USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Sept. 15: Shakeout from a big fight weekend

A big weekend of fight events had implications for the latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Bellator 245 on Friday night was followed by Bellator 246 the following evening. The latter event went head-to-head with UFC on ESPN+ 36 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A new champion was crowned along the way, as Bellator 246 was headlined by Juan Archuleta’s stirring victory over Patchy Mix to claim the vacant bantamweight title. “The Spaniard” started slow, then won the last three rounds to claim a unanimous decision.

There was also consequential fights such as Michelle Waterson’s controversial decision over Angela Hill, and wins for the likes of Phil Davis, Neiman Gracie, Ottman Azaitar, Sijara Eubanks, and Leslie Smith.

Archuleta, for his part, is making his way through a stacked division, so he finds himself in the honorable mentions at 135 pounds. To find out where the rest place, or where your favorite or least favorite fighters rank, click on the drop-down menu above for all the latest division rankings.