Post-UFC 299 rankings update: Sean O'Malley rises in P4P list, Michael 'Venom' Page enters 170 pounds, and other developments
Following last weekend's thrilling UFC 299 pay-per-view event, the promotion's official rankings underwent some significant changes. The event was highlighted by Sean O'Malley, who had redeemed his previous loss against Marlon Vera via a unanimous decision and retained the UFC bantamweight championship.
Elsewhere on the card, Dustin Poirier defeated Benoit Saint Denis via second-round knockout, and Michael 'Venom' Page outpointed Kevin Holland on his promotional debut. Jack Della Maddalena also beat Gilbert Burns via third-round TKO, and Petr Yan got back in the win column by outpointing Song Yadong over three rounds.
Per the latest rankings update, O'Malley moved up two places on the men's pound-for-pound list and now occupies the No.6 spot. Interestingly, Poirier stayed at No.3 in the lightweight rankings while Saint Denis moved up one spot to No.11 despite the loss. Mateusz Gamrot moved up to No.5 in the 155-pound list.
In the welterweight rankings, Della Maddalena moved up six spots to the No.5 position while 'MVP' debuted at No.13 to replace Holland, who went down to No.14. In the bantamweight list, Kyler Philips landed at No.12 while Pedro Munhoz fell to No.15. Yan and Yadong stayed put at No.4 and No.7, respectively.
Mercurial women's flyweight contender Maycee Barber notably debuted on the women's pound-for-pound list at No.15 after beating Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299. She also moved up two places in the flyweight rankings and now occupies the No.4 spot. Meanwhile, Cerminara dropped two places to the No.6 spot.
Dustin Poirier opens up about conversation with Dana White after UFC 299 victory
Dustin Poirier recently opened up about the conversation he had with Dana White after beating Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 last weekend. As mentioned above, 'The Diamond' secured an incredible second-round knockout over his opponent despite coming under pressure in the opening screen.
In the aftermath, Poirier was seen conversing with White, who was seated next to former POTUS Donald Trump. While many thought the Louisiana native was talking to Trump, he recently clarified that he was talking to White. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, he said:
''It looked like I was talking to [Donald] Trump. I was talking to Dana [White]... I said, 'Hey, you want me to fight these young motherf***ers, huh? This is what happens.' That's what I told him."