UFC rankings report after UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2
UFC 268 was one of the best pay-per-view cards of 2021. It featured a host of outstanding finishes, two incredibly close title bouts and a clear Fight of the Year contender.
However, despite all the impressive performances at UFC 268, it has not resulted in a huge amount of movement in the rankings for either the winners or the losers.
In fact, the only fighters on the main card that have had their rankings altered were Frankie Edgar and Marlon Vera. This, in part, is down to the fact that the event's headline fight victor Kamaru Usman is already champion of the 170-pound division division and tops the men's pound-for-pound ladder.
Rose Namajunas, who featured in the co-main event, also retained her title. She currently sits at No.3 in the women's pound-for-pound rankings, behind only flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and two-division queen Amanda Nunes.
The notable movements in the divisional rankings following UFC 268
The third fight on the main card featured the aforementioned Frankie Edgar and Marlon Vera. It was 'Chito' who came out on top. The Ecuadorian knocked Edgar out with a highlight-reel front kick.
With the win, Vera has climbed two places in the bantamweight division to No.11, whilst 'The Answer' has fallen four places to No.12.
The knock-on effect from Edgar falling four places has seen Pedro Munhoz, Marlon Moraes and Dominick Cruz all climb one place. Raphael Assuncao, meanwhile, has dropped to No.13.
There is no movement for any other fighters on the main card, despite the terrific performances put on by Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo.
However, on the prelims, middleweight prospect Nassourdine Imavov picked up the biggest win of his career to date. He recorded a TKO victory over Edmen Shahbazyan in the second round. Formerly unranked, Imavov has now entered the top 15 at No.12.
With his third consecutive defeat, Shahbazyan has dropped to No.15, resulting in Andre Muniz falling out of the rankings entirely.
The movement at 185 pounds has also resulted in Uriah Hall, Brad Tavares and Kevin Holland all climbing the rankings, whilst Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Weidman have fallen back a place.
The other notable change has seen Felice Herrig fall out of the women's strawweight rankings. She's been replaced by Jessica Penne, who is set to compete this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez.