Raquel Pennington |
| 15 | Germaine de Randamie |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
Holly Holm Moves above Jessica Andrade with Win over Raquel Pennington
It wasn't as dominant as expected, but Holly Holm picked up a victory in her UFC debut, edging Raquel Pennington on the scorecards.
With that victory, Holm has proven she's a legitimate bantamweight contender, albeit one who might not be as big a threat to Rousey as previously thought.
Now No. 11, Jessica Andrade also recently picked up a split-decision win over Pennington. However, Holm more clearly deserved a victory over the TUF veteran, so her slight nod over Andrade is deserved for the time being.
Bad Calls
Marion Reneau Falls Behind Jessica Andrade
On February 22, Marion Reneau submitted Jessica Andrade in the opening round.
So, I'm puzzled as to why Reneau fell behind Andrade in this edition of the women's bantamweight rankings. Not only should Reneau be ranked above Andrade, but she also deserves a spot above Holm based on past accomplishments.
Coming off a big win, Reneau is likely to have a Top 10 opponent coming, so she'll have a chance to correct her position in the rankings soon enough.
Women's Strawweight
11 of 11
Rankings
| No. | Fighter |
| C | Carla Esparza |
| 1 | Joanna Jedrzejczyk |
| 2 | Claudia Gadelha |
| 3 | Jessica Penne |
| 4 | Rose Namajunas |
| 5 | Tecia Torres |
| 6 | Joanne Calderwood |
| 7 | Randa Markos |
| 8 | Felice Herrig |
| 9 | Aisling Daly |
| 10 | Paige VanZant |
| 11 | Heather Clark |
| 12 | Juliana Lima |
| 13 | Angela Hill |
| 14 | Seo Hee Ham |
| 15 | Bec Rawlings |
Removed: None
Analysis
Good Calls
No changes were made in the women's strawweight rankings.
Bad Calls
No changes were made in the women's strawweight rankings.
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