The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will make its debut in Copenhagen, Denmark, as UFC Fight Night 160 touches down at Royal Arena. A few ranked fighters are competing at the event. Let us take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
In the main event, Jack Hermansson takes on Jared Cannonier in a middleweight bout. Hermansson (20-4) is coming off a huge unanimous decision over Ronaldo Souza in April. It puts his current win streak at four fights, while “The Joker” has also won six of his last seven fights. As a result, he is rated as the sixth-best middleweight in the world by Sherdog and ESPN and listed as the No. 5 contender in the UFC rankings. He may have wanted a higher-ranked opponent next, like Kelvin Gastelum, but another win could potentially put Hermansson in position for a title eliminator.
Cannonier (12-4) is also on a winning streak, having posted two straight victories since moving down to middleweight. Those were knockout wins against David Branch and former middleweight king Anderson Silva, as “The Killa Gorilla” has seemingly found his ideal weight class. He is currently ranked No. 9 in the UFC rankings and has much more to gain, as victory could see him potentially enter the Top 5 and title contention.
Meanwhile, there is also ranked women’s bantamweight action on the menu, as Macy Chiasson meets Lina Lansberg on the prelims. Chiasson (5-0) has been impressive since making her UFC debut. Following her win over Pannie Kianzad in “The Ultimate Fighter 28” tournament final, she went on to finish Gina Mazany and Sarah Moras via TKO. Because of that, the 28-year-old is already ranked No. 11 in the UFC rankings. Another win would only increase her momentum and put her in position to face a Top 10 opponent.
Lansberg (9-4) will look to slow Chiasson’s rise by handing her a first career loss. The Swede has been alternating between wins and losses since she made her UFC debut in 2016. However, she is coming off a unanimous decision win over former featherweight title challenger Tonya Evinger in June. “Elbow Queen” is currently rated as the ninth-best 135-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog. However, she is one spot below Chiasson in the UFC rankings at No. 12. A victory over Chiasson would not only propel her up the ranks but also see her notch two wins in a row for the first time under the promotion’s banner.