Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Lightweight
1. Charles Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) | UFC [1]
After missing weight by 0.5 pounds one day prior, Oliveira lost his lightweight crown as soon as his UFC 274 headlining bout against Justin Gaethje began. That didn’t prevent “Do Bronx” from putting together yet another masterful performance, as he survived some early adversity before rallying to drop and submit the former World Series of Fighting champion in the opening round of their bout at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. The victory, which was Oliveira’s 11th straight, assures the Brazilian of a spot in the next 155-pound title fight. The Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative only seems to be getting better, with finishes of Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in his last three promotional appearances.2. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) | UFC [2]
Poirier entered UFC 269 as the uncrowned lightweight champion in many people’s eyes, but he left the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas empty handed following a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The American Top Team representative started well, as he landed powerful punches and floored his opponent in Round 1, but that momentum gradually faded as the bout progressed. Poirier was on the verge of a memorable 2021 campaign that could have included two wins over Conor McGregor and a championship belt, but instead “The Diamond” comes up short for the second consecutive time in a title bout.3. Justin Gaethje (23-4) | UFC [3]
Gaethje appeared to have hurt Charles Oliveira on two occasions early in their headlining fight at UFC 274, but “The Highlight” ultimately missed an opportunity to capture championship gold when his opponent rallied for a submission victory at the 3:22 mark of Round 1 at Footprint Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 7. Gaethje delivered another violent performance as expected, but the former World Series of Fighting title holder is now 0-2 in UFC title bouts — losing via submission on both occasions. Nonetheless, Gaethje’s penchant for all-action fights likely means he’ll have no shortage of interesting options for his next Octagon appearance.4. Beneil Dariush (21-4-1) | UFC [4]
Dariush smothered Tony Ferguson for the better part of three rounds in the UFC 262 co-main event, a dominant victory that included a heel hook submission in the second frame that might have done some serious damage to his opponent. The Kings MMA product has won seven straight fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He was supposed to meet Islam Makhachev in the UFC Fight Night 202 main event before an injury forced him to withdraw from the contest.5. Islam Makhachev (22-1) | UFC [5]
Heading into the UFC Fight Night 202 main event, there was at least some sentiment that Bobby Green could throw a scare into Makhachev in their short-notice, catchweight bout. That wasn’t the case at all, as Makhachev overwhelmed Green en route to a first-round technical knockout victory. The Dagestani grappler’s 10-fight winning streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in the promotion, and every other fighter on the list is currently a champion. Makhachev appears to have all but sealed a date with Charles Oliveira for the currently vacant 155-pound strap.6. Michael Chandler (23-7) | UFC [6]
Chandler submitted his entry for 2022 “Knockout of the Year” at UFC 274 with a spectacular front kick KO of Tony Ferguson — a finish that was just the ninth of its kind in the history of the Las Vegas-based promotion. While the ex-Bellator champion is only 2-2 in UFC competition thus far, each of his fights have delivered in terms of entertainment value, which will only further serve to curry favor with promotion officials. Chandler still has his sights set on UFC gold, but his callout of Conor McGregor seemed to intrigue Dana White in the aftermath of his latest triumph.7. Dan Hooker (21-12) | UFC [7]
Hooker returned to the featherweight division for the first time since December 2018 at UFC London, where he suffered a violent first-round technical knockout loss to Arnold Allen at the O2 Arena on March 19. While Hooker fights generally tend to deliver when it comes to action, “The Hangman” has been on the wrong end of too many beatings recently, with losses in four of his last five Octagon appearances. It might benefit Hooker to consider a quick return to lightweight.8. Rafael dos Anjos (31-13) | UFC [8]
Faced with an opponent change less than a week before UFC 272, dos Anjos was unfazed, as he rolled through Renato Carneiro in a lopsided unanimous decision triumph at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 5. The 160-pound catchweight fight wasn’t quite the measuring stick that a clash with Rafael Fiziev would have been, but it still showed that dos Anjos is one of the toughest veterans in the business. The promotion has rebooked dos Anjos vs. Fiziev for the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on July 9.9. Gregor Gillespie (14-1) | UFC [9]
Gillespie returned from a lengthy hiatus at UFC on ESPN 24, where he earned an impressive second-round TKO stoppage of Diego Ferreira. The former Edinboro University wrestling standout rebounded from a head kick knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019 and improved to 7-1 in the Octagon. Gillespie hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2018.10. Rafael Fiziev (11-1) | UFC [10]
In a matchup of surging lightweight prospects, Fiziev made a lasting impression with a spinning wheel kick knockout of Brad Riddell at UFC on ESPN 31. The Tiger Muay Thai standout has won five consecutive fights in the Octagon after suffering a knockout loss to Magomed Mustafaev in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 149, and an upcoming showdown with ex-155-pound champ Rafael dos Anjos on July 9 has the potential to propel him into another tier of contenders if all goes well for the Kyrgysztan native.Other Contenders: Arman Tsarukyan, Thiago Moises, Brad Riddell, Mateusz Gamrot, Grant Dawson.
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