MMA rankings: It's moving day for Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping reacts after his fight with Luke Rockhold.

By Todd Martin

June 20, 2016 6:47 AM PT

In one of the most historic upsets in the history of the sport, Michael Bisping won the UFC middleweight crown with a first round knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and vaulted to the top of the middleweight rankings. The MMA rankings for June:

Heavyweight

1. Stipe Miocic

2. Alistair Overeem

3. Fabricio Werdum

4. Cain Velasquez

5. Junior Dos Santos

6. Ben Rothwell

7. Andrei Arlovski

8. Travis Browne

9. Vitaly Minakov

10. Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt will have a massive career opportunity at UFC 200, when he takes on WWE star and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. A win would bolster his public profile to a significant degree. Vitaly Minakov improved his record to a perfect 18-0 with an easy submission win against overmatched kickboxer Peter Graham.

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones

2. Daniel Cormier

3. Anthony Johnson

4. Alexander Gustafsson

5. Glover Teixeira

6. Phil Davis

7. Ryan Bader

8. Liam McGeary

9. Ovince St. Preux

10. Mauricio Rua

There were two big light-heavyweight fights on the horizon, with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier fighting to determine the undisputed UFC light-heavyweight champion while Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira were scheduled to compete to determine the No. 1 contender. Unfortunately, the latter fight fell through when Johnson was forced to pull out of their prospective Fox bout.

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Middleweight

1. Michael Bisping

2. Luke Rockhold

3. Chris Weidman

4. Yoel Romero

5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

6. Lyoto Machida

7. Anderson Silva

8. Gegard Mousasi

9. Robert Whittaker

10. Vitor Belfort

Bisping took the fight on short notice against a fighter who had easily defeated him before, making the Brit a heavy underdog. However, Bisping came through in a big way and made his first UFC title opportunity count. It’s a well-deserved crowning achievement after a long and successful career.

Welterweight

1. Robbie Lawler

2. Stephen Thompson

3. Carlos Condit

4. Rory MacDonald

5. Demian Maia

6. Tyron Woodley

7. Ben Askren

8. Johny Hendricks

9. Dong Hyun Kim

10. Neil Magny

With a decision win over Rory MacDonald, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson solidified himself as one of the premier contenders for Robbie Lawler’s UFC welterweight title. Lawler will defend against Tyron Woodley next, with Thompson, Carlos Condit and Demian Maia the most likely next challengers. Thompson was something of a novelty early in his UFC career with his unique kickboxing style, but has proven himself to be a formidable challenge for his division’s best.

Lightweight

1. Rafael Dos Anjos

2. Khabib Nurmagomedov

3. Tony Ferguson

4. Eddie Alvarez

5. Gilbert Melendez

6. Edson Barboza

7. Will Brooks

8. Nate Diaz

9. Anthony Pettis

10. Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier can’t be denied any longer, breaking into the top ten with a quick knockout of Bobby Green. Poirier has won seven of eight (five via KO/TKO, only loss to Conor McGregor) and is one of the division’s most exciting fighters. Will Brooks, the former Bellator champion, will make his UFC debut in July against Ross Pearson. Brooks has long expressed his desire to prove himself the best fighter in his division and he will have the opportunity.

Featherweight

1. Conor McGregor

2. Jose Aldo

3. Frankie Edgar

4. Max Holloway

5. Chad Mendes

6. Ricardo Lamas

7. Cub Swanson

8. Daniel Straus

9. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire

10. Charles Oliveira

Max Holloway advanced his UFC win streak to a remarkable nine straight, with a victory over Ricardo Lamas. Win streaks of that length are exceedingly rare in the UFC. Holloway is now tied for the sixth-longest streak in UFC history. If Conor McGregor doesn’t return to featherweight, Holloway will almost certainly get the next title shot against the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar.

Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz

2. T.J. Dillashaw

3. Raphael Assuncao

4. Bibiano Fernandes

5. Urijah Faber

6. Michael McDonald

7. Marlon Moraes

8. Cody Garbrandt

9. Eduardo Dantas

10. Thomas Almeida

It was a turbulent month for the bantamweight division, with the rankings getting their biggest shakeup in quite a while. Dominick Cruz handily bested Urijah Faber to solidify his spot as the division’s best. Longtime champion Renan Barao officially left for the featherweight division, where he turned in a lackluster performance in defeat against Jeremy Stephens. Cody Garbrandt announced his presence as a new contender, knocking out the formerly undefeated Thomas Almeida in emphatic fashion. Eduardo Dantas regained the Bellator bantamweight title with a clear win over Marcos Galvao. Thomas Almeida wasn’t the only unbeaten prospect to suffer his first defeat, as Aljamain Sterling also fell via split decision to Bryan Caraway. The division is still far from settled with so many top fighters scattered across different organizations, but it’s in a much different place than it was last month.

Women’s Bantamweight

1. Miesha Tate

2. Holly Holm

3. Ronda Rousey

4. Cat Zingano

5. Amanda Nunes

6. Alexis Davis

7. Sara McMann

8. Julianna Pena

9. Valentina Shevchenko

10. Tonya Evinger

It wasn’t pretty, but Sara McMann picked up a much needed win via decision over Jessica Eye in Las Vegas. It keeps McMann in contention in the division while Eye badly needs to turn things around with three straight losses. The division will look clearer after UFC 200, when Miesha Tate fights Amanda Nunes and Cat Zingano meets Julianna Pena. The winners will likely be in line for big fights against Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm.

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson

2. Joseph Benavidez

3. Henry Cejudo

4. Jussier Formiga

5. Kyoji Horiguchi

Women’s Strawweight

1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk

2. Claudia Gadelha

3. Jessica Aguilar

4. Carla Esparza

5. Rose Namajunas