UFC Rankings: Biggest Movers After UFC 311 Results

Merab Dvalishvili’s successful defense of his UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 311 on January 18 was one of the best performances in the division’s history.

Dvalishvili’s cardio, takedowns, and resilience were unbelievable.

If EA UFC 5 makes an Alter Ego version of Dvalishvili, he should have 100 stamina and every cardio-related perk available in the game. Because of Dvalishvili’s performance, he rightfully experienced a two-spot leap up the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Dvalishvili is now No. 5, trailing only UFC lightweight champion and UFC 311 main event winner Islam Makhachev, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, and UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Dvalishvili’s opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov, slipped to No. 3 with the unanimous decision loss.

Others who moved following UFC 311 and some retirements are as follows:

Benoit Saint Denis was idle, but he still dropped two spots in the lightweight rankings, from No. 12 to No. 14. Paddy Pimblett, who didn’t have an official fight but did attempt to choke a man unconscious in the gym, rose to No. 12.

Jamahal Hill’s loss to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 dropped him to No. 4 in the light heavyweight rankings, under the soon-to-return former champion Jan Blachowicz.

The most peculiarly affected fighter in the rankings is Ailin Perez. She jumped two spots in the women’s bantamweight rankings, from No. 13 to No. 11, but somehow stayed below Karol Rosa, whom she defeated via unanimous decision at UFC 311.

Rosa remained No. 8. Not only did Rosa lose to Perez at UFC 311, but she has now lost two of her last three fights. What’s even weirder is that it doesn’t appear anyone is discussing this rare occasion that saw a fighter best another head-to-head and not ascend past them in the rankings.

Former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm was ranked, but with the UFC granting her an unconditional release, she was dropped from the promotion’s rankings.

Holm’s exit made room for the new No. 15 fighter in the division, Nora Cornolle. From top to bottom, it’s easily the UFC’s weakest division.

What’s Next for the UFC?

There is no UFC event this weekend, so we shouldn’t see any movement in the rankings until the first week of February. The promotion returns to action on February 1 with a card from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Here is a look at the lineup of fights, headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov.