Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Lightweight
1. Charles Oliveira (32-8, 1 NC) [1]
Oliveira showcased his durability early against Dustin Poirier, then imposed his will through grappling to retain his lightweight crown with a third-round submission victory in the UFC 269 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 11. “Do Bronx” has won 10 consecutive fights dating back to June 2018 and only seems to be getting better. The Brazilian will make his next title defense against World Series of Fighting champ Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7.2. Dustin Poirier (28-7, 1 NC) [2]
Poirier entered UFC 269 as the uncrowned lightweight champion in many people’s eyes, but he left the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas empty handed following a third-round submission loss to Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The American Top Team representative started well, as he landed powerful punches and floored his opponent in Round 1, but that momentum gradually faded as the bout progressed. Poirier was on the verge of a memorable 2021 campaign that could have included two wins over Conor McGregor and a championship belt, but instead “The Diamond” comes up short for the second consecutive time in a title bout.3. Justin Gaethje (23-3) [3]
More than a year removed from his lightweight championship loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, Gaethje staked his claim to another title shot at UFC 268, where he outdueled Michael Chandler in a “Fight of the Year” candidate at Madison Square Garden in New York. Gaethje endured some early adversity when he was rocked by the former Bellator champion, but he relied on a more technical approach to pull away from Chandler for a unanimous decision triumph. The former World Series of Fighting title holder will get his second championship opportunity when he challenges reigning lightweight king Charles Oliveira.4. Beneil Dariush (21-4-1) [4]
Dariush smothered Tony Ferguson for the better part of three rounds in the UFC 262 co-main event on May 15, a dominant victory that included a heel hook submission in the second frame that might have done some serious damage to his opponent. The Kings MMA product has won seven straight fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion and will get the opportunity to make serious headway in the lightweight title picture when he meets Islam Makhachev in a headlining bout on Feb. 26.5. Islam Makhachev (21-1) [5]
Makhachev scored some serious style points at UFC 267, tapping out Dan Hooker with a kimura 2:25 into the opening round of their lightweight bout in Abu Dhabi. The Dagestani was never threatened by Hooker as he secured his ninth consecutive victory in the Octagon. Next, Makhachev gets a main event assignment against Beneil Dariush on Feb. 26.6. Michael Chandler (22-7) [6]
Chandler has established himself as one of the UFC’s most reliable all-action fighters in just three promotional appearances. His latest effort, a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje, saw the ex-Bellator king rock his opponent in the opening stanza and endure a tremendous amount of punishment in a “Fight of the Year” contender at UFC 268. After back-to-back losses to Gaethje and Charles Oliveira, Chandler is on the outside looking in when it comes to title contention, but his presence is a welcome addition to virtually any fight card. He may need some time to recover from his latest outing before making a return, however.7. Dan Hooker (21-11) [7]
Hooker never got a chance to get going at UFC 267, as he was taken down and submitted by Islam Makhachev with a kimura in the opening round at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 30. Though he remains relevant due to his reputation as an all-action fighter, “The Hangman” has lost his spot in the divisional queue due to losses in three of his last four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Hooker will return to the featherweight division for his next outing, when he faces Arnold Allen at UFC London.8. Tony Ferguson (25-6) [8]
The past stretch has been a difficult one for Ferguson’s mixed martial arts career. After compiling a 12-bout winning streak from 2013 to 2019, “El Cucuy” has fallen to Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje in lopsided fashion. That skid, which includes a decision loss to Dariush in his last outing at UFC 262, means that the 37-year-old Team Death Clutch representative’s days as a top 155-pound contender are likely over.9. Rafael dos Anjos (30-13) [9]
Two scheduled bookings against Makhachev have fallen through for dos Anjos in recent months — one at UFC Fight Night 182 and another at UFC 267. The former 155-pound title holder lost four of his last five appearances at 170 pounds before returning to lightweight at UFC Fight Night 182, where he took a five-round split verdict over replacement opponent Paul Felder. The 37-year-old Brazilian is slated for a clash with rising contender Rafael Fiziev in the main event of a UFC card on Feb. 19.10. Gregor Gillespie (14-1) [10]
Gillespie returned from a lengthy hiatus at UFC on ESPN 24, where he earned an impressive second-round TKO stoppage of Diego Ferreira. The former Edinboro University wrestling standout rebounded from a head kick knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019 and improved to 7-1 in the Octagon. Gillespie hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2018.Other Contenders: Rafael Fiziev, Thiago Moises, Brad Riddell, Arman Tsarukyan, Mateusz Gamrot.
Continue Reading » Featherweight