Getty Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov & Jon Jones
Some members of the MMA community were scratching their heads on Saturday after checking the official UFC rankings. Recently, the male pound-for-pound list has been a point of contention for fans and analysts as a debate has raged about who should be ranked No 1, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov or former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“Bones” had long held the No. 1 spot with his impressive tenure, however after dominating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24, Nurmagomedov (29-0) was elevated to the top of the list, dropping Jones down to No. 2.
However, on Saturday, the UFC’s rankings seemingly glitched and a new fighter was placed No. 1 — former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor was sitting on top of the list. Although “Notorious” was the first simultaneous two-division champion and has a stellar record of 22-4, he was ranked No. 11 before Saturday. He is 1-1 in his last two bouts, losing to Nurmagomedov in October 2018 and defeating Donald Cerrone in January.
It appears that the UFC has fixed the glitch and the rankings have been set back to normal. Nurmagomedov is No. 1, Jones is No. 2 and McGregor is No. 11.
See a screenshot of the ranking before it was changed back by the UFC:
GettyConor McGregor ranked at No. 1 on the male pound-for-pound rankings.
ALL the latest UFC news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on UFC newsletter here!
Nurmagomedov Surpassed Jones for the No. 1 Spot After Defending His Belt for the 3rd Time
There are a few names mentioned in the greatest of all time argument, including Jones, Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Demetrious Johnson. Out of that list of fighters, only two of them are active and at the top of their game in the UFC, Jones and Nurmagomedov.
As mentioned, Jones held the No. 1 spot on the male pound-for-pound list for years but that all changed the Tuesday after UFC 254. Nurmagomedov took on Gaethje in the main event and choked out Gaethje in the second round.
During his post-fight interview with commentator Jon Anik, Nurmagomedov announced he was retiring from the sport and had one request for the UFC, to place him No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. The UFC did just that, and on October 27, Nurmagomedov dethroned Bones.
Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Jones Is Not Happy With the Ranking, Believes His Resume Is Better Than Nurmagomedov’s
Since Nurmagomedov’s request, Bones has been active on social media defending his spot in the rankings. Jones contends that because he has been dominant much longer in the UFC at a high level, winning 14 championship fights, he should be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.
Although Nurmagomedov has one more professional fight than Jones, Jones has competed in over triple the number of UFC title fights than the Russian. Bones has victories over many of the greatest light heavyweight fighters ever, including Shogun Rua, Daniel Cormier, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.
Nurmagomedov, who has won four UFC title fights, has defeated many top fighters as well, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Rafael dos Anjos.
READ NEXT: UFC Star Corrects Dana White: ‘I Did Not Say That’