UFC Rankings Update: Du Plessis Dominates Usman in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City delivered a clear result on Saturday. Dricus du Plessis met Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Paycom Center, and the former middleweight champion left nothing in doubt. Du Plessis controlled the fight from the first minute, leaned on his question-mark kick all night, and walked away with a unanimous decision that wasn't close. Five rounds, three judges, all pointing the same direction.
Usman entered with a stated goal of proving he belonged at the top of the middleweight division. He couldn't solve du Plessis's switch-hitting and couldn't get his wrestling to work consistently enough to change the fight's direction. The decision snaps a two-fight win streak for Usman and reinforces du Plessis as a credible next contender for the title Sean Strickland now holds.
This is the event that drives Tuesday's rankings update.
Biggest Movers
| Fighter | Division | Old Rank | New Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raquel Pennington | W. Bantamweight | 15 | 2 | +13 |
| Loopy Godinez | W. Strawweight | 12 | 6 | +6 |
| Luana Santos | W. Bantamweight | 3 | 9 | -6 |
| Mizuki Inoue | W. Strawweight | 9 | 15 | -6 |
| Irene Aldana | W. Bantamweight | 12 | 7 | +5 |
| Macy Chiasson | W. Bantamweight | 13 | 8 | +5 |
| Yaroslav Amosov | Welterweight | 15 | 11 | +4 |
| Joe Pyfer | Middleweight | 4 | 7 | -3 |
Middleweight: Du Plessis Back in the Title Queue
Christian Leroy Duncan picked up one spot in the middleweight rankings after beating Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision in the co-main event. Duncan goes from 13 to 12. Cannonier moves up one position as the bottom of the division recalibrates around the fighters who performed on Saturday.
Joe Pyfer falls from 4 to 7, a three-spot drop that has nothing to do with a recent loss. The middleweight division around him has been active. Du Plessis winning a dominant five-rounder, Duncan earning consecutive quality wins — fighters move up and Pyfer gets pushed down without throwing a punch. It is how rankings behave in a division this busy.
Du Plessis does not appear among this week's movers. He was already positioned near the top of the division. With Strickland holding the belt, the conversation about who fights next now likely starts with du Plessis, and Saturday made that case as clearly as a non-title fight can.
Women's Bantamweight: Pennington's Thirteen-Spot Jump
The biggest single movement in any division this week: Raquel Pennington goes from 15 to 2 in the women's bantamweight rankings. Thirteen spots in one update. Pennington has competed at the highest level of this division for years, including a run to a title challenge. Her recent results put her back in contender territory, and this placement confirms it.
Julianna Pena moves from 5 to 1, landing directly ahead of the division's next title opportunity. Luana Santos drops from 3 to 9, and Michelle Montague falls from 8 to 14. Irene Aldana climbs five spots to 7, and Macy Chiasson climbs five to 8.
The women's bantamweight top ten has been significantly rearranged. Fighters who had been in the lower half of the rankings are now clustered in the top eight alongside established title challengers.
Light Heavyweight: Ankalaev Takes Number One
Alex Pereira drops from 1 to 3 in light heavyweight. Magomed Ankalaev moves to the top spot from 2, and Jiri Prochazka rises from 3 to 2. Ankalaev is fighting Bogdan Guskov next Saturday, and this ranking movement signals the committee's view of his standing at the top of the division.
Dominick Reyes falls from 7 to 11. The light heavyweight contender pool is compressed at the top and the middle is thinning.
Strawweight and Other Divisions
Fatima Kline earns a direct ranking result from Saturday's card. She beat Tabatha Ricci by decision at UFC Oklahoma City and moves from 14 to 11 in women's strawweight. Three spots up on the back of a main-card performance.
Loopy Godinez gains six spots in women's strawweight — from 12 to 6. Mizuki Inoue drops from 9 to 15 in the same division.
At lightweight, Mauricio Ruffy rises from 10 to 7 and Dan Hooker moves from 12 to 9. Renato Moicano drops from 7 to 10 as the top ten compresses.
Yaroslav Amosov moves from 15 to 11 in welterweight. Ian Machado Garry rises to number one from 2, with Carlos Prates dropping one to 2.
Chase Hooper submitted Mitch Ramirez in the first round in Oklahoma City. His position in the lightweight rankings was already settled enough that a clean win over his opponent did not shift his placement this cycle.