Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Alex Pereira wasted no time in announcing himself as a major force in his new weight division.

On Saturday in Salt Lake City, in the co-main event of UFC 291, the former middleweight champ made a successful light heavyweight debut. In capturing a narrow split decision over Jan Blachowicz, “Poatan” made his case to fight for the belt vacated earlier this month by the injured Jamahal Hill. He also enters the Sherdog poll in his new weight class at fifth.

In the UFC 291 headliner, Justin Gaethje leveled Dustin Poirier with a second-round head kick, avenging a loss in their first meeting in 2018 and confirming his status as a top 155-pound contender in the UFC. The sensational knockout propels “The Highlight” from fifth to third in our latest poll, while previous No. 3 Poirier falls to fourth. Michael Chiesa’s one-sided loss to Kevin Holland earlier on the card was Chiesa’s third lopsided defeat in a row, and hE falls from No. 13 all the way off the welterweight poll, while Holland debuts in that same position. Thirteenth-ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis held onto that spot and snapped a three-fight losing streak of his own, demolishing Marcos Rogerio de Lima in just 33 seconds in their prelim clash.

Halfway around the world from Utah, in Saitama, Japan, the co-promotional one-two punch of Bellator x Rizin 2 and Super Rizin 2 featured Seika Izawa throttling Claire Lopez in just 64 seconds to defend her Rizin super atomweight title. Izawa’s stranglehold on the division is becoming just as tight, and she remains in her No. 1 spot.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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