Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Lightweight

1. Conor McGregor (21-3)

On a suitably monumental stage, Conor McGregor made history at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, when he strolled into Madison Square Garen and pulverized Eddie Alvarez to take the UFC lightweight title. Now the first man to simultaneously hold two UFC titles in different weight classes, the question turns back to another essential McGregor query: who will he defend against next and at what weight?

2. Eddie Alvarez (28-5)

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

3. Tony Ferguson (22-3)

With his unanimous decision triumph over former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in Mexico City on Nov. 5, Tony Ferguson has now impressively won a staggering nine fights in a row in the UFC, On top of that, he's done it in MMA's best division. However, lightweight'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.

4. Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0)

At UFC 205, Khabib Nurmagomedov 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 out 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 the 155-pound MMA world. When July began, Rafael dos Anjos was the reigning, defending UFC lightweight champion and one of the sport's pound-for-pound elite and just over four months later, his title loss to Eddie Alvarez followed up by his 25-minute decision loss to Tony Ferguson have dropped dos Anjos back into the talented morass of lightweights hoping to get a winning streak together.

6. Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC)

Our hearts were wrenched when a slated Donald Cerrone-Robbie Lawler bout fell apart before UFC 205 but the former champ Lawler being replaced by Kelvin Gastelum still left us with an appetizing 170-pound bout. Instead, Gastelum botched his weight cut so badly that he didn't even take the scales, killing the bout and leaving Cerrone with no dance partner. But, luck has struck again, at least as far as an action fight goes: the always-ready Cerrone has been shifted to UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, where he will take on the rugged Matt Brown.

7. Edson Barboza (18-4)

Many wondered if Barboza would ever find the consistency necessary to become a UFC lightweight title contender. It looks like the Brazilian may have found it. Barboza has dominated former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and returning former title challenger Gilbert Melendez in 2016, cruising to one-sided victories behind his vaunted leg kicks. However, in a division as good as 155 pounds, Barboza will have to continue his winning streak, not just to sniff a title shot but to prove that another speed bump is not around the corner.

8. 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, as the Washingtonian waits to heal and expand on his three-fight winning streak in the ultra-difficult UFC lightweight division.

9. 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 three. Though the loss will inevitably hurt the former Bellator MMA lightweight champ in terms of UFC title contention, there is only so much we can fault a lightweight for losing to a welterweight.

10. Beneil Dariush (14-2)

Beneil Dariush couldn't find a knockout as he did against James Vick in June, but the Kings MMA product got active early with his kicks against Rashid Magomedov and cruised to a unanimous decision on Nov. 5 in Mexico City. The win was Dariush's second in a row since he slipped up and wound up tapping to Michael Chiesa this past April.

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

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