Which Ranked Fighters Are Competing This Weekend? UFC on ESPN 5 Rankings Tracker
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live
on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN
app.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Newark for the first time since 2016 this Saturday for UFC on ESPN 5. A number of ranked fighters are competing in the event, so let’s take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
In the headliner, Colby
Covington takes on former champion Robbie
Lawler in a welterweight contest. Covington (14-1) has won his
last six in a row, however, he hasn’t competed since his decision
win over Rafael dos
Anjos at UFC 225 last summer. He has since been overtaken by
new champion Kamaru
Usman, but “Chaos” still reigns at the very top of the
170-pound division. Sherdog rates him as the third-best
welterweight in the world, ESPN have him fourth, while he is the
No. 2 contender in the UFC rankings. A win on Saturday should get
him the next shot at Usman.
However, a win for Lawler (28-13, 1 NC) would shake the division up further. “Ruthless” has lost his last two in a row but if anything, the manner of those defeats to dos Anjos and Ben Askren increased his stock further. The former champion even has a chance to shoot back into title contention with a win against Covington. Despite his recent setbacks, Lawler is still ranked as the eighth-best welterweight in the world by Sherdog and is the current No. 11 contender in the UFC rankings.
Also competing on the card is Antonina Shevchenko as she looks to get back in the win column against Lucie Pudilova in their women's flyweight bout. Shevchenko (7-1) suffered the first defeat of her professional career when she was outpointed by Roxanne Modafferi at UFC Fight Night 149 earlier this year. However, a second win in three UFC fights should set her back on the right track. “La Pantera” is currently ranked No. 15 in the UFC flyweight rankings and a decisive victory could see her move up further.
Meanwhile, a win for Pudilova (8-4) could see her potentially enter the Top 15 of the rankings. The former bantamweight has lost her last two in a row and like Shevchenko, will be looking to get back into winning ways with what would arguably be the biggest victory of her career so far.
Finally, Matt Schnell is back in flyweight action as he faces Jordan Espinosa. Schnell (13-4) last competed at bantamweight with an impressive submission win over Louis Smolka. A winner of his last three fights, the 29-year-old currently resides as the No. 14-ranked contender in the UFC flyweight rankings. A fourth consecutive win could see him move into the Top 10.
That’s because his opponent in Espinoza (14-5) is on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent outing being a successful UFC debut with his decision win over Eric Shelton. As a result, the Luttrell-Yee MMA product is currently ranked No. 9 in the UFC rankings. A win over a fellow ranked opponent could see Espinoza move up further in what has become an uncertain division.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Newark for the first time since 2016 this Saturday for UFC on ESPN 5. A number of ranked fighters are competing in the event, so let’s take a look at them and the possible implications their fights could have on the rankings.
Advertisement
However, a win for Lawler (28-13, 1 NC) would shake the division up further. “Ruthless” has lost his last two in a row but if anything, the manner of those defeats to dos Anjos and Ben Askren increased his stock further. The former champion even has a chance to shoot back into title contention with a win against Covington. Despite his recent setbacks, Lawler is still ranked as the eighth-best welterweight in the world by Sherdog and is the current No. 11 contender in the UFC rankings.
Also competing on the card is Antonina Shevchenko as she looks to get back in the win column against Lucie Pudilova in their women's flyweight bout. Shevchenko (7-1) suffered the first defeat of her professional career when she was outpointed by Roxanne Modafferi at UFC Fight Night 149 earlier this year. However, a second win in three UFC fights should set her back on the right track. “La Pantera” is currently ranked No. 15 in the UFC flyweight rankings and a decisive victory could see her move up further.
Meanwhile, a win for Pudilova (8-4) could see her potentially enter the Top 15 of the rankings. The former bantamweight has lost her last two in a row and like Shevchenko, will be looking to get back into winning ways with what would arguably be the biggest victory of her career so far.
Finally, Matt Schnell is back in flyweight action as he faces Jordan Espinosa. Schnell (13-4) last competed at bantamweight with an impressive submission win over Louis Smolka. A winner of his last three fights, the 29-year-old currently resides as the No. 14-ranked contender in the UFC flyweight rankings. A fourth consecutive win could see him move into the Top 10.
That’s because his opponent in Espinoza (14-5) is on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent outing being a successful UFC debut with his decision win over Eric Shelton. As a result, the Luttrell-Yee MMA product is currently ranked No. 9 in the UFC rankings. A win over a fellow ranked opponent could see Espinoza move up further in what has become an uncertain division.
Related Articles
