Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (23-1)

As long as Jones stays out of trouble, there is no better fighter at 205 pounds. The Jackson-Wink MMA standout reminded the world of his greatness at UFC 232, when he emphatically defeated Alexander Gustafsson by third-round technical knockout at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. It was a far cry from their first meeting at UFC 165 in 2013, when the lanky Swede took Jones to the brink of defeat before losing a unanimous decision. After dispatching Gustafsson, Jones vowed to have an active 2019, and he’ll get a jumpstart on those plans by defending his belt against Anthony Smith in the UFC 235 headliner on March 2.

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 with both upcoming pay-per-view events having already booked headliners, “DC” could fight on past 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 (31-13)

Smith became a certified light heavyweight contender at UFC Fight Night Moncton, as he survived some early round adversity to submit former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir with a rear-naked choke at the 4:26 mark of round three in the evening’s headliner. “Lionheart’s” 205-pound resume now includes finishes of Oezdemir, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans. Smith was rewarded for his quick ascent at light heavyweight with a title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 235 on March 2.

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. Due to the lack of depth at 205 pounds, a showdown with the winner of the Vitaly Minakov-Cheick Kongo No. 1 contender bout scheduled for Feb. 16 could be appealing.

6. 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.

7. Jan Blachowicz (24-7)

Don’t look now, but Blachowicz is currently the owner of the longest active winning streak in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Once on the verge of losing his UFC roster spot after dropping four of five fights inside the Octagon, Blachowicz has since rebounded to win four consecutive bouts. Most recently, the 35-year-old Pole spoiled Nikita Krylov’s Octagon return with a second-round submission victory at UFC Fight Night 136 in Moscow. Next, Blachowicz will square off against Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN+ 3 headliner in Prague, Czech Republic.

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. Thiago Santos (19-6)

While he was plenty dangerous enough as a middleweight, Santos seems to have found a home at 205 pounds. “Marreta” improved to 2-0 as a light heavyweight at UFC 231, winning a slugfest against British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa. Couple that with a stoppage of Eryk Anders one fight prior, and the 34-year-old Brazilian is suddenly a person of in a shallow division. Overall, Santos has won seven of his last eight UFC bouts across two weight classes. He’ll look to continue his hot streak against Jan Blachowicz in the UFC Fight Night Prague main event on Feb. 23.

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, Misha Cirkunov, Vadim Nemkov.

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