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The UFC's lightweight division is easily the most talent-rich weight class in the promotion. With UFC fighters like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler calling 145 their home, pitting any lightweight contender against one of them is a surefire recipe for disaster.
Five best lightweight fighters outside the UFC:
The UFC isn't the only promotion that boasts elite 145-pounders on their roster. In fact, there's an abundance of talented lightweights in different MMA leagues around the world.
On that note, let's have a look at the five best lightweights outside the UFC.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Honourable mentions: Eddie Alvarez, Patricky 'Pitbull' Freire, Iuri Lapicus.
#5 Shinya Aoki
Former ONE Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is recently enjoying a late-career resurgence. The Japanese grappling grandmaster has won three consecutive fights against Honorio Banario, Kimihiro Eto and James Nakashima.
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What's most admirable about Shinya Aoki is his longevity. He made his pro-MMA debut as a 20-year-old whippersnapper and has evolved into a wise, battle-tested veteran in the cage.
Moreover, Shinya Aoki has also shown signs of holistic maturity throughout his career.
The Japanese gained notoriety for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct after winning a bout, flipping Mizuto Hirota off after breaking his arm in 2009. But now, Shinya Aoki is no longer that arrogant kid; he's grown into a man who treats the sport and his opponents with the utmost respect.
On April 28, Aoki will return to action against Filipino striker Eduard Folayang – the man who ended his reign as ONE Championship lightweight king.
#4 Anthony Pettis
After going through a prolonged period of inconsistency between 2016 and 2020, Anthony Pettis found his footing after winning his last two fights in the UFC.
'Showtime' has been to the pinnacle of the MMA world, having won the UFC lightweight title in 2012. And of course, Pettis is the owner of one of the most popular highlights in MMA, a flashy head kick knockout of Benson Henderson in WEC.
However, his career has been torpedoed by several ill-timed injuries in the past. As a result, his reign as the UFC's 145-pound champion did not last for too long.
Nevertheless, Anthony Pettis can extend his winning streak to three in his first fight away from the UFC since 2011. Pettis will make his PFL (Professional Fighters League) debut against Clay Collard on April 23, in a match he's heavily favoured to win.
#3 Brent Primus
Brent Primus has re-established himself as one of the best lightweights in Bellator after snagging consecutive submission wins over Tim Wilde and Chris Bungard.
Primus holds an impressive 10-1 record, with six wins coming by way of submission. His only loss came against Michael Chandler, who will be competing for the vacant UFC lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262.
For the moment, Brent Primus will have to wait for a title opportunity, as two-division champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire is currently engaged in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix. But after that, Primus will have a solid case as the number one contender for the Bellator lightweight gold.
#2 Christian Lee
After defending his ONE Championship lightweight title in emphatic fashion, Christian Lee proclaimed himself as 'the best lightweight' in MMA. The young Singaporean-Canadian says that he would love the opportunity to prove so.
"I do believe that I am the best lightweight fighter in the world, not just in ONE Championship. As of right now, I’m signed with ONE Championship and the way the MMA leagues are structured, you can only fight the people in your organization, but I would love for that to happen one day where you could fight across promotions to truly see who’s the best," Christian Lee told MMA fighting.
Christian Lee is a prodigy in the cage. He kickstarted his professional MMA career even before he could legally take a sip of beer. Now 22, Lee has already conquered ONE Championship, winning six consecutive fights (five via TKO) against formidable opponents.
What's impressive about Lee's ascent is that he hasn't even hit his prime. If 'The Warrior' can continue his upward trajectory, there's no limit to what he can achieve as he moves further in his cage-fighting career.
#1 Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire
Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire recently choked out Emmanuel Sanchez to defend his featherweight crown at Bellator 255. In the process, Pitbull also pushed his ticket to the final round of the Featherweight World Grand Prix, where he'll face the undefeated rising star, AJ McKee.
Patricio Pitbull currently holds both the featherweight and lightweight titles in Bellator MMA. But he's not done yet. In a 2020 interview with MMA Junkie, Pitbull revealed that he has his eyes set on a third title.
“I want to accomplish (becoming) a three-simultaneous-weight champion. I asked Bellator not only to defend my belt back in December, the lightweight belt, but also to fight for the vacated bantamweight belt".
However, Pitbull did not get his wish, as Juan Archuleta and Patrick Mix got booked for the bantamweight title fight.
More recently, Pitbull expressed his desire to fight Max Holloway and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in a cross-promotional bout. He is confident of beating any fighter across promotions in the 125-145-pound range.
