Two weeks ago, recapping UFC Vegas 40 (Ladd vs. Dumont), we pointed out that age is only a number in this sport. Two legends of the game, Andrei Arlovski (42) and Jim Miller (38) delivered impressive wins and insisted their careers were not over yet. However, Saturday provided the best proof of that hypothesis to date. In the main event, 42 year-old Glover Teixeira submitted light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (who’s 38 himself) to become the oldest first time UFC champion in history. And that win will surely reverberate through the rest of the division and the entire UFC.

The Cage Calculus forecast bounced back, with forecast favorites going 10-3 over the 13 fight slate. You can view those forecasts and previews here, here, and here. Now, without further ado, here are some of the things we learned in Abu Dhabi at UFC 267.

Glover Teixeira is the Best Light Heavyweight

As demonstrated by the chart above, Teixeira has never been as high above the UFC average in terms of CC Rating as he is right now. His win over Blachowicz moves his current win streak to six fights and this is by far the most impressive of his career. His previous best was his win in 2016 against then former champ, Rashad Evans. Teixeira is defying the odds and his career progression chart is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. His CC Rating is now clear above the rest of the division, showing he has well-earned the title of champion.

You will notice we did not say Teixeira is the most talented light heavyweight. Teixeira did affirm that his first title defense will come against rising Czech star, Jiri Prochazka. Anyone who’s watched either of Prochazka’s two UFC fights knows his knockout power and martial arts prowess is amongst the best in the game. However, Teixeira fights very smart and is how he’s been able to stay at such a high level into his forties. That style might benefit him against a powerful, free-swinging opponent like Prochazka.

Petr Yan is the Best Bantamweight

This may come as a surprise to many, as followers of Cage Calculus’ rankings know that Yan’s current CC Rating of 1853.0 is only fifth best in the division behind current champ, Aljamain Sterling and former champs, TJ Dillashaw, Dominick Cruz, and Jose Aldo. However, if we take into consideration the fact that Yan was clearly winning and pulling away from Sterling in their title bout before the fight was stopped due to an illegal knee, the numbers tell a different story. Had Yan won that night, his CC rating would have been at 1882.5, enough to make him the best at that time. And, had he then come in and beaten Sandhagen in the same manner, he would currently be at 1909.6 instead of 1853.0.

That 1909.6 CC rating would be enough to make him far and away the highest rated bantamweight in the world and would be enough to make him the #11 rated men’s fighter overall in the rankings. Unfortunately, a miscommunication led to a grounded knee and the loss of his undisputed belt. While the algorithm may not be able to see through the noise, we can have it play out an alternate universe where Yan attained the unanimous decision win he was cruising to back in March. On paper, Yan sits just outside the pinnacle of the bantamweight division, but his performance inside the octagon hasn’t lied and had things been slightly different, the algorithm would recognize it as well. This is why a little subjective flavor on objective realities is needed in some cases. This is one such scenario.

Islam Makhachev Should Fight Beneil Dariush Next in Title Eliminator

As evidenced by the most recent lesson learned, the Cage Calculus algorithm has a long memory. So, while Makhachev may be the #5 rated contender in the CC lightweight ranks, two of the men ahead of him are former champs, Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor, who haven’t won fights in quite some time. Yet, the algorithm, fairly or unfairly, sees two men with high potential who are only losing to high rated opponents, so it prevents them from falling too far. This is another instance where a little subjectivity rounds out the story that the numbers reveal. Neither Ferguson nor McGregor ought to be getting a title shot in the near future, based on their recent performance.

While many are calling for an immediate title shot for Makhachev, the numbers suggest the best opponent for Makhachev next would be Beneil Dariush. Dariush is on a win streak of his own, having won seven straight. The latest was a dominant win over the aforementioned Ferguson. Dariush sits at #6 in the CC lightweight contender ratings, where Makhachev is #5. They are separated by less than two points in the ratings (1855.8 vs. 1854.3). This would be an outstanding matchup. The numbers suggest both these men ought to be waiting in line behind former interim champ, Justin Gaethje, who is the #11 ranked overall fighter and the #2 contender in the CC lightweight rankings. The fact that it’s taken this long for Gaethje to get back to a title shot is a bit of an oversight by the UFC. However, if Gaethje loses next week at UFC 268, a Makhachev-Dariush matchup would be a fantastic title eliminator and it would likely let the winner leapfrog Gaethje in line.

Alexander Volkov Needs At Least One More for Title Shot

Commentator Jon Anik introduced the bout between Volkov and Marcin Tybura as a virtual title eliminator to face the winner of January’s title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Cyril Gane. However, the numbers in the heavyweight division tell a different story. For example, Stipe Miocic can’t be written out of the division altogether. He’s still the record holder for most title defenses in the division and is 1-1 against current champ, Ngannou. Moreover, Volkov still sits very close to Curtis Blaydes in the rankings. However, Blaydes has a similar resume and has defeated Volkov prior. The ratings suggest a rematch between men vying for the top contender slot to determine who might be waiting in the wings for a shot at the belt. It was a good win for Volkov, but nothing to prove he’s worthy of a title just yet.

The Khamzat Hype is Real

The Cage Calculus forecast algorithm values experience and consistency. Khamzat Chimaev had only three wins in the UFC coming into his fight Saturday against Li Jingliang, a man who has ten UFC wins. Khamzat showed that he is a top prospect for a reason, choking out Jingliang inside the first round, earning his fourth consecutive “performance of the night” bonus from the UFC. The win was not enough to vault him into the Cage Calculus top 15 welterweight rankings (but will surely be enough for the UFC), but the hype is most definitely real. If he keeps it up, he will be near the top very shortly.

Magomed Ankalaev is Very Underrated

On a night where the light heavyweight title was on the line, another light heavyweight did more than enough to insert himself into the title picture. Ankalaev dominated Volkan Oezdemir over three rounds to cruise to an easy decision victory. He now sits as the #4 contender in the Cage Calculus rankings. While contenders like Prochazka, Anthony Smith, Aleksandar Rakic, and Thiago Santos are getting all the attention, Ankalaev has been one of the most consistent light heavyweights as of late, and he showed it again at UFC 267. If there is to be some sort of unofficial light heavyweight grand prix to line up title contenders, UFC matchmakers would be remiss to leave Ankalaev out of it.

Photo Credit: CVBJ