With another UFC event in the books, the rankings have seen a dramatic shake-up. The changes didn’t just happen in one division but across multiple divisions. And guess what? There was movement in the pound-for-rankings as well. The biggest beneficiary, however, in this ranking shake-up was the former lightweight champion and the man of the night, Charles Oliveira, who recorded a massive win at UFC Rio.

Charles Oliveira is done! That’s what people thought when he got knocked out cold by Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. The first-round loss raised doubts about ‘Do Bronxs’s ability to compete against the top contenders at thirty-five years old. But Oliveira surprised everyone by adding another finish and making a climb up the rankings.

Charles Oliveira makes it onto the P4P list

Charles Oliveira returned in a big way at UFC Rio. His original opponent, Rafael Fiziev, pulled out before the event, which prompted Mateusz Gamrot to step in on short notice. That gamble did not bode well for the Polish star, who got submitted in the second round of their main event bout. As a result, Oliveira overtook BMF champion Max Holloway, whom he wants to fight next, and got placed at #3 in the lightweight rankings.

Similarly, Charles Oliveira also reclaimed his place in the pound-for-pound rankings. After securing his 21st finish in the UFC, the Brazilian native was placed at #15 on the P4P list.

Moving over to the other changes in the division, Liverpudlian star Paddy Pimblett also climbed a spot higher and got placed at #6 as Dan Hooker dropped down to #7.

Charles Oliveira’s entry into the P4P list proved detrimental to Shavkat Rakhmonov, since he’s no longer on that list. But then, the Kazakh star has also been out of action since UFC 310, so it’s understandable that he’s not on the list anymore. Now, let’s take a look at the other shifts in the rankings.

The women’s and men’s bantamweight divisions were also shaken up

UFC Rio was an emotional affair for Deiveson Figueiredo, who came back with a win after two back-to-back losses in his run as a 135er. However, his win over Montel Jackson did not help him climb the rankings since he’s still placed at #6. But for 35-year-old Marcus McGhee, who lost his last fight to Petr Yan via a unanimous decision, he found himself debuting in the bantamweight rankings at #15. The rest remained the same.

Moving over to the women’s bantamweight division, the movement in the rankings was very minimal. Yana Santos, who fought an overweight Macy Chiasson, did not move up despite hesitantly taking the fight, as she claims the UFC forced her to do it. She remains at #5, which is the same for Chiasson, who also remains at #7. The only change in this division’s ranking saw Luana Santos making her way at #15, which resulted in Daria Zhelezniakova being pushed out of the list.

The year has not ended yet, and a lot of major fights between top contenders of various divisions are set to take place before 2025 ends. As such, more changes are expected to take place in the UFC rankings. Nevertheless, what do you think of these changes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.