Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Daniel Cormier (18-1)

A torn right adductor muscle scuttled Cormier's slated rematch with Anthony Johnson at UFC 206 in December, but with so little activity at the top of the 205-pound division, it was a no-brainer that the second bout between the two would be re-booked. Now, Cormier will defend the crown against “Rumble” at UFC 210 on April 8, when the UFC is bound for Buffalo, New York.

2. Anthony Johnson (22-5)

The only man to beat Johnson in his last 13 fights was Daniel Cormier in their May 2015 interim UFC title bout. When Johnson gained a rematch with Cormier for the undisputed UFC 205-pound crown and then had it fall apart due to a Cormier injury, “Rumble” opted to decline a replacement opponent and wait for his shot at the championship. The move paid off, as Cormier-Johnson 2 has now been re-booked for UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, on April 8.

3. Alexander Gustafsson (17-4)

Gustafsson was scheduled for what essentially amounted to a tune-up fight with Antonio Rogerio Noguera on Nov. 19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but a back injury forced him out of the contest and resulted in his being replaced by Ryan Bader. It remains unclear when the nagging back injury will allow “The Mauler” to return to the Octagon, but with the UFC changing tack and reportedly moving from a May date in Copenhagen to a late spring event in Sweden, it goes without saying that the best Swedish fighter in MMA history would be a considerable asset to the bill.

4. Ryan Bader (22-5)

At a time when the 205-pound division is so weak and with Bader being one of the few elite fighters to not have earned a UFC light heavyweight title shot, you would think re-signing him would be a priority. Instead, after enjoying eight successful years with the promotion and going 7-1 in his last eight bouts, the former Arizona State wrestler has turned his longstanding UFC success into a free agent deal with Bellator MMA that should put him in the cage and back on Spike TV within a few short months.

5. Phil Davis (17-3, 1 NC)

When Davis dethroned Liam McGeary as Bellator MMA's 205-pound champion in November, it seemed inevitable that the promotion was angling for a Davis-Muhammed Lawal rematch, with Davis having earned a close, controversial decision over “King Mo” in May. Instead, Bellator has lined up a Lawal-Quinton Jackson rematch, which leaves Davis without an obvious dance partner for his first title defense -- unless Bellator wants to give the last man to beat Davis, Ryan Bader, a title shot in his promotional debut.

6. Glover Teixeira (26-5)

Coming off of a brutal 13-second knockout loss to Anthony Johnson, many thought the 37-year-old Teixeira may be a veteran steppingstone for Jared Cannonier at UFC 208 on Feb. 11. Instead, Teixeira dominated Cannonier on the ground, using his grappling to take a lopsided decision and keep pace at 205 pounds.

7. Jimi Manuwa (16-2)

Hot off a breakout win over Ovince St. Preux in October, Manuwa was briefly linked to a bout with Glover Teixeira -- until UFC 208 was relocated and rescheduled. Now, Manuwa's Octagon return will instead come on March 18 in his British backyard, as he meets Corey Anderson in the UFC Fight Night 107 main event in London.

8. Misha Cirkunov (13-2)

Given how stagnant the UFC’s light heavyweight division has become, you would think the promotion would be keen to lock up Cirkunov after he went 4-0 with four dominant stoppages on his first Octagon contract. Instead, UFC President Dana White came out in a head-scratching move and said the 29-year-old Latvian-Canadian “flaked” during negotiations and that the UFC was no longer interested in retaining his services.

9. Nikita Krylov (21-5)

Krylov had won five in a row, all impressive stoppages, heading into his UFC 206 bout with Misha Cirkunov in Toronto. However, Krylov had no answer for Cirkunov’s heavy left hand and fight-ending guillotine, which snapped the Ukrainian’s winning streak and sent him packing in less than five minutes.

10. Liam McGeary (11-1)

McGeary suffered his first career defeat in November, as he dropped the Bellator MMA light heavyweight title after being dominated for 25 minutes by the wrestling of Phil Davis. The 33-year-old Brit will get a softer touch and headlining treatment in his return, taking on considerable underdog Chris Fields in the headliner of Bellator 173 on Feb. 24.

Other Contenders: David Branch, Ilir Latifi, Tomasz Narkun, Volkan Oezdemir, Ovince St. Preux

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