Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

No longer is Khamzat Chimaev simply a product of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s marketing machine.

The Allstars Training Center representative delivered on his considerable hype at UFC 273, as he outlasted former title challenger Gilbert Burns to win a unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Year” contender at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night. It wasn’t the walkthrough that some anticipated, but it shouldn’t have been against a game opponent such as Burns. With an 11-0 mark that includes five Octagon triumphs, “Borz” makes his debut in Sherdog’s welterweight Top 10 at No. 4.

No movement resulted from the title bouts at the top of the UFC 273 card, but the victories for Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling were nonetheless significant. Volkanovski reaffirmed his place as the world’s No. 1 featherweight with a dominant fourth-round stoppage of Chan Sung Jung in the main event, while Sterling gained a measure of redemption — and maintained his No. 1 ranking at 135 pounds — with a split-decision triumph over second-ranked rival Petr Yan in the co-headliner.

Elsewhere, Mackenzie Dern made a move at strawweight, winning for the fifth time in six outings with a contentious split verdict over Tecia Torres on the UFC 273 main card. The allows the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to climb from 10th to eighth at 115 pounds, one spot ahead of Torres. Meanwhile, fifth-ranked bantamweight Raquel Pennington maintained the status quo in her division, stepping in on short notice to knock off Aspen Ladd in a preliminary matchup.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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