UFC Rankings: Arman Tsarukyan Jumps Over Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira; Alex Pereira Gets Ex-Opponent as #1 Contender; Max Holloway and Aljamain Sterling Debut in New Divisions

With yet another UFC event wrapped up, the rankings have been shaken up once again. UFC 300 made for some of the most memorable moments, and four victors from that night, Aljamain Sterling, Arman Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, and Jiri Prochazka, have made some significant jumps in the rankings in the newly updated list.

Despite the negativity fans had for the main event of UFC 300, the pay-per-view turned out to be a grand success. The card was stacked with some of the best fighters the promotion has to offer, from the early prelims to the main card. Now, let’s see how the rankings shaped up after last weekend’s historic event.

Max Holloway debuts in lightweight rankings as Arman Tsarukyan edges past former champions

UFC 300 was most memorable because of the fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. They lived up to their status as two of the most exciting fighters, as the fight ended with a vicious knockout in the very last second of the final round. Moreover, ‘Blessed’ emerged as the winner despite the fans and even Joe Rogan expressing their concern for his lightweight move weeks before the event. Hence, the win over Gaethje helped Holloway break into the top 10 in the lightweight rankings and he has been placed in the 9th spot.

On the other hand, Arman Tsarukyan also has a piece of good news. The Georgian-born Armenian star shocked the world after earning a split-decision win over former champion and UFC veteran Charles Oliveira. It was not only Tsarukyan’s biggest career win, but it also helped him jump ahead of former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and his UFC 300 opponent, ‘Do Bronxs’ to claim the 1st spot. ‘Ahalkalakets’ is now officially the number one contender for Islam Makhachev‘s title. Now, let us take a look at the changes in other divisions as well.

Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling made moves in the rankings list, too

‘The Czech Samurai’ made a rather underwhelming return at UFC 295. He lost the chance to regain his light heavyweight title, which he never lost, after getting knocked out by Alex Pereira.

Nevertheless, Jiri Prochazka has a champion mentality, and he showcased that during the fight against Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 300. That win earned the former champion the status of the number-one contender in the 205-pound division.

Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling, who made his featherweight debut, showcased an impressive performance that earned him a unanimous decision victory against Calvin Kattar. As a result of that win, ‘Funk Master’ debuted in the featherweight rankings, entered the top 10, and now sits in the eighth spot as Diego Lopes made his debut in the rankings as well.

2024 is shaping up to be a great year for the UFC. All the pay-per-views this year have been a treat for the fans and after Dana White announced a few more exciting fights coming up, including Conor McGregor‘s impending return, we can safely assume that more changes in the rankings will take place.

What do you make of the changes in rankings? Drop your comments below.