Glover Teixeira became a UFC champion at age 42 on his second try. Petr Yan returned to the top of a weight class he not long ago ruled. These are two of the most significant moves in the latest ESPN divisional rankings.
Teixeira dethroned Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight on Oct. 30, six years after the Brazilian had made an unsuccessful bid for the belt during the Jon Jones reign.
That same night, Yan, who had the bantamweight strap taken away from him via disqualification back in March, won an interim belt by defeating Cory Sandhagen. That sets up Yan for a rematch with Aljamain Sterling, who became champion when Yan landed an illegal knee in their title fight.
Aside from those fighters, several have either solidified their positions in their divisional top-10 or are newly ranked. There’s a lot of movement, with more sure to come.
For the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings, click here. For a list of current UFC champions in all weight classes, click here.
Note: Results are current; rankings as of Nov. 10.