Bellator Unveils First Ever Fighter Rankings, Freire and Cyborg at the Top

April is going to be an exciting month for Bellator with several big events that include world title fights, multiple Grand Prix bouts, and some of the promotion’s top stars.

However, before for the company returns to action for the first time in 2021, Bellator already made history by releasing the promotion’s first ever fighter rankings.

Although it’s not ground breaking in the sport of MMA, this is exciting for a promotion that continues to evolve and entertain fight fans.

These rankings are tabulated by a 17-member panel comprised of selected media members. Each division’s champ automatically takes the top spot.

Bellator President Scott Coker made the following comments about the inaugural fighter rankings:

“This is the greatest roster in the history of Bellator. As we continue to sign the top free agents in the sport and see the success of young prospects inside the Bellator cage, we felt that the time was right to introduce official fighter rankings. We are always looking at ways to improve our product and this adds a new and exciting aspect to the organization that will have a significant impact on how fans watch Bellator. Every division is competitive, every matchup is important, and we are set for several potential blockbusters as we begin a new year on Showtime.”

🚨 Breaking News 🚨

The official #Bellator rankings are now live!

See how each division & our P4P lists stack up ⤵️https://t.co/IdyOQ2tG0G pic.twitter.com/SDGIf1IeQ9

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 29, 2021

How Does the Voting Work?

As mentioned, the voting is tabulated from the panel of media members spanning some of the top MMA news sites. The tabulation of the votes is handled by Combat Registry.

Voting will be performed after every Bellator event no matter the frequency. All votes will be due on the Monday immediately following a live Bellator show.

Only fighters that meet the eligibility requirements can be voted on.

How Does a Fighter Become Eligible for the Rankings?

Bellator has a list of criteria that fighters need to meet in order to become eligible for ranking. Highlights of this criteria includes:

• Fighters have to compete at least once and on a current term with the company.
• Fighters can be ranked for up to 15 months without competing.
• Fighters can be ranked in two different weight classes provided they have had at least one fight in each division.
• A fighter has to compete in a division at least once in 15 months to remain in rankings. The exception to this rule is if they’re in a Grand Prix.
• A medical or disciplinary suspension of longer than six months will result in a fighter being removed from the rankings.

Bellator Men’s Rankings

Any fighter that has an asterisk next to his name means that he received first place votes for his respective division.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound

1. Patricio Pitbull (31-4)
2. Vadim Nemkov (12-2)
3. Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2)
4. Ryan Bader (27-6)
5. Juan Archuleta (25-2)
6. Douglas Lima (32-8)
7. AJ McKee (17-0)
8. Phil Davis (22-5)
9. Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4)
10. Corey Anderson (14-5)

Men’s Heavyweight

(c)Ryan Bader (27-6)

1. Timothy Johnson (15-6) – 13*
2. Cheick Kongo (30-11-2)
3. Valentin Moldavsky (10-1) – 3*
4. Fedor Emelianenko (39-6)
5. Linton Vassell (20-8)
6. Tyrell Fortune (9-1) – 1*
7. Steven Mowry (8-0)
8. Matt Mitrione (13-8)
9. Sergei Kharitonov (32-8)
10. Javy Ayala (11-8)

Men’s Light Heavyweight

(c)Vadim Nemkov (12-2)

1. Ryan Bader (27-6) – 11*
2. Phil Davis (22-5) – 2*
3. Corey Anderson (14-5) – 4*
4. Lyoto Machida (26-10)
5. Julius Anglickas (9-1)
6. Grant Neal (5-0)
7. Christian Edwards (4-0)
8. Tyree Fortune (5-0)
9. Melvin Manhoef (32-15-1)
10. Alex Polizzi (7-1)

Men’s Middleweight

(c)Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2)

1. John Salter (18-4) – 10*
2. Anatoly Tokov (29-2) – 5*
3. Austin Vanderford (10-0) – 1*
4. Fabian Edwards (9-1)
5. Costello van Steenis (13-2)
6. Johnny Eblen (7-0)
7. Charlie Ward (9-4)
8. Mike Shipman (14-3)
9. Romero Cotton (5-0)
10. Ed Ruth (8-3)

Men’s Welterweight

(c)Douglas Lima (32-8)

1. Michael Page (18-1) – 8*
2. Yaroslav Amosov (25-0) – 6*
3. Neiman Gracie (10-1) – 3*
4. Logan Storley (11-1)
5. Derek Anderson (17-3)
6. Jason Jackson (13-4)
7. Joey Davis (8-0)
8. Sabah Homasi (15-8)
9. Oliver Enkamp (10-2)
10. Jaleel Willis (14-2)

