The UFC released ranking updates with several movements. Aaron Pico entered the featherweight top 15 at number 13, while Patricio Pitbull dropped to 15th. Josh Hokit rose to fifth place in the heavyweight division, with Curtis Blaydes moving down to sixth. Paulo Costa entered the light heavyweight rankings at seventh position, and Azamat Murzakanov dropped to eighth. The changes reflect recent fight results and the shifting competitive landscape in multiple weight classes.
The UFC's latest rankings update, released on April 14, 2026, brought notable movement across three divisions, with Aaron Pico breaking into the featherweight top fifteen and Josh Hokit climbing to fifth at heavyweight among the most significant shifts.
Pico, 29, earns his first top-fifteen placement in the featherweight division, entering at number thirteen. The American product of Jackson-Wink MMA carries a 14-5 professional record and has built a reputation as a relentless offensive wrestler, averaging an eye-catching 8.96 takedowns per fifteen minutes. Standing five-foot-eight with a 70-inch reach, the orthodox fighter also contributes on the feet at 3.88 significant strikes per minute.
His entry nudged Patricio "Pitbull" Freire down the rankings. The 38-year-old Brazilian veteran, competing out of the Pitbull Brothers camp, now sits at fifteenth in the featherweight division with a 37-9 record. Pitbull has long been a fixture near the top of the 145-pound class and remains a volume threat, mixing his 2.68 significant strikes per minute with 0.6 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
The update also saw Paulo Costa enter the light heavyweight rankings at seventh. The Brazilian known as "The Eraser" brings a 16-4 record and one of the most aggressive striking profiles in the sport, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy. Costa, 35, stands six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and makes the move up from middleweight, where he is currently ranked thirteenth.
Why it matters
- Pico's entry at featherweight 13 signals growing recognition of his grappling-heavy game at 145 pounds
- Pitbull's slide to 15th raises questions about his standing in a division that has shifted around him
- Costa's light heavyweight debut at seventh immediately places him in contention territory in a second weight class
- Curtis Blaydes and Azamat Murzakanov each fell one spot at heavyweight and light heavyweight respectively, reflecting the upward movement of Hokit and Costa
