Ferguson enters pound-for-pound rankings after UFC 216

T. Ferguson made history at UFC 216 (Photo: Reproduction Twitter ufc_brasil)

The performance against Kevin Lee at UFC 216 last Saturday (16) did not yield Tony Ferguson just the interim lightweight title. The American also made his debut in the organization's weight-for-pound rankings, which evaluate fighters regardless of their category. New provisional champion at 70 kg., “El Cucuy” debuted on the new list in 13th place, surpassing two champions – the owner of the interim middleweight belt Robert whittaker (now 15th) and the bantamweight champion Amanda nunes (14ª).

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But that wasn't the only change made to the weight-for-pound rankings. José Aldo, former featherweight champion, lost one place and is now 10th, while his tormentor, Max Holloway, is third, having gained a position. The changes were mainly due to the departure of Jon Jones scoring and replacement of Daniel Cormier as light heavyweight champion.

In the rankings by category, few changes. Former number one on the lightweight list, Khabib Nurmagomedov he gave way to Ferguson, who reached the top, leaving the Russian in second. In the same division, Edson Barboza, even without fighting, he gained a place and is third – former champion Eddie Alvarez swapped positions with the Brazilian and is in fourth.

In the flyweight division, John Moraga's knockout victory over Magomed Bibulatov, also at UFC 216, earned the North American entry into the top-10 at 57 kg. Moraga is now 10th in the category ranking, pushing former challenger Tim Elliott to 11th. Even though he lost, Bibulatov gained a position, going from 15th to 14th. Alexandre pantoja also moved up a step and is 12th, while Louis Smolka is 13th and Ulka Sasaki, previously unranked, debuts in 15th place.