UFC Rankings: Sean O’Malley Plummets, New Champs Scale P4P List

A two-time UFC champion scales the P4P list again.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Sean O'Malley's stock took a hit on Tuesday.

Sean O’Malley Drops Timeline for UFC Return after Losing Title

Just a few days ago, O'Malley was the UFC Bantamweight Champion, ranked the #6 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. But, that's no longer the case after a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 and one rankings update later.

Noche UFC took place with a total of ten bouts at the Sphere, most of which were fights between unranked prospects but the top-heavy card still saw some movement in the official rankings with some fighters trickling down and others rising up.

Stock going up 📈

What's next for Esteban Ribovics after he delivered a truly epic win at #UFC306?

[ @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC ] pic.twitter.com/x0UCP7TZgj

— UFC (@ufc) September 15, 2024

"Bullet" Right Back Where She Belongs

The co-main event featured a trilogy for the women's flyweight title as Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko went to war for a third time following two closely-contested fights. Shevchenko finally got a win over her Mexican rival along with her title back, leaving no doubt she was the better fighter with three 50-45 scorecards across the board to win by unanimous decision.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Shevchenko once stood as the women's #1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and that's where she stands again today with the #3-ranked "Bullet" surpassing both Grasso and current strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

More PFP Rankings: O'Malley Falls To #13, Dvalishvili Debuts At #7

The men's pound-for-pound rankings also saw a shift with former champion Aljamain Sterling leaving the top 15 with his friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili coming in hot at #7 in the world. From his spot at #6, "Suga" is sent all the way to #13 pound-for-pound for his first loss in four years, ranked above fellow former champions in Sean Strickland and Charles Oliveira.

Additionally, neighboring champs Belal Muhammad and Dricus du Plessis traded places with "Remember The Name" moving up to #5 and DDP to #6.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Both Alexa Grasso and Sean O'Malley have been demoted to #1 contender in their respective divisions with their title reign ended.

Welcome To The Top 5

Soaring through the rankings is Grasso's teammate, Diego Lopes, who picked up the biggest win of his career over Brian Ortega this weekend. The streaking Lopes would piece up the former title challenger round by round, winning a unanimous decision and a place in the top 5 of the division.

Lopes took Ortega's ranking at #3 in the world with Ortega falling down to #5. Rankings-wise, only the former champs Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski stand in Lopes' way for title contention against the reigning Ilia Topuria.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The women's bantamweight division also saw a new contender emerge as Brazil's Norma Dumont bloodied and battered one-time title challenger Irene Aldana across three rounds, creating one of the biggest cuts in UFC history on the face of Aldana.

Dumont's dominant decision win, her fifth in a row, brings her up to #5 at women's 135. The Mexican Aldana moves to #6.

Merab Dvalishvili Explains Odd "Kisses" in Sean O'Malley Fight

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