After the first month of 2022, things may be quiet on the rankings front, but things are about to heat up quickly. With 70 percent of the middleweight top, ten preparing for action, and a slew of big fights on the horizon, February has all the makings of a memorable month illustrated at the sports news on the Vietnamese bookie Vwin .

So, before looking ahead to the upcoming schedule, take a look at where things stand in the global rankings following a drama-filled January headlined by the return of the heavyweight king.

Heavyweight

Ryan Bader is back in the top ten. This past Saturday, Valentin Moldavsky appeared poised to become the undisputed champion at Bellator 273. Bader ended up unifying their belts and starting what could be the final leg of his career on the right foot.

Bader has stated that he is done with light heavyweight and has already scheduled his next heavyweight title defense: a rematch with Cheick Kongo in Paris in May after their first fight ended in a no-contest due two years ago an accidental eye poke.

With a Fedor Emelianenko rematch on the horizon, Bader’s future is pretty straightforward, which cannot be said for UFC champion Francis Ngannou, who retained the top spot in the rankings with a gutsy win over interim champion Ciryl Gane.

Defeating his main rival should have cemented him as one of the UFC’s top stars. Still, the build-up to the fight was overshadowed by Ngannou and his team publicly discussing their demands for Ngannou’s next contract and then publicly airing their grievances with the promotion following Ngannou’s win.

Light Heavyweight

Ryan Bader is on his way out. Following his announcement that he will remain at heavyweight, all but two panelists removed Bader from their 205-pound rankings this month. That may appear to be a formality at this point, given Bader’s only win at light heavyweight since May 2018, but it’s significant when you consider “Darth” has been a mainstay in the 205-pound division rankings for the better part of the last decade.

Bader easily won Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter and then went on to have a successful UFC career, defeating Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ovince Saint Preux, Phil Davis, and Rashad Evans before winning the Bellator light heavyweight title. 

Middleweight

The middleweight rankings could look very different in a month. The UFC middleweight championship is on the line at UFC 271 as Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker square off again. Both fighters have made the most of their time since their first meeting at UFC 243, with Adesanya logging three successful title defenses and even a shot at the light heavyweight belt. 

On the other hand, Whittaker took some much-needed time off to recover from burnout before returning strong with three straight wins over ranked opponents. This is the best it gets in this division.

Top contenders Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier, Jack Hermansson, and Sean Strickland also fight this month, and any of those names could challenge for the belt before the end of the year.

In addition, the best middleweight outside of the UFC is in action at Bellator 275, as No. 3 Gegard Mousasi defends his title against the undefeated Austin Vanderford. If Vanderford pulls off a massive upset, it could cause the biggest rankings tremor of all time.