Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Heavyweight
Kazbek Saidaliev #45 (96)
After receiving credit for his victory over UFC veteran Goran Reljic at Akhmat MMA 23, Saidaliev moved up 96 spots in the heavyweight rankings. The Russian fighter now holds a 7-1 record with three knockouts.
Light Heavyweight
Magomed Ankalayev #87 (44)
Ankalayev improved his record to 6-0 with a win over Artur Astakhov at Akhmat MMA 23. In his previous outing, he scored a 15-second finish over M-1 veteran Lloyd Marshbanks.
Middleweight
Zauri Maisuradze #170 (92)
Maisuradze defeated Sadibou Sy at Scandinavian Fight Nights back on June 4. He jumped up 92 spots in the rankings with the victory applied. The Georgian fighter has picked up back-to-back wins since falling to UFC veteran Igor Pokrajac last year.
Welterweight
Roberto Neves #64 (507)
In his last fight, Neves got back on track with a first-round knockout of World Series of Fighting veteran Valdir Araujo. The bout, which took place June 3, was part of Final Fight Championship 24. Neves began his career with six-straight wins. However, he is only 2-2 in his last four contests. Neves’ 507 ranking spot increase is the largest tracked since the start of this feautre.
Lightweight
Jack McGann #326 (192)
On the undercard of Eurasia Fight Nights 50, McGann needed only a little over two minutes to stop Abdula Dadaev. The victory improved the Wolfslair Academy product’s record to 10-2. McGann is set to return to action at BAMMA 26 this fall. The entire EFN 50 event, which features a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabio Maldonado, is available on UFC Fight Pass.
Featherweight
Andrey Lezhnev #295 (74)
Lezhnev avoided a three-fight losing streak with a first-round submission over Mikhail Kuznetsov. The bout was on the undercard of M-1 Challenge 68. The Ukrainian’s record currently stands a 8-6. M-1 Challenge 68, headlined by a rematch between Bellator veterans Alexander Shlemenko and Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, is available on YouTube.
Bantamweight
Amir Albazi #162 (98)
Albazi defeated Rafal Czechowski under the Scandinavian Fight Nights banner. The victory moved him up 98 spots in the rankings. The London Shootfighters representative holds an impressive 8-0 record with all of his victories coming via stoppage.
Flyweight
Ali Bagautinov #12 (10)
After dropping back-to-back fights to UFC champion Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, Bagautinov got back on track at UFC Fight Night 89. In the opening bout of the night, he dominated Geane Herrera for the three-round en route to a one-sided decision. The victory pushed him but up the rankings, but he is still outside the Fight Matrix top ten.The bout can be seen on UFC Fight Pass.
This week there was not any major movement in the strawweight, women’s featherweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s flyweight or women’s atomweight divisions.
Richard Mann currently runs the data-driven MMA blog StrikeScoreMMA.com