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UFC Rankings Drop Pantoja From No. 1 After UFC 331 Loss

ByMike ReichlinMixed Martial Arts Journalist

Alexandre Pantoja lost more than a rematch at UFC 331. The former flyweight champion slid from No. 1 to No. 2 in the latest UFC rankings after his second loss to Joshua Van, and Manel Kape now holds the top spot at 125 pounds.

The update, the first since Saturday’s card at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, also made Ciryl Gane’s promotion official. Gane sits atop heavyweight as champion, with Tom Aspinall listed at No. 1 after vacating the title last week.

Van Settles It, Kape Moves Into Pole Position

Pantoja started fast, scoring early takedowns and piling up control time. Van took over in the middle rounds and dropped Pantoja in the fifth on the way to a unanimous decision and his second successful title defense.

Their first fight at UFC 323 ended when Pantoja hurt his arm less than 30 seconds in, and Van hadn’t forgotten the criticism. “A lot of people said that was an accidental win the first time. Doubt me now,” he said after the fight.

Kape brings a four-fight win streak into the No. 1 spot, capped by a come-from-behind TKO of Kyoji Horiguchi in June, and has no fight booked. Brandon Royval holds at No. 3, while No. 6 Lone’er Kavanagh and No. 7 Ramazan Temirov meet at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi.

Gane Becomes Champion On Paper, Volkov Slides

Aspinall vacated the heavyweight title on Sept. 14, saying he reinjured his right eye while training for a Gane rematch. “I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up,” he said in a statement. The eye problems trace back to the double eye poke that ended their UFC 321 title fight as a no contest in October 2025.

Dana White initially said Gane had not been elevated, but the UFC 331 broadcast confirmed him as undisputed champion and announced his first defense. Gane faces No. 6 Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden, with Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes as the co-main event.

Hokit is 10-0 and had his eye on Gane from the moment the belt opened up, as he made clear the day Aspinall vacated.

Behind them, Sergei Pavlovich and Alex Pereira each climbed a spot to No. 2 and No. 3. Alexander Volkov dropped two places to No. 4 without fighting, though he gets a chance to answer that directly against No. 5 Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333.

No. 14 Mick Parkin meets Johnny Walker in Walker’s heavyweight debut at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City. The weekend’s biggest heavyweight upset changed nothing on the list: Sean Sharaf knocked out unbeaten Gable Steveson in 12 seconds, and neither man is ranked.

Tsarukyan Stays At No. 2 While He Waits

Arman Tsarukyan’s first-round elbow knockout of Mauricio Ruffy didn’t move him, and he remains No. 2 at lightweight behind Ilia Topuria. Ruffy held at No. 10 despite being finished at 4:56 of the opening round.

Tsarukyan has now won six straight and pitched himself as next for champion Justin Gaethje, who isn’t expected back until next year. “Title fight or Mark Zuckerberg, I want to fight you next,” he joked afterward, a line with extra bite given Meta now powers the rankings. The case for his shot is laid out in our breakdown of the finish.

No. 8 Renato Moicano meets No. 11 Tom Nolan in an Oct. 31 Las Vegas main event, a booking that came together after Brian Ortega pulled out of UFC 331.

Brito Surges, Vera Is Back

Joanderson Brito made the biggest climb of the week, rising four spots to No. 11 at featherweight. He pounced when Giga Chikadze slipped on a head kick and finished him with ground and pound at 1:57 of the first round. Melquizael Costa, Steve Garcia, Aaron Pico and Jamall Emmers each slid one spot.

Patricio Pitbull knocked out Dooho Choi on the main card and still didn’t crack the top 15. He called for No. 5 Jean Silva afterward.

Champion Alexander Volkanovski defends against unbeaten No. 1 Movsar Evloev in the UFC 333 main event. Pico stays on that card against Losene Keita after Arnold Allen’s withdrawal.

At bantamweight, Marlon Vera re-entered at No. 12 by dropping Charles Jourdain three times and stopping him at 2:02 of the third round. It was Vera’s first win in over three years and snapped a four-fight skid. Jourdain held No. 12 going in and fell out of the top 15 entirely.

Champion Petr Yan and No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili settle their trilogy in the UFC 333 co-main event. Before that, No. 8 Raoni Barcelos faces Raul Rosas Jr. this Saturday at UFC Vegas 121, and No. 11 Deiveson Figueiredo meets Payton Talbott at UFC 332.

Menifield And Shahbazyan Earn Their Spots

Alonzo Menifield jumped two spots to No. 11 at light heavyweight after a split decision over previously unbeaten Iwo Baraniewski, a win he earned while fighting through a compound fracture of his left thumb. Bogdan Guskov and Robert Whittaker each dropped a place to No. 12 and No. 13.

The top of that division is on hold with champion Carlos Ulberg recovering from a torn ACL. No. 8 Dominick Reyes and No. 10 Azamat Murzakanov meet at UFC 333.

Edmen Shahbazyan returned to the middleweight rankings at No. 14 after a unanimous decision over Brunno Ferreira in his hometown. Jared Cannonier slipped to No. 15, and Sharabutdin Magomedov dropped out.

No. 5 Brendan Allen, who beat Shahbazyan in June, headlines against No. 10 Christian Leroy Duncan on Oct. 10 at Meta APEX. Champion Sean Strickland’s next defense is expected to come against No. 3 Nassourdine Imavov, with UFC 335 in December the reported target.

Edwards Slides Without Fighting

Leon Edwards fell two spots to No. 10 at welterweight while sitting idle. The former champion hasn’t competed since Carlos Prates knocked him out at UFC 322 in November 2025, and the Meta model factors inactivity into its ratings.

Joaquin Buckley and Uros Medic each moved up one spot to No. 8 and No. 9. Buckley headlines against No. 11 Mike Malott on Oct. 17 in Edmonton, and No. 5 Sean Brady meets No. 6 Gabriel Bonfim on Nov. 7.

On the women’s side, Casey O’Neill entered the flyweight rankings at No. 11 after her first-round armbar of Eduarda Moura. The vacant women’s flyweight title is on the line when Natalia Silva faces Wang Cong in the UFC 332 main event.