MMA Fans Stunned as UFC Mercilessly Pulls Injured Star From Official UFC Rankings

Do you think the UFC was right to remove "Nomad" from the rankings?

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The biggest shakeup to the UFC rankings this week had nothing to do with the results from last Saturday’s UFC 325.

The UFC’s six-week hiatus came to an end last month when UFC 324 took place in Las Vegas and saw Justin Gaethje defeat Paddy Pimblett to claim the promotion’s interim lightweight belt, and last weekend the promotion returned to Sydney, Australia for a UFC 325 card where Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his featherweight title in a rematch with Diego Lopes.

There were several other notable results at UFC 325 that caused some changes in the official UFC rankings, but the biggest update this week is the shocking removal of undefeated UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Shavkat Rakhmonov Pulled From UFC Welterweight Rankings

Previously ranked at #2 in the UFC welterweight rankings prior to the latest update, Rakhmonov joined the UFC as an unbeaten talent in 2020 and has gone 7-0 inside the Octagon.

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The 31-year-old extended his incredible 100% finishing rate through the first six of those outings, and in his last fight at UFC 310 he went to the judges’ scorecards for the first time when he defeated Ian Machado Garry in the night’s five-round co-main event.

Shavkat Rakhmonov (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Ian Machado Garry (blues gloves) after their fight at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“Nomad” looked to be a clear lock for a welterweight title shot but hasn’t competed since that meeting with Machado Garry in late 2024, and the recent news that Rakhmonov will have to undergo another surgery was apparently enough for the UFC to remove him from the rankings altogether.

Alexander Volkanovski Climbs UFC's Pound-For-Pound List

In other rankings news, Volkanovski swapped spots with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and now occupies the promotion’s #4 pound-for-pound spot following his title defense at UFC 325.

Alexander Volkanovski (red gloves) reacts after defeating Diego Lopes (not pictured) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The most significant rankings movement post-UFC 325 came in the lightweight division, where Benoit Saint-Denis now rounds out the Top 5 after defeating Dan Hooker (now ranked at #8) via submission in the card’s co-main event.

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Saint-Denis' former opponent Mauricio Ruffy also vaulted up five places to #9 after stopping Rafael Fiziev, which left Fiziev on a 1-4 run dating back to 2023 and knocked him down to #11.

Mauricio Ruffy (blue gloves) before the against Benoit Saint-Denis (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The other big winner from UFC 325 as far as rankings movement was heavyweight contender Tallison Teixeira, who moved up four places to #11 and knocked Tai Tuivasa down three spots to #15 after handing “Bam Bam” his sixth loss in a row.

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