Ranking the fight divisions in the UFC

One of the biggest problems the UFC are facing at the moment is the fact that outside of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, there aren’t too many big stars on their roster. However, while they may be short of big names, the current UFC roster is probably as talent heavy as any UFC roster has ever been.The effects of having such a talent stacked roster is having talent stacked divisions. While we are all excited about Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor in the Featherweight division and the Lawler – Condit fight in the Welterweight division, there are plenty of other divisions that are just as exciting as the above two. We rank all 10 UFC divisions (8 male divisions and 2 female) below: -

#10 Women\'s Strawweights

Joanna is one fight away from clearing a very thin division

It’s a bit telling that the champion of the women’s Straw weight division, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, needs just one more win to effectively clear out her division. The only person on the current roster worth her time is Claudia Gadelha.

Jessica Aguilar is a legend but her only UFC fight was a loss earlier this month to Gadelha. Carla Esparza was so easily dominated by Joanna that watching them fight again is almost not worth it. The same goes for Jessica Penne who, despite proving she is as tough as nails, barley hurt Joanna.

Outside of these 5 women there isn’t much to say about the straw weights. Perhaps it’s a bit harsh for them to be included on this list given how new the division is. It will take time to build. Joanna is a star but beyond her there isn’t much.

#9 Flyweight

DJ and Dodson will face off for a second time but there isn’t much happening below that

Demetrious Johnson has already cleared out this division once. He is one fight away from clearing it out for a second time. John Dodson, who has already been beaten by the flyweight champion, will get a rematch this September. For the sake of this division, it will perhaps be better if Dodson wins, or they put on a barnburner of a fight.

The number 2 ranked flyweight, Joseph Benavidez has already been beaten by Johnson twice before. This isn’t the most glamorous of divisions despite boasting of arguably the best pound for pound fighter as its champion. Dodson is a worthy challenger who pushed DJ to the limit last time. He will have to put on the fight of his life to become champion. Beyond the top three, prospects are bleak. Everybody has already lost to DJ, Dodson and Benavidez and the three of them seem to be destined for a long tussle among themselves for the title.

#8 Bantamweight

Dillashaw is on a collision course with former champion Cruz

Outside of Dominick Cruz, there isn’t anybody worthy of a title shot at the moment. The former champion Renan Barao could soon make the jump to featherweight after being dominated by Dillashaw twice. Raphael Assuncao, the last man to beat Dillashaw is injured again with no fixed timeline on his return.

The only reason this division is not further down the list is because of the potential Dillashaw-Cruz fight. The key word being potential. Cruz has had just one fight in 4 years. A mountain of injuries robbed him of his title and even though he is still highly regarded, there is no guarantee that the Dominick Cruz that returns will be the same Dominick Cruz that we saw before. The added spice of the rivalry between Cruz and Dillashaw’s mentor and friend Urijah Faber brings even more flavor to what promises to be one of the most technically exciting fights in UFC history.

Then there is the fight that we all secretly hope happens. Dillashaw against Faber. Before Dillashaw emerged, before Barao arrived and before Cruz became champion, Faber built the lower weight classes almost on his own. However, his legendary career is still missing a UFC championship. He has had his chances, but he has never managed to get the job done. Faber is a fan favorite. An underdog whom we can all root for. Seeing him go for the title one last time will be special. If he goes for it against his friend, it will be that much more exciting.

#7 Light Heavyweight

Cormier has not been able to escape the shadow of Jon Jones

It hasn’t been a good year for the Light Heavyweight division. First, their champion tested positive for cocaine after the biggest win of his career, then their champion was no longer the champion. The shadow of Jon Jones is long and it is currently hovering over this division. While Daniel Cormier has taken full advantage of his adversary’s absence to become the new champion, there is a feeling of loss surrounding the division.

Jon Jones had beaten everybody he faced. Both Cormier and Gustafsson, who will face off in October for the title have been beaten by Jones in his last 2 UFC fights. For a long time we wondered if anybody could beat Jones. As it turns out, the man to beat Jon Jones was Jon Jones himself.

After a hit and run incident cost him his title, Jon Jones has had to watch others take his place in his fiefdom. However, as good as Cormier is and as close as Gustafsson ran Jones, they aren’t Jon Jones. There is an undeniable feeling of incompleteness surrounding the division. A void that needs to be filled. Without Jon Jones, this division loses so much of its appeal.

Hopefully Jones will return because aside from him, Cormier, Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson, all that’s left is an ageing Rashad Evans and an inconsistent Ryan Bader.

#6 Women\'s Bantamweight

The most dominant athelete alive is the ruler of the Bantamweights

The only reason this division is this high up is the potential of a Ronda Rousey vs. Cyborg fight. If that fight does happen, it will arguably be the biggest fight in MMA history. Cyborg, the Invicta champion has now signed with the UFC and is on their roster full time. The problem however, was never where Cyborg was fighting, it was her weight. Unfortunately that problem still exists.

Cyborg fