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Light Heavyweight
1. Jon Jones (24-1)
It wasn’t his most thrilling triumph to date, but Jones maintained his spot atop the division with relative ease thanks to a suspenseless five-round drubbing of Anthony Smith in the UFC 235 headliner. While potentially attractive opponents await at heavyweight, “Bones” seems more interested in clearing out the competition at 205 pounds. Right now, that list could include (in no particular order) Thiago Santos, Dominick Reyes and Johnny Walker. Jones, who is unbeaten in his last 16 outings, would be heavily favored against any of those potential adversaries.2. Daniel Cormier (22-1)
The best thing you can say about Cormier’s effort at UFC 230 was that it was predictable. “DC” landed multiple takedowns on underdog Derrick Lewis before securing a tapout with a rear-naked choke at the 2:14 mark of the second stanza. Cormier became the first fighter to defend titles from two divisions in UFC history. Cormier previously set March 20 as a retirement date, but lingering issues from a back injury suffered before UFC 230 will force “DC” to fight beyond his 40th birthday.3. Alexander Gustafsson (18-5)
Gustafsson couldn’t duplicate his near-miss of five years ago against Jon Jones in their rematch at UFC 232. The lanky Swede struggled to get into boxing range for two rounds before being taken down and pounded out by “Bones” in the third stanza of their championship clash. Gustafsson is now 0-3 in 205-pound title bouts and will have a difficult time getting a fourth shot as long as Jones stays out of trouble.4. Anthony Smith (31-14)
Smith made it to the final bell against Jon Jones at UFC 235, but that was just about the only thing notable about his performance. “Lionheart” should be commended for not taking the easy way out after Jones landing an illegal knee in the fourth round, but Smith was never able to threaten Jones during their 25-minute encounter. Smith is far from alone in that regard, however. The 30-year-old Nebraskan will attempt to recapture the magic that saw him earn a title shot with consecutive finishes of Volkan Oezdemir, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans following his move from middleweight to 205 pounds.5. Ryan Bader (27-5)
Bader etched himself into history when he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko in the Bellator 214 headliner to become the first two-division champion in promotion history. After vanquishing “The Last Emperor,” Matt Mitrione and Muhammed Lawal to claim the vacant heavyweight crown, Bader, also the reigning 205-pound king, must decide which belt he is going to defend first. Bader already has a heavyweight challenger lined up after Cheick Kongo outpointed Vitaly Minakov in a title eliminator bout at Bellator 216.6. Thiago Santos (21-6)
Santos continues to excel since moving to 205 pounds. Faced with fellow contender Jan Blachowicz in the UFC Prague main event, “Marreta” dropped his foe with a counter left hook and polished off his victory with a barrage of hammerfists 39 seconds into the third round of their bout. The 35-year-old Brazilian is 3-0 at light heavyweight and has won his last four UFC appearances overall. Also noteworthy: Santos owns a victory over recent title challenger Anthony Smith at 185 pounds.7. Volkan Oezdemir (15-3)
Oezdemir suddenly seems far removed from his meteoric rise to No. 1 contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. After being dominated by Daniel Cormier in a title bout at UFC 220, “No Time” returned to action against Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 138 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The Swiss fighter started well, but ultimately faltered in losing to a former middleweight via third-round submission. Oezdemir will attempt to halt his skid when he faces unbeaten prospect Dominick Reyes at UFC London on March 16.8. Corey Anderson (12-4)
Anderson’s superior conditioning and pressure won the day at UFC 232, as he outworked fellow contender Ilir Latifi to win a unanimous decision. After a brief slump saw him lose three of four fights from 2016 to 2017, “Overtime has authored a three-fight winning streak that also includes triumphs over Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins.9. Jan Blachowicz (23-8)
Blachowicz’s unlikely run to light heavyweight contention hit a brick wall at UFC Prague, where he fell to converted middleweight Thiago Santos via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event. Prior to that setback, the 35-year-old Pole had compiled a four-bout winning streak that included wins over Nikita Krylov, Jimi Manuwa and Jared Cannonier.10. Dominick Reyes (10-0)
Reyes passed his first true test in the Octagon, going the distance to outpoint perennial gatekeeper Ovince St. Preux at UFC 229. After dispatching his first three UFC foes inside of a round, Reyes showed enough of a gas tank to survive when the quick finish didn’t come. “The Devastator” still has improvements to make, but he is nonetheless an interesting new face in a division filled with aging talent. Reyes will face his most significant test to date against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in a featured contest at UFC London.Other Contenders: Ilir Latifi, Jimi Manuwa, Ovince St. Preux, Johnny Walker, Vadim Nemkov.
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