Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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It’s not always pretty in the middleweight division, but that doesn’t matter to Reinier de Ridder.

The former One Championship two-division title holder survived a third-round knockdown to hold on for a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over ex-middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. That’s four straight promotional triumphs for “The Dutch Knight,” with each victory gradually raising his profile at 185 pounds. The latest was the most significant to date, as he climbs all the way to No. 6 in Sherdog.com's latest divisional poll.

Elsewhere, Petr Yan maintained his foothold near the top of the bantamweight division with a workmanlike three-round verdict over Marcus McGhee in the UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event. “No Mercy” maintains his No. 3 ranking, and with three straight wins under his belt, could be in line for a chance to regain the 135-pound strap he once owned in the near future.

In other action, Bogdan Guskov won his fourth consecutive contest at 205 pounds, scoring a first-round knockout of the previously 10th-ranked Nikita Krylov in a featured bout on Saturday. It’s an ugly triangle between Guskov, Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir near the bottom of the light heavyweight Top 10. Guskov, who has a recent head-to-head loss against new No. 10 Oezdemir, debuts in the poll at 11th.

Finally, Tabatha Ricci renewed her stay in the strawweight Top 10 with just the second finish of her UFC tenure, a second-round stoppage of Amanda Ribas. While a head-to-head loss against Lupita Godinez prevents “Baby Shark” from any advancement, Ribas’ three-bout losing streak results in her exit from the bubble, and she is joined by the slumping Luana Pinheiro. They are replaced by Denise Gomes and Jaqueline Amorim at 14th and 15th, respectively.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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