MMA rankings: Conor McGregor calls all the shots in the featherweight division

Heavyweight

1. Fabricio Werdum
2. Cain Velasquez
3. Stipe Miocic
4. Junior Dos Santos
5. Travis Browne
6. Alistair Overeem
7. Andrei Arlovski
8. Ben Rothwell
9. Josh Barnett
10. Vitaly Minakov

After a turbulent month in heavyweight MMA, it’s difficult to differentiate the top fighters in the division after the top two. Miocic, Dos Santos, Browne, Overeem and Arlovski have all lost to someone in the top 10 and beaten someone in the top 10 since 2014. Sorting them out is a tough task. Most recently, Stipe Miocic knocked out Andrei Arlovski in less than a minute, Alistair Overeem finished Junior Dos Santos with strikes and Travis Browne scored a TKO over Matt Mitrione. Injuries cancelled the title fight that was scheduled between Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez, then the replacement that was to feature Miocic against Werdum. What’s next? Who knows at this point?

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones
2. Daniel Cormier
3. Anthony Johnson
4. Ryan Bader
5. Alexander Gustafsson
6. Phil Davis
7. Glover Teixeira
8. Rashad Evans
9. Liam McGeary
10. Ovince St. Preux

This Saturday on Fox, Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader will square off for the likely opportunity to fight the winner of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title. It’s a clash of styles as Johnson is a dynamic offensive striker while Bader is more of a grinder. Both come from wrestling backgrounds.

Middleweight

1. Luke Rockhold
2. Chris Weidman
3. Yoel Romero
4. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
5. Anderson Silva
6. Lyoto Machida
7. Vitor Belfort
8. Tim Kennedy
9. Michael Bisping
10. Gegard Mousasi

Yoel Romero could have been in line for the next UFC middleweight title shot, but he was flagged for a potential drug violation in an out of competition test. Now, it looks like Chris Weidman will receive a rematch against champion Luke Rockhold. In other action, Michael Bisping will finally get to compete against Anderson Silva in a highly anticipated bout February 27 in London.

Welterweight

1. Robbie Lawler
2. Carlos Condit
3. Johny Hendricks
4. Rory MacDonald
5. Tyron Woodley
6. Demian Maia
7. Ben Askren
8. Hector Lombard
9. Dong Hyun Kim
10. Benson Henderson

There has been a movement to justify the judges’ decision that allowed Robbie Lawler to retain his UFC welterweight championship against Carlos Condit. Don’t believe it. It was an atrocious decision, following a fight where Condit outlanded Lawler 176-92. That’s not to say Lawler has anything to be ashamed of, as it was a thrilling classic where he showed tremendous heart. Condit deserves an immediate rematch.

Lightweight

1. Rafael Dos Anjos
2. Khabib Nurmagomedov
3. Tony Ferguson
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Anthony Pettis
6. Donald Cerrone
7. Gilbert Melendez
8. Will Brooks
9. Beneil Dariush
10. Nate Diaz

Rafael Dos Anjos was dominant again in retaining his UFC lightweight title via first round TKO over Donald Cerrone. Dos Anjos now has a golden opportunity, as he will defend his title against featherweight champion Conor McGregor in what will be a box office bonanza in March. The next top challengers appear to be Khabib Nurmagomedov, the unbeaten Russian who is the only fighter to beat Dos Anjos since 2011; surging Tony Ferguson; and Eddie Alvarez, who picked up a lackluster decision win over Anthony Pettis. A couple of other lightweights who have impressed recently are Nate Diaz, who was shockingly dominant against Michael Johnson, and Dustin Poirier, who likewise excelled against Joseph Duffy.

Featherweight

1. Conor McGregor
2. Jose Aldo
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Max Holloway
5. Chad Mendes
6. Ricardo Lamas
7. Cub Swanson
8. Daniel Straus
9. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire
10. Charles Oliveira

With Conor McGregor calling the shots and looking to switch between divisions, both Josh Aldo and Frankie Edgar are left in difficult positions. Edgar has more than earned a featherweight title shot that he continues to wait for, while Aldo dominated his division more than any other fighter in history and likewise is left waiting for another shot at McGregor.

Bantamweight

1. Dominick Cruz
2. T.J. Dillashaw
3. Renan Barao
4. Urijah Faber
5. Raphael Assuncao
6. Bibiano Fernandes
7. Michael McDonald
8. Thomas Almeida
9. Aljamain Sterling
10. Marlon Moraes

Dominick Cruz pulled off a remarkable feat, returning after only one fight in over four years to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title that he never lost from T.J. Dillashaw. It was an extremely competitive and close fight and one that screamed for a rematch. Michael McDonald returned to action after a long hiatus of his own, struggling early but pulling off a miraculous submission over Masanori Kanehara.

Women’s Bantamweight

1. Holly Holm
2. Ronda Rousey
3. Miesha Tate
4. Cat Zingano
5. Alexis Davis
6. Amanda Nunes
7. Sara McMann
8. Julianna Pena
9. Jessica Eye
10. Valentina Shevchenko

With Ronda Rousey needing more time off, Holly Holm and Miesha Tate will fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. It’s a big risk for the UFC, as a win by Tate would take a Holm vs. Rousey rematch from likely the biggest box office fight in MMA history to “just” a megafight. Valentina Shevchenko cracks the top 10 with a competitive victory over Sarah Kaufman in her UFC debut.

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Joseph Benavidez
3. John Dodson
4. Henry Cejudo
5. Jussier Formiga

Women’s Strawweight

1. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
2. Claudia Gadelha
3. Jessica Aguilar
4. Carla Esparza
5. Karolina Kowalkiewicz