Men’s Lightweight

(c)Patricio Pitbull (31-4)

1. Brent Primus (10-1) – 12*
2. Patricky Pitbull (23-9) – 3*
3. Goiti Yamauchi (25-4) – 1*
4. Benson Henderson (28-10) – 1*
5. Sidney Outlaw (15-4)
6. Myles Jury (19-5)
7. Adam Piccolotti (12-4)
8. Alfie Davis (14-3)
9. Aviv Gozali (5-0)
10. Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1)

Men’s Featherweight

(c)Patricio Pitbull (31-4)

1. AJ McKee (17-0) – 13*
2. Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) – 4*
3. Adam Borics (16-1)
4. Pedro Carvalho (11-4)
5. Daniel Weichel (40-12)
6. Aaron Pico (7-3)
7. Jay Jay Wilson (7-0)
8. Jeremy Kennedy (16-2)
9. Tywan Claxton (6-2)
10. Mads Burnell (14-3)

Men’s Bantamweight

(c)Juan Archuleta (25-2)

1. Sergio Pettis (20-5) – 10*
2. Patchy Mix (13-1) – 4*
3. Raufeon Stots (15-1) – 1*
4. James Gallagher (11-1)
5. Magomed Magomedov (17-1) – 2*
6. Leandro Higo (20-5)
7. Josh Hill (20-3)
8. Cass Bell (5-1)
9. Frans Mlambo (9-5)
10. Jornel Lugo (5-0)

Women’s Rankings

Just like with the men, any woman with an asterisk next to her name has received at least one first place vote.

Women’s Pound-For-Pound

1. Cris Cyborg (23-2)
2. Juliana Velasquez (11-0)
3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1)
4. Julia Budd (14-3)
5. Arlene Blencowe (13-8)
6. Denise Kielholtz (6-2)
7. Liz Carmouche (14-7)
8. Cat Zingano (11-4)
9. Alejandra Lara (9-3)
10. Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

Women’s Featherweight

C. Cris Cyborg (23-2)

1. Julia Budd (14-3) – 16*
2. Arlene Blencowe (13-8)
3. Cat Zingano (11-4)
4. Leslie Smith (12-8-1) – 1*
5. Sinead Kavanagh (7-4)
6. Janay Harding (6-4)
7. Leah McCourt (4-1)
8. Amanda Bell (7-7)
9. Olga Rubin (6-2)
10. Jessy Miele (9-5)

Women’s Flyweight

(c)Juliana Velasquez (11-0)

1. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) – 16*
2. Liz Carmouche (14-7)
3. Denise Kielholtz (6-2) – 1*
4. Alejandra Lara (9-3)
5. Kana Watanabe (9-0-1)
6. Kate Jackson (11-5-1)
7. Veta Arteaga (5-4)
8. Mandy Bohm (7-0)
9. Valerie Loureda (3-0)
10. Bruna Ellen (5-3)

Men’s P4P Best is First to Fight After Inaugural Rankings

On Friday, April 2^nd, Bellator will be live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, for Bellator 255: Freire vs Sanchez.

IT’S FIGHT WEEK!@PatricioPitbull or Emmanuel Sanchez – Who moves 1️⃣ step closer to $1,000,000?

Don’t miss the premiere of #BellatorOnShowtime, Friday at 6pm ET/3pm PT on @SHOSports 🔥 #Bellator255 pic.twitter.com/rP8f5uMOGu

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 29, 2021

This event is headlined by a featherweight Grand Prix fight featuring Bellator’s top pound-for-pound fighter Patricio Freire who is also the promotion’s lightweight and featherweight champion.

He will defend his featherweight title against the #2 ranked Emmanuel Sanchez in a rematch from their 2018 fight. Freire is a sizable betting favorite in this contest with odds floating around -255 while Sanchez is listed with odds near the +200 mark.

The winner of this title fight will also move on to the finals of the Grand Prix where they will face the #1 ranked featherweight AJ McKee.

Top 6 welterweights will clash as #3 Neiman Gracie (-110) takes on #6 Jason Jackson (-110). On the women’s side, Top 5 flyweights battle as #4 Alejandra Lara (-165) meets #5 Kana Watanabe (+145).

There was going to be a Top 10 men’s heavyweight fight between the 8^th ranked Matt Mitrione and the 6^th ranked Tyrell Fortune, but Mitrione withdrew from the event. Fortune (-700) remains on the card and will face the unranked Jack May (+450).