USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 16: Mario Bautista makes notable climb

The first UFC event of 2024 is in the books and while there weren’t a ton of contender fights featured, the card proved impactful for one bantamweight.

At UFC Fight Night 234, Mario Bautista defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision for arguably the biggest victory of his professional career. In doing so, he elevates to No. 11 in the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC flyweight Joshua Van also enters the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings rankings as an honorable mention for the first time, thanks to his impressive TKO victory over LFA flyweight champion Felipe Bunes in the event’s curtain-jerker.

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