After losing his UFC lightweight title and suffering three straight losses in the 155-pound shark tank, Anthony Pettis had his back against the wall. In his featherweight debut in Vancouver, British Columbia, however, “Showtime” handled his business, and now, he is ranked in a new weight class after six years amidst the lightweight elite.

In less than two years, Pettis slid down the Sherdog.com lightweight rankings, spurring his move to 145 pounds. In his first featherweight action inside the Octagon, Pettis showed off his stylish striking and defensive grappling against always-dangerous Charles Oliveira, before securing a third-round guillotine choke. The win not only earned Pettis a new lease on life in a new weight class, but also sees him debut in the six spot in our featherweight rankings.

Pettis, however, was not the star of UFC on Fox 21. Though it did not feature any jumps in weight class, Demian Maia needed less than two minutes to submit perennially outstanding welterweight Carlos Condit in Vancouver, British Columbia. Maia has been a fixture in our middleweight and now welterweight rankings for over eight years, but his outstanding tapping of Condit sees him rise over Rory MacDonald, who formerly defeated the Brazilian, into the fourth spot at 170 pounds. More than that, his sixth straight win in the UFC welterweight division has many MMA folks calling for Maia to get the next welterweight title crack over Stephen Thompson.

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