Fight Coverage
Rankings Report | Week Of December 18, 2023
See Which Fighters Moved Up And Down The Latest Edition Of The UFC Rankings
The latest updates to the UFC rankings across all divisions are here after the worldwide leader in mixed martial arts closed out its incredible 2023 at UFC 296. Take a look at which fighters moved up and down in the most recent edition of the UFC rankings.
Seven divisions – flyweight, featherweight, welterweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight, women’s flyweight, women’s bantamweight - saw movement, along with the men’s and women’s pound-for-pound lists.
Men’s Pound-For-Pound
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland gained a spot on the men’s pound-for-pound rankings, moving him to No. 7 and ahead of UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley at No. 8.
VIDEO: Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis Get Into Fight In Crowd At UFC 296
Women’s Pound-For-Pound
Former strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas moved out of their tie, with Esparza claiming the No. 7 ranking and Namajunas moving to No. 8.
MORE 2023 AWARDS: The Upsets | The Submissions | The Newcomers
Flyweight
At UFC 296, Alexandre Pantoja defended his flyweight title against Brandon Royval, resulting in the challenger falling one spot in the rankings to No. 3. On the UFC 296 prelims, Tagir Ulanbekov submitted Cody Durden, pushing him up a spot to No. 11 and moving Steve Erceg down to No. 12.
In addition, undefeated prospect Tatsuro Taira claimed the No. 15 spot in the flyweight rankings.
Subscribe to UFC FIGHT PASS Today!
Featherweight
Arnold Allen moved up a spot to No. 3 to tie Brian Ortega.
Welterweight
UFC 296 was all about the welterweight division. In the main event of UFC’s final PPV event of 2023, Leon Edwards defended his title in dominant fashion against Colby Covington. The defeat dropped “Chaos” to No. 5 in the rankings.
UFC 296 REWIND: The Scorecard | Photo Gallery
Shavkat Rakhmonov continued his rise, defeating Stephen Thompson by submission and making it 18-for-18 in terms of fights, wins and finishes. Rakhmonov now finds himself at No. 3 in the rankings and has his eyes on a title shot in 2024.
Light Heavyweight
Alonzo Menifield’s hard-fought win over Dustin Jacoby at UFC 296 put “Atomic” at No. 12 in the light heavyweight rankings, while Jacoby stayed put at No. 15.
In addition, Nikita Krylov moved up one spot above Johnny Walker, putting the light heavyweight stalwart firmly at No. 6.
Heavyweight
Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Rodrigo Nascimento switched spots in the heavyweight rankings, pushing de Lima to No. 14 and Nascimento to No. 15.
Women’s Flyweight
Fresh off her impressive win over Casey O’Neill at UFC 296, Ariane Lipski made her flyweight rankings debut at No. 12. O’Neill fell to No. 14.
Natalia Silva moved up to No. 10, while Tracy Cortez dropped a position to No. 11. Andrea Lee fell to No. 15 in order to make room for O’Neill at No. 14.
Women’s Bantamweight
Holly Holm dropped a spot to No.6, breaking her tie and leaving Irene Aldana to hold the No. 5 ranking.
