Which Ranked Fighters Are Competing This Weekend? UFC 239 Rankings Tracker
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In the main event, Jon Jones defends his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos. Jones (24-1, 1 NC) is coming off dominant wins over Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith and as a result, remains at the top of the pound-for-pound ranks. “Bones” is currently rated as the top pound-for-pound fighter by Sherdog and ESPN, while the UFC rankings have him at No. 2.
Therefore, a win for Santos (21-6) would not only make him the
first to defeat Jones and become champion but could insert himself
all the way to the top of the pound-for-pound ranks. “Marreta” is
on a four-fight win streak at light heavyweight and has won eight
of his last nine fights overall. As a result, he is currently rated
as the sixth-best 205-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog, the
fifth-best by ESPN and is No. 2 in the UFC rankings.
Another champion and pound-for-pound great is in action in the co-main event as Amanda Nunes defends her women’s bantamweight title against Holly Holm. Nunes (17-4) solidified her case as the greatest female fighter in history following her knockout of Cristiane Justino to become the featherweight queen. She can now further consolidate her place with a win over another former champion that would make it nine straight victories. The “Lioness” is currently rated as the best bantamweight and featherweight in the world by Sherdog, the best female pound-for-pound fighter by ESPN and is ranked No. 6 in the overall UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
As for Holm (12-4), while she is currently 2-4 in her last six fights, she is still one of the top contenders in the UFC. Following her win over Megan Anderson in a featherweight bout last year, Holm is currently ranked as the fifth-best featherweight in the world as well as the third-best bantamweight in the world by Sherdog. Meanwhile, ESPN have her as the fourth-best bantamweight in the world as well as the eight-best pound-for-pound female fighter, while Holm is also No. 2 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. A win over Nunes could move her up further the pound-for-pound ranks.
A fan-friendly welterweight bout is also on the cards as heated rivals Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren meet in what could virtually be a No. 1 contender fight. Masvidal (33-13) bounced back from a two-fight losing streak with a huge knockout win over former title challenger Darren Till earlier this year. As a result, he is currently rated as the ninth-best welterweight in the world by Sherdog, the sixth-best by ESPN, and is No. 4 in the UFC rankings.
Askren (19-0, 1 NC), meanwhile, is coming off a controversial debut win over former champion Robbie Lawler. Despite all the debates about the finish, “Funky” is currently rated as the fifth-best 170-pounder in the world by Sherdog, the 10th-best according to ESPN, and is ranked No. 5 in the UFC rankings. A definitive win for either could see them challenge Kamaru Usman for the title next.
Further showing how stacked this card is, Luke Rockhold makes his light heavyweight debut against longtime contender Jan Blachowicz. Rockhold (16-4) is 1-2 in his last three middleweight fights and decided to stop the brutal weight cut to 185. Despite his recent setbacks, the American Kickboxing Academy product is still ranked as the seventh-best middleweight in the world by ESPN. A win on Saturday will see the former champion inserted into the light heavyweight ranks.
As for Blachowicz (23-8), he is coming off a knockout loss to Santos. However, he could make it five wins in six and remain in the title picture with arguably the biggest win of his career in Rockhold. The Pole is currently ranked as the eight-best light heavyweight in the world by Sherdog and ESPN, while he is No. 6 in the UFC rankings.
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