Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (22-1)

Jones’ pre-UFC 200 test failure for a pair of anti-estrogenic agents has left the career of arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever in yet another quagmire. “Bones” recently took to Instagram to proclaim that his defense would in some form exonerate him from the failure and that he would be back in the UFC sooner than expected; however, because of Jones’ track record, he will need to actually find his way into the Octagon on a Saturday night before we can believe he is back for real.

2. Daniel Cormier (18-1)

Cormier’s white whale, competitively and financially, is still Jon Jones. Cormier will need to eventually rematch “Bones” to have any hope of claiming he is the legitimate light heavyweight kingpin. However, while Jones stays optimistic that his USADA test failure will not keep him out of the cage long, Cormier is most likely going to end up in a rematch with dangerous striker Anthony Johnson in the near future. “Rumble” brutally dispatched Glover Teixeira at UFC 202, and uncertainty still clouds Jones’ immediate future.

3. Anthony Johnson (22-5)

Since falling to champion Daniel Cormier in May 2015, Johnson has ripped off three straight impressive knockout wins, icing Jimi Manuwa and Ryan Bader before surpassing himself at UFC 202. In just 13 seconds, Johnson landed a horrific right uppercut that stopped the tough Glover Teixeira for the first time in over 14 years. In UFC President Dana White’s eyes, it firmed up the need for a “Rumble”-Cormier rematch.

4. 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 shot took another hit when the Swede suffered an undisclosed injury. Now, Ryan Bader will step into his place.

5. Ryan Bader (21-5)

Bader had his five-fight winning streak brutally snapped in just 86 seconds by Anthony Johnson in January but rebounded with a nasty knockout of his own on Sept. 3 in Germany, clobbering Ilir Latifi with a savage second-round knee. Bader is clearly keen to rebuild his previous hot streak: “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner has now stepped in for an injured Alexander Gustafsson on Nov. 19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Bader will rematch Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, whom he shut out on the cards back in September 2010.

6. Phil Davis (16-3, 1 NC)

Davis’ hotly disputed May decision win over Muhammed Lawal installed him as Bellator’s top light heavyweight contender, and now “Mr. Wonderful” has a date for his title challenge: The longtime UFC vet will go for Bellator gold against unbeaten champ Liam McGeary at Bellator 163 on Nov. 4 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

7. Glover Teixeira (25-5)

Almost 15 years ago, Teixeira was pounded out by Eric Schwartz in his pro MMA debut. From there, Teixeira went 28 fights and over 14 years without being stopped in mixed martial arts. That all changed at UFC 202, violently and in a scant 13 seconds, as a massive Anthony Johnson uppercut knocked the Brazilian unconscious and out of the UFC light heavyweight title picture.

8. Ovince St. Preux (19-8)

St. Preux had no answers for Jon Jones over 25 minutes when “Bones” returned to the cage at UFC 197 in April. The former University of Tennessee Volunteer linebacker remains a perennial standout at 205 pounds but will have to defend that status against hard-hitting Brit Jimi Manuwa at UFC 204 on Oct. 8 in Manchester, England.

9. Nikita Krylov (21-4)

Once a punchline for his “Fighting Al Capone” gimmick, Ukraine’s Krylov has refashioned himself, not just as “The Miner” but as a legitimate prospect at 205 pounds. Since debuting at light heavyweight with an 89-second shoulder choke loss to Ovince St. Preux in March 2014, Krylov has won five in a row in increasingly impressive fashion. Most recently, Krylov took out sturdy veteran Ed Herman at UFC 201 in Atlanta, devastating “Short Fuse” with a second-round head kick.

10. Liam McGeary (11-0)

With ten stoppages in 11 pro fights and his Bellator MMA light heavyweight title in tow, 33-year-old Brit McGeary is poised to potentially break through as a truly elite fighter at 205 pounds. If McGeary is going to prove he is the best light heavyweight outside of the UFC, he will need to deal with longtime UFC veteran and former NCAA Division I wrestling champion Phil Davis at Bellator 163 on Nov. 4.

Other Contenders: Quinton Jackson, Ilir Latifi, Tomasz Narkun, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Mauricio Rua

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