MMA Lightweight Rankings: September Edition

As we at CR continue our rankings, we now head into the most stacked division in MMA, and possibly combat sports, history: lightweight.

There are so many fighters that you could argue to be top-10 guys like Joe Lauzon, Eddie Alvarez, or even guys like Rick Hawn. The division is so unbelievably stacked that there are UFC cards that have 3 or even more fights that either feature lightweights, or former lightweight fighters. Fortunately, they are also extremely entertaining so there is no shortage of Fight of the Night performances.

Let’s try and sort out the standings of this chaotic division:

10. Michael Chandler – Many people wouldn’t exactly consider Chandler a prospect considering he is the champion in the 3^rd largest MMA promotion, but Michael arguably has the promising future out of everyone on this list. At only 26 years old, he already has wins over some of Bellator’s biggest names like Lloyd Woodard, Patricky Freire, Akihiro Gono, and Eddie Alvarez. The biggest fight of note is the win over Alvarez. That fight was a back-and-forth brawl that ended with a Chandler win via 4^th round RNC. With powerful wrestling and striking, the sky is the limit.

9. Jim Miller – Jim Miller is, in a nutshell, a tough SOB. “Jimmy Redbeard” is the type of fighter that I love. He always puts on a good fight and always figures out a way to win. His ground game is very solid, one of the best at 155, and it shows in his wins over Charles Oliveira, Melvin Guillard, and Duane Ludwig. His only “glaring” weakness is his standup. It’s good, but not good enough to hang with guys like Nate Diaz and Ben Henderson. If he can get his standup up to par with his ground game, or at least closely up to par, then he can be right back in there in the title picture.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

8. Anthony Pettis – Anthony Pettis is one of the most dynamic strikers in the UFC today. His kicks are absolutely nuts. And I’m not just talking about his wild crazy spinning kicks, I’m talking about simply his technique. Watch his wins over Danny Castillo and Joe Lauzon. He is a master at the KO (head kick and punches) finish. The main reason that he is this low though is because his loss to Guida and lackluster win over Jeremy Stephens didn’t do him any favors. But if he can beat Cerrone in his next fight, he will undeniably be top-5.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

7. Clay Guida – Say all you want about his last fight with Gray Maynard, but Guida is still one of the most entertaining fighters in UFC history. Go back and watch his fights with Benson Henderson, Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, and Roger Huerta and tell me he’s not. He even arguably beat Gray Maynard, which most likely would have earned him a title shot. I see his next fight possibly being with Jim Miller.

6. Donald Cerrone – Cowboy is a badass. Seriously, he fought Jeremy Stephens, dominated him, and then came out saying that he had some horrible intestinal issue going into the fight (and during) that felt like he was being stabbed in the gut. My lord. I would be incapacitated and he fights in the UFC against a solid fights and destroyed him for 3 rounds. And he is one of the only people who could win Fight of the Night with a fight that only lasted 76 seconds. His Muay Thai is one of the best in the lightweight division. I cannot wait for his fight with Pettis.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

5. Gilbert Melendez – I have always personally felt that Melendez is overrated. His last two wins over Jorge Masvidal and Josh Thomson are further proving my point. Now how can wins prove something negatively? Watch the fights and think about what I said. They are both guys that he should have not only beaten but finished. Especially Jorge Masvidal, it almost seemed like he wasn’t motivated for the fight. You’re the champion; you should be motivated for every fight. With that being said, I still can’t wait to see him come to the UFC and finally fight the best in the world.

4. Gray Maynard – Gray Maynard was just a few punches away from being a UFC champion, twice. How much more heartbreaking can you get? He had Frankie Edgar down and this close to out. He has been one of the best fighters at 155 for some time now in the UFC and now that there is a new champion in the UFC at lightweight, he may receive another title shot against the winner of Henderson and Diaz if he can beat Joe Lauzon.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

3. Nate Diaz – The younger of the Diaz brothers has become one of my personal favorite fighters lately. His wins over Gomi and Miller really made me realize that he truly has what it takes to become the next champion at 155. His standup is crisp and accurate and his ground game is slick. You can’t get much more well rounded then Nate Diaz. His title fight with Ben Henderson has what it takes to be a Fight of the Century.

2. Frankie Edgar – Despite having lost two in-a-row, Frankie Edgar is still undeniably the second best lightweight in the game in my book. He beat BJ Penn twice when Penn was considered unbeatable. He went to a draw and beat Gray Maynard when he was knocked silly in the 1^st round of both fights. He has more heart than any fighter in MMA. I personally believe that he should be champ still but perhaps a move to featherweight is the best thing for his career.

This picture shows just how apt his nickname is.

1. Ben Henderson – Henderson just absolutely loves to go to war. His last three fights are all stable mates for Fight of the Year. Say all you want about how he shouldn’t be champion and about how Frankie beat him both times. He is the champion of the UFC! He deserves the appreciation, no matter how close the fights were; the fact that he is the champion means that he is the champion. I love Henderson because he fights with all his heart every time. Let’s give him the appreciation he deserves.

So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either greed on or disagreed on.