John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 208 in London, England, “Razor” faced the red-hot Tom Aspinall. Entering a decidedly hostile O2 Arena as a slight underdog to the young man from Manchester, Blaydes had plenty to prove, but wouldn’t get the chance, as Aspinall collapsed to the canvas with an injured knee just 15 seconds into the fight. It was a disappointing end to a typically rowdy UK Fight Night, but nonetheless goes down as a TKO win for Blaydes, who maintains his No. 6 ranking in the latest Sherdog poll, with Aspinall holding steady at seventh.
Just before Saturday’s abortive UFC headliner, Jack Hermansson used reach and superior footwork to pick up a surprisingly easy win over the surging Chris Curtis. The fight’s pace was deliberate—to put it kindly—and Curtis voiced his frustration several times late in the fight, but the two remain at No. 10 and 12 respectively in the middleweight rankings.
One active fighter who did make a major move this week is One Championship two-division titleholder Reinier de Ridder, who dispatched Vitaly Bigdash at One 159 with a gorgeous inverted triangle choke that is likely to make some “Submission of the Year” lists. “The Dutch Knight” now stands at 16-0 and, thanks to his utter dominance, moves from 14th to 10th at 205 pounds.
Veta Arteaga tapped out Vanessa Porto at Bellator 283 on Friday with a second-round guillotine choke, but in light of both women’s inconsistent records of late, the rankings panel saw the result more as an indication that the 38-year-old Porto has fallen off significantly from her 2019 run in Invicta FC. Former No. 8 flyweight Porto falls from the rankings, with Maycee Barber and her three-fight win streak over solid opposition moving into the final bubble spot.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
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