Jailton Malhadinho entered the top 5 of the heavyweights (Photo: Instagram)
the retirement of Jon Jones caused important changes in the official ranking of UFC, especially among the heavy weights. In the update released this Tuesday (24), the Brazilian Jailton Malhadinho gained a position and officially entered the top 5 of the category, now led by Tom aspinall, promoted to linear champion.
With the output of Jon Jones and the promotion of Tom aspinall the linear champion, all the athletes in the top 15 of the heavyweights moved up one position. Malhadinho, who previously occupied the sixth place, now appears in fifth.
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Jones' departure opened the way for a new athlete to debut in the rankings. The chosen one was the Russian Rizvan Kuniev, that even with defeat for Curtis blaydes No. UFC Baku, debuted in the top 15 of the category
Now in the top 5, Malhadinho campaigns for the belt
Malhadinho was the first athlete in the division to speak out after Jones' departure, reinforcing on social media and in interviews his interest in facing Aspinall in a fight for the belt. Currently number five in the ranking, the Bahian is coming off a victory over Serghei Spivac No. UFC 311 and has eight consecutive victories in the organization.
even though Cyryl Gane being the most likely name to fight for the title — as he occupies the first place in the ranking and comes from two victories —, Malhadinho continues working behind the scenes to position himself as the British fighter's main challenger.
How does the UFC ranking work?
The UFC's official rankings are updated weekly and prepared by a panel of specialized journalists. They vote based on criteria such as recent performance, quality of opponents and relevance of fights. Each category has its own ranking, in addition to a “pound-for-pound” list of the organization's best fighters, regardless of division. Significant changes, such as important victories, losses and even retirements — such as that of Jon Jones — can directly impact athletes’ positions.
See what the heavyweight rankings looked like after Jon Jones' retirement:
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