Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Lightweight

1. Conor McGregor (21-3)

McGregor on Jan. 28 went head-to-head with his promoter in a pay-per-view interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani while the UFC on Fox 23 card rolled from Denver. McGregor remains adamant that his next bout will be from the boxing ring, whether it comes against Floyd Mayweather Jr. or not. He continues to balk at the idea of facing the winner of the UFC 209 showdown between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

2. Tony Ferguson (22-3)

Ferguson has ripped off an unprecedented 10 straight wins in the Octagon without getting a title shot, and he has done it in the sport's most talented division. Even after all that, he still cannot quite get what he's looking for. “El Cucuy” will finally square off with fellow top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 209 on March 4, but it will be for an interim 155-pound strap; and it remains anyone's guess when or if the winner will actually get into the cage with Conor McGregor.

3. Eddie Alvarez (28-5)

Alvarez’s UFC lightweight title reign was a short one, as he was battered by featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor in his first title defense at UFC 205 and knocked out in the second round. If there is any silver lining to the situation, it is that Alvarez got a McGregor-infused payday and will surely find a way to author more memorable Octagon moments back in the 155-pound general population.

4. Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0)

Nurmagomedov will face Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 on March 4; and should he win, he will become UFC interim lightweight champion. Ultimately, that is not what Nurmagomedov wants. As big of a victory as it will be for the winner of Nurmagomedov-Ferguson, the real prize still remains a fight with the legitimate UFC lightweight champion and MMA's money fight, Conor McGregor. That now appears infinitely harder to lock down.

5. Rafael dos Anjos (25-9)

After establishing himself as the UFC lightweight king and one of the hottest fighters in the sport, dos Anjos has taken back-to-back losses against Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson and lost his footing in the division. The former 155-pound champ has announced that he will be at 170 pounds when he returns to the Octagon. No date or opponent has been set.

6. Edson Barboza (18-4)

A pair of decision wins over onetime UFC champ Anthony Pettis and former Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez in 2016 have Barboza in his strongest position since he arrived in the UFC. The Brazilian can take a major leap forward in the 155-pound title race on March 11 in his native Brazil, where he faces Beneil Dariush at the UFC Fight Night event in Fortaleza.

7. Michael Chiesa (14-2)

Chiesa’s path to a UFC lightweight title shot figured to run through top contender Tony Ferguson in their scheduled five-round showdown on July 13. Unfortunately, Chiesa was forced out of the fight with a back injury and replaced by Lando Vannata. The Washingtonian now waits to heal and expand on his three-fight winning streak in the ultra-difficult UFC lightweight division.

8. Will Brooks (17-2)

Though he prevailed in his first UFC outing against Ross Pearson in June, Brooks’ second Octagon appearance on Oct. 1 turned into a nightmare. Brooks broke a rib inside the first five minutes of his fight with Alex Oliveira, who came in six pounds overweight and proceeded to punch out the wounded American Top Team rep in Round 3. Though the loss will inevitably hurt the former Bellator MMA lightweight champ in terms of UFC title contention, there is only so much for which we can fault a lightweight losing to a welterweight.

9. Beneil Dariush (14-2)

Dariush had his five-fight UFC winning streak snapped in April, when one mistake in a scramble cost him and he wound up tapping to Michael Chiesa’s trademark rear-naked choke. The Rafael Cordeiro pupil rebounded nicely with back-to-back wins over James Vick and Rashid Magomedov and has now earned an important date with Edson Barboza at the March 11 UFC Fight Night bill in Fortaleza, Brazil.

10. Michael Chandler (16-3)

A pair of shocking losses to Will Brooks back in 2014 threatened Chandler’s case as one of the sport’s top lightweights, but “Iron Mike” has bounced back in the two years since. Coming off of brutal stoppages of David Rickels and Patricky Freire, Chandler welcomed back former UFC lightweight king Benson Henderson to 155 pounds on Nov. 19, as he earned a five-round split decision and the first successful defense of his latest Bellator MMA title reign.

Other Contenders: Nate Diaz, Evan Dunham, Justin Gaethje, Michael Johnson, Francisco Trinaldo

Continue Reading » Featherweight