Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Sherdog.com StaffNov 22, 2015



Henry Cejudo went to Monterrey, Mexico, for the biggest fight of his young MMA career and left as the UFC flyweight division’s likely No. 1 contender.

The 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist opted to showcase his developing striking game in his Nov. 21 UFC Fight Night tussle with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jussier da Silva. Cejudo’s game plan stymied “Formiga” and led the American to a decision victory after three rounds, leaving Cejudo as the next logical challenger to 125-pound kingpin Demetrious Johnson’s throne. For now, Cejudo vaults from No. 9 to No. 4 in the Sherdog.com flyweight top 10, while da Silva drops one spot to No. 5.

The Monterrey card’s main event saw short-notice opponent extraordinaire Neil Magny capitalize on yet another late opportunity. Magny got off to a hot start against Kelvin Gastelum, winning the first three rounds of their 25-minute affair. Gastelum would storm back for a dominant fourth round and a strong fifth, but Magny held on to claim a split decision in a controversial call from the judges. Magny enters the welterweight rankings at No. 10 in this update.

In other action: Ricardo Lamas’ unanimous decision win over Diego Sanchez keeps “The Bully” in place as the No. 5 featherweight; Rousimar Palhares’ two-year suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission renders him ineligible for ranking, moving Jake Shields up to No. 9; and unbeaten Kazakhstani standout Kairat Akhmetov joins the list of flyweight contenders after taking the One Championship belt from Adriano Moraes in a narrow, five-round split decision.

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