27 fighters lose spots in new Meta UFC rankings update

Twenty-seven fighters were dropped from their divisional standings in the latest Meta UFC rankings update, released June 22, with several notable names among those losing their positions across multiple weight classes.

Robert Whittaker, Derrick Lewis, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, and Miesha Tate are among the prominent fighters affected, alongside Marlon Vera and others scattered throughout the rankings. The sweep represents one of the broader single-update cullings in recent memory, touching nearly every division on the roster.

Among the fighters with verified ranking data, Beneil Dariush slips out of the lightweight top ten. The 37-year-old American out of Kings MMA carries a 23-8-1 record and has built his reputation as a well-rounded threat, averaging 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 3.78 significant strikes landed per minute at 49 percent accuracy.

Jessica Andrade, the Brazilian veteran known as Bate Estaca, loses her spot at number seven in the women's flyweight division. Now 34, Andrade holds a 26-15 record and remains one of the division's most aggressive volume strikers, posting 6.37 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.

Payton Talbott also falls out of the bantamweight standings. The 27-year-old American from Reno Academy of Combat entered with an 11-1 record and a 54 percent striking accuracy rate, the highest among those confirmed dropped in this update, landing 6.05 significant strikes per minute.

Why it matters

• Twenty-seven departures in a single update reshapes the competitive landscape across multiple divisions simultaneously
• Established veterans like Whittaker and Lewis losing ranked status opens doors for rising contenders to move up
• Talbott's exit is notable given his age and efficiency numbers, suggesting his ranking position had become harder to justify without recent results supporting it
• The update may directly influence matchmaking and title contention timelines across several weight classes