UFC Rankings Update: Tatsuro Taira Rises, Khamzat Chimaev Falls

Tatsuro Taira breathes life into the UFC flyweight division.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The latest update to the UFC rankings is here.

Following a mildly eventful weekend at the APEX arena last Saturday, there have been some major changes to the UFC flyweight rankings, and a small change to the middleweight rankings.

Tatsuro Taira Enters Top-5 With Huge Rank Jump

Following his second round injury TKO victory over Alex Perez, Tatsuro Taira has jumped eight spots in the flyweight rankings to No. 5. With this update, Taira leapfrogged some big names, including Alex Perez, Muhammad Mokaev, Manel Kape, Steve Erceg, and Matheus Nicolau.

UFC Results: Tatsuro Taira Wins Main Event after Alex Perez Suffers Injury

No. 7 Perez and No. 10 Nicolau took the biggest hits, dropping two spots each. Tagir Ulanbekov also slipped one spot to No. 13, adding insult to injury with his weight miss withdrawal.

Taira's new ranking puts him in direct title contention. Eligible opponents for Taira include Alexandre Pantoja, Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, Amir Albazi, and Kai Kara-France. Another potential fight is newcomer Kai Asakura, who recently vacated his RIZIN bantamweight championship to join the UFC. He is expected to fight a top-five opponent right off the bat.

Khamzat Chimaev Falls in Middleweight Rankings

In light of his UFC Saudi Arabia withdrawal, Khamzat Chimaev has slipped one spot in the middleweight ranks. No. 11 Chimaev now sits below Roman Dolidze, whereas he had a chance to fight Robert Whittaker for a top-three placement.

‘Violently Ill’ Khamzat Chimaev off UFC Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker's New Foe

Despite Chimaev's history with fight cancellations, this one looks truly out of his control. UFC CEO Dana White revealed Chimaev was 'violently ill' in an announcement on X, and Chimaev's manager revealed he had been in and out of hospital throughout fight camp.

Wishing 'Borz' a speedy recovery.

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