Several weight classes see new contenders rising after the latest
weekend of mixed martial arts action.

We might not have heard the last from Cris
Cyborg just yet. The current
Professional Fighters League 145-pound queen scored her most
recent victory after outpointing Ketlen
Vieira in the PFL Tampa main event. A former
Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator
MMA titleholder, among many other accomplishments, Justino
first outstruck her foe on the feet, then had to weather the storm
and move the action to the canvas as Vieira took over in later
rounds. Ultimately, it was enough to secure a unanimous decision
and the 10th straight victory for “Cyborg.” Justino comfortably
holds her No. 1 spot at women’s featherweight. As for Vieira, who
missed the featherweight limit by seven pounds, it might be time to
go back to the 135-pound division, provided she can still make the
cut.

Earlier on the PFL Tampa card, unranked prospect Sabrinna
de Sousa outworked No. 7 Taila
Santos. Thanks to her higher volume and precision, De Sousa
took home a unanimous decision over the former UFC title challenger
in their women’s flyweight affair. The win was impressive and
catapulted the KHK MMA representative straight to the No. 10
position, with Santos dropping down to No. 11.Gregory Rodrigues reaches No. 5 while Reinier de Ridder enters
the light heavyweight Top 15

Middleweight’s Gregory
Rodrigues (20-6, 11-3 UFC) showcased some punishing leg kicks
to outpoint fellow former
Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Hernandez (15-4, 1 NC; 9-4
UFC) in the
UFC Sacramento headliner. Rodrigues did what it took to
outsmart Hernandez and kept his composure when “Fluffy” retaliated
in Rounds 3 and 4. Thanks to his decisive win, Rodrigues gains the
No. 5 spot in the 185-pound division while Hernandez slides only
one spot to No. 6, cushioned by his recent head-to-head victories
over fellow ranked middleweights.

At heavyweight, we welcome Vitor
Petrino into the Top 15 of the division following his victory
over Serghei
Spivac in the UFC Sacramento co-main event. It wasn’t the most
exciting fight on Petrino’s résumé, but he proved his grappling
skills were superior to those of his opponent. Eventually, he took
home three 30-27 scorecards from the judges and a unanimous
decision win. The Brazilian moves in at No. 12, while Spivac drops
to No. 14, with Jailton
Almeida sliding to No. 13.

The light heavyweight division just got a new ranked fighter in
former two-division One Championship titleholder Reinier
de Ridder. “The Dutch Knight” relied on his most lethal weapon,
his ground game, to ragdoll Roman
Dolidze in the opening frame at UFC Sacramento. The performance
was impressive enough to secure him the No. 15 spot over Nikita
Krylov. At the same time, de Ridder vacates his middleweight
ranking since he appears committed to the new weight class.

It’s time for some movement in the featherweight division as well.
Former UFC interim 145-pound titleholder Yair
Rodriguez exits the rankings at No. 8 due to inactivity. He was
already out of the established 15-month window, but the panelists
had kept some flexibility because he was attached to a fight with
Jean
Silva at
Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12. Once healed, he will be more than
welcome to rejoin the short-list club. Everyone else in the
division moves up a spot as we welcome A.J. McKee at
No. 15.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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