Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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The ending may have been controversial, but that was beyond Nassourdine Imavov’s control.

The Frenchman did what he had to do in the UFC on ESPN 57 headliner, as he defeated Jared Cannonier via fourth-round technical knockout on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Referee Jason Herzog will take some heat for not allowing Cannonier to continue just as the “Killa Gorilla” seemed to be regaining his bearings, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Imavov was at his best when it mattered most. By beating an opponent who had been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances, Imavov climbs to the No. 6 ranking in Sherdog’s latest middleweight poll.

Elsewhere, Kyoji Horiguchi returned to 135 pounds to avenge a previous loss to Sergio Pettis in the Rizin 47 headliner. Rizin’s reigning flyweight king has now has options in two weight classes, though a desired return to the UFC may not be in the cards as of yet. Horiguchi enters the bantamweight Top 10 at No. 8 thanks to his victory against Pettis, who falls to 10th.

In other weekend action, Philip De Fries retained his heavyweight crown with a five-round verdict against Augusto Sakai at KSW 95. The 38-year-old Brit extended his winning streak to 13, but he remains just outside the heavyweight Top 10 for the time being.

In housekeeping news, it’s been one year since Amanda Nunes announced her retirement at UFC 289, and at the moment, “Lioness” has given no concrete indication that she’s returning. As a result, she relinquishes her No. 1 spot in the bantamweight poll. Also exiting the rankings is Nunes rival Julianna Pena, who has no fight on the horizon after withdrawing from a proposed trilogy bout against the Brazilian at UFC 289. In a division lacking depth, Ailin Perez and Nora Cornolle join the back end of the 135-pound bubble.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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