Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Though it has lost a few marquee names due to injuries and withdrawals, Bellator MMA’s bantamweight grand prix nonetheless has enough talent left to bring some fresh faces to the 135-pound rankings.

Thanks to his grappling-heavy game plan, Patrick Mix was able to attach himself to the back of ex-champ Kyoji Horiguchi frequently enough to win a five-round verdict and advance to the bantamweight semifinals at Bellator 279. Meanwhile, Raufeon Stots extended his professional winning streak to 10 and claimed interim gold in the process with a third-round knockout of Juan Archuleta in another tournament bout. With that, Mix and Stots enter Sherdog.com's bantamweight rankings at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively. They’ll have further opportunities to rise if they advance through the bracket.

Elsewhere, Jessica Andrade maintained her spot in the strawweight rankings at No. 3 with an unprecedented standing arm-triangle submission of 12th-ranked Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 205 main event on Saturday. “Bate Estaca” is a formidable challenge at both 115 and 125 pounds, though she claims her best chance for success still lies at strawweight, where she once reigned atop the division.

Meanwhile, it was more of the same for Cristiane Justino, as she battered Arlene Blencowe for five rounds in their featherweight championship rematch at Bellator 279 to win a clear-cut unanimous decision. There’s no movement for the No. 2 “Cyborg,” who seems interested in taking a break from MMA pursuits to pursue a fight in professional boxing in the near future. Also at featherweight, Janay Harding falls out of the Top 10 following a decision loss to Dayana Silva on the Bellator 279 undercard.

There was serious change in the women’s flyweight division, as Liz Carmouche claimed the No. 2 ranking and the belt with a controversial stoppage of Juliana Velasquez in the Bellator 278 headliner, while the previously third-ranked Ilima-Lei Macfarlane falls out of the polls entirely following a decision loss to Justine Kish at Bellator 279. We welcome Viane Araujo and Casey O’Neill to the flyweight bubble as a result of the weekend’s chaos.

Changes also occurred at women’s bantamweight, where Germaine de Randamie exits the rankings due to 16 months of inactivity. Former title challenger Alexis Davis is the beneficiary, taking the 15th spot in the poll.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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