Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

The top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division just got significantly younger.

Joshua Van was the beneficiary of Alexandre Pantoja’s misfortune in the UFC 323 co-main event, as he captured the flyweight crown when “The Cannibal” suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds into the opening stanza. While it wasn’t the way Van would have liked to become a champion, he won’t be returning his newly acquired championship hardware, either. The limited sample size wasn’t enough to infer anything about how the fight might have played out, but the final result is enough to allow Van to assume the top spot at 125 pounds.

While Van became the second-youngest champion in UFC history, the 25-year-old Tatsuro Taira entered the discussion as a serious contender with a second-round stoppage of ex-title holder Brandon Moreno in another featured flyweight affair at UFC 323. The Japanese standout has won eight of nine Octagon appearances, and his placement cageside during Saturday’s co-main event indicates he could be next in line for a title shot—especially with Pantoja on the mend. For now, Taira climbs from 10th to fourth at 125 pounds.

Elsewhere, Petr Yan assumed the No. 1 position at bantamweight by avenging a 2023 loss to Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 323 headliner. Yan has won four straight contests within the Las Vegas-based promotion, but no victory was more impressive than his performance against Dvalishvili, who had looked nearly unstoppable during his championship reign at 135 pounds.

In light heavyweight action, seventh-ranked Jan Blachowicz relied on veteran savvy to battle No. 11 Bogdan Guskov to a majority draw in a main card contest at UFC 323. The Pole’s days as a serious contender might be a thing of the past, but it’s clear that he remains a tough out for up-and-coming talents at 205 pounds. Finally, Maycee Barber made a triumph return to the Octagon, as she gutted out a unanimous verdict over Karine Silva in a women’s flyweight affair. After a hiatus that lasted nearly two years, Barber’s seventh consecutive triumph allows her to maintain her No. 9 ranking at 125 pounds.

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