Thanks to the hype surrounding the much-anticipated Terence Crawford-Canelo Alvarez fight, UFC Noche, which took place the same night in San Antonio, Texas, may have slipped under the radar. Still, the third installment of the promotion’s event that commemorates Mexican Independence Day managed to create noise far from the cage. The MMA world braces for the upcoming rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira. But in the background, rankings across several men’s and women’s weight classes reportedly shifted.

The Diego Lopes-Jean Silva headliner at UFC Fight Night 259, more popularly known as Noche UFC: Lopes vs. Silva, appears to have sparked the change. For the record, the Brazilian fighter remains locked in the spot he regained in July 2025. With her win over Amanda Lemos, Tatiana Suarez also held her ground. But this is only half the story.

Noche aftermath: Rankings take a dramatic turn

Eminent MMA writer and radio host John Morgan shared updates on the movements across divisions following UFC Noche. First, Diego Lopes. “No change at featherweight in the rankings update following #NocheUFC. @Diegolopesmma stays firm at No. 2 following his thrilling victory, while the man he beat, Jean Silva, remains No. 10 on the list,” the X post read.

The card also featured a bantamweight clash between Rob Font and David Martinez. Font was originally scheduled to face Raul Rosas Jr., but Rosas withdrew due to a rib injury. That opened the door for Martinez, who had been lined up to face Carlos Vera and later Quang Le. Despite entering as a heavy underdog, Martinez, who made his Fight Night debut in March, scored a unanimous decision over Font.

As a result, Martinez climbed to No. 11 in the bantamweight rankings, pushing Rob Font down to No. 12. Meanwhile, Tatiana Suarez gained one position in the women’s pound-for-pound ranking. She bounced back after her decision loss to champion Zhang Weili in February. The Covina-born BJJ black belt, ranked second in her division, defeated Amanda Lemos in San Antonio.

“The Future” moves up one spot to No. 14, with Amanda Lemos dropping one position to No. 15 following her loss to Tatiana Suarez, who stays firm at No. 11,” read John Morgan’s post.

Shockwaves at heavyweight and aftermath across the UFC

Even outside UFC Noche, rankings saw adjustments. The week before the Texas event, UFC Fight Night 258 in Paris, France, headlined by Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, altered the heavyweight landscape.

Ante Delija, 35, from Dubrovnik, Croatia, made his UFC debut at the event. He knocked out Marcin Tybura in the first round. Yet the rankings placed him one spot below the Polish veteran. “Head-scratching change at heavyweight in the latest rankings update, as one week after his UFC debut, Ante Delija drops one spot to No. 10, sliding below the man he beat, Marcin Tybura,” Morgan wrote.

With his win over Silva, Lopes may have strengthened his case for a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski. The Aussie champion handed him his second UFC defeat back in April. Though he currently faces a callout from Lerone Murphy, Volkanovski has not ruled out the scenario either, it seems.

Likewise, fans will watch closely to see if Ante Delija can improve his ranking at UFC Fight Night 263 (UFC Vegas 110). The Croatian heavyweight headlines the event against former LFA heavyweight champion Waldo Cortes Acosta.

What’s your take on UFC’s latest ranking shake-up?