Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Lightweight

1. Eddie Alvarez (28-4)

Most people expected Alvarez to make the first defense of his lightweight title against 23-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov, either at UFC 205 in New York or UFC 206 in Toronto. The UFC even went as far to announce Alvarez-Nurmagomedov for UFC 206 on Dec. 10. However, Alvarez remained bullish in holding out for a spectacular, big-money fight against UFC featherweight champ Conor McGregor at UFC 205. Eventually, Alvarez won out. The legendary lightweight will stake his throne for millions of dollars against “The Notorious” on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden.

2. Rafael dos Anjos (25-8)

Dos Anjos saw his outstanding run through the UFC’s 155-pound division halted by Eddie Alvarez’s fists, as he dropped the lightweight title in July. Even with the likes of Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone throwing their hats into the ring to face Alvarez in his first title defense, dos Anjos can take a massive step towards regaining the UFC crown on Nov. 5, when he takes on Tony Ferguson, winner of eight straight in the Octagon. They will meet in a UFC Fight Night main event in Mexico City.

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

Cerrone remains one of the sport's premier lightweights, even as he continues to ply his trade at 170 pounds. He was originally set for a tantalizing showdown with former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC 205 on Nov. 12; however, the “Ruthless” one was forced to bow out due to injury. Now, Cerrone will take a step toward truly elite welterweight status when he meets “Ultimate Fighter” winner Kelvin Gastelum at Madison Square Garden.

4. Khabib Nurmagomedov (23-0)

Two years ago and change, Nurmagomedov was on the inside track to fight for the UFC lightweight title before a series of knee injuries derailed him. Now that he is healthy, the Ultimate Fighting Championship looked to install the 23-0 stalwart into a title fight with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 or UFC 206. Unfortunately for Nurmagomedov, Alvarez had other plans and finagled a massive showdown with Conor McGregor. If Nurmagomedov is to get his shot, he will have to deal with always-dangerous contender Michael Johnson on the UFC 205 undercard on Nov. 12.

5. Tony Ferguson (21-3)

With a thrilling-if-scary win over late replacement Lando Vannata on July 13, Ferguson pushed his Octagon winning streak to eight in a row. However, despite his brilliant run, “El Cucuy” is part of a brutally deep 155-pound division, so getting a UFC lightweight title shot will require at least one more difficult step: When the UFC returns to Mexico City on Nov. 5, Ferguson will take on recently dethroned champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event.

6. 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.

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, as the Washingtonian 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 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.

9. Beneil Dariush (13-2)

Dariush in June rebounded brilliantly from his second-round submission loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner Michael Chiesa by hammering previously unbeaten James Vick in the first round. Now, Dariush has signed on for a fight against another dangerous lightweight contender, meeting up with 19-1 Dagestani Rashid Magomedov on Nov. 5, when the UFC returns to Mexico City.

10. Evan Dunham (18-6)

Dunham has been a professional mixed martial artist for nine years and change, and for the better part of seven of those years, he has orbited around the Sherdog.com lightweight top 10. Dunham has been here before, but even with a hot, four-fight winning streak in the Octagon, any 10th-ranked fighter is prime to be usurped by another outstanding contemporary. In order to make his top 10 stay a more permanent one, the Oregon native will need to keep compiling wins at 155 pounds, which is no easy task given that it remains MMA’s deepest and most talented division.

Other Contenders: Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, Justin Gaethje, Michael Johnson, Francisco Trinaldo

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