Which Ranked Fighters Are Competing This Weekend? UFC Fight Night 161 Rankings Tracker
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will set up shop in
Tampa, Florida, for the first time since 2016, as
UFC Fight Night 161 takes over Amalie Arena. A few ranked
fighters are competing at the event, so let us take a look at them
and the possible implications their fights could have on the
rankings.
A pivotal women’s strawweight bout takes place in the main event, as former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk meets Michelle Waterson. Jedrzejczyk (15-3) last competed in December, when she was outpointed by Valentina Shevchenko in a showdown for the women’s flyweight crown. She has lost three of her last four bouts, with two of those defeats coming in strawweight title fights against Rose Namajunas.
Given the fighters to whom she has lost and her previous dominance
in the division, Jedrzejczyk remains highly ranked. Sherdog and
ESPN have her as the fourth-best strawweight in the world, as well
as the seventh-best women’s pound-for-pound fighter. She is also
No. 5 in the UFC’s strawweight rankings.
Waterson (17-6) on the other hand, is on a three-fight winning streak -- her first in the UFC. Her most recent win was a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz in March. As a result, she is currently rated as the 10th-best strawweight in the world by Sherdog, sixth by ESPN and seventh by the UFC. “The Karate Hottie” previously campaigned for a title shot but will instead get the next best thing -- a fight with Jedrzejczyk that affords her the opportunity to prove she is ready for the next level. It is entirely possible that the winner of this fight gets the next crack at the title, so long as Tatiana Suarez is unavailable.
The prelims feature a ranked flyweight bout, as Deiveson Figueiredo takes on Tim Elliott. Figueiredo (16-1) bounced back from his first career loss to Jussier Formiga with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240 in July. “Deus da Guerra” is currently rated as the sixth-best flyweight in the world by Sherdog, fourth by ESPN and third by the UFC. Given his loss to Formiga, a win is unlikely to see him rise up the ranks, but it would cement him as one of the top threats to the 125-pound title.
Elliott (15-8-1), meanwhile, is coming off a submission victory over Mark De La Rosa. However, that was all the way back in December 2017. In total, he is 2-2 in his second stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion, but he remains high in the UFC rankings. As it stands, the American is No. 6 in the rankings, and a win over Figeurido could see him potentially insert himself in the Top 3.
A pivotal women’s strawweight bout takes place in the main event, as former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk meets Michelle Waterson. Jedrzejczyk (15-3) last competed in December, when she was outpointed by Valentina Shevchenko in a showdown for the women’s flyweight crown. She has lost three of her last four bouts, with two of those defeats coming in strawweight title fights against Rose Namajunas.
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Waterson (17-6) on the other hand, is on a three-fight winning streak -- her first in the UFC. Her most recent win was a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz in March. As a result, she is currently rated as the 10th-best strawweight in the world by Sherdog, sixth by ESPN and seventh by the UFC. “The Karate Hottie” previously campaigned for a title shot but will instead get the next best thing -- a fight with Jedrzejczyk that affords her the opportunity to prove she is ready for the next level. It is entirely possible that the winner of this fight gets the next crack at the title, so long as Tatiana Suarez is unavailable.
The prelims feature a ranked flyweight bout, as Deiveson Figueiredo takes on Tim Elliott. Figueiredo (16-1) bounced back from his first career loss to Jussier Formiga with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240 in July. “Deus da Guerra” is currently rated as the sixth-best flyweight in the world by Sherdog, fourth by ESPN and third by the UFC. Given his loss to Formiga, a win is unlikely to see him rise up the ranks, but it would cement him as one of the top threats to the 125-pound title.
Elliott (15-8-1), meanwhile, is coming off a submission victory over Mark De La Rosa. However, that was all the way back in December 2017. In total, he is 2-2 in his second stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion, but he remains high in the UFC rankings. As it stands, the American is No. 6 in the rankings, and a win over Figeurido could see him potentially insert himself in the Top 3.
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