The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday returns to Madison Square Garden, in New York City for a stacked UFC 244 card. A number of ranked fighters are competing on the main bill, so let’s take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
In the main event, Jorge Masvidal collides with Nate Diaz for the one-off BMF title in a welterweight bout. Masvidal (34-13) is riding a two-fight win streak that saw him come away with emphatic knockouts of Darren Till and Ben Askren this year. As a result, he has shot right back up the rankings. Sherdog rates him as the fourth-best welterweight in the world, ESPN have him at fifth while he is the No. 3 contender in the UFC rankings. A win -- especially a definitive one -- could see “Gamebred” get the next shot at the welterweight title.
Diaz (20-11), meanwhile, will be looking to make it two wins in a row. Following a near-three year layoff, the Stockton, California, native returned to action at UFC 241 in August and outpointed Anthony Pettis. Given his overall inactivity, Diaz is unranked in Sherdog and ESPN’s Top 10. However, his win over Pettis saw himself get inserted in the UFC rankings where he is currently No. 7. Victory on Saturday could see him over take Masvidal up to No. 3 and considering his name value, it’s more than likely that he would get the next title shot.
In the co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum welcomes Darren Till to the middleweight division. Gastelum (15-4, 1NC) is coming off a grueling back-and-forth war with Israel Adesanya at UFC 236 that saw him lose a unanimous decision. However, he held wins over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo Souza coming into that bout and is still highly-regarded. Sherdog rates him as the fifth-best middleweight in the world, ESPN rate him as the third-best while he is No. 4 in the UFC rankings. A return to the win column, especially in emphatic fashion, could see the 28-year-old be next in line to challenge Adesanya. However, he may require one more win.
Till (17-2-1) has an opportunity to skip a number of contenders when he faces Gastelum. “The Gorilla” is coming off two losses that saw him get finished by then champion Tyron Woodley and Masvidal earlier this year. He is now making the move up to 185 for a change in fortunes. Because of his recent setbacks as well as impending move to middleweight, Till is not ranked in Sherdog or ESPN’s top 10, though he is currently No. 10 in the UFC welterweight rankings. However, a win over a longtime contender in Gastelum could see him rise all the way up to No. 4 in the middleweight rankings and right into title contention.
There is more welterweight action as Stephen Thompson meets Vicente Luque. Thompson (14-4-1) is on his first-ever losing streak, having lost his last two outings, the most recent of which was also a first-ever knockout loss to Pettis. In total, “Wonderboy” has only won one of his last five fights. As a result, he has dropped down in the rankings -- ESPN have him as the 10th-best welterweight in the world and he also sits at No. 9 in the UFC rankings. However, a win on Saturday could see him make the climb up, especially with the inactive Santiago Ponzinibbio ranked above him.
Luque (17-6-1) won’t be an easy opponent, though. “The Silent Assassin” has been on a tear with six straight wins, the most recent of which was a unanimous decision against Mike Perry. He has also emerged victorious in 10 of his last 11 outings and will look to continue his run against Thompson. Luque only recently cracked the UFC rankings as he sits at No. 14. However, a win over arguably his biggest opponent in Thompson would not only see his stock further increase, but also potentially enter the top 10 of the rankings.
Ranked heavyweights are also on show as Derrick Lewis battles Blagoy Ivanov. Lewis (21-7, 1NC) will be hoping to end a two-fight losing run following defeats to Daniel Cormier and Junior dos Santos. The former title challenger is still ranked high as Sherdog and ESPN rate him as the sixth-best heavyweight in the world while he is No. 5 in the rankings. A win is unlikely to do much for “The Black Beast” given who is above him, but it could set him up for a title eliminator fight in a potential rematch with Francis Ngannou.
Ivanov (18-2, 1NC), meanwhile, will be looking to make it three wins in a row. After dropping his UFC debut to Dos Santos, the Bulgarian racked up decision victories over Ben Rothwell and Tai Tuivasa. He is currently ranked No. 8 as a result and a win over Lewis could see him crack the top five of the division after just four fights.
Lastly, Kevin Lee (17-5) returns to the lightweight division when he faces the undefeated Gregor Gillespie. Lee’s last outing was a submission defeat to Rafael dos Anjos during his welterweight debut earlier this year. In total, “The Motown Phenom” has lost three of his last four fights. However, he returns to 155 -- this time, being coached full-time by Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym. Lee is still ranked as the sixth-best lightweight in the world by Sherdog while he is No. 10 in the rankings. A return to the win column could see him rise up the ranks, especially with fighters ranked above him in Al Iaquinta and Edson Barboza having lost their last outings.
Gillespie (13-0) has a chance to not only truly announce himself, but show that he’s ready for the very elite. “The Gift” is undefeated in six UFC appearances and most recently dominated Yancy Medeiros earlier this year en route to a TKO win. As a result, the All-American is ranked as the seventh-best 155er in the world by Sherdog and is one spot below Lee in the UFC rankings at No. 11. Lee is a considerable step up in competition, but victory would undoubtedly put Gillespie in the top 10 which would open up some big matchups for him.