Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

“Remember the Name” is making himself impossible to forget — or ignore — as a UFC welterweight contender.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 34 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Belal Muhammad won a five-round unanimous decision over fellow streaking 170-pounder Vicente Luque. While the wrestling-heavy performance was short on fireworks, Muhammad’s eight-fight unbeaten streak now includes three straight wins over Top 10 fighters. The 33-year-old Roufusport product is becoming an undeniable part of the welterweight title picture.

On Friday, Bellator MMA crowned its first four-time champion, as Patricio Freire avenged his title loss to A.J. McKee, taking back the featherweight belt in the main event of Bellator 277. “Pitbull” won a hard-fought unanimous decision over the previously undefeated phenom, who then announced his intention to move to lightweight. Whether the new champ pursues McKee to 155 pounds for a rubber match or seeks to defend his featherweight belt first, will remain to be seen.

Bellator’s other title fight on Friday ended in frustration for all involved when the light heavyweight tournament final between incumbent champion Vadim Nemkov and challenger Corey Anderson collided skull to skull in the second round, leading to a no contest. An immediate rematch seems the most obvious move, especially since the challenger had been doing well before the inadvertent clash of heads, but until then the Top 5 light heavyweights will remain ranked where they are.

Finally, Saturday night’s Rizin 35 featured several top atomweights in action. Seika Izawa proved her New Year’s Eve upset of Ayaka Hamasaki was no fluke, winning the rematch — this time, with Hamasaki’s super atomweight belt at stake — while Kanna Asakura reaffirmed her status as a 108-pound contender by turning aside Satomi Takano.

Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.

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