After the recent Fight Night event where Hernandez fought Pereira, there have been several important changes in the UFC rankings. Everyone is now looking forward to the UFC 308 card.
In the women’s pound-for-pound rankings, Kayla Harrison has moved up to No. 8, pushing former champion Raquel Pennington down to No. 9.
The flyweight division is very active. After last weekend’s win, Asu Almabayev is now at No. 7, and Charles Johnson debuted at No. 15. Manel Kape is now No. 8, which pushes Steve Erceg to No. 9. Matheus Nicolau has fallen to No. 10, while Tim Elliott, Tagir Ulanbekov, Bruno Silva, and Cody Durden fill spots 11 to 14.
In bantamweight, Rob Font climbed to No. 9 after beating Kyler Phillips, tying him with Mario Bautista.
In the lightweight division, Max Holloway jumped three spots to No. 5, now behind Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler, and Beneil Dariush. Rafael Dos Anjos fell to No. 15 before his upcoming fight in welterweight.
In middleweight rankings, Anthony Hernandez moved up to No. 12 after defeating Michel Pereira, who is now at No. 13, pushing Khamzat Chimaev to No. 14. Paulo Costa is now at No. 10.
In light heavyweight, Magomed Ankalaev is tied with Jiří Procházka at No. 1. Nikita Krylov and Khalil Rountree Jr. moved up to No. 6 and No. 7.
In the strawweight division, Iasmin Lucindo is now at No. 7, pushing Amanda Ribas to No. 8.
What’s Happening at UFC 308
This Saturday, UFC 308 will be very exciting. The main event is Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway. Topuria is defending his title for the first time and has a record of 16 wins and no losses. Holloway is trying to win back his featherweight belt.
In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker will fight Khamzat Chimaev in a highly predicted matchup. Chimaev has not faced any ranked middleweights yet, making this fight important for him.
Another important fight is between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakić in the light heavyweight division, where the winner may get a title shot. Lerone Murphy will face Dan Ige, and in the prelims, veterans Rafael Dos Anjos and Geoff Neal will clash in the welterweight division.
Fans can watch this event live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, starting with prelims at 10 a.m. ET and the main card at 2 p.m. ET.
Changes Coming to Rankings
UFC President Dana White has expressed dislike for the current ranking system, which has been in use since 2013. He is working on a new approach that may involve artificial intelligence. Recently, he even spoke with Mark Zuckerberg about this idea.
White pointed out some issues with the rankings, saying that some fighters remain in the same position despite good performances. He wants to create a fair system that better reflects fighters’ skills and achievements.
With UFC 308 just a few days away, fans are excited to see how the fights will affect the rankings. This event will have exciting moments and might change the futures of many fighters. As the UFC grows, upcoming matches and possible ranking changes keep MMA fans excited.