Entering Bellator 271 this past Friday night as a massive favorite against Sinead Kavanagh, women’s flyweight champion Cris Cyborg only had one path to impress observers: score an impressive finish. Cyborg did just that, taking just 92 seconds to knock Kavanagh out.
Still undefeated in Bellator — and with 25 wins in her previous 26 outings — Cyborg remains atop both the women’s pound-for-pound and featherweight rankings in the Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings. Kavanagh dropped one spot to No. 6 in defeat and Bellator goes back to the drawing board in search of a woman who can give Cyborg a stiff test.
Cyborg debuted in the promotion in January 2020, scoring a TKO over Julia Budd to win the featherweight title. She has now picked up three successful title defenses, all coming by stoppage.
Below are the top-10 pound-for-pound rankings for both the men and women. The full top-10 rankings for each division within the promotion can be found here. The rankings are voted on by 17 members of the media.
Editor’s note: CBS Sports insider Brian Campbell is a member of the 17-person voting panel. Bellator and CBS Sports are both owned by ViacomCBS.
Bellator Rankings (Nov. 16)
Men’s pound-for-pound
|
1. AJ McKee |
18-0 |
|
2. Patricio Pitbull |
32-5 |
|
3. Vadim Nemkov |
15-2 |
|
4. Gegard Mousasi |
48-7-2 |
|
5. Yaroslav Amosov |
26-0 |
|
6. Corey Anderson |
16-5 |
|
7. Ryan Bader |
28-7 |
|
8. Sergio Pettis |
21-5 |
|
9. Michael Page |
20-1 |
|
10. Valentin Moldavsky |
11-1 |
Women’s pound-for-pound
|
1. Cris Cyborg |
24-2 |
|
2. Juliana Velasquez |
12-0 |
|
3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane |
11-1 |
|
4. Liz Carmouche |
16-7 |
|
5. Denise Kielholtz |
6-3 |
|
6. Arlene Blencowe |
14-8 |
|
7. Cat Zingano |
12-4 |
|
8. Kana Watanabe |
10-1-1 |
|
9. Leah McCourt |
6-1 |
|
10. Leslie Smith |
12-9-1 |
Other notable results
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Heavyweight: Linton Vassell took a split decision against Tyrell Fortune. Vassell jumped two spots, passing Fortune and former interim title challenger Tim Johnson to move to No. 4. Fortune slid down one spot from No. 5 to No. 6.
-
Featherweight: Aaron Pico ran his winning streak to five with a win over Justin Gonzales. The win moved Pico up one spot to No. 5.
-
Women’s featherweight: A former challenger to Cyborg’s crown, Arlene Blencowe remains in the No. 1 spot with a decision win over Pam Sorenson. Sorenson held steady at No. 7, though Jessy Miele moved up two spots and into a tie at that No. 7 spot.
-
Heavyweight: Steve Mowry submitted Rakim Cleveland with a first-round kimura. He moved up one spot into a tie with Fortune at No. 6.
