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 on April 8 in Buffalo, New York.

3. Alexander Gustafsson (17-4)

The last time Gustafsson fought in his native Sweden, “The Mauler” was brutally knocked out and humiliated by Anthony Johnson in just over two minutes in front of an estimated 30,000 fans. Gustafsson will get the chance to exorcise some of those demons on May 28, when he main events the UFC’s return to the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm against perennial contender Glover Teixeira.

4. Ryan Bader (22-5)

After completing his UFC contract in November with a third-round blowout of Antonio Rogerio Noguiera, Bader's future was sealed in early February, when UFC President Dana White said, “I think Bellator is a good place for Ryan Bader.” His foregone conclusion of a free-agency period ended on March 20, when Bellator officially announced it had signed the two-time All-American wrestler from Arizona State University to a multi-fight deal.

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

When Davis dethroned Liam McGeary as Bellator MMA’s 205-pound champion 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 -- unless Bellator wants to give the last man to beat Davis, Ryan Bader, a title shot in his promotional debut.

6. Jimi Manuwa (17-2)

There was good reason to be critical of the UFC headlining a card at the O2 Arena in London with Manuwa taking on Corey Anderson. With that said, “Poster Boy” did not disappoint his hometown faithful, needing just over three minutes to land his lead left hook and put away Anderson in devastating fashion. Outside of his loss to title challenger Anthony Johnson, Manuwa has taken out a formidable trio in his last four bouts in Polish vet Jan Blachowicz, former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux and now Anderson.

7. Glover Teixeira (26-5)

Teixeira at UFC 208 rebounded from his horrific, 13-second knockout loss to Anthony Johnson by dominating Jared Cannonier for 15 minutes. Now, the 37-year-old Brazilian will get a headlining assignment in a real MMA road game, as he meets Alexander Gustafsson on May 28 in Gustafsson’s native Sweden.

8. Misha Cirkunov (13-2)

Cirkunov aced his first UFC contract, winning all four bouts via stoppage in increasingly impressive fashion. Nonetheless, UFC President Dana White came out in the media, called Cirkunov a “flake” and said the promotion would part ways with the Canadian-Latvian. Instead, the 30-year-old ended up signing a new deal and will now face Volkan Oezdemir in the co-feature of the UFC Fight Night event on May 28 in Sweden.

9. Nikita Krylov (21-5)

After a first-round loss to Misha Cirkunov cooled his hot streak and with one fight left on his UFC contract, it seemed as if Krylov was going to need a big performance in his next fight to catch a fat contract. Incredibly, Eurasia Fight Nights made a handsome offer to the Ukrainian; and seeing the writing on the wall, the UFC decided to cut Krylov loose, clearing the way for “The Miner” to fight in EFN.

10. Liam McGeary (12-1)

McGeary went through a series of less-than-desirable opponents ahead of Bellator 173 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before ultimately facing late replacement Brett McDermott and battering him to a six-minute doctor stoppage. The former Bellator light heavyweight champion gets a much better match next time out, as he will face fellow Brit Linton Vassell at Bellator 179 in London.

Other Contenders: David Branch, Ilir Latifi, Volkan Oezdemir, Mauricio Rua, Ovince St. Preux

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