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 Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov or anyone else outside of Mayweather.

2. Tony Ferguson (22-3)

Ferguson has been scheduled to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov three times, and three times it has fallen apart. Ahead of UFC 209, issues with Nurmagomedov’s weight cut led to his hospitalization and cancellation of their interim lightweight title contest. While “El Cucuy” has taken to calling out undisputed champion Conor McGregor, what comes next for Ferguson is anyone’s guess.

3. Eddie Alvarez (28-5)

The lightweight division is a hard place to find an easy fight, and few fighters have thrived in the weight class as long as Alvarez. Suffice to say, it was a no-brainer that Alvarez was not going to get a softball fight, even after the destructive blowout loss to Conor McGregor that saw him drop the UFC lightweight title in November. Alvarez has verbally agreed to a showdown with fellow action-minded 155-pounder Dustin Poirier come UFC 211 on May 13 in Dallas.

4. Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0)

Brutal luck again struck Nurmagomedov ahead of UFC 209, nixing his slated bout with Tony Ferguson for a third time; and this time, it was for an interim lightweight title. With six pounds to go in his weight cut, Nurmagomedov’s team took him to hospital and his medical issues forced the bout’s cancellation, breaking fans’ hearts one more time.

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 (19-4)

Barboza dropped the first round to Beneil Dariush on all three judges’ scorecards in their March 11 clash of ranked lightweights. That all changed instantaneously in the second round, where the Brazilian took flight off of a Dariush jab and clobbered his opponent with a counter flying knee that left him splayed out on his back. It was not only a huge win in a super-competitive division but the third victory in a row for Barboza. It also served as another potential “Knockout of the Year” for the man who authored the 2012 iteration with his wheel kick on Terry Etim.

7. Michael Chiesa (14-2)

Since his unceremonious cut stoppage loss to Joe Lauzon in September 2014, Chiesa has won three straight in the Octagon, besting Mitch Clarke, Jim Miller and, most recently, Beneil Dariush. However, despite being an entrenched top-10 talent, the “Maverick” cannot catch a big bout in a hot division, leading the Spokane, Washington, native to start airing his dealings publicly. Chiesa criticized former UFC lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez for allegedly passing on a bout with him in favor of Dustin Poirier.

8. Will Brooks (17-2)

Brooks’ UFC run hit a snag in October, when the former Bellator MMA champion broke his rib and got knocked out in the third round against Alex Oliveira, who checked in six pounds overweight. “Ill Will” gets his chance to get back into the win column against another Oliveira, welcoming Charles Oliveira back to 155 pounds at UFC 210 on April 8 in Buffalo, New York.

9. 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.

10. Beneil Dariush (14-3)

At UFC Fight Night 106 on March 11 in Fortaleza, Brazil, Dariush looked fantastic against Edson Barboza for a round. Unfortunately for the Kings MMA product, Barboza went vertical in the second stanza, knocking Dariush senseless in highlight-reel fashion with a flying knee. Dariush is now 2-2 over his last four bouts.

Other Contenders: Nate Diaz, Evan Dunham, Justin Gaethje, Michael Johnson, Kevin Lee.

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