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Light Heavyweight
1. Jan Blachowicz (28-8) [1]
Ever the underdog, Blachowicz once again silenced the doubters at UFC 259, where he ended Israel Adesanya’s dreams of two-division dominance with a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 6. After beginning his promotional tenure with an underwhelming 2-4 mark, the Polish standout has won nine of his last 10 outings, besting the likes of Adesanya, Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson, Ronaldo Souza, Luke Rockhold and Jared Cannonier, to name a few. A showdown with surging veteran contender Glover Teixeira awaits next at UFC 267 on Oct. 30.2. Corey Anderson (16-5) [2]
Anderson left nothing to chance at Bellator 268, as he dismissed Ryan Bader with an overhand right and a barrage of follow-up ground-and-pound for a technical knockout victory just 51 seconds into their light heavyweight grand prix semifinal at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. That victory sets up a date with reigning champion Vadim Nemkov in the tournament championship at an event sometime in 2022. “Overtime” has won seven of his last eight professional bouts across stints in both Bellator and the UFC.3. Glover Teixeira (32-7) [3]
Even at 41 years old, Teixeira keeps finding ways to win. The veteran Brazilian managed to avoid prolonged standup exchanges with Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 17 main event en route to a third-round submission victory. That makes five straight victories for the rejuvenated Teixeira, who will face Jan Blachowicz for 205-pound gold at UFC 267 on Oct. 30.4. Jiri Prochazka (28-3-1) [4]
After a wild back-and-forth slugfest, Prochazka secured his 12th consecutive triumph with a highlight-reel spinning back elbow KO of Dominick Reyes in the UFC on ESPN 23 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on May 1. Perhaps just as impressive as Prochazka’s offensive arsenal is the fact that his chin was able to hold up after absorbing some heavy artillery from Reyes. With stoppages of a pair of former title challengers in his first two Octagon appearances, the ex-Rizin champion likely awaits the winner of the Jan Blachowicz-Glover Teixeira showdown at UFC 267.5. Vadim Nemkov (14-2) [5]
Nemkov displayed a brief flash of vulnerability when he was buckled by a Julius Anglickas punch in the opening stanza of their light heavyweight grand prix semifinal at Bellator 268, but the champ quickly recovered to put on a dominant performance before tapping his opponent with a fourth-round kimura. Nemkov has won his last nine professional outings — including six in Bellator MMA — and moves on to the finals of the bracket against UFC veteran Corey Anderson.6. Dominick Reyes (12-3) [6]
Reyes was plenty game against Jiri Prochazka in the UFC on ESPN 23 main event, but he simply couldn’t go blow-for-blow with his Czech opponent, and the end result was knockout loss 4:29 into the second round of their May 1 bout. The Californian’s future seemed bright following a contentious decision loss to then 205-pound champ Jon Jones at UFC 247, but back-to-back KO defeats at the hands of Prochazka and Jan Blachowicz have changed that outlook for the time being.7. Volkan Oezdemir (17-5) [7]
Oezdemir welcomed Jiri Prochazka to the Octagon at UFC 251, but it was the former Rizin light heavyweight champion who made the statement, winning via knockout 49 seconds into Round 2 of their clash. That halted a modest two-bout winning streak for Oezdemir, who was coming off quality wins over Aleksandar Rakic and Ilir Latifi. Oezdemir was supposed to square off against Nikita Krylov in the UFC Fight Night 180 co-main event before a knee injury forced him to withdraw from the bout. Instead, Oezdemir will face the streaking Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 267.8. Aleksandar Rakic (14-2) [8]
Rakic didn’t take any chances at UFC 259, but he did do just enough to capture a unanimous verdict over former title challenger Thiago Santos. “Rocket” has rebounded from a contentious split-decision defeat against Volkan Oezdemir with back-to-back wins over Santos and Anthony Smith. Rakic, who has been victorious in six of seven Octagon appearances overall, will likely need to author a more entertaining performance to move into the top tier of 205-pound contenders.9. Ryan Bader (28-7, 1 NC) [9]
Bader had a home crowd behind him at Bellator 268, but that couldn’t prevent him from falling to fellow UFC veteran Corey Anderson in a 51-second technical knockout defeat in the semifinal’s of the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix. Bader has suffered two devastating stoppage losses in his last three 205-pound appearances, perhaps signaling that the time is right for a permanent move to heavyweight — where he remains Bellator champion.10. Phil Davis (23-6, 1 NC) [10]
After being eliminated from the light heavyweight grand prix in a five-round decision loss to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 257, Davis rebounded with a marquee victory over former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero in the Bellator 266 main event. The triumph keeps “Mr. Wonderful” firmly positioned in the promotion’s 205-pound title picture, as he has been victorious in four of his last five outings. Davis’ only losses in Bellator competition have come against Nemkov (twice) and Ryan Bader.Other Contenders: Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Magomed Ankalaev, Nikita Krylov, Johnny Walker.
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