25 Nov 2021 | 08:33 | MMA
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
FIGHTER RECORD
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
FIGHTER RECORD
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
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.
