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          Gregory Rodrigues stands his ground, enters middleweight top 10

          Gregory Rodrigues enters the middleweight top 10 after scoring his fourth straight UFC victory on Saturday. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
          • Brett OkamotoAug 25, 2026, 11:00 PM
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Gregory Rodrigues got a glimpse of what was to come when he spent most of the first round of Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event in a clinch with Anthony Hernandez, fending off takedown attempts. Before the fight's first five minutes were over, Rodrigues was 7-for-7 in takedown defense.

          Rodrigues was up to the task in many ways during the middleweight bout in Sacramento, California. Over five rounds, he ended up successfully defending all but three of Hernandez's 29 takedown tries, and he also more than doubled his opponent's strike output (243 to 111), on his way to a unanimous decision win.

          The victory earned Rodrigues the No. 8 position in the ESPN divisional rankings, bumping Hernandez down three spots to No. 9. Dropping out of the top 10 to make room was Reinier de Ridder, even though he won on Saturday's card. De Ridder moved up to light heavyweight and beat Roman Dolidze by TKO.

          The only other rankings movement came at heavyweight, where Vitor Petrino replaces Serghei Spivac at No. 8 after beating him over the weekend.

          Here are the ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings and a list of current UFC champions in all weight classes.

          Results are current; rankings as of Aug. 25. To be eligible for the rankings, a fighter must have competed over the past 12 months or must have an upcoming fight booked. Fighters who have been dropped for inactivity can be reinstated only after they compete.

          HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 265 pounds)

          LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (up to 205 pounds)

          MIDDLEWEIGHT (up to 185 pounds)

          WELTERWEIGHT (up to 170 pounds)

          LIGHTWEIGHT (up to 155 pounds)

          FEATHERWEIGHT (up to 145 pounds)

          MEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 135 pounds)

          MEN'S FLYWEIGHT (up to 125 pounds)

          WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT (up to 135 pounds)

          WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT (up to 125 pounds)

          STRAWWEIGHT (up to 115 pounds)