Makhachev: New Welterweight King, Explosive Rise in UFC and Ranking Changes

alofoke
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Attention mixed martial arts fanatics! Alofoke Deportes brings you the latest updates on the ESPN divisional ranking. Islam Makhachev, after an impressive performance, has climbed to the top in a new weight category.

Makhachev: New Champion and Undisputed Leader

Islam Makhachev, already positioned at number one in lightweight, has made a giant leap. After his victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, Makhachev is crowned welterweight champion. This triumph not only gives him a new belt, but also places him at the top of a division 15 pounds heavier. The rise of Makhachev is just one part of the significant changes that UFC 322 brought about in the welterweight category. The knockout victories of Michael Morales and Carlos Prates boosted their position in the top 10. Regarding lightweight, Makhachev’s move to 170 pounds allowed several competitors to advance in the 155-pound rankings. Ilia Topuria, now the UFC champion, leads the division. Beneil Dariush’s KO loss to Benoît Saint Denis at UFC 322 also generated changes, with Saint Denis and Renato Moicano entering the rankings. In the women’s ranking, Zhang Weili, after losing to Valentina Shevchenko in her attempt for the flyweight title, has not yet defined in which division she will compete. For the moment, she remains in the strawweight ranking at number 1. Here are the ESPN rankings and the list of current UFC champions.
Tom Aspinall's first heavyweight title defense ended in a no contest at UFC 321.
HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 265 pounds)
  • Tom Aspinall
  • Ciryl Gane
  • Curtis Blaydes
  • Alexander Volkov
  • Sergei Pavlovich
  • Jailton Almeida
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta
  • Renan Ferreira
  • Serghei Spivac
  • Derrick Lewis
Alex Pereira knocked out Magomed Ankalaev with a vengeance at UFC 320 to regain the light heavyweight title.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 205 pounds)
  • Alex Pereira
  • Magomed Ankalaev
  • Jiří Procházka
  • Carlos Ulberg
  • Khalil Rountree Jr.
  • Azamat Murzakanov
  • Dominick Reyes
  • Aleksandar Rakić
  • Jamahal Hill
  • Corey Anderson
Khamzat Chimaev is right where he long was expected to be: at the top of the UFC middleweight division.
MIDDLEWEIGHT (up to 185 pounds)
  • Khamzat Chimaev
  • Dricus du Plessis
  • Nassourdine Imavov
  • Sean Strickland
  • Israel Adesanya
  • Anthony Hernandez
  • Caio Borralho
  • Brendan Allen
  • Reinier de Ridder
  • Robert Whittaker
Islam Makhachev vacated the lightweight title months ago, but winning the welterweight belt at UFC 322 made him a two-division champion.
WELTERWEIGHT (up to 170 pounds)
  • Islam Makhachev
  • Jack Della Maddalena
  • Belal Muhammad
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Ian Machado Garry
  • Michael Morales
  • Kamaru Usman
  • Sean Brady
  • Carlos Prates
  • Joaquin Buckley
Ilia Topuria had vacated the featherweight title before UFC 317, but winning the lightweight belt provided a glorious photo op.
LIGHTWEIGHT (up to 155 pounds)
  • Ilia Topuria
  • Charles Oliveira
  • Max Holloway
  • Justin Gaethje
  • Usman Nurmagomedov
  • Paddy Pimblett
  • Mateusz Gamrot
  • Rafael Fiziev
  • Benoît Saint Denis
  • Renato Moicano
Alexander Volkanovski recaptured the featherweight belt by beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314.
FEATHERWEIGHT (up to 145 pounds)
  • Alexander Volkanovski
  • Movsar Evloev
  • Diego Lopes
  • Yair Rodriguez
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