LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – (191.0-210.0 lbs)
This is the current MMA Rankings for the best Light Heavyweight fighters ranked according to tiers. Inactivity as well as competition faced and defeated determines their rankings. It’s also leaving off fighters who have been inactive.
Tier 1:
Glover Teixeira: With wins over top fighters like Nikita Krylov, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixara has made history. He became the oldest fighter to win a first-time belt in the UFC and is currently the oldest champion on the UFC roster.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
16-5-0 | 33-7-0 | 5-0-0 |
Tier 2:
Jan Blachowicz: The former champion was on a five-fight win streak with wins over many top guys before losing his belt to Glover Teixeira. While he may not be the champion anymore he’s still one of the top fighters at 205 and will be fighting for the belt again soon.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
11-6-0 | 28-9-0 | 5-1-0 |
Jiri Prochazka: A longtime top contender outside the UFC has taken this organization by storm. After getting the call up to the UFC to fight Volkan Oezdemir, Jiri Prochazka capitalized by getting a second round knockout. Then later he knocked out Dominick Reyes by spinning elbow in the second round leading to an upcoming title shot this year. He’s truly a top dog at 205.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
2-0-0 | 28-3-1 | 5-0-0 |
Magomed Anklaev: Truly dominant in the UFC with only one loss coming to Paul Craig in a fight he was dominating. Regardless of the flukeish loss, Magomed Anklaev has won against enough tp guys to be one of the top-ranked fighters in the UFC currently.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
8-1-0 | 17-1-0 | 6-0-0 |
Alexsandar Rakic: This man could very well have the best leg kicks in the division. He is one fight from a title shot and one of the top dogs in the 205-pound division. He also has some devastating striking power and is very technical in his stand-up game.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD |
LAST 3 YEARS |
6-1-0 | 14-2-0 | 3-1-0 |
Tier 3:
Thiago Santos: Since fighting Jon Jones he has not been the same fighter. That being said, he still has knockout power and is a danger to anyone that fights him.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD |
LAST 3 YEARS |
14-9-0 | 22-10-0 | 1-4-0 |
Dominick Reyes: Many think he did beat Jon Jones in their fight as it was a very close contest, but you have to beat the best to be the best. One of the closest anyone has ever come to beating Jon Jones, Reyes is a phenomenal all-around fighter who is a problem for any of the top guys regardless of his losing streak.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD |
LAST 3 YEARS |
6-3-0 | 12-3-0 | 1-3-0 |
Corey Anderson: With many big wins at 205 pounds he was a staple in the UFC. Now he’s found great success in Bellator’s talented light heavyweight division and is close to capturing the title.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
10-5-0 | 16-5-0 | 4-1-0 |
Vadim Nemkov: Bellator’s current light heavyweight champion has fought some great fighters throughout his career. While it’s not the same magnitude as the UFC, he took the belt off of Bellator’s former double champ of the light heavyweight and heavyweight division in Ryan Bader.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
14-2-0 | 4-0-0 |
Anthony Smith: A well-rounded fighter with good leg kicks and some of the best jiu-jitsu in the division. Anthony Smith has seen much success since moving up from middle weight with many high-level wins.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
11-6-0 | 36-16-0 | 4-2-0 |
Paul Craig: With many big wins against the best of the best in his weight class, he has arguably the best Jiu-Jitsu at 205. His last second arm bar against Jamahal Hill is one of the greatest displays of Jiu-Jitsu in UFC history.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
8-4-1 | 16-4-1 | 6-1-1 |
Jamahal Hill: A great counter Striker and overall striking game along with his ever improving ground game Jamal Hill has all the tools to be a future top Contender at light heavyweight.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
5-1-0 | 11-1-0 | 6-1-0 |
Volkan Oezdemir: A staple of UFC’s 205 lb weight class, Volkan has fought the who’s who of Fighters. He has wins over Aleksandar Rakic, OSP, Ilir latifi, and Jimi Manuwa. Volkan and has the power to KO any fighter in his weight class.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
5-5-0 | 17-6-0 | 2-2-0 |
Tier 4:
Johnny Walker: With some of the best physical gifts at 205 lb, Johnny Walker has had a very up-and-down career so far. He went from being compared to Jon Jones to getting knocked out and put on a losing streak. He is still only 29 years old and has time to develop into a top contender.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
4-4-0 | 18-7-0 | 1-4-0 |
Ryan Spann: With solid grappling and improving striking , Ryan Span has a promising career ahead of him. Losses against fighters in his tier and tiers above him stop him from moving up.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
5-2-0 | 19-7-0 | 4-2-0 |
Dustin Jacoby: Undefeated in his last eight fights, Dustin Jacoby is a former top kickboxer who has been on fire since earning a contract on Dana White Contender series. His phenomenal striking could see him move up in the future but as of now the lack of big wins against bigger names at 205 pounds keeps him in tier 4.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
5-2-1 | 17-5-1 | 7-0-1 |
Nikita Krylov: Another fighter who at his best has the talent and skills to beat many top contenders at light heavyweight. His inconsistency and losses to higher tier fighters keep him in tier 4.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
8-7-0 | 27-9-0 | 2-3-0 |
Khalil Rountree: A big, strong and devastating Striker with a well-rounded game. He has top-tier talent but every time he seems to get that step up he loses which is a common theme for these lower tiered fighters.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
6-6-0 | 10-6-0 | 3-2-0 |
Jimmy Crute: A very young fighter at the age of 26 with top Contender potential. He will likely rise on this list as he matures, but until now he is firmly in the fourth tier.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
4-3-0 | 12-3-0 | 2-3-0 |
Ryan Bader: A longtime face in MMA at light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was a formerly ranked UFC light-heavyweight and former Bellator light heavyweight champion and current Bellator heavyweight champion.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
15-5-0 | 29-7-0 | 2-2-0 |
Tier 5:
William Knight: One of the most muscular fighters in the division with underrated athleticism and big power. His cardio issues are what is keeping him from moving higher.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
3-2-0 | 11-3-0 | 7-3-0 |
Maxim Grishin: A true veteran in the sport. Grishan has been seen floating around prelims and lower promotions for years. Because of this he doesn’t have the wins against top level fighters to warrant a higher ranking.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
2-2-0 | 32-9-0 | 4-2-1 |
Jailton Almeida: Making a recent debut, this 30 year old has a journey to move up in this stacked division. He is one of the top prospects with room to grow.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
1-0-0 | 16-2-0 | 7-0-0 |
Alonzo Menifield: He has had an up-and-down career so far. Every time he takes the next step up in competition he gets beat.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
4-3-0 | 11-3-0 | 3-3-0 |
Kennedy Nzechukwu: This is a big technical prospect with potential, but has seen two back-to-back losses after going on a little run this puts him in tier 5.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
3-3-0 | 9-3-0 | 3-3-0 |
Da Un Jung: A borderline tier 4 but needs another win against good competition to break through to tier 4. At only 28 years old, he will likely rise on this list considering his skill set.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
4-0-1 | 15-2-1 | 4-0-1 |
Ion Cutelaba: He has been an up-and-down fighter who has fought lot of big names at light heavyweight. His inconsistency and limitations leave him low on this list.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
5-5-1 | 16-6-1 | 2-3-1 |
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson: A true legend in MMA and one of the pioneers of the division. He has some of the most devastating power in UFC history. Rumble retired from the sport only to come back and show off his striking power in Bellator. His inactivity makes it apparent this isn’t the same Anthony Johnson we knew before.
UFC RECORD |
PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
13-6-0 | 23-6-0 | 1-0-0 |
Tier 6:
Sam Alvey: A journeyman in the UFC who is winless in his last 8 bouts. Sam Alvey is known by most UFC fans, but more for his smile than his recent performances.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
10-12-1 | 33-17-1 | 0-5-1 |
Shogun Rua: Another absolute legend of the game. The old Shogun would be in the top-tier but current Shogun is showing father time is undefeated.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
11-10-1 | 27-12-1 | N/A |
Ed Herman: A longtime veteran of the UFC. Ed Herman has fought many big names throughout his career including a win over Glover Teixera. At 41 years old his best years are behind him.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
13-11-0 | 26-15-0 | 3-1-0 |
Danilo Marquez: A big tall fighter with underrated Jiu-Jitsu and okay striking. He has had an uneventful career so far and at 36 years old doesn’t look like he’ll ever be a top fighter, but has surprised top fighters more than once with his performances.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
2-2-0 | 12-4-0 | N/A |
Fabio Cherant: With only 11 fights in his career so far, he has seven wins and four losses which is not an impressive record considering him being on a three-fight losing streak.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
0-3-0 | 7-4-0 | 3-4-0 |
Ovince Saint-Preux: Once the prince that was promised. He has fought some of the best light heavyweight fighters in the division. He won some very tough fights, but today is trending downwards nearing the end of his career.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
13-11-0 | 25-16-0 | 2-4-0 |
Carlos Ulberg: An unproven fighter with obvious skills. His inexperience gets him in trouble during fights. This 31 year old has room and time to grow.
UFC RECORD | PRO RECORD | LAST 3 YEARS |
1-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 2-1-0 |
Shoutout to Kyle for helping me with this list.
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