MMA Fighter Rankings: Lightweight
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On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.
Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight
Lightweight
| Ranking | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael dos Anjos |
| 2 | Anthony Pettis |
| 3 | Donald Cerrone |
| 4 | Khabib Nurmagomedov |
| 5 | Eddie Alvarez |
| 6 | Tony Ferguson |
| 7 | Will Brooks |
| 8 | Beneil Dariush |
| 9 | Al Iaquinta |
| 10 | Evan Dunham |
- It took only 66 seconds for Donald Cerrone's eight-fight winning streak to be completely evaporated by lightweight overlord Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17 in December. Dos Anjos caught "Cowboy" early, and violently flurried until the referee stepped in to stop the carnage.
- Cerrone is now moving up to welterweight to face Tim Means, and Dos Anjos is sounding the trumpet for a big box-office fight with featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who has expressed a burning desire to be a two-division champ.
- A future title challenger could be decided on Jan. 17 when former champion Anthony Pettis takes on former Bellator bigwig Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez narrowly bested Gilbert Melendez in his last trip to the Octagon, while Pettis lost his championship strap to Dos Anjos last March.
- Once left on the lightweight scrap heap, Evan Dunham has completely revitalized his career, racking up consecutive wins over Rodrigo Damm, Ross Pearson, and Joe Lauzon.