The newest UFC rankings will be released shortly, and there are some changes following the results from UFC Tampa on December 14.
While not every division was affected, According to longtime MMA journalist John Morgan, the UFC’s lightweight, welterweight, and the men’s and women’s flyweight divisions saw movers.
The biggest loser in the rankings was Colby Covington. The veteran took a one-sided beating through nearly three rounds against Joaquin Buckley in the main event in Tampa.
The results of the fight have led to Covington slipping three spots from No. 6 to No. 9 in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings. Covington, who turned 36 in February, is physically tough, but he has now lost three of his last four and four of his last six fights.
He’s at a point in his career–if he continues–where he’s approaching gatekeeper status in the division. It’ll be interesting to see who he draws in his next fight as he’ll need to be strategic. The losses have piled up, and every one he takes from this point on will lower his ceiling for the remainder of his career.
On the flipside of the UFC Tampa main event, Buckley’s win over Covington pushed him to No. 6 in the rankings. He looked excellent in victory, but there will still be questions as to how strong he’ll be in the Octagon across from someone like Ian Machado Garry.
Buckley was originally scheduled to fight Garry in the UFC Tampa main event before the latter was plugged into the co-main event at UFC 309 a week earlier. As it is, both men are on the same timeline and could wind up fighting each other sometime in 2025.
In the men’s flyweight division, Manel Kape put on a masterful performance, shaking off three low blows from Bruno Silva to earn the third-round TKO victory. Kape’s win pushed him up three spots to No. 6.
According to UFC President Dana White, Kape’s win wasn’t enough to secure a title shot, but he said he’d give him what he wants in his next fight. Perhaps that’s a fight with Kai Kara France, with the winner earning the next shot at Alexandre Pantoja–or whoever is champion when the opportunity rolls around.
In women’s flyweight, the persistent Miranda Maverick pushed her way back into the Top 15 with a unanimous decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth. Maverick has had a tough time securing opposition, but the thought is that her return to the rankings should help to lock down opponents.
Lastly, the super impressive Joel Alvarez, who destroyed Drakkar Klose, found himself ranked in the lightweight division. It’s unclear how long Alvarez’s ranking will be relevant as he made it clear he won’t be fighting at lightweight for long.
Alvarez says the only way he’d fight at 155 pounds again is if the UFC goes to Spain soon. For now, he’s one of the 15 best lightweights in the promotion. There were no other changes to the rankings, and because UFC Tampa was the last event of 2024, this will be the final update of the year.
