Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Lightweight

1. Conor McGregor (21-3)

Most were skeptical that McGregor would compete as a featherweight ever again, so it was hardly a shock when the UFC announced the Irishman had been stripped of his 145-pound crown. This means McGregor will likely wait until the UFC lines up Tony Ferguson or Khabib Nurmagomedov for his first lightweight title defense. McGregor’s two-division, simultaneous reign lasted just 14 days.

2. Tony Ferguson (22-3)

With his unanimous decision triumph over former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in Mexico City on Nov. 5, Ferguson has won a staggering nine fights in a row in the UFC. On top of that, he has done it in MMA’s best weight class. However, the lightweight division’s greatness is a gift and a curse, which means that even with his win over dos Anjos, Ferguson may need to take a back seat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the race to challenge for Conor McGregor’s 155-pound title.

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 at UFC 205 seemed to harness his misgivings about missing out on a title shot against Eddie Alvarez and take them out on opponent Michael Johnson. Nurmagomedov beat Johnson from pillar to post before tapping him in the third round and passionately calling out Conor McGregor to hopefully clear the way for a long-overdue lightweight title shot in 2017.

5. Rafael dos Anjos (25-9)

Fortunes can turn on a dime in prizefighting, especially at 155 pounds in MMA. When July began, dos Anjos was the reigning UFC lightweight champion and one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best; just over four months later, a title loss to Eddie Alvarez followed by a 25-minute decision loss to Tony Ferguson dropped dos Anjos back into the talented morass of lightweights hoping to get a winning streak together.

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

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