Valentina Shevchenko overtakes Conor McGregor in UFC P4P rankings

The women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko surpassed Conor McGregor in the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings.

The rankings were updated following Saturday’s UFC Mexico card, which was topped by a featherweight fight between Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez.

While the card produced plenty of action, the event was somewhat overshadowed by the early stoppage of the main event between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens. An accidental eye poke landed on Jeremy Stephens forced referee Herb Dean to put a stop the action (much to the dismay of the audience).

In the wake of this card, the table has shifted and Conor McGregor has moved down a notch, as you can see here (via UFC).

POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Jon Jones
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov
3. Henry Cejudo
4. Stipe Miocic
5. Amanda Nunes
6. Daniel Cormier
7. Max Holloway
8. Kamaru Usman
9. Robert Whittaker +1
10. Tony Ferguson -1
11. Valentina Shevchenko
12. Conor McGregor -1
13. Dustin Poirier
14. Israel Adesanya
15. Tyron Woodley

The ranking board has become a point of contention amongst fighters and industry professionals. Earlier this month, a Reddit user exposed the flawed ranking system that relies on 14 panellists (a third of who are not in MMA).

Many fighters have called out the current system including UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov who proclaimed he should be at the top of the rankings following his win against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, which elevated his record to 28-0. He is currently ranked second behind light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since his fourth-round defeat against the Russian lightweight champion in 2018. He has been pursuing other business endeavours over the past year, including property development and his Proper No. 12 whisky brand. However, McGregor is eager to return to the Octagon and has hinted at an appearance in December later this year.

Valentina Shevchenko last fight was against Liz Carmouche. She first fought ‘Girl-rilla’ in 2010 and received the first professional loss of her career. However, the flyweight champion successfully vindicated herself and defeated Carmouche by decision in the rematch. The only two other losses on her record are against the two-division champion Amanda Nunes.

Do you think Shevchenko has proven she belongs above Conor McGregor on the rankings board? Let us know in the comments below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/25/2019.