Lightweight
1. Eddie Alvarez (28-4)
Alvarez blossomed from a welterweight prospect to an elite lightweight over eight years ago. In that period, he went from Dream to Bellator MMA in search of the biggest money at any given time before entering the UFC, and when he did, he found himself outmatched by Donald Cerrone over three rounds. However, lightweight remains the most talented, volatile division in the sport. Back-to-back wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis earned Alvarez a title shot, and when he got it, the Philadelphia native went to town on Rafael dos Anjos, ripping the Brazilian with devastating standing punches in under four minutes to take the UFC lightweight crown.2. Rafael dos Anjos (25-8)
Dos Anjos saw his outstanding run through the UFC’s 155-pound division halted by Eddie Alvarez’s fists, as he dropped the lightweight title in July. Even with the likes of Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone throwing their hats into the ring to face Alvarez in his first title defense, dos Anjos can take a massive step towards regaining the UFC crown on Nov. 5, when he takes on Tony Ferguson, winner of eight straight in the Octagon. They will meet in a UFC Fight Night main event in Mexico City.3. Donald Cerrone (31-7, 1 NC)
Cerrone remains one of the sport's premier lightweights, even as he continues to ply his trade at 170 pounds. He was originally set for a tantalizing showdown with former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC 205 on Nov. 12; however, the “Ruthless” one was forced to bow out due to injury. Now, Cerrone will take a step toward truly elite welterweight status when he meets “Ultimate Fighter” winner Kelvin Gastelum at Madison Square Garden.4. Khabib Nurmagomedov (23-0)
Nurmagomedov on April 16 returned from a two-year hiatus and looked as though he had never left, slamming and pummeling late replacement Darrell Horcher for a second-round stoppage in what amounted to a tune-up bout. Now a perfect 7-0 in his UFC campaign, Nurmagomedov is looking to jump in line to get the first crack at brand new UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, whom he claims is ducking him.5. Tony Ferguson (21-3)
With a thrilling-if-scary win over late replacement Lando Vannata on July 13, Ferguson pushed his Octagon winning streak to eight in a row. However, despite his brilliant run, “El Cucuy” is part of a brutally deep 155-pound division, so getting a UFC lightweight title shot will require at least one more difficult step: When the UFC returns to Mexico City on Nov. 5, Ferguson will take on recently dethroned champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event.6. Edson Barboza (18-4)
Many wondered if Barboza would ever find the consistency necessary to become a UFC lightweight title contender. It looks like the Brazilian may have found it. Barboza has dominated former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and returning former title challenger Gilbert Melendez in 2016, cruising to one-sided victories behind his vaunted leg kicks. However, in a division as good as 155 pounds, Barboza will have to continue his winning streak, not just to sniff a title shot but to prove that another speed bump is not around the corner.7. Will Brooks (17-1)
Within a few weeks of signing his UFC deal, the former Bellator MMA lightweight champ was in the Octagon, taking a unanimous decision over Ross Pearson. Now, “Ill Will” is scheduled to return, with his second Ultimate Fighting Championship bout coming against Brazilian “Cowboy” Alex Oliveira at the UFC Fight Night bill on Oct. 1 in Portland, Oregon.8. Michael Chiesa (14-2)
Chiesa’s path to a UFC lightweight title shot figured to run through top contender Tony Ferguson in their scheduled five-round showdown on July 13. Unfortunately, Chiesa was forced out of the fight with a back injury and replaced by Lando Vannata, as the Washingtonian waits to heal and expand on his three-fight winning streak in the ultra-difficult UFC lightweight division.9. Beneil Dariush (13-2)
Dariush in June rebounded brilliantly from his second-round submission loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 winner Michael Chiesa by hammering previously unbeaten James Vick in the first round. Now, Dariush has signed on for a fight against another dangerous lightweight contender, meeting up with 19-1 Dagestani Rashid Magomedov on Nov. 5, when the UFC returns to Mexico City.10. Evan Dunham (18-6)
Dunham has been a professional mixed martial artist for nine years and change, and for the better part of seven of those years, he has orbited around the Sherdog.com lightweight top 10. Dunham has been here before, but even with a hot, four-fight winning streak in the Octagon, any 10th-ranked fighter is prime to be usurped by another outstanding contemporary. In order to make his top 10 stay a more permanent one, the Oregon native will need to keep compiling wins at 155 pounds, which is no easy task given that it remains MMA’s deepest and most talented division.Other Contenders: Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Francisco Trinaldo
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