Most recent UFC Ranking will be released shortly, and there are some changes following the UFC Tampa results on December 14.

Although not all divisions were affected, according to a long-standing study John Morgan, MMA journalistthe UFC men’s and women’s lightweight, welterweight and flyweight divisions came into existence.

The biggest loser on the leaderboard was Colby Covington. The veteran suffered a one-sided defeat over nearly three rounds against Joaquin Buckley in the main event in Tampa.

The results of the fight led to Covington dropping three spots from No. 6 to No. 9 in the official UFC welterweight rankings. Covington, who turned 36 in February, is physically tough, but he has now lost three of his last four fights and four of his last six fights.

He’s at a point in his career – if he continues – where he’s closing in on division goalie status. It will be interesting to see who he draws in his next fight because he will have to be strategic. The losses have piled up, and each one will lower his ceiling for the rest of his career.

On the other side of the UFC Tampa main event, Buckley’s victory over Covington moved him to No. 6 in the rankings. He looked excellent in the win, but questions will remain about his strength in the Octagon against someone like Ian Machado Garry.

Buckley was originally scheduled to fight Garry in the main event of UFC Tampa before the latter was booked into the co-main event of UFC 309 a week earlier. As things stand, the two are on the same timeline and could end up fighting sometime in 2025.

In the men’s flyweight division, Manel Kape put in a masterful performance, fending off three low blows from Bruno Silva to earn a third-round TKO victory. Kape’s win moved him three spots to No. 6.

According to UFC President Dana WhiteKape’s victory Wasn’t enough to secure a title shotbut he said he will give him what he wants in his next fight. Perhaps it’s a fight with Kai Kara France, with the winner getting the next chance against Alexandre Pantoja – or whoever is champion when the opportunity presents itself.

At women’s flyweight, the persistent Miranda Maverick fought her way into the Top 15 with a unanimous decision victory over Jamey-Lyn Horth. Maverick has struggled to secure opposition, but the idea is that his return to the rankings should help lock down his opponents.

Finally, the super impressive Joel Alvarez, who destroyed Drakkar Klose, found himself ranked in the lightweight division. It’s unclear how long Alvarez’s ranking will be relevant, as he’s made it clear he won’t fight at lightweight for long.

Alvarez says the only way he can fight at 155 pounds again is if the UFC visits Spain soon. As of now, he is a top 15 lightweight in the promotion. There have been no other changes to the rankings, and as UFC Tampa was the last event of 2024, this will be the last update of the year.