USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA rankings, May 14: Welcome, Ian Heinisch
A “Hurricane” is brewing in the UFC’s middleweight division.
Ian Heinisch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was competing on the regional stage one year ago, but he’s made quite the splash since then, knocking out Justin Sumter at Dana White’s Contender Series 15 to earn a UFC deal and then notching back-to-back octagon wins over veterans Antonio Carlos Junior and Cezar Ferreira.
The victory over “Shoeface” came at this past weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 10 event, and with the victory, Heinisch makes his debut on the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA middleweight rankings, taking over the No. 15 slot.
Felicia Spencer (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) debuted for the UFC with a win over Megan Anderson at the same event, causing some ripples in both the women’s featherweight and women’s pound-for-pound lists. Take a look at all the moves in the newest edition of the list.