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Lightweight
1. Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) [1]
Though it may not have ended exactly as he would have liked it, there’s no question that Poirier was impressive during the opening round of his trilogy bout against Conor McGregor at UFC 264. Prior to the leg injury suffered by McGregor that prompted a doctor stoppage, “The Diamond” was on the verge of securing a finish by virtue of his heavy ground-and-pound from above. While a fourth meeting with the Irishman may yet be in the cards, Poirier has more pressing matters at hand: A shot at current 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira is on tap for UFC 269 on Dec. 11.2. Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) [2]
It took him 28 bouts to get there, but Oliveira is finally a UFC champion. “Do Bronx” survived early adversity and rallied to defeat Michael Chandler via second-round technical knockout to claim the vacant 155-pound belt in the UFC 262 headliner at the Toyota Center in Houston on May 15. That makes nine consecutive victories in the Octagon for Oliveira, whose latest effort earned him sole possession of the UFC’s all-time record for most finishes. Up next for the Brazilian standout is presumably Dustin Poirier, who put off a title shot for a lucrative trilogy bout with Conor McGregor. Oliveira vs. Poirier will go down at UFC 269.3. Justin Gaethje (23-3) [3]
More than a year removed from his lightweight championship loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, Gaethje staked his claim to another title shot at UFC 268, where he outdueled Michael Chandler in a “Fight of the Year” candidate at Madison Square Garden in New York. Gaethje endured some early adversity when he was rocked by the former Bellator champion, but he relied on a more technical approach to pull away from Chandler for a unanimous decision triumph. The former World Series of Fighting title holder has said he will “riot” if he is not next in line to face the winner of the Dustin Poirier-Charles Oliveira title bout at UFC 269.4. Beneil Dariush (21-4-1) [4]
Dariush smothered Tony Ferguson for the better part of three rounds in the UFC 262 co-main event on May 15, a dominant victory that included a heel hook submission in the second frame that might have done some serious damage to his opponent. The Kings MMA product has won seven straight fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion and appears destined for another significant matchup in his next Octagon appearance.5. Islam Makhachev (21-1) [5]
Makhachev scored some serious style points at UFC 267, tapping out Dan Hooker with a kimura 2:25 into the opening round of their lightweight bout in Abu Dhabi. The Dagestani was never threatened by Hooker as he secured his ninth consecutive victory in the Octagon. If a title shot isn’t next, Makhachev is at least in line for a highly-ranked opponent at 155 pounds.6. Michael Chandler (22-7) [6]
Chandler has established himself as one of the UFC’s most reliable all-action fighters in just three promotional appearances. His latest effort, a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje, saw the ex-Bellator king rock his opponent in the opening stanza and endure a tremendous amount of punishment in a “Fight of the Year” contender at UFC 268. After back-to-back losses to Gaethje and Charles Oliveira, Chandler is on the outside looking in when it comes to title contention, but his presence is a welcome addition to virtually any fight card. He may need some time to recover from his latest outing before making a return, however.7. Dan Hooker (21-11) [7]
Hooker never got a chance to get going at UFC 267, as he was taken down and submitted by Islam Makhachev with a kimura in the opening round at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. Though he remains relevant due to his reputation as an all-action fighter, “The Hangman” has lost his spot in the divisional queue due to losses in three of his last four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion.8. Tony Ferguson (25-6) [8]
The past stretch has been a difficult one for Ferguson’s mixed martial arts career. After compiling a 12-bout winning streak from 2013 to 2019, “El Cucuy” has fallen to Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje in lopsided fashion. That skid, which includes a decision loss to Dariush in his last outing at UFC 262, means that the 37-year-old Team Death Clutch representative’s days as a top 155-pound contender are likely over.9. Rafael dos Anjos (30-13) [9]
Two scheduled bookings against Makhachev have fallen through for dos Anjos in recent months — one at UFC Fight Night 182 and another at UFC 267. The former 155-pound title holder lost four of his last five appearances at 170 pounds before returning to lightweight at UFC Fight Night 182, where he took a five-round split verdict over replacement opponent Paul Felder. The 37-year-old Brazilian appears poised to remain at lightweight for another potential title run.10. Gregor Gillespie (14-1) [10]
Gillespie returned from a lengthy hiatus at UFC on ESPN 24, where he earned an impressive second-round TKO stoppage of Diego Ferreira. The former Edinboro University wrestling standout rebounded from a headkick knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019 and improved to 7-1 in the Octagon. Gillespie hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2018.Other Contenders: Thiago Moises, Brad Riddell, Rafael Fiziev, Arman Tsarukyan, Bobby Green.
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