UFC lightweight rankings: Islam Makhachev holds on to No. 1 spot after UFC 302

Max Holloway will go down as one of the great UFC featherweights of all time. His victories over fighters like Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar solidified that fact. However, he elevated himself to a new level when he stepped out of the division at UFC 300 and took the BMF title off Justin Gaethje in a destructive fashion. Could a 155-pound title fight be in “Blessed’s” future?

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At UFC Vegas 58, Rafael Fiziev stamped his place as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. He did something Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman could not do in finishing Rafael dos Anjos, and he did so in the fifth frame. Proving his striking gifts are dangerous even into the championship rounds.

However, he has found out fast that with some success comes some tough times. “Atman” suffered a tough loss to Justin Gaethje earlier this year then had it followed up by another defeat after suffering an injury in his UFC Vegas 79 main event against Mateusz Gamrot. It was a tough 2023 for Fiziev.

Michael Chandler has been worth every penny the UFC used to bring him in from Bellator. Each bout he has been in has delivered in every way with action and highlight-reel moments. His showdown with Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 was the latest edition in his run of fight-of-the-year scraps. While he certainly pushed the former interim champ to the limit, “Iron” came up short in another big fight.

Despite the defeat, Chandler was rewarded with the fight he has been pushing to get for years: a scrap against UFC superstar Conor McGregor. The matchup is set to take place later this year after the pair faceoff as coaches on season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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Despite a longer-than-expected break as he recovered from a serious injury and failed bookings, Beneil Dariush scored another impressive win at UFC 280. He extended his win streak to eight and did so with a decisive victory over a very game and ranked talent in Mateusz Gamrot.

At UFC 288 he was given a fight that likely would have locked up a title fight against former titlist Charles Oliveira. Unfortunately, the Brazilian showed there’s levels to the game and defeated him soundly. He then followed that up with a shocking KO loss to Arman Tsarukyan in less than a minute that may have ended any chances he had of fighting for a UFC title during his career.

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Dustin Poirier is one of the very best lightweight fighters that has ever lived. After a disappointing loss to Justin Gaethje to end 2023, he bounced back in a major way when he took on the high-risk challenge of Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. Despite some trouble early in the fight, “Diamond” showed why he is a legend when he was able to KO the rising star.

He was given one more title opportunity at UFC 302 but again came up short, this time to Islam Makhachev. Retirement is a real possibility now for the Louisiana legend.

Former KSW two-division champion Mateusz Gamrot has proven he is a top-10 level fighter by winning seven of his nine appearances in the Octagon. Despite his setbacks, he has always roared back with big wins, and he is in the midst of a winning streak that now features big victories over ranked fighters Jalin Turner and Rafael Fiziev.

He added another major name to his resume when he was able to use his vaunted grappling to ground and grind out former division king Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 299.

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Justin Gaethje is one of the best lightweight fighters of his generation. He has scored some iconic wins during some legendary fights and having an interim lightweight title and the BMF belt in his trophy case solidifies his spot as a future Hall-of-Famer.

However, at UFC 300 he took a big risk by facing featherweight legend Max Holloway and the decision backfired with a KO loss. It likely cost him a title opportunity in 2024.

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Charles Oliveira was dominantly defeated by Islam Makhachev in 2022 but he remained one of the best fighters on the planet. While he did not get an immediate rematch, he proved his place as one of the 155-pound division’s elite when he easily dispatched contender Beniel Dariush at UFC 298.

However, his spot near the top of the division came into question at UFC 300 when he was unable to defeat fast-rising lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

Arman Tsarukyan has had an impressive rise up the UFC ranks. During his 11 fights in the Octagon, his only losses are to the reigning champion and a very talented fellow ranked star, Mateusz Gamrot. He has won 10 of his last 11 and scored a landmark win at UFC 300 with a massive victory over Charles Oliveira that should get him a title fight in 2024.

Many doubted how good Islam Makhachev truly was, and there were some doubters of whether he deserved a lightweight title opportunity against Charles Oliveira. However, he proved he truly is the heir apparent to lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 280 when he submitted Oliveira. The man with the most submissions in UFC history.

Since then he has only grown his legend and place among the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. In his first three title defenses, he took on the challenge of featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski, and most recently Dustin Poirier, and has shown the complete and near-unbeatable fighter he currently is.

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