Moving forward, I’ll be sharing an updated list of rankings in some of the most affected weight classes following UFC events. I’ll be basing my rankings according to the UFC rules and sharing one of the rankings I submit for the UFC following each event. The UFC ranks 16 fighters in each weight class, one champion at the top, then the next 15, unless the division has no champion.
Following UFC 259, here are my updated UFC welterweight rankings.
UFC Bantamweight division
Dominick Cruz moves up two spots after his tremendous showing against a game Casey Kenney. Cruz was as difficult to hit as ever and landed several impressive combinations to edge out the striking. Cruz also was the superior-conditioned fighter, running away with the third round.
I also debuted Kyler Phillips after he dominated Song Yadong with superior grappling and held his own against the dangerous Chinese fighter on the feet. Phillips has gone 3-0 in the UFC. Song Yadong had been ranked No. 14 at bantamweight and he drops out of the rankings.
Lastly, I must talk about the change at the top of the rankings. I had no say in it. The UFC automatically makes the champion in each division No. 1 in the rankings. Despite Aljamain Sterling being on his way to losing his title fight to Petr Yan, Yan lost his belt by disqualification after landing a blatantly illegal knee to force the end of the fight. If I was allowed, I would keep Yan No. 1 and have Sterling No. 2, but again, there is nothing I can do about that, so I’m keeping Yan as high as I can for now until the rematch, where I expect him to reclaim his belt. I kept Yan in my pound-for-pound rankings and did not rank Sterling in my top 15 pound-for-pound, if that means anything.
If anyone has a bone to pick with my rankings, feel free to let me know on Twitter @BrianHemminger. I’m always happy to discuss my rankings and who knows, you might even convince me to make an adjustment if your argument is sound.
For other rankings updates, including pound-for-pound and lightweight, check out our premium content on our new media partner Rokfin.
