Ankalaev ESPN ranking stays frozen after fifth-round UFC win
Magomed Ankalaev beat Bogdan Guskov in the UFC main event, but ESPN kept him at No. 2 behind Alex Pereira.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Magomed Ankalaev’s ESPN ranking did not budge after a commanding UFC main-event win, with ESPN keeping the former light heavyweight champion at No. 2 in its latest divisional update published July 28.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that Ankalaev stopped Bogdan Guskov in the fifth round on Saturday after controlling the fight across the stat sheet. According to ESPN, Ankalaev produced more than three times Guskov’s striking output, landed two takedowns and recorded three submission attempts before the finish.
Why did Ankalaev not move up in ESPN's MMA rankings?
ESPN said Ankalaev remained stuck at No. 2 because Alex Pereira is still above him in the light heavyweight list. Pereira, also a former champion, defeated Ankalaev last October, according to ESPN’s rankings explanation.
That made Ankalaev’s Saturday win a statement without a rankings reward. He handled Guskov, got the late stoppage and still found the door to the top spot shut, at least in ESPN’s latest view of the 205-pound division.
Light heavyweight top 10 changes at the bottom
The only shuffle ESPN listed at light heavyweight came at No. 10. Dustin Jacoby fell out of the rankings after a TKO defeat to UFC newcomer Muhammad Said, according to ESPN.
Navajo Stirling took Jacoby’s place at No. 10. ESPN noted that Stirling is unbeaten and is scheduled to face Jan Blachowicz this Saturday.
The upcoming Stirling-Blachowicz bout gives the new No. 10 an immediate chance to defend his spot against a far more established name. ESPN’s fight listing places Blachowicz against Stirling at light heavyweight on Saturday, Aug. 1, on the UFC Fight Night card in Belgrade.
What changed in the strawweight rankings?
ESPN also made one change at strawweight. Amanda Ribas was removed from the rankings because she is no longer eligible, with ESPN saying she has not fought in more than a year.
Tabatha Ricci replaced Ribas at No. 10, returning to the list after previously being pushed out following a loss to Fatima Kline, according to ESPN.
ESPN’s stated eligibility rule requires a fighter to have competed in the past 12 months or have a future fight booked. Fighters dropped for inactivity can be added back only after they compete again, according to the rankings note.
What are ESPN MMA divisional rankings?
ESPN’s MMA divisional rankings sort fighters by weight class, separate from pound-for-pound lists. The July 28 update covered divisions including heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, men’s bantamweight, men’s flyweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s flyweight and strawweight.
For Ankalaev, the latest list says plenty with one number: No. 2. His win over Guskov was enough to underline his place near the top, but ESPN did not move him past Pereira.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.