Flyweights, be warned: It looks like Demetrious Johnson is here to stay.
Just up the scale at 135 pounds, former champion Dominick Cruz staked his claim to the division’s No. 3 spot by returning from a three-year absence with a 61-second smashing of Takeya Mizugaki. Even after multiple knee surgeries, “The Dominator” was simply too fast and powerful for Mizugaki, who falls one spot to No. 9 with the defeat.
Women’s bantamweight contender Cat Zingano did not spend quite as much time on the shelf as Cruz, but her triumphant return was just as meaningful in a division hungry for new challengers. Zingano maintained her No. 2 position with a comeback victory against Amanda Nunes, setting up a tentative January meeting with unbeaten queen Ronda Rousey. Former challenger Miesha Tate, meanwhile, rises to No. 4 with her decision win against previously undefeated Rin Nakai.
UFC 178 provided plenty more rankings movement, including lightweight Donald Cerrone’s rise to No. 5 after a bruising decision over ex-Bellator MMA champ Eddie Alvarez, who drops five spots to No. 8. Much-hyped featherweight Conor McGregor joins the top 10 at No. 7 after mugging Dustin Poirier, while Yoel Romero claims the No. 7 spot at middleweight by way of a controversial knockout against Tim Kennedy. Also at middleweight, newly crowned Bellator champion Brandon Halsey joins the ranks of the “other contenders,” replacing the man whose belt he snatched, Alexander Shlemenko.
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