While there is still raging debate over the result of this weekend’s UFC on ESPN 45 main event, Amir Albazi has been awarded a significant move in the UFC’s officials rankings following his split-decision win over Kai Kara-France.
Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) kept his unblemished octagon mark intact by the thinnest of margins, outlasting a game Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) over the course of five rounds. With the result, Albazi moves up four slots in the latest flyweight rankings update, settling in at the No. 3 position. Meanwhile, Kara-France slides down two spot and now sits at No. 5.
With current No. 1 Deiveson Figueiredo seemingly destined for a move to 135 pounds and No. 2 Alexandre Pantoja fighting for the title this summer against reigning champion Brandon Moreno, that leaves Albazi in a very envious position in the division. Of course, No. 4 Brandon Royval has been tapped as a backup for that upcoming flyweight title fight, so he may still hold the inside track to face the winner.
Time will tell.
Take a look at the latest UFC flyweight rankings below. Check out the full updated rankings at UFC.com.
UFC flyweight champion: Brandon Moreno
- Deiveson Figueiredo
- 2 Alexandre Pantoja
- Amir Albazi +4
- Brandon Royval
- Kai Kara-France -2
- Matheus Nicolau -1
- Alex Perez -1
- Matt Schnell
- Manel Kape
- David Dvorak
- Tim Elliott
- Muhammad Mokaev
- Sumudaerji
- Tagir Ulanbekov
- Bruno Silva
