UFC fans have been left confused after the recent flyweight title challenger has been left out of the rankings entirely.
This Tuesday morning, the UFC rankings updated following UFC 322 this past Saturday, which saw Islam Makhachev capture the welterweight title after dominating Jack Della Maddalena.
Following his performance, Makhachev recaptured the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings, knocking Ilia Topuria back into number two.
Who is the pound-for-pound best fighter in MMA? However, after the night of action, that wasn’t the only significant change in the rankings as the welterweight division saw a huge shift at the top, and fans have noticed a bizarre omission in the 125lb top 15.
Kai Kara-France bizarrely thrown out of rankingsFollowing a win over Steve Erceg last August, Kai Kara-France was given a shot at the flyweight title against reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja earlier this year at UFC 317.
As he has done continuously over the past few years, ‘The Cannibal’ scored another submission win, maintaining his position as the greatest flyweight of all time.
And after suffering his third loss in four fights, Kara-France was knocked down the rankings again.
Having not fought since then, in the rankings update this Tuesday morning, the New Zealander was completely omitted from the top 15, causing confusion amongst the fanbase.
Replacing him in the top 15 is Rafael Estevam, who is undefeated in his first three UFC outings.
“Bro literally just fought for the belt, what the f—?” one fan questioned.
“Any rumors to why? Or just random?” another fan asked.
“Did the UFC cut him or did he get suspended?” a third fan said.
At this point, it is unclear why Kara-France has been thrown out of the rankings entirely, and whether he will still fight under the UFC banner.
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty ImagesFans left wondering why Kara-France is no longer in the rankings‘Don’t Blink’ isn’t considered to be a big 125lb fighter, making a potential move up to bantamweight unlikely.
“Guess time will tell what happened. Maybe an error? He’s a good contender hope he wasn’t quietly cut or walked away,” another fan speculated.
Both fans and UFC boss Dana White have had an issue with the rankings for some time, and White stated that the current system will be overhauled and AI will help create the new system.
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