UFC rankings: Nate Diaz removed from official list of top 15 lightweights

Well ... this is interesting.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight slugger Nate Diaz was ranked as high as No. 6 in the "official" UFC rankings (see them here), published back on April 28, 2014, in the wake of the UFC 172 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Baltimore, Maryland.

What a difference a week makes.

Despite the fact that no UFC event was held last weekend -- the typical precursor to an update in rankings -- Diaz (17-9) has mysteriously vanished from the list of top 15 lightweights. So too, has T.J. Grant, who hasn't seen action for nearly a year due to a lingering concussion.

Take a look:

Lightweight
Champion: Anthony Pettis
1. Gilbert Melendez
2. Benson Henderson
3. Josh Thomson +1
4. Khabib Nurmagomedov +1
5. Donald Cerrone +2
6. Rafael dos Anjos +2
7. Jim Miller +2
8. Gray Maynard +2
9. Myles Jury +2
10. Michael Johnson +2
11. Edson Barboza +2
12. Bobby Green +2
13. Rustam Khabilov +2
14. Jorge Masvidal *NR
15. Joe Lauzon *NR

+/- = movement in rankings, *NR = Not previously ranked.

Ironically, both men are coming off technical knockout victories over Gray Maynard, who moves up two spots to No. 8 in their absence. While most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are likely to understand why Grant is no longer eligible, the exclusion of Diaz will probably raise a few eyebrows.

Because of stuff like this.

The promotion may have opted to remove him since Diaz has not competed for nearly six months, for a variety of reasons, and currently has no fight lined up. No official explanation was given, but I'm sure we'll be hearing from Diaz -- who likes to air his dirty laundry on Twitter -- sooner, rather than later.

Stay tuned.