USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 2: Song Yadong breaks through

Just because all eyes landed on BKFC 41 (and Conor McGregor’s impromptu faceoff with Mike Perry) during the past combat sports weekend doesn’t mean impacts weren’t made at UFC Fight Night 223.

Atop the bill, Song Yadong made a statement when he battered Ricky Simon for a fifth-round TKO stoppage. The victory was Yadong’s fourth in his most recent five fights. It returns him back into the win column and potentially sets him up for a top-tier contender matchup next.

As a result, Yadong lands himself elevated spots in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC Fight Night co-main events have become clockwork for Caio Borralho, who moved to 3-0 in that card placement (and 4-0 overall) since he signed with the UFC in 2021. Borralho picked up his first UFC finish when he submitted Michal Oleksiejczuk in Round 2.

With the win, Borralho earns himself an honorable mention nod at middleweight.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.