MMA Divisional Rankings: Michael Chandler exits as a result of inactivity as uncertainty swirls round Conor McGregor

Within the ever-shifting MMA panorama, rating the world’s biggest fighters may appear to be a idiot’s errand, however that’s precisely what we’ve got down to do with the MMA Combating International Rankings. Right here, our esteemed panel kinds out the movers and shakers from each division to give you probably the most definitive checklist of the very best fighters on the planet.

Up to date pound-for-pound rankings may be discovered right here.

This month, you might discover one curious elimination from the checklist as a result of inactivity: Upcoming UFC 303 headliner Michael Chandler.

The light-weight star is anticipated to struggle Conor McGregor on June 29, however after not competing in 18 months (really 19 months by the point struggle night time rolls round), he’s now topic to the principles for automated elimination, so he joins his rival among the many unranked.

Although this will sound unfair with the struggle simply weeks away, understand that Chandler isn’t formally lively once more till that cage door closes — and who is aware of if the mercurial McGregor even makes it to Las Vegas (he couldn’t even make it to Dublin!). And if Chandler loses, will he nonetheless benefit a return to the rankings?

For now, he’s out.

Take a look at the whole June rankings beneath.

[Ed. note: Our rankings panel recently dropped from eight members to seven. That means one ballot’s points completely left the board, which had an effect across several divisions. If you see movement in a division that doesn’t relate to recent bouts, that’s probably why.]

Heavyweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 6 Jailton Almeida def. Alexandr Romanov

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 1 Tom Aspinall vs. No. 4 Curtis Blaydes (UFC 304, July 27), No. 3 Sergei Pavlovich vs. No. 7 Alexander Volkov (UFC Battle Night time, June 22), No. 14 Phil De Fries vs. Augusto Sakai (KSW 95, June 7)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Derrick Lewis (4), Linton Vassell (3), Ryan Bader (1), Denis Goltsov (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): N/A

Gentle Heavyweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 13 Anthony Smith def. Vitor Petrino, Bogdan Guskov def. No. 14 Ryan Spann

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 6 Jamahal Hill vs. No. 14 (tied) Carlos Ulberg (UFC 303, June 29), No. 8 Johnny Walker vs. No. 15 Volkan Oezdemir (UFC Battle Night time, June 22)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Azamat Murzakanov (2), Bogdan Guskov (2), Alonzo Menifield (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 15 Ryan Spann

Middleweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 2 Sean Strickland def. No. 8 Paulo Costa

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 4 Robert Whittaker vs. No. 10 Khamzat Chimaev (UFC Battle Night time, June 22), No. 5 Jared Cannonier vs. No. 11 Nassourdine Imavov (UFC Louisville, June 8)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Caio Borralho (3), Jack Hermansson (2), Fabian Edwards (2), Impa Kasanganay (1),Ikram Aliskerov (1), Chris Curtis (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 14 Fabian Edwards

Welterweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 13 Joaquin Buckley def. Nursulton Ruziboev, Shamil Musaev def. No. 15 Logan Storley

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 1 Leon Edwards vs. No. 4 Belal Muhammad (UFC 304, July 27), No. 7 Jason Jackson vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (Bellator Dublin, June 22), No. 8 Ian Machado Garry vs. No. 13 (tied) Michael Web page (UFC 303, June 29), No. 15 Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz (UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Magomed Magomedkerimov (3), Randy Brown (2), Colby Covington (1), Rinat Fakhretdinov (1), Magomed Umalatov (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 15 Logan Storley

Light-weight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Islam Makhachev def. No. 6 Dustin Poirier

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: N/A

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Bobby Inexperienced (2), Jalin Turner (1), Matt Frevola (1), Drew Dober (1), Drakkar Klose (1), Tofiq Musayev (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 10 (tied) Michael Chandler (inactivity)

Featherweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): N/A

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 7 Arnold Allen vs. No. 13 Giga Chikadze (UFC 304, July 27), No. 15 Dan Ige vs. Joanderson Brito (UFC Battle Night time, July 20)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Bryce Mitchell (3), Movlid Khaybulaev (1), Lerone Murphy (3), Chihiro Suzuki (1), Adam Borics (1), Joanderson Brito (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): N/A

Bantamweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 3 Patchy Combine def. Magomed Magomedov, Jose Aldo def. No. 14 Jonathan Martinez

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 4 Cory Sandhagen vs. No. 8 Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3), No. 7 Sergio Pettis vs. No. 4 FLW Kyoji Horiguchi (RIZIN 47, June 9), No. 9 Deiveson Figueiredo vs. No. 10 Marlon Vera (UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Kai Asakura (3), Kyler Phillips (3), Jonathan Martinez (3), Mario Bautista (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 15 Kyler Phillips

Flyweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 1 Alexandre Pantoja def. No. 14 Steve Erceg, No. 12 Alex Perez def. No. 10 (tied) Matheus Nicolau

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 4 Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Sergio Pettis (bantamweight bout) (RIZIN 47, June 9), No. 9 (tied) Muhammad Mokaev vs. No. 9 (tied) Manel Kape (UFC 304, July 27), No. 12 Alex Perez vs. No. 13 Tatsuro Taira (UFC Battle Night time, June 15)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Askar Akarov (1), Azamat Kerefov (1), Kairat Akhmetov (1), Hiromasa Ougikubo (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): N/A

Girls’s Bantamweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): N/A

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 3 Mayra Bueno Silva vs. No. 8 Macy Chiasson (UFC 303, June 29), No. 12 Talita Bernardo vs. Olga Rubin (Invicta FC 55, June 28)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Tainara Lisboa (2), Melissa Mullins (2), Lucie Pudilova (2), Julia Avila (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 15 Melissa Mullins

Girls’s Flyweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): N/A

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 13 Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (UFC Battle Night time, July 13), No. 5 Taila Santos vs. Jena Bishop (PFL 4, June 13), No. 6 Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe (PFL 4, June 13), No. 7 Maycee Barber vs. No. 10 Rose Namajunas (UFC Denver, July 13), No. 12 Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (UFC Denver, July 13)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Karine Silva (4), Ariane Lipski (2), Julianna Velasquez (1), Jena Bishop (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven): No. 15 Julianna Velasquez

Strawweight

Current outcomes for ranked fighters (earlier rating proven): No. 12 Angela Hill def. Luana Pinheiro, No. 13 Tabatha Ricci def. Tecia Pennington, Iasmin Lucindo def. No. 15 Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Upcoming bouts that includes ranked fighters: No. 5 Amanda Lemos vs. No. 6 Virna Jandiroba (UFC Battle Night time, July 20), No. 8 Mackenzie Dern vs. No. 10 Crazy Godinez (UFC Abu Dhabi, Aug. 3), No. 14 Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez (UFC 303, June 29)

Fighters additionally receiving votes (variety of poll appearances proven): Loma Lookboonmee (5), Karolina Kowalkiewicz (2), Tecia Pennington (1), Danni McCormack (1)

Falling out of the rankings (earlier rating proven: No. 6 Carla Esaprza (inactivity), No. 15 Karolina Kowalkiewicz

A refresher on the bottom guidelines:

The seven-person voting panel consists of MMA Combating staffers Shaheen Al-Shatti, Alexander Okay. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew.
Fighters shall be faraway from the rankings if they don’t compete inside 18 months of their most up-to-date bout. Updates to the rankings are sometimes accomplished following every month’s UFC pay-per-view.

Ought to a fighter announce their retirement, our panel will determine whether or not that fighter ought to instantly be faraway from the rankings or preserve their place till additional discover. (Let’s put it this fashion: We’d have taken Khabib Nurmagomedov out of our rankings so much faster than the UFC did.)

Holding a promotion’s title doesn’t assure that fighter shall be considered as the very best of their promotion. Moreover, fighters who often compete or maintain titles in a number of weight lessons are eligible to be ranked in a number of lists.

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