Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Daniel Cormier (18-1)

The fight Cormier covets is a rematch with Jon Jones, but owing to Jones’ suspension, that has been put on the back burner again. In fact, even Cormier’s rematch with Anthony Johnson is getting temporarily shelved. The American Kickboxing Academy team captain has a partially torn adductor muscle that will require minor surgery, canceling his UFC 206 main event with “Rumble” and pushing the rematch into 2017.

2. Anthony Johnson (22-5)

In his last 13 bouts, only one man has topped Johnson: Daniel Cormier. Johnson was due for another crack at “DC” and light heavyweight gold at UFC 206 on Dec. 10, but Cormier’s groin injury canceled the contest. Not wanting to blow his chance at redemption, Johnson opted to pull off the card and wait for Cormier to heal up in 2017.

3. Alexander Gustafsson (17-4)

On Sept. 3 in Hamburg, Germany, Gustafsson pounded out a 15-minute verdict over Poland’s Jan Blachowicz, which set him up for a Nov. 19 date against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Unfortunately, Gustafsson’s dreams of another UFC light heavyweight title shot took another hit when the Swede suffered an undisclosed injury.

4. Ryan Bader (22-5)

When Alexander Gustafsson went down due to injury, Bader saw an opportunity and took it. “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner on Nov. 19 went to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and earned a second win -- this one was brutal in nature -- over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by bashing the Brazilian for nearly 15 minutes until he earned the TKO win.

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

Davis got a crack at the Bellator MMA light heavyweight crown on Nov. 4, and “Mr. Wonderful” dominated from bell to bell against the previously unbeaten Liam McGeary, earning a lopsided five-round unanimous decision. It figures that in the near future Bellator will attempt to line up a Davis-Muhammed Lawal rematch after their close, controversial bout in May.

6. Glover Teixeira (25-5)

Almost 15 years ago, Teixeira was pounded out by Eric Schwartz in his pro MMA debut. From there, Teixeira went 28 fights and over 14 years without being stopped in mixed martial arts. That all changed at UFC 202, violently and in a scant 13 seconds, as a massive Anthony Johnson uppercut knocked the Brazilian unconscious and out of the UFC light heavyweight title picture.

7. Jimi Manuwa (16-2)

Having suffered a slew of injuries and nasty knockout losses to Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, it looked like the window might have been closing on the 36-year-old Manuwa as a notable 205-pound contender in the UFC. Instead, at UFC 204 in Manchester, England, Manuwa dealt a brutal KO of his own, clobbering Ovince St. Preux in the second round to put himself back on the light heavyweight map.

8. Ovince St. Preux (19-9)

St. Preux entered UFC 204 as a favorite against Jimi Manuwa but found himself on the business end of a second-round left hook from “Poster Boy” that left St. Preux splayed out on the mat. “OSP” has now lost three of his last four bouts over the last 13 months, albeit in defeats to Manuwa, Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.

9. Nikita Krylov (21-4)

Since his unsuccessful 205-pound UFC debut against Ovince St. Preux in March 2014, the 24-year-old Krylov has won five straight bouts, all by stoppage, and shown marked improvement along the way. The next step for “The Fighting Al Capone” to establish himself as a legitimate light heavyweight contender is fellow hot prospect Misha Cirkunov, the man Krylov will face at UFC 206 on Dec. 10.

10. Ilir Latifi (12-5, 1 NC)

The heavy-hitting Latifi had won five of his last six inside the Octagon heading into his Sept. 3 bout with Ryan Bader in Hamburg, Germany. However, “The Sledgehammer” ate a devastating second-round knee from Bader that knocked him down and out. Now, Latifi simply waits for an opponent and another chance to work his way up the UFC ranks.

Other Contenders: David Branch, Quinton Jackson, Liam McGeary, Tomasz Narkun, Mauricio Rua

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