Which Ranked Fighters Are Competing This Weekend? UFC 236 Rankings Tracker
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of
Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company,
Evolve Media.
The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 236 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
* * *
On April 13, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Atlanta for UFC 236. Headlining the event is an interim lightweight title fight between featherweight champion Max Holloway and highly-ranked contender Dustin Poirier.
As for Poirier (24-5 1NC), “The Diamond” has enjoyed a fine run of wins over the likes of Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. Certain circumstances saw him get to challenge Holloway in their rematch, but he’s certainly a worthy contender for the interim belt. This is highlighted by Sherdog ranking him as the third-best lightweight in the world with only Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson above him. ESPN ranks him the same while Poirier is the No. 3-ranked contender in the UFC rankings. A second win over Holloway would not only see him become a champion, but also possibly enter the pound-for-pound ranks for the first time.
There’s another belt on the line as Kelvin Gastelum takes on Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight belt in the co-main event. Gastelum was originally supposed to challenge Robert Whittaker for the title at UFC 234, but the latter had to pull out the night before.
Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is coming off wins over Ronaldo Souza and Michael Bisping. The only blemish in his last five fights at middleweight was a submission loss to Chris Weidman. As a result, both Sherdog and ESPN rank him as the third-best middleweight in the world, while he is the No. 4 contender in the UFC rankings.
His opponent, Adesanya (16-0), took part in the short-notice main event at UFC 234 and defeated Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. It marked his fifth win since debuting for the promotion, and his meteoric rise has seen him earn the chance at UFC gold. Sherdog rates “The Last Stylebender” as the sixth-best middleweight in the world, while ESPN have him seventh and the UFC rankings have him as the No. 5 contender. A win for either competitor would shoot them up the ranks right below Whittaker.
There are other ranked fighters competing as former interim title challenger Ovince St. Preux (23-12), ranked 12th in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, takes on Nikita Krylov (24-6). No. 4 flyweight Wilson Reis (23-9) is also in action when he competes against Alexandre Pantoja (20-3) on the prelims.
The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 236 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Advertisement
On April 13, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Atlanta for UFC 236. Headlining the event is an interim lightweight title fight between featherweight champion Max Holloway and highly-ranked contender Dustin Poirier.
With a second title, Holloway (20-3) can take another step in
solidifying himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
“Blessed” is already the 145-pound king and is high up the pound-for-pound ranks. Sherdog already rates
him as the third-best pound-for-pound fighter behind just Jon Jones and
Daniel
Cormier. Meanwhile, ESPN and the official UFC rankings have him
fourth with lightweight champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov above him.
As for Poirier (24-5 1NC), “The Diamond” has enjoyed a fine run of wins over the likes of Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez. Certain circumstances saw him get to challenge Holloway in their rematch, but he’s certainly a worthy contender for the interim belt. This is highlighted by Sherdog ranking him as the third-best lightweight in the world with only Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson above him. ESPN ranks him the same while Poirier is the No. 3-ranked contender in the UFC rankings. A second win over Holloway would not only see him become a champion, but also possibly enter the pound-for-pound ranks for the first time.
There’s another belt on the line as Kelvin Gastelum takes on Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight belt in the co-main event. Gastelum was originally supposed to challenge Robert Whittaker for the title at UFC 234, but the latter had to pull out the night before.
Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is coming off wins over Ronaldo Souza and Michael Bisping. The only blemish in his last five fights at middleweight was a submission loss to Chris Weidman. As a result, both Sherdog and ESPN rank him as the third-best middleweight in the world, while he is the No. 4 contender in the UFC rankings.
His opponent, Adesanya (16-0), took part in the short-notice main event at UFC 234 and defeated Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. It marked his fifth win since debuting for the promotion, and his meteoric rise has seen him earn the chance at UFC gold. Sherdog rates “The Last Stylebender” as the sixth-best middleweight in the world, while ESPN have him seventh and the UFC rankings have him as the No. 5 contender. A win for either competitor would shoot them up the ranks right below Whittaker.
There are other ranked fighters competing as former interim title challenger Ovince St. Preux (23-12), ranked 12th in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, takes on Nikita Krylov (24-6). No. 4 flyweight Wilson Reis (23-9) is also in action when he competes against Alexandre Pantoja (20-3) on the prelims.
Related Articles
