UFC Rankings: Stipe Miocic Slips Further Away From Jon Jones, Charles Oliveira Receives Disappointing News in HW and P4P Update Respectively

With another UFC PPV event successfully wrapped up two weeks ago, the UFC rankings have undergone yet another shuffle. UFC 300 had some of the most historic moments in combat sports history and some fighters won big in Las Vegas. With more action announced for the upcoming months, the UFC rankings saw some significant movement in the latest update.

The topmost names in the heavyweight and the Pound for Pound lists were Jon Jones and  Islam Makhachev respectively. In the previous update, Aljamain Sterling, Arman Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, and Jiri Prochazka all made jumps in their rankings, with Sterling and Holloway entering new divisions. If the last update saw fighters moving up, this one saw some big names dropping down. Let’s take a closer look.

Charles Oliveira sees a fall in ranking while Adesanya and Aspinall see a rise 

The P4P list and the heavyweight rankings saw some movements around Charles Oliveira and Stipe Miocic. Since his UFC 300 loss to the then-4th-ranked Arman Tsarukyan, Oliveira has moved to #2 in the 155 lbs rankings, and now to the #13 spot in the P4P list.

This bout also had title implications for the winner. The former no.1 Oliveira came into the fight to earn a shot at Makhachev, but he lost to the Georgian-born Armenian star in a split decision.

This helped Tsarukyan jump ahead of former interim lightweight champs Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and ‘Do Bronx’ to the #1 spot in the divisional rankings. He is waiting to fight the winner of the UFC 302 bout between Makhachev and Poirier.

As Oliveira fell to the #13 spot, Tom Aspinall and Israel Adesanya moved up one spot each. ‘Stylebender’ is now at Oliveira’s former #11 spot and Aspinall is at #12. Both these superstars are expected to compete in the coming months – Aspinall at UFC 304 in Manchester and Adesanya (tentatively) at UFC 305 in Perth. With the P4P updates done, let’s take a look at the rankings of the heavyweight division.

Inactivity costing Stipe Miočić his spot at heavyweight

Curtis Blaydes last won against Jailton Almeida at UFC 299. But the latest update secured a rise in the rankings for the heavyweight, who currently stands at number 4. Meanwhile, Stipe Miocic, who has not fought since 2021, fell to the #5 spot.

Miocic’s fight with Jon Jones for UFC 295 was canceled, delaying his return (and potentially his retirement). Jon Jones had to pull out from the fight at UFC 295 because of a pectoral muscle injury. The bout will likely be rescheduled for later this year once Jones is in the clear.

Meanwhile, Dana White appeared in an interview with TNT Sports before UFC 300 and cleared the air on the heavyweight clash between Jones and Miocic. He said that nothing could change his mind and scrap the fight altogether, but the date of the fight is yet to be announced. Thereafter, Aspinall might get a chance to fight the Jones vs. Miocic winner for the undisputed belt.

Makhachev will defend his title in a month, and Jones, probably later this year. Do you think the rankings will see a change by the end of the year? Will these two still be champions? And who will be P4P #1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.