Post-UFC 313 rankings update: Magomed Ankalaev's P4P debut affects Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland, lightweight sees new entrant, and more

Following his victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev has officially entered the UFC pound-for-pound rankings at No.6.

Ankalaev claimed the title in a five-round battle against Pereira, winning by unanimous decision. Despite Pereira’s early success with leg kicks, Ankalaev’s wrestling and striking control secured him the victory. The Russian fighter now extends his unbeaten streak to 14, inching closer to Jon Jones’ record of 18.

The new light heavyweight champion’s rise caused a shift in the rankings, pushing Pereira down five spots to No.8 and knocking Sean Strickland off the list entirely.

The lightweight division also saw a notable change as Ignacio Bahamondes made his rankings debut. His submission victory over Jalin Turner secured him a spot in the top 15, replacing Turner. Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev remained in their respective positions despite their rematch, which Gaethje won via unanimous decision.

Other adjustments occurred in the middleweight, heavyweight, and women’s flyweight rankings due to inactivity, leading to Jack Hermansson, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, and Katlyn Cerminara being temporarily unranked.

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Brendan Schaub reacts to Alex Pereira’s UFC 313 loss

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub shared his thoughts on Alex Pereira’s title defeat at UFC 313, calling it a major setback for the promotion. Pereira lost his light heavyweight belt to Magomed Ankalaev via unanimous decision, crushing hopes of a potential super-fight against Jon Jones.

On his YouTube channel, Schaub described Ankalaev’s win as a “nightmare” for the UFC, pointing to Dana White’s reaction as proof of the promotion’s disappointment:

''It’s a nightmare for the UFC that he [Magomed Ankalaev] won, A nightmare. Look at Dana’s [White] face. You can tell by his face. He’s looking at Bruce Buffer, and he just goes, ‘F*k.’ It’s a nightmare that Ankalaev’s the champ. It's a complete disaster across the board, he beat the biggest star.''

Had Pereira won, a move to heavyweight seemed likely. According to Schaub, that scenario could have drawn Jones back to the octagon:

''I tell you guys, the pressure is on Alex in this fight because the butterfly effect leads to heavyweight with Tom Aspinall, which heavyweights never been worse, that thing is a complete disaster. Jon Jones, clearly Aspinall's not getting him out of bed but Alex would have done it... Whether Alex beats Tom or not, it just builds Tom's credit a little more and that will get Jon out of bed.''

Check out Brendan Schaub's comments below (19:34):