UFC Rankings - October 28th, 2013
With one kick, “The Dragon” changed the landscape of the 185-pound weight class.
Saturday in Manchester, England, Lyoto Machida announced himself as a threat in the UFC middleweight division, knocking out Mark Munoz with a blistering headkick late in the opening round of their main event match-up. Monday, Machida’s dominant performance was recognized in the media-generated UFC Fighter Rankings, as the 35-year-old Brazilian debuted at No. 5 in the division. As a result of his loss, Munoz slipped two positions, falling to No. 7.
Machida, who also holds down the No. 10 position in the light heavyweight rankings, appears to have found new life with his move to middleweight. After posting a 4-4 record over his last eight fights in the 205-pound weight class, Saturday’s victory over Munoz was equal parts “Vintage Machida” and “Machida 2.0.”
As always, the former light heavyweight champion was economical with his offense and frustrating to fight against, throwing just 10 strikes in a little over three minutes while avoiding the three strikes and one half-hearted takedown attempt offered by Munoz. What was different, however, was that Machida appeared more willing to initiate, coming forward and putting his friend and training partner on the defensive, looking to create his own openings, as opposed to employing his traditional counter-striking style.
And it couldn’t have gone any better.
Shifting weight classes is something many fans and pundits have believed Machida was capable of doing for some time, but his previous success in the light heavyweight division gave him no reason to relocate, much like one-time lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
But just like “The Answer,” Machida hit a rough patch in the 205-pound ranks and appeared to be on the outside looking in when it came to title contention, having already lost to reigning champion Jon Jones, so he opted to make the move down in weight.
While many fighters sacrifice speed or strength in shifting divisions, Machida showed Saturday against Munoz that the elements that made him a perennial contender in the light heavyweight division have accompanied him to middleweight, making him an immediate threat in his new division.
UFC FIGHTER RANKINGS (October 28, 2013)
Pound-for-Pound
1 Jon Jones
2 Georges St-Pierre
3 Jose Aldo
4 Anderson Silva
5 Cain Velasquez
6 Renan Barao
7 Demetrious Johnson
8 Anthony Pettis
9 Chris Weidman
10 Benson Henderson
Flyweight
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 John Dodson
3 Ian McCall
4 John Moraga
5 John Lineker
6 Jussier Formiga
7 Timothy Elliott
8 Chris Cariaso
9 Louis Gaudinot
10 Darren Uyenoyama
Bantamweight
Champion: Dominick Cruz
1 Renan Barao (Interim Champion)
2 Urijah Faber
3 Michael McDonald
4 Raphael Assuncao
5 Eddie Wineland
6 Brad Pickett
7 Scott Jorgensen
8 TJ Dillashaw
9 Mike Easton
10 Takeya Mizugaki
Featherweight
Champion: Jose Aldo
1 Chad Mendes
2 Ricardo Lamas
3 Frankie Edgar
4 Cub Swanson
5 Chan Sung Jung
6 Dustin Poirier
7 Dennis Siver
8 Nik Lentz
9 Clay Guida
10 Erik Koch
Lightweight
Champion: Anthony Pettis
1 Benson Henderson
2 Gilbert Melendez
3 TJ Grant
4 Josh Thomson
5 Gray Maynard
6 Rafael dos Anjos
7 Khabib Nurmagomedov
8 Nate Diaz
9 Jim Miller
10 Donald Cerrone
Welterweight
Champion: Georges St-Pierre
1 Johny Hendricks
2 Carlos Condit
3 Rory MacDonald
4 Jake Ellenberger
5 Demian Maia
6 Nick Diaz
7 Martin Kampmann
8 Jake Shields
9 Matt Brown
10 Robbie Lawler
Middleweight
Champion: Chris Weidman
1 Anderson Silva
2 Vitor Belfort
3 Ronaldo Souza
4 Michael Bisping
5 Lyoto Machida (NR)
6 Luke Rockhold
7 Mark Munoz (-2)
8 Francis Carmont (-1)
9 Costa Philippou (-1)
10 Chael Sonnen
Light Heavyweight
Champion: Jon Jones
1 Alexander Gustafsson
2 Glover Teixeira
3 Phil Davis
4 Rashad Evans
5 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
6 Dan Henderson (+1)
7 Chael Sonnen (+1)
8 Gegard Mousasi (+1)
9 Mauricio Rua (+1)
10 Lyoto Machida (-4)
Heavyweight
Champion: Cain Velasquez
1 Junior Dos Santos
2 Daniel Cormier
3 Fabricio Werdum
4 Antonio Silva
5 Travis Browne
6 Josh Barnett
7 Alistair Overeem
8 Frank Mir
9 Stipe Miocic
10 Roy Nelson
Women's Bantamweight
Champion: Ronda Rousey
1 Cat Zingano
2 Miesha Tate
3 Sara McMann
4 Liz Carmouche
5 Sarah Kaufman
6 Alexis Davis
7 Jessica Eye
8 Amanda Nunes
9 Germaine de Randamie
10 Jessica Andrade (NR)
