UFC Fight Night 122 landed at the APEX in Las Vegas on October 10, delivering a five-round main event and a stretch of finishes across a packed card. Brendan Allen submitted Christian Leroy Duncan with a rear-naked choke in round five of their middleweight main event, then immediately called out Dricus du Plessis. Combined with the title change that shook the Women's Flyweight division, the rankings board moved across multiple divisions this week.
Women's Flyweight: Silva Is the New Champion
The biggest ranking story of this stretch belongs to the Women's Flyweight division. Natália Silva is now the UFC Women's Flyweight champion after defeating Wang Cong. She had been ranked the #1 contender. The win puts the Brazilian on top of the division and resets the contender order.
Valentina Shevchenko, the former longtime champion, now sits at #1. She remains the most credible next challenger for Silva. Wang Cong drops two spots from #6 to #8 after the title loss. The Chinese contender fought hard but a defeat at this level carries a significant ranking penalty.
Lower in the division, Jasmine Jasudavicius rises to #6 from #7, and Rose Namajunas moves into the top seven at #7 from #8. The upper half of the Women's Flyweight bracket is now clearly defined, with Shevchenko as the standard-bearer among the contenders.
Light Heavyweight: Nine Fighters Move
The 205-pound division saw the most widespread movement this week. Nine ranked fighters shifted following recent results and ranking committee decisions. Carlos Ulberg holds the title. The top four contenders — Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev, Jiří Procházka, and Paulo Costa — remained in place.
Below them, the bracket shifted. Khalil Rountree Jr. enters the top five at #5, up from #6. Navajo Stirling, undefeated at 11-0, follows at #6. Dominick Reyes returns to #7, Reinier de Ridder climbs to #8, and Azamat Murzakanov reaches #9. Alonzo Menifield, Bogdan Guskov, and Robert Whittaker all rise one slot each to #10, #11, and #12 respectively.
The biggest individual jump is Muhammad Said, who moves from #15 to #13, gaining two spots. Said is undefeated at 10-0 and has been building his case with performances that are shifting opinions at 205 pounds.
At the Fight Night event, Julius Walker added his name to the LHW conversation by stopping Gerald Meerschaert by TKO in round two of their preliminary bout. Walker's finish may earn him a ranked slot in the next update cycle.
Middleweight: Allen Makes His Statement
Brendan Allen is ranked #5 in the UFC middleweight division and he made a point on Saturday. He survived a contested five-rounder against Christian Leroy Duncan — who had a point deducted in round two for an eye poke — and came away with the rear-naked choke finish at 2:46 of round five.
Allen called out Dricus du Plessis after the win. Du Plessis sits at #2 in the division and a win over him would put Allen squarely in the title conversation. Sean Strickland holds the middleweight belt. Allen remains at #5 and Duncan at #10 in this update, but Allen's momentum is real and growing.
Edmen Shahbazyan drops one spot to #15 in the middleweight rankings.
Other Changes
In the flyweight division, Amir Albazi moves to #9 from #10 and former champion Brandon Moreno drops to #10. Joshua Van holds the flyweight title with a competitive ranked field below him.
At bantamweight, Petr Yan sits as champion with a full contender pool and no notable ranking movement this week.
Biggest Movers
| Fighter | Division | Old Rank | New Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natália Silva | Women's Flyweight | #1 | Champion | +1 |
| Valentina Shevchenko | Women's Flyweight | Champion | #1 | −1 |
| Muhammad Said | Light Heavyweight | #15 | #13 | +2 |
| Wang Cong | Women's Flyweight | #6 | #8 | −2 |
| Khalil Rountree Jr. | Light Heavyweight | #6 | #5 | +1 |
| Navajo Stirling | Light Heavyweight | #7 | #6 | +1 |
| Jasmine Jasudavicius | Women's Flyweight | #7 | #6 | +1 |
| Rose Namajunas | Women's Flyweight | #8 | #7 | +1 |
UFC Fight Night 122 delivered the kind of performances that keep the rankings moving. Allen's win over Duncan, the LHW reshuffle, and the Women's Flyweight title change all point to a division landscape that is shifting ahead of the year-end schedule.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.