Now 3-0 in his new weight class, it seems Michael Chiesa is coming into his own at 170 pounds.
Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) picked up a win over former UFC champ Rafael dos Anjos (29-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) at this past weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in North Carolina, marking his third consecutive victory since moving up to the welterweight division. The effort was rewarded in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, with “Maverick” debuting on the 170-pound list at No. 13, settling just ahead of dos Anjos, who entered the week as a top-10 fighter but drops now to No. 14.
That wasn’t the only action to come out of UFC Raleigh. Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) also moved up the list following his big win over former champ Junior Dos Santos (21-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC), while Arnold Allen (16-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Angela Hill (11-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) each earned spots as honorable mentions in their respective categories following their octagon victories, as well.
And, of course, one of the sport’s all-time greats, Cris Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), was in action this past weekend, as well, claiming Bellator’s women’s featherweight title with a TKO victory over Julia Budd (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) at Bellator 238.
Check out all the movement in the latest update to our rankings.
