With this past week’s slew of main-event bookings, the USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com MMA rankings should see some significant changes in the coming months. UFC champs Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre all have new fall fight dates.
But this week, after a light weekend of MMA action, we just one change to the rankings. With his win over Seth Petruzelli at Bellator 96, Muhammed Lawal maintains his No. 11 ranking. However, with Mamoru Yamaguchi’s third straight defeat, RFA 8 main event winner and new champ Sergio Pettis has taken his honorable mention slot in the flyweight rankings.
The rankings take into account a fighter's wins/losses, quality of competition, finishing rate/dominance and frequency of fights.
Fighters are no longer eligible to be ranked after they've been inactive for 24 months, either due to injuries, drug/conduct suspensions, contract disputes or self-imposed hiatuses.
Fighters serving drug/conduct suspensions are eligible to be ranked, so long as they're not inactive for more than 24 months.
To the best of our ability, fighters will be ranked in their primary weight class. Catchweight fights and bouts outside the fighter's primary weight class can have a positive or negative impact on the ranking. However, fighters can be ranked in only one weight class at a given time, and in most cases, they won't be ranked in a new weight class until they've had their first fight at that weight.