UFC Champion Justin Gaethje Joins Pound-for-Pound List in New UFC Rankings Update

The results of last Saturday’s UFC White House card unsurprisingly generated some notable changes in the official UFC rankings.

After months of buildup and a weather delay that pushed the card’s first fight back by an hour, “UFC Freedom 250” took place on the South Lawn of The White House last weekend and saw all seven scheduled bouts end via knockout.

While the two card-topping title fights obviously produced the most notable results, every matchup included at least one ranked fighter and offered some significant stakes for several UFC divisions.

Justin Gaethje Joins UFC P4P List After Winning Lightweight Belt

“UFC Freedom 250” closed out with an incredible upset from Justin Gaethje, who now sits atop the lightweight rankings as the division’s undisputed champion.

Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Formerly-undefeated titleholder Topuria dropped down to the #1 contender spot at 155 lbs., and he also fell three places in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings to #5. Gaethje, who was previously not ranked in the pound-for-pound Top 15, breaks into the list at #4 following the biggest win of his career.

Mauricio Ruffy celebrates after a win against Michael Chandler (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The other lightweight matchup at The White House saw Mauricio Ruffy batter former Bellator star Michael Chandler for a first-round stoppage. The biggest favorite on the card heading into fight night, Ruffy has moved up two spots in the lightweight rankings to #7.

Josh Hokit Closes Moves Closer to Heavyweight Title Shot

The co-main event saw Ciryl Gane give Alex Pereria a brutal welcome to the heavyweight division, and “Bon Gamin” sits just below UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall after winning the division’s interim belt for the second time.

Ciryl Gane reacts after a win against Alex Pereira (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The night’s other heavyweight bout featured undefeated contender Josh Hokit and the UFC’s all-time knockout leader Derrick Lewis, who dropped two places down to #11 after Hokit stopped him late in the second round. “The Incredible Hok” swapped places with Waldo Cortes-Acosta and isnow likely one win away from a title shot as the heavyweight division’s #4-ranked contender.

Josh Hokit (red gloves) fights Derrick Lewis (blue gloves) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Bo Nickal Breaks Into UFC Middleweight Top 15

Despite the fact that his opponent was unranked, Bo Nickal debuts at #15 in the UFC middleweight rankings after finishing Kyle Daukaus in the first round.

Bo Nickal (red gloves) shakes hands with Kyle Daukaus (blue gloves) after their fight during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Former UFC bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley also picked up one of the biggest wins of the night when he ended Aiemann Zahabi’s seven-fight win streak. O’Malley switched spots with Umar Nurmagomedov and now sits at #2 in the bantamweight rankings, while Zahabi stays put at #6.

Sean O'Malley (red gloves) celebrates after winning against Aiemann Zahabi (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Two-time featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes successfully defended his #2 ranking in the UFC White House opener against Steve Garcia, who fell one place to #10 in the featherweight Top 15.

Diego Lopes (red gloves) fights Steve Garcia (blue gloves) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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