UFC rankings update: Alex Perez climbs up flyweight ladder following UFC Vegas 91 win, Bogdan Guskov makes debut on 205-pound list

The UFC Vegas 91 that transpired on Saturday, April 27, 2024, witnessed several exciting matchups. The event's headlining fight, a flyweight bout, witnessed Alex Perez defeat Matheus Nicolau via second-round KO to emerge victorious.

The win appears to have earned Perez a major boost in the official UFC flyweight rankings. The latest UFC official website update indicates that Perez has moved up three spots and now stands at No.5 in the flyweight ranks.

Per the updated rankings, Muhammad Mokaev and Sumudaerji also moved up one position each, to No.6 and No.14, respectively. Manel Kape and David Dvorak fell one rank each to No.7 and No.15. Matheus Nicolau fell three spots after his loss and is now at No.8 at flyweight.

In the UFC bantamweight division, Jonathan Martinez and Ricky Simon moved up one spot each to No.12 and No.14. Mario Bautista and Pedro Munhoz fell one rank each to No.13 and No.15. In the UFC featherweight division, Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell exchanged ranks, as Barboza is now at No.11 while Mitchell is at No.12.

The UFC lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight ranks remain unchanged this week. However, light heavyweight has seen multiple changes. The April 27 event's co-headlining fight saw Bogdan Guskov defeat Ryan Spann via second-round TKO.

It earned the Guskov, who was previously outside the top 15, the No.12 place in the light heavyweight rankings. Meanwhile, Spann fell four spots to No.15, and Alonzo Menifield rose one place to No.11.

The heavyweight division had Curtis Blaydes and Stipe Miocic switch ranks, with Blaydes going up to No. 4 and Miocic going down to No. 5. The women's strawweight and bantamweight rankings stayed unchanged this week.

Meanwhile, the two fighters switched ranks after Karine Silva's unanimous decision win over Ariane Lipski Da Silva in their women's flyweight bout at Saturday's event. Karine Silva went up to No. 12, whereas Ariane Lipski Da Silva fell to No. 13.

Besides, the women's pound-for-pound rankings didn't change, but the men's pound-for-pound ranks saw Israel Adesanya and Tom Aspinall move up a spot while Charles Oliveira dropped two places. Adesanya stands at No. 11, Aspinall at No. 12, and Oliveira at No. 13 on the list.

---

Matheus Nicolau posts resilient statement after UFC Vegas 91 loss against Alex Perez

Matheus Nicolau suffered a devastating knockout defeat at the hands of Alex Perez in their main event matchup this past Saturday night. Regardless, the Brazilian MMA stalwart has indicated that he'll continue his title quest. The flyweight contender put forth an optimistic Instagram post. Nicolau suggested that he prepared well for the fight but wasn't able to win and had no excuses.

Furthermore, Nicolau expressed his gratitude toward his team and supporters. The 125-pounder underscored that he felt good in his showdown against Perez and was reading the latter but got caught by the knockout blow. Regardless, he highlighted that he's taking the defeat in his stride and moving forward. A couple of excerpts from his statement read as follows:

"Last night I failed. I fell. What a bitter taste it has! I have prepared very well! ... We lost the battle, but the war goes on!"