Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has fallen out of the top five rankings following the latest update released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship two days after UFC Vancouver.
The Nigerian-New Zealander, who previously held the No.5 spot, dropped to No.6 after Brendan Allen climbed four places to fifth following his victory over Reinier de Ridder at the Vancouver event. The update faced a brief delay due to an AWS outage that disrupted multiple platforms.
Allen’s ascent came after he forced de Ridder’s corner to stop their bout ahead of Round 5, sending ripples through the middleweight division. De Ridder subsequently dropped to No.8, whilst former champion Robert Whittaker fell to No.9 and Jared Cannonier climbed back up to No.10.
The ranking drop marks another difficult moment for Adesanya, who, around the same time last year, was also removed from the UFC pound-for-pound rankings following his loss to Dricus du Plessis and replaced by Aljamain Sterling.
Few could have foreseen the dramatic decline of Adesanya, who reigned over the middleweight division from 2019 to 2022 with six successful title defences. Despite reclaiming his belt from Alex Pereira in their rematch at UFC 287, the ‘Last Stylebender’ has struggled to recapture his previous dominance, enduring three consecutive losses over the past two years.
The latest rankings also witnessed a major shake-up in the women’s flyweight division as Manon Fiorot delivered a first-round knockout over Jasmine Jasudavicius, cementing her status as the division’s top contender. Jasudavicius dropped from No.5 to No.7, while Natalia Silva moved down to No.2. Maycee Barber gained a spot to No.5, and former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas claimed the No.6 position.
The UFC could potentially stage a compelling middleweight showdown featuring Caio Borralho against either Whittaker or Adesanya. With Whittaker and Adesanya both on the downswing of their careers, Borralho aims to regain momentum following his recent loss against Imavov at UFC Paris.
In June, Adesanya was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as his epic 2019 clash with Kelvin Gastelum joined the promotion’s prestigious Fight Wing. The five-round interim middleweight title battle at UFC 236, which he won via unanimous decision, was enshrined alongside other legendary contests.
