Light Heavyweight
1. Daniel Cormier (19-1, 1 NC)
Cormier is once again UFC light heavyweight champion and the No. 1 205-pound fighter in the world, though it is far from how he wanted to stay on the throne. Cormier could not defeat Jon Jones in their July 29 rematch and now settles for a no-contest after Jones' “B” sample came back positive for steroids. No matter his future in the cage, “DC” remains inextricably linked to Jones while also facing great uncertainty about who his next UFC title challenger will be.2. Alexander Gustafsson (18-4)
The latest in the Jon Jones anti-doping drama must be bittersweet for Gustafsson. Coming off back-to-back wins over Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira, “The Mauler” seemed primed for a title eliminator sort of bout, perhaps with the likes of Volkan Oezdemir, in order to get a second shot at Jones' championship and a chance to avenge his razor-thin loss in their classic 2013 “Fight of the Year.” With Jones now stripped and the title returned to Daniel Cormier, Gustafsson could walk into a title rematch with “DC,” a man he nearly topped for the crown at UFC 192 in October 2015.3. Ryan Bader (23-5)
Bader spent eight years toiling toward a UFC light heavyweight title shot but never could clinch one. In his Bellator MMA debut in June, “Darth Bader” took the promotion's title from Phil Davis, and now, he is already lined up for his first defense. The 34-year-old Bader defends his 205-pound crown against crafty Brit Linton Vassell at Bellator 186 on Nov. 3, from the campus of Penn State University.4. Volkan Oezdemir (15-1)
Six months ago, Oezdemir was a largely anonymous Bellator MMA veteran. He made his UFC debut on short notice in February, upsetting Ovince St. Preux via questionable split decision. Since getting his foot in the door, Oezdemir has not looked back. “No Time” has taken out St. Preux, Misha Cirkunov and, now, big-hitting Brit Jimi Manuwa at UFC 214. Ciruknov and Manuwa lasted a combined 70 seconds in the cage with the surging Swiss fighter.5. Phil Davis (17-4, 1 NC)
Davis thought his first Bellator light heavyweight title defense would come against Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 180, but instead, “King Mo” withdrew from the contest and was replaced by recent free agent signing Ryan Bader, the last man to beat Davis back in January 2015. Inside Madison Square Garden on June 24, Davis lost a nip-tuck decision to Bader over 25 minutes, relinquishing his title and dropping another verdict to “Darth Bader.”6. Jimi Manuwa (17-3)
Manuwa did not want to sit around and brood over his 22-second upset loss to Volkan Oezdemir in July, a knockout defeat that likely cost him a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title. Instead, “The Poster Boy” wanted to jump back into the mix quickly, so he signed on for a fight against Przemyslaw Mysiala, tabbed for UFC Fight Night 118 on Oct. 21 in Gdansk, Poland. However, Mysiala could not secure his release from his Absolute Championship Berkut contract, so Manuwa now awaits a new opponent on possibly a new date.7. Glover Teixeira (26-6)
Teixeira was devastated over 21 minutes by Alexander Gustafsson in May, suffering a nasty fifth-round knockout defeat. Nonetheless, the perennial 205-pound standout opted for a difficult fight for his return, signing on to face Misha Cirkunov at UFC Fight Night 119 on Oct. 28. However, Teixeira was slower to heal than expected after recovering from hand surgery, so the Teixeira-Cirkunov clash has been moved to UFC on Fox 26 on Dec. 16 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.8. Misha Cirkunov (13-3)
Another victim of Volkan Oezdemir's shocking 2017 campaign of terror, Cirkunov had his eight-fight winning streak -- all stoppages -- smashed in just 28 seconds by the Swiss exponent in May. The Latvian-Canadian was scheduled for comeback duty on Oct. 28 against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 119, but the former UFC title challenger needed more time to heal his hand after surgery, leading to the fight being rescheduled for UFC on Fox 26 on Dec. 16. The booking should appeal to Cirkunov on some level, as he has gone from fighting a Brazilian in Sao Paulo to taking on Teixeira in his adopted home nation of Canada.9. Ilir Latifi (13-5, 1 NC)
Beyond becoming a cult favorite because of his hulking physique and amusing pictures of him riding horses on the beach while shirtless, Latifi has become and excellent mixed martial artist. Rebounding from his brutal knockout loss to Ryan Bader 12 months prior, Latifi put the first blemish on the record of prospect Tyson Pedro at UFC 215. Latifi has now won four of his last five bouts.10. Nikita Krylov (22-5)
In his first post-UFC bout, Krylov was scheduled to face former Bellator MMA champ Emanuel Newton at Fight Nights Global 68 on June 2. “Al Capone” instead wound up facing late replacement Stjepan Bekavac of Croatia and promptly choked him out with a standing guillotine in just 53 seconds. After 27 pro fights, the Ukrainian has still never been to a decision.Other Contenders: Liam McGeary, Tomasz Narkun, Mauricio Rua, Ovince St. Preux, Linton Vassell.
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