UFC 170 Rankings: Winners and Losers

Winners

Stephen Thompson made the most movement in the rankings following UFC 170. I moved him up 9 spots in the UFC Welterweight division. Most of the guys he jumped ahead of simply have not been active (Hathaway, Noke, Swick). Thompson is now riding a 3-fight win streak, and has earned back some of the initial hype that once surrounded his career.

Alexis Davis moved up 3 spots following her close decision win over Jessica Eye. Davis is arguably the next title contender for Ronda Rousey since Cat Zingano is still on the shelf. Davis is 7-1 in the last 3 years of competition.

Zach Makovsky has quickly made his mark in the UFC Flyweight division, scoring back-to-back decision wins over Scott Jorgensen and Josh Sampo. Makovsky is now 4-0 since dropping down to the Flyweight division in 2013. He only moved up one spot, but he is now firmly in the contenders mix.

Erik Koch’s career seemed at a crossroads following two straight losses at Featherweight. He was still a Top 15 Featherweight, but his difficulties making weight were starting to get the best of him. A move up to 155 lbs. was somewhat criticized as a few people pointed out Koch’s past difficulties with wrestlers and the overall depth of the UFC’s Lightweight division. Nonetheless, Koch put on an impressive performance Saturday night. He’s still young (25 y.o.) and has the skills to work his way up the ladder should he booked against fellow strikers.

Losers

I wasn’t expecting much from Patrick Cummins, but I was hoping for a little longer of a fight to gauge his maturation as a fighter. He’s been terribly inactive over his short fight career, and the jury is still out on whether he’ll be able to hang in the UFC. The UFC’s Lightweight division is desperate for new talent, but Cummins will have to prove he belongs next time out. There are only 26 fighters in the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division, and I have Cummins ranked dead last now. I originally thought he’d show enough talent to be ranked right below Gian Villante.

First and foremost, props to Munhoz for accepting a short notice fight with a Top 5 contender in the UFC Bantamweight division. I thought Munhoz had a shot at pulling off the upset, but it became very clear that Munhoz still has a ways to go before contending at that level. Munhoz showed off a good chin, and held his composure, but his lack of striking and wrestling showed. I still think Munhoz has the talent to be a future Top 10 Bantamweight, but he’s going to have a longer road than I originally thought. I was projecting him to be ranked right behind Mitch Gagnon, but following the loss, I dropped him down a few more spots.

T.J. Waldburger dropped down about 8 spots following his 3rd loss in 4 fights. I pointed out last year that Waldburger’s career could be cut short due to the accumulation of damage he’s experienced throughout his career. This loss didn’t help that fact as he’s now been finished via KO/TKO 7 times. Waldburger is a great talent, but at just 25 years old, he may need to take some time off and let his body heal.

It’s difficult to criticize a debuting fighter, but this was a golden opportunity for Cedeno to put himself on the map. He was the favorite coming into the fight and seemed to possess the physical tools and striking to score an early round KO. Yet, Cedeno’s conditioning and lack of ground game failed him. Cedeno’s now ranked 79th out of 84 fighters in the UFC Lightweight division. I was originally thinking he’s be in the low 70’s.

Other rankings updates

Daniel Cormier moved from Heavyweight division to Light Heavyweight division
Erik Koch moved from Featherweight division to Lightweight division

The following fighters had little or no movement in the rankings:
Ronda Rousey, Sara McMann, Daniel Cormier, Rory MacDonald, Demian Maia, Mike Pyle, Robert Whittaker, Jessica Eye, Raphael Assuncao, Aljamain Sterling, Cody Gibson, Josh Sampo, Rafaello Oliveira, Ernest Chavez

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