When you earn the biggest win of your career, big things tend to follow. And that’s the case with Gilbert Burns.
Burns put on an impressive performance this past Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 9 headliner as he dominated former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision. The victory made it six in a row for Burns (19-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), while Woodley (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) dropped his second consecutive fight for the first losing streak of his career.
As expected, both men went in opposite directions in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings. Burns, who entered the fight No. 12, climbed all the way to No. 5 with the victory. As for Woodley, he dropped out of the top 5 for the first time in five years, to No. 6, after his second straight lackluster performance in defeat.
Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal and Bellator champion Douglas Lima all benefited from the shakeup near the top.
There was more movement coming out of UFC on ESPN 9 and surely more to come with UFC 250 on Saturday. You can take a look at the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings across all divisions in the dropdowns above.
