Tom Aspinall drops to No 1 as Marlon Vera returns to top 15 in Meta rankings

Tom Aspinall is listed at No 1 behind heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the updated Meta rankings, Bloody Elbow reports. Marlon Vera has returned to the bantamweight top 15 following UFC 331.

Tom Aspinall has moved from heavyweight champion to the No 1 contender spot in the Meta rankings following UFC 331, with Ciryl Gane now listed as champion, Bloody Elbow reports.

The change follows Aspinall's announcement at the start of last week that he had vacated the title. Ongoing complications from an eye injury prompted that decision, with the injury having kept him out of action for more than a year.

Gane was elevated to undisputed champion following Aspinall's departure and will face Josh Hokit for the belt at UFC 334. Dana White had initially said Gane would have to win a fight to become undisputed champion.

Elsewhere in the heavyweight rankings, Alexander Volkov fell two places, while Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich each moved up one spot.

Marlon Vera's victory over Charles Jourdain brought the former title challenger back into the bantamweight top 15 at No 12. Edmen Shahbazyan also returned to the middleweight top 15 after beating Brunno Ferreira, while Casey O'Neill took the No 11 position at women's flyweight following a first-round armbar submission win.