UFC Fight Night Kim vs. Hathaway Rankings: Winners and Losers

Winners

Dong Hyun Kim claimed a spot in my UFC Welterweight Top 10 rankings following his 3rd round KO of John Hathaway. Kim has now finished his last 2 opponents in highlight-reel fashion. I had Kim ranked behind guys like Tarec Saffiedine and Martin Kampmann, but Kim’s 4-fight win streak not only propelled him above them, but also placed him just ahead of Matt Brown, Hector Lombard, and Tyron Woodley. The decision between Kim and Brown was difficult, but with Brown’s recent inactivity and the fact that Kim beat Brown a few years back, Kim deserved the nod.

Matt Mitrione’s UFC career was on thin ice heading into this fight with fellow bruiser Shawn Jordan. Luckily, Mitrione didn’t shy away from getting hit, and was persistent enough with his striking attacks that his reach advantage and KO power eventually took over. Mitrione still sits behind Brendan Schaub, who he just lost too, but he did move up from #20 to #17.

Vaughan Lee was always considered an aggressive fighter, but he had a reputation for wearing down in the fight’s later rounds. This time around, Lee was able to pace himself, while also showing his penchant for looking for the finish. He was the underdog coming into this fight, and it was reasonable to believe that Lee’s job was at stake had he lost this fight. Lee moved up from #40 all the way up to #30 to technically make him the biggest rankings winner of the night.

Yui Chul Nam made his UFC one to remember as he garnered Fight of the Night honors opposite Kazuki Tokudome. Nam was considered the underdog by most MMA sites, but he was able to pull off the upset by gutting out a crucial 3rd round to win via decision. Had Nam lost, he would have been ranked in the bottom 10 fighters of the division.

Losers

Nam Phan’s UFC record dropped to 2-6 following his 3rd straight loss. We all know Phan is tough, but that’s not enough to win him fights in the UFC. This was a winnable fight for Phan, and once again he underwhelmed. Phan dropped from #24 to #30.

Tuerxun wasn’t officially ranked prior to his UFC debut, but as previously mentioned in other rankings updates, I usually have an idea of where a fighter will slot into. Most had Tuerxun as a lock to win, including myself, but he showed nowhere near the skill needed to win consistently in the UFC. Tuerxun should be fighting at 135 lbs. Based off the loss, and presuming he stays at 145 lbs., Tuerxun is currently ranked 3rd from the bottom, only ahead of Will Chope and Josh Clopton.

It’s hard not to root for Ivan Menjivar. He always comes to fight and is considered one of the good guys in the business. Yet, Menjivar’s roster spot in the UFC has to be on shaky ground after losing his 3rd straight fight, and 4 out of 5 overall. Menjivar’s decision to move up to Featherweight will not help his success any because of his lack of size. He fought reasonably well against Hioki, but he’s currently sitting at #28, which is a far cry from when he was contending for a Top 10 spot in the Bantamweight division just a year ago.

Other rankings updates

Ivan Menjivar moved from the Bantamweight division to the Featherweight division

The following fighters had little or no movement in the rankings:
John Hathaway, Zhang Lipeng, Sai Wang, Shawn Jordan, Hatsu Hioki, Kazuki Tokudome, Wang Anying, Albert Cheng, Mark Eddiva

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