As we at CR continue our rankings, we head into one of the
most stacked divisions in MMA led by the polarizing Jon Jones: light
heavyweight. The weight class is filled with legends and very promising
prospects that could be champions for a long time. Let’s check it out.
10. Rampage Jackson
- Rampage is an interesting man, to say the least. But let’s not focus on the
negative but rather the positive. He is one of the best fighters of all time. I
don’t like the guy, but it’s true, how can you deny it? He was a Pride legend
and is also a UFC legend. If it weren’t for his poor relationship with Dana, he
would be a shoe-in for the Hall-of-Fame.
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| Photo va MMAJunkie.com |
9. Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira - The smaller of the MMA legend twins that are the Nogueira
brothers has been rocky since entering the UFC. He entered with a dominating
TKO victory over Luiz Cane and followed with a very controversial win over
Jason Brilz. He ended up losing to two wrestling powerhouses in Ryan Bader and
Phil Davis. But with his last win via 1st round destruction over
Tito Ortiz; he’s looking to make it towards a title shot.
8. Ryan Bader -
“Darth” is an awesome wrestler. He reminds of Chuck Liddell with his great
wrestling and incredible overhand right. Although he was absolutely destroyed
by Lyoto Machida in his last fight, his last win over Rampage still has him up
there as a top guy.
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| Photo via MMAWeekly.com |
7. Phil Davis -
“Mr. Wonderful” is still one of the most promising fighters in the UFC. His
first two fights under the Zuffa banner were a dominating decision over Brian
Stann and a first round submission over Alexander Gustafsson. He then followed
that with wins over Rodney Wallace, Tim Boetsch, and ‘Lil Nogueira. Despite his
boring decision loss to Rashad Evans, he will still be challenging for the
title in the next two years.
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| Photo by MMAJunkie.com |
6. Alexander
Gustafsson - Speaking of Mr. Gustafsson, since that loss to “Mr.
Wonderful”, he has become a star in the UFC and one of the top guys to beat Jon
Jones. His standup is vicious and his ground game underrated, which was shown
in his Matt Hamill win. His next fight against Shogun is definitely a number
one contenders match.
5. Mauricio Rua -
Shogun is an awesome fighter. He is the perfect example of a Pride fighter.
Always fighting to the bitter end and when he has the chance to finish, he finishes
brutally. I truly hope he is inducted into the Hall-of-Fame and a win over
Gustafsson could cement that.
4. Lyoto Machida
– For those of you who don’t know, Lyoto Machida is my favorite fighter
currently fighting (my all time being Cro Cop). His last win over Ryan Bader is
a perfect example why. He is so amazing to watch, simply mesmerizing. He dodges
and the opponent misses by an inch, he then knocks you out instantly. It’s
truly incredible. There are rumors circulating that he and Dan Henderson will be
fighting in a 1 contenders match.
3. Dan Henderson
– Henderson is another one of the perfect examples of a Pride fighter. His last
fight with Shogun is one of the greatest fights of all time and will most
likely be in the top-3 fights of all time, forever, quite honestly. If Dan
Henderson isn’t inducted into the Hal-of-Fame, there shall be a riot, and if
there isn’t one, I will start one. The guy is a natural middleweight and
knocked out the greatest heavyweight of all time (Fedor) in the first round. I
mean, that’s pretty ridiculous.
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| Photo by MMAJunkie.com |
2. Rashad Evans –
What makes Rashad ranked over Dan is the fact that he has done the best against
Jon Jones. He won the first round in most people’s books and went to a decision.
His only other loss is to Lyoto Machida and has beaten so many top contenders
recently its crazy. Rashad is also one of the most well rounded fighters in
MMA. A drop down to 185 could prove to be an amazing choice.
1. Jon Jones –
Joe Rogan said it perfectly; Jon Jones could very well be the greatest talent
we have ever seen in the UFC. No one has been able to hurt him. The worst
anyone has done was when Machida had him backpedaling twice in the first round.
Sure, he’s cocky, but he has a reason to be.
So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on
what you either agreed or disagreed on.
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