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          Brendan Allen submits his case for moving up in MMA divisional rankings

          Brendan Allen won Saturday's UFC middleweight main event for his fourth straight victory. Mike Kirschbaum/Zuffa LLC
          • Brett OkamotoOct 14, 2026, 12:00 AM
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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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          Brendan Allen fought a back-and-forth battle with Christian Leroy Duncan in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event. Going into the fifth round of the meeting of top-10 middleweights, Allen was narrowly ahead on all three scorecards. Of course, he did not know what the judges were thinking.

          So Allen took it out of the judges' hands in Round 5, getting Duncan to the ground and efficiently finishing the gritty fight with a rear-naked choke.

          With his fourth straight victory, Allen moves up one spot to No. 5 in the ESPN divisional rankings, continuing his recent climb in the middleweight top 10.

          That's the only rankings change this week. Duncan remains No. 10 at 185 pounds, and sixth-ranked strawweight Loopy Godínez, who beat unranked Ketlen Souza by decision on Saturday's undercard, also retains her spot.

          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 Oct. 13. 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)