While the light heavyweight division appeared primed for a shake-up on a busy weekend, a couple of perennial contenders held serve.
At UFC Fight Night 192, it was Anthony Smith making quick work of upstart contender Ryan Spann, while at Bellator 266, former champ Phil Davis spoiled the promotional debut of Yoel Romero.
With Smith (36-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) sitting just behind Aleksandar Rakic, the man who most recently defeated “Lionheart,” there’s really no room for the veteran to move up past his current No. 11 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings. Meanwhile, Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) started the week at No. 12, and while his decision was clear, it wasn’t the type of result to see him make a major move up, so he also stays in his current position.
Similar scenarios played out in other divisions, as well, leaving the list relatively unchanged this week. That said, with a blockbuster UFC 266 event set for the weekend, the same isn’t likely to be the case one week from now.
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