Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Light Heavyweight

1. Glover Teixeira (33-7) [1]

Teixeira’s resurgence continued in a big way at UFC 267, as he rolled to a second-round submission victory over Jan Blachowicz to capture the light heavyweight crown at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. Not only is the 42-year-old Brazilian a feel-good story for reaching the mountaintop more than seven years after his first try, but he is also the oldest first-time champion in UFC history. Teixeira will take a six-bout winning streak into his first 205-pound title defense.

2. Jan Blachowicz (28-9) [2]

Blachowicz’s reign ended after just one title defense, as he was overwhelmed by Glover Teixeira in a second-round submission loss at UFC 267 on Oct. 30. It was a discouraging performance for the 38-year-old veteran, who never got to unleash his “Polish Power” while lookly out of his depth when the fight hit the canvas. Blachowicz, who had won nine of his last 10 heading into the bout, will attempt to return to the win column when he faces Aleksandar Rakic on March 26.

3. Corey Anderson (16-5) [3]

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.

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 will likely get a shot at newly-crowned champion Glover Teixeira down the road.

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. Magomed Ankalaev (15-1) [6]

Ankaleav methodically picked Volkan Oezdemir apart on the feet at UFC 267, earning a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph over the former light heavyweight title challenger at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. That makes seven consecutive UFC triumphs for the Akhmat Fight Team representative, who will look to continue his rise in the division when he faces Thiago Santos in the main event of a UFC card on March 12.

7. Dominick Reyes (12-3) [7]

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.

8. Volkan Oezdemir (17-6) [8]

Oezdemir has endured his share of struggles since three straight KO/TKO victories propelled him to UFC light heavyweight title shot in 2018. Including a title bout loss to Daniel Cormier, Oezdemir is just 2-5 in his last seven Octagon appearances. That includes a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev in his most recent outing at UFC 267.

9. Aleksandar Rakic (14-2) [9]

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 get a chance to put a significant feather in his cap when he faces ex-champ Jan Blachowicz on March 26.

10. Ryan Bader (28-7, 1 NC) [10]

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 semifinals 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. He’ll defend the heavyweight crown in the Bellator 273 main event on Feb. 22.

Other Contenders: Phil Davis, Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Nikita Krylov, Johnny Walker.

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