Conor McGregor’s featherweight belt wasn’t on the line when he moved up two weight classes to fight at 170 pounds against Nate Diaz last Saturday at UFC 196. But McGregor’s pound-for-pound standing took a hit after the Irishman suffered his first UFC loss.
McGregor drops five spots to No. 8 in the pound-for-pound list in Monday’s official UFC Rankings release. Diaz remains at No. 5 in the lightweight ranks despite his win over the former third-ranked pound-for-pound fighter.
As for the other stars of UFC 196, new women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate cracks the pound-for-pound list at No. 15. It’s Tate’s first appearance on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Former champ Holly Holm lost her belt and the pound-for-pound’s No. 13 spot, though she stays ahead of Ronda Rousey as the No. 1 contender.
The only other effect of UFC 196’s bouts on the rankings comes in the light heavyweight division. Ilir Latifi makes his rankings debut at No. 13 and Gian Villante falls to 15th.
Middleweight champ Luke Rockhold benefits from McGregor’s slide in the ranks and takes over the third spot, while Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson continue to hold down the first and second spots.