Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Daniel Cormier (18-1)

A torn right adductor muscle scuttled Cormier's slated rematch with Anthony Johnson at UFC 206 in December, but with so little activity at the top of the 205-pound division, it was a no-brainer that the second bout between the two would be re-booked. Now, Cormier will defend the crown against “Rumble” at UFC 210 on April 8, when the UFC is bound for Buffalo, New York.

2. Anthony Johnson (22-5)

The only man to beat Johnson in his last 13 fights was Daniel Cormier in their May 2015 interim UFC title bout. When Johnson gained a rematch with Cormier for the undisputed UFC 205-pound crown and then had it fall apart due to a Cormier injury, “Rumble” opted to decline a replacement opponent and wait for his shot at the championship. The move paid off, as Cormier-Johnson 2 has now been re-booked for UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, on April 8.

3. Alexander Gustafsson (17-4)

On Sept. 3 in Hamburg, Germany, Gustafsson pounded out a 15-minute verdict over Poland’s Jan Blachowicz, which set him up for a Nov. 19 date against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Unfortunately, Gustafsson’s dreams of another UFC light heavyweight title shot took another hit when the Swede suffered a back injury.

4. Ryan Bader (22-5)

Bader has been a top-10 staple at 205 pounds for the better part of eight years, but he has always fallen just short of a UFC title shot. It may never happen now if Bellator MMA gets its way, as the UFC's primary competitor has been negotiating to bring Bader into the Viacom-owned fold, which would end “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner's lengthy UFC tenure.

5. Phil Davis (17-3, 1 NC)

When Davis dethroned Liam McGeary as Bellator MMA's 205-pound champ in November, it seemed inevitable that the promotion was angling for a Davis-Muhammed Lawal rematch, with Davis having earned a close, controversial decision over “King Mo” in May. Instead, Bellator has lined up a Lawal-Quinton Jackson rematch, which leaves Davis without an obvious dance partner for his first title defense.

6. Glover Teixeira (25-5)

When UFC 208 was set for Jan. 21 in Anaheim, California, Teixiera agreed to take on British puncher Jimi Manuwa, hoping to erase the memory of his devastating 13-second knockout loss to Anthony Johnson in August. Instead, UFC 208 wound up being moved to Feb. 11 in Brooklyn, where Teixeira is now expected to meet Jared Cannonier instead.

7. Jimi Manuwa (16-2)

Hot off a breakout win over Ovince St. Preux in October, Manuwa was briefly linked to a bout with Glover Teixeira -- until UFC 208 was relocated and rescheduled. Now, Manuwa's Octagon return will instead come on March 18 in his British backyard, as he meets Corey Anderson at UFC Fight Night 107 in London.

8. Ovince St. Preux (19-9)

Having lost three of his last four in the Octagon, “OSP” is in need of a win, and frankly, his job got slightly easier. At the UFC's Feb. 4 card in Houston, St. Preux was lined up to face Jan Blachowicz, but an injury to the Polish veteran means he will now face UFC debutante and Bellator alum Volkan Oezdemir instead.

9. Misha Cirkunov (13-2)

At 16, Cirkunov received his judo black belt; at 21, he received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt; and at 29, he finally broke through in his pro MMA career and established himself as a contender at 205 pounds, dominating Nikita Krylov en route to a first-round submission victory. Better still for Cirkunov, he got to do it in front of his adopted hometown of Toronto at UFC 206.

10. Nikita Krylov (21-5)

Krylov had won five in a row, all impressive stoppages, heading into his UFC 206 bout with Misha Cirkunov in Toronto. However, Krylov had no answer for Cirkunov’s heavy left hand and fight-ending guillotine, which snapped the Ukrainian’s winning streak and sent him packing in less than five minutes.

Other Contenders: David Branch, Ilir Latifi, Liam McGeary, Tomasz Narkun, Mauricio Rua

Continue Reading » Middleweight