UFC Rankings update: Conor McGregor loses top-5 lightweight place following UFC 264 loss

Not much has changed following the monumental UFC event that was UFC 264 in terms of rankings. However, the one talking point to come out of the latest rankings update is Conor McGregor falling out of the lightweight division's top five.

McGregor came up short against Dustin Poirer for the second time in six months, falling to 'Diamond' at UFC 257 and UFC 264. The Irishman suffered a horrendous leg break that saw the fight end due to a doctor's stoppage after the first round.

This loss means McGregor now holds a record of 1-3 in the UFC's lightweight division. He has also not won a fight at 155lbs since 2016. Considering this, it is not surprising that McGregor is no longer in the top five of the division. He has instead fallen to seventh place, with Tony Ferguson and Rafael dos Anjos moving ahead of him.

#UFC rankings update - Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) drops two spots to #7 following #UFC264 loss to Dustin PoirierMcGregor has dropped to #7 in the official UFC lightweight rankings following his trilogy rubber match loss to Poirier on Saturday. https://t.co/r9kTYnwOo6 pic.twitter.com/aCAQwiu3qm

— Rosario Markesio 🇮🇹 (@Ross_Markey) July 13, 2021

UFC Rankings update

Aside from McGregor, there hasn't been a huge amount of movement. Dustin Poirier would almost certainly have moved up had he not already been in the number one lightweight spot.

The biggest jump up in the rankings is for UFC middleweight Brad Tavares, who defeated Omari Akhmedov by unanimous decision. Tavares moves to 12th at 185lbs while Akhmedov drops to 15th.

KEEPING THE TRAIN ROLLING! 💢Akhmedov & Tavares proving why you should NEVER miss the @UFCFightPass prelims! #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/XsQ7DVHvSx

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 10, 2021

Undefeated Georgian prospect Ilia Topuria breaks into the featherweight divisional rankings at 15, having knocked out BJJ phenom Ryan Hall in the first round. Bryce Mitchell has also been bumped up, moving to 11th despite not fighting since 2020.

Yana Kunitskaya has fallen to sixth in the women's bantamweight division after picking up a knockout loss to Irene Aldana. However, Aldana stays in fourth place. A similar situation takes place in the women's flyweight division, with Jessica Eye falling to eighth, whilst Jennifer Maia, who despite beating Eye, remains in fourth.

Lastly, Blagoy Ivanov bizarrely climbs ahead of Tom Aspinall and Walt Harris to claim the tenth spot at heavyweight. This is despite Ivanov having not competed since 2020 and being on a two-fight losing streak. Aspinall is undefeated in the UFC, having most recently dispatched Andrei Arlovski in emphatic fashion.

Tom. Aspinall! 💥This man is a problem! 😤 pic.twitter.com/REeqdu7bGB

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 22, 2021