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
Anthony Hamilton #40 (39)
Hamilton had the best striking performance of UFC career and finished Damian Grabowski in only 14 seconds. At #40 he has nearly returned to his Highest Quarterly Ranking which was #35 in 2014.
Light Heavyweight
Leonardo Silva de Oliveira #157 (59)
Oliveira last fought on June 25 when he scored a second-round knockout over Alexandre Nunes Brandao The Brazilian prospect is not 6-0 with five knockouts and one submission.
Middleweight
Trevin Giles #163 (70)
On Last Friday’s Resurrection Fighting Alliance show, Giles made his promotional debut and took home a submission victory over Josh Clark. The victory improved his professional record to 7-0 including four submissions and three knockouts. Giles is scheduled to return at Legacy FC 59 on Sept. 16 against Bellator veteran Isaac Villanueva.
Welterweight
Wendell de Oliveira Marques #215 (184)
Marques jumped up 184 spots in the rankings after receiving credit for his victory over Gilmar Dutra Lima at Imortal FC 5 “Road to Pancrase.” The X-Gym product has been competing professionally since 2006 and has built a 26-10 record. He has gone 2-1 since being released from the UFC in 2015 following losses to Santiago Ponzinibbio and Darren Till.
Lightweight
Ray Cooper III #308 (232)
After beginning his career with a 3-2 record, Cooper has won three-straight fights. In his last outing he scored a knockout over Gabe Rivas. Cooper trains out of the 808 Fight Team with Hawaiian MMA veterans Ronald Jhun and Falaniko Vitale.
Featherweight
Mamadou Gueye #276 (62)
Gueye has picked up back-to-back wins after dropping two fights in a row for the first time in his career. In his last fight, he took home a decision victory over Aleksandr Lunga on a show Ukraine. Gueye holds a 9-3 record and has been fighting professionally since 2013.
Bantamweight
Rodrigo Praia #149 (186)
Praia upset Denis Silva on the undercard of Jungle Fight 89. The Team Nogueira fighter is now 11-2 since making his professional MMA debut in 2011. In 2013, he faced off against TUF Brazil finalist Dileno Lopes but fell via submission in the first round.
Flyweight
Rogerio Bontorin #32 (40)
Bontorin won a four-man one-night tournament at Imortal FC 5, which will send him to Pancrase. On July 23, he defeated Ivonei Pridonik and Cristiano Souza to earn the call up. Bontorin has built a 10-0 record which includes nine victory via submission since turning professional three years ago.
This week there was not any major movement in the strawweight, women’s featherweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight or women’s atomweight divisions.
Richard Mann currently runs the data-driven MMA blog StrikeScoreMMA.com