USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, July 6: UFC 264 looms large
Following a relatively slow holiday weekend in the sport, UFC 264 is set to make a major impact on the sport’s landscape.
The night’s featured attraction takes place at 155 pounds, with former UFC lightweight interim titleholder Dustin Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) taking on former two-division champ Conor McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a key trilogy fight. Poirier enters the contest ranked No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, while McGregor is just behind at No. 4.
Both reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, as well as top contender justin Gaethje, will certainly be interested in the result of that contest, as well as how the top of the 155-pound ranks will shuffle given the result. But that’s certainly not the only meaningful fight at UFC 264.
In the night’s co-feature, a pair of former UFC welterweight title challengers collide with Gilbert Burns (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) vs. Stephen Thompson (16-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC). Burns currently sits at No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, with Thompson just behind at No. 4.
It seems Colby Covington has the inside track at current UFC champ Kamaru Usman, but the winner of the Burns vs. Thompson matchup will be in an enviable position in the division.
Irene Aldana (12-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will also have a real impact in the women’s bantamweight division, as well, so expect quite a bit of resolution from this weekend’s big event, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ahead of that massive card, check out the full rankings across every division using the drop-down menu above.
