Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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As recently as three years ago, it seemed farfetched that Tai Tuivasa would be a legitimate Top 5 heavyweight.

But after a three-fight skid from 2018 to 2019 temporarily relegated Tuivasa to also-ran status in the division, “Bam Bam” has compiled a five-fight knockout streak that has thrust him into the thick of things at heavyweight. No victory during that run was more significant than what occurred at UFC 271 on Saturday night, when he scored a resounding finish of two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis in the evening’s co-main event. That victory propels the man who was once best known for drinking beer out of a shoe from unranked to fourth in Sherdog.com's latest divisional poll.

Elsewhere, Jared Cannonier staked his claim to the No. 1 contender’s spot in the middleweight division with a resounding finish of Derek Brunson on the UFC 271 main card. In addition to setting the stage for a future showdown with reigning champ Israel Adesanya, “The Killa Gorilla” makes a move in the 185-pound rankings, stepping over Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa to the No. 3 position.

In housekeeping news, we bid farewell to heavyweight Top 10 stalwarts Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos, both of whom are competing in other combat disciplines and haven’t earned MMA victories in quite some time. That clears the way for the bubble debut of newly crowned One Championship interim heavyweight king Anatoliy Malykhin.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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