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Lightweight
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0)
Nurmagomedov needed less than 15 minutes to dispatch Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, and he made it look astonishingly easy. “The Eagle” overwhelmed his opponent with takedowns and pressure from the outset of the bout, gradually wearing Poirier down until he secured the rear-naked choke submission at the 2:06 mark of Round 3. The reigning lightweight champion’s winning streak is now at 12, which ties him with Tony Ferguson for the sixth-longest winning streak in UFC history. Barring injury, Nurmagomedov will finally square off against Ferguson with lightweight gold on the line on April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y.2. Tony Ferguson (25-3)
It wasn’t necessarily the ending he envisioned, but Ferguson appeared to be well on his way to defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 before the contest was halted prior to round three due to “Cowboy’s” swollen eye. Cerrone certainly got his shots in, but “El Cucuy” utilized his usual multi-faceted offensive approach to land more than 50 significant strikes in both the first and second rounds. With 12 consecutive wins under his belt, there is no more deserving No. 1 contender at lightweight than Ferguson. “El Cucuy” will challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight crown at a pay-per-view event in Brooklyn on April 18.3. Dustin Poirier (25-6)
There was some sentiment that Poirier possessed the necessary tools to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov heading into their title unification bout at UFC 242. However, once the opening bell rung, it was all Nurmagomedov right up until “The Eagle” applied a fight-ending rear-naked choke at the 2:06 mark of Round 3. For Poirier, positive moments were few and far between — a couple solid punches on the feet and a Hail Mary guillotine attempt — but ultimately the American Top Team representative could do little to halt the momentum of his opponent as a six-bout unbeaten streak came to an end.4. Justin Gaethje (21-2)
A former World Series of Fighting champion, Gaethje continues to inch closer to lightweight title contention in the UFC. “The Highlight” earned his third consecutive first-round stoppage at UFC Vancouver, as he defeated Donald Cerrone via TKO at the 4:18 mark of Round 1 in the evening’s main event on Sept. 14. Since dropping back-to-back fights against Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez, the Grudge Training Center product has finished Cerrone, Edson Barboza and James Vick inside of a round.5. Donald Cerrone (36-13)
Cerrone’s brief lightweight resurgence has come to a screeching halt in the form of back-to-back stoppage losses at the hands of Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. In his most recent outing, “Cowboy” succumbed to the punching power of Gaethje in a first-round TKO defeat at UFC Vancouver. There is no shame in losing to two of the division’s top contenders, and Cerrone continues to be one of the Las Vegas-based promotion’s most popular action fighters. Cerrone will get his long-awaited matchup with Conor McGregor — at welterweight, not lightweight — at UFC 246 in Las Vegas on Jan. 18.6. Kevin Lee (18-5)
After a one-fight dalliance at welterweight, Lee announced his return to the lightweight division in emphatic fashion at UFC 244, as he removed Gregor Gillespie from the ranks of the unbeaten with a first-round knockout at Madisoin Square Garden. “The Motown Phenom” had Gillespie reeling with a right hand to the temple, and a follow-up left high kick sent the national champion wrestler crashing to the fence unconscious. With the win, Lee, a former interim title challenger at 155 pounds, snaps a two-bout skid and shows why he remains one of the most talented fighters in the division.7. Paul Felder (17-4)
Felder avenged a previous loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 242, as he outdueled his Brazilian foe to take an entertaining split-decision triumph in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 7. “The Irish Dragon” is on a roll, with victories in five of his last six Octagon appearances, and his only loss during that time was a split-decision setback to Mike Perry that occurred at 170 pounds. After beginning his promotional tenure with a 4-3 mark, Felder appears to have evolved being just being an entertaining action fighter into someone who could make some serious noise in the lightweight division. Up next, Felder will face Dan Hooker in the UFC Auckland headliner on Feb. 23.8. Edson Barboza (20-8)
It hasn’t been the best stretch for Barboza, who has lost four of his last five UFC outings dating back to December 2017. However, the competition (Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kevin Lee, Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder) has been nothing but top notch during that period. And in case anyone needs a reminder of what the Brazilian can do at his best, just look back at his thorough beatdown of Dan Hooker at UFC on Fox 31 in December 2018. Additionally, his most recent loss, a split-decision setback to Felder in a rematch at UFC 242, was a bout that the majority of media members scored in favor of the 33-year-old Rio de Janeiro native.9. Dan Hooker (19-8)
Thanks to pinpoint long-range striking and excellent takedown defense, Hooker cruised to a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Al Iaquinta in the UFC 243 co-main event in Melbourne on Oct. 5. “The Hangman” has won two fights in a row since being brutalized by Edson Barboza in 2018 and been victorious in six of his last seven Octagon appearances overall — with all but one of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Hooker will square off against Paul Felder in the UFC Auckland main event on Feb. 23.10. Gregor Gillespie (13-1)
Gillespie’s first serious step up in competition didn’t go so well, as the former four-time NCAA All-American from Edinboro University was knocked out by Kevin Lee in the opening round of their featured lightweight bout at UFC 244 in New York. Prior to facing Lee, “The Gift” had won six straight fights under the UFC banner, with the most notable of those victories a second-round stoppage of Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight Night 143. Gillespie had been mostly dominant before running into Lee, so plenty of interesting matchups should await the Bellmore Kickboxing Academy representative.Other Contenders: Al Iaquinta, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, Patricio Freire, Patricky Freire.
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