UFC Rankings: Brian Ortega Makes Inroads to Ilia Topuria’s Title; Brandon Royval Shakes Up 125 Lbs Top 5

UFC Mexico City was a banger! The main and co-main fights of the night seem to have changed the fate of both the featherweight and flyweight divisions. Brian Ortega’s spectacular submission victory over Yair Rodriguez and Brendon Royval’s decision win over Brandon Moreno were the highlights of the night.  Undoubtedly, these wins will have repercussions on their rankings.

Brian Ortega has successfully avenged his previous defeat against Yair Rodriguez at UFC Mexic͏o City. In their last encounter, ‘T-City’ suffered a ͏severe injury, keeping him out of the octagon for two years. However, Ortega has now redeemed ͏himself with a third-round victory, securing a triangle armbar submis͏sion over ‘El Pantera.’ ‘T-City’ initially struggled to control Rodriguez but as time went by Ortega found an opening for a submission.

Likewise, Brandon Royval also took his revenge against Brandon Moreno on the same night. Their fight was a toe-to-toe matchup but at the end of the day, it was Royval who got the last laugh. Interestingly, both Ortega and Royval secured victories against opponents they had previously lost to at some point in their careers.

Now that Royval and Ortega have clinched their hard-won victories, where do they stand at the ranking table? Are there any changes in the contender list? Let’s find out.

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What are Brian Ortega and Brandon Royval’s new rankings?

After his victory against Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega has jumped to the 3rd position in the UFC’s featherweight rankings, just after Max Holloway, who is at #2, and Alexander Volkanovski, who is at #1. In contrast to Ortega’s moving to the list, Yair Rodriguez’s ranking has dipped further to #4th. ‘Great’ is still the number #1 contender for the featherweight gold but Ortega is right behind him to claim it as well.

Moving on to the flyweight division, things are a bit peculiar on that side. Brandon Royval is now the number #1 contender for the flyweight title. ‘RawDog’ jumped two ranks to solidify his status at the 1st position. Moreno’s ranking on the other hand dipped to #2, while Amir Albazi slid to No. 3.

Following their victories, the possibility of title fights for both Ortega and Royval has increased tremendously. The featherweight champ, Ilia Topuria, and the flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja must be waiting for them to make a move. Do you think Ortega and Royval have what it takes to be a champion? Tell us about your opinion in the comments below.

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