UFC Rankings: Caio Borralho Soars High, Champs Trade Places Pound for Pound

Check out the latest UFC update which saw Tom Aspinall, Dricus du Plessis rise through the ranks.

Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

There was much movement in the latest UFC rankings update.

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Some contenders fell as others soared in the aftermath of UFC Vegas 96 over the weekend. Middleweights met in the main event as No. 12 Caio Borralho took on the #5-ranked Jared Cannonier, nearly stopping the former title challenger with strikes over 25 minutes.

Borralho's Breakthrough

Cannonier's durability and recovery time saw him survive an offensive onslaught but lose a unanimous decision to the rising contender Borralho, who's still unbeaten in the UFC at 7-0.

In what is the Brazilian's biggest win to date, Borralho broke through to the top of the middleweight rankings at #5 in the world, behind the likes of Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Nassourdine Imavov and of course, the champion he so desires to fight: Dricus du Plessis.

Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Back-to-back wins turned into back-to-back losses for Cannonier, as the perennial top-5 contender dropped to #7 in the rankings for the first time in a long time.

Welterweights, Say Hello To Michael Morales

At the weight class below, there's a new player in the UFC Welterweight division, and his name is Michael Morales. On Saturday, Morales went up against UFC veteran Neil Magny, a real test for up-and-comers at 170 lbs. But Morales passed the test with flying colors, as the 25-year-old from Ecuador finished Magny with punches in the very first round.

That 17-0 feeling 🕷️#UFCVegas96 pic.twitter.com/K5P7afgox2

— UFC (@ufc) August 25, 2024

Formerly unranked, Morales finds his name among the elite at No. 12, above Michael "Venom" Page and below Joaquin Buckley. Meanwhile, Magny falls to the final spot at #15, casting out Kevin Holland, who's been fighting at middleweight as of late.

More Changes In The Rankings

Welcome to the top 10, Tabatha Ricci. It's two wins in a row for "Baby Shark" as Ricci moves up in the strawweight rankings with a scrappy unanimous decision verdict over Angela Hill. The fighters traded spots in the rankings, with Ricci taking No. 9 and Hill a new ranking at No. 11.

There were a few changes here and there in the other categories, with one rankings panellist leaving, which left a new look on the men's pound-for-pound rankings (h/t: John Morgan). Having beaten Israel Adesanya earlier this month, UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis surpassed Belal Muhammad for the No. 5 spot. Muhammad is currently tied with Sean O'Malley at No. 6.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall would get more respect put on his name, going from No. 10 to No. 8, jumping over former champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

Unexpected shuffling in official #UFC pound-for-pound rankings, with Tom @AspinallMMA biggest beneficiary, moving up to No. 8.

Note from administrators: This cycle we had a panelist withdraw from our rankings panel which accounts for small movements in a lot of divisions. pic.twitter.com/Koig9U07gO

— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) August 27, 2024

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