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Lightweight
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0)
Post-fight shenanigans aside, Nurmagomedov was in prime form against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. He completed takedowns, applied heavy top pressure and generally made life difficult for the knockout-minded Irishman at every turn. “The Eagle” even survived adversity — he lost a round for the first time in his promotional tenure — before tapping McGregor with a neck crank at the 3:03 mark of round four. Nurmagomedov received a nine-month suspension — which can be reduced to six with the production of an anti-bullying PSA — and a $500,000 fine for his role in the post-fight brawl that occurred after the bout. The Dagestani will next defend his title against interim king Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on Sept. 7.2. Tony Ferguson (25-3)
It wasn’t necessarily the ending he envisioned, but Ferguson appeared to be well on his way to defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 before the contest was halted prior to round three due to “Cowboy’s” swollen eye. Cerrone certainly got his shots in, but “El Cucuy” utilized his usual multi-faceted offensive approach to land more than 50 significant strikes in both the first and second rounds. With 12 consecutive wins under his belt, there is no more deserving No. 1 contender at lightweight than Ferguson. Merit doesn’t always win out in the modern UFC era, however.3. Dustin Poirier (25-5)
It took him 22 fights to get there, but Poirier is finally a UFC champion. “The Diamond” went five hard rounds with featherweight king Max Holloway, relying on his power to pull out a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 236 headliner. Poirier has lost just once in 11 bouts since moving up to lightweight, compiling a resume that includes victories over the likes of Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje and Anthony Pettis, to name a few. That path doesn’t get any easier for the American Top Team product, as he now has a title unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov officially set for UFC 242 Abu Dhabi.4. Donald Cerrone(36-12)
By blowing his nose after the second frame, Cerrone ruined his chances of getting five more minutes with Tony Ferguson in their highly-anticipated matchup at UFC 238. Cerrone’s grotesquely swollen eye might have saved him from the inevitable, however, as Ferguson appeared to be well on his way to victory at the conclusion of the second round. The TKO defeat means Cerrone will have a tough road to earning his second lightweight title shot, but he can still be counted on to do his part to deliver an all-action bout no matter the matchup.5. Conor McGregor (21-4)
All things considered, it wasn’t a bad effort for McGregor following a two-year layoff at UFC 229. He defended Nurmagomedov’s initial takedown attempts reasonably well and didn’t absorb too much damage when on his back. The Irishman even won a round against “The Eagle.” Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as he succumbed to a neck crank in the fourth stanza. The “Notorious” one will be eligible to return to the Octagon as soon as April after receiving a six-month suspension for his role in the post-UFC 229 melee. In the meantime, McGregor hasn’t done a good job of staying out of trouble. He was recently arrested for allegedly stealing and destroying a fan’s cell phone outside a Miami nightclub on March 12, and even worse, is under currently under investigation in Ireland for an alleged sexual assault.6. Eddie Alvarez (29-7)
Things did not go as planned for Alvarez in his One Championship debut, as “The Underground King” suffered a shocking first-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin — an opponent who was coming off a first-round KO loss of his own — in Tokyo on March 31. The former UFC and Bellator titlist has won just once in his last five outings, but prior to Nastyukhin, all of those setbacks had come against top-flight competition. Due to One’s weight-cutting guidelines, Alvarez will essentially be competing at 170 pounds in the Singapore-based promotion. Next up, Alvarez will square off against former champion Eduard Folayang at One “Dawn of Heroes” on Aug. 2.7. Justin Gaethje (20-2)
Gaethje surpassed expectations against Edson Barboza in the UFC on ESPN 2 headliner, as he eschewed a drawn-out battle in favor of a first-round stoppage of his dangerous Brazilian opponent. Back-to-back knockouts of Barboza and James Vick have eased the sting of a previous two-bout skid, and Gaethje’s all-out style will make him a fan and promoter favorite for many fights to come. The former World Series of Fighting champion is aiming high, having proclaimed himself as one of the most serious threats to reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.8.Al Iaquinta (14-5-1)
Heading into UFC Ottawa, Iaquinta looked like a star on the rise with wins in six of his last seven Octagon appearances, including an impressive showing against Kevin Lee this past December. However, he struggled to navigate the reach of Donald Cerrone, as he was outlanded by a 138-to-90 count in significant strikes en route to a unanimous decision defeat. “Ragin” Al was game throughout the contest as usual, but the defeat drops him back a few notches in the lightweight pecking order.9. Kevin Lee (17-5)
Lee hoped for a fresh start at 170 pounds, but instead he fatigued down the stretch in a fourth-round submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Rochester. Once tabbed as a future champion, Lee has serious questions to answer after losing three of his last four Octagon appearances. It will be interesting to see whether “The Motown Phenom” elects to answer those questions while competing at welterweight or lightweight.10. Gregor Gillespie (13-0)
Gillespie absolutely dominated Yancy Medeiros at UFC Brooklyn, outlanding his opponent by a 51-to-1 count in significant strikes en route to a second-round technical knockout stoppage. That makes six consecutive Octagon triumphs for the former NCAA All-American, who is a suffocating wrestler in the mold of Khabib Nurmagomedov. While he isn’t quite championship material just yet, Gillespie deserves to face a top lightweight contender in his next outing.Other Contenders: Edson Barboza, Paul Felder, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis.
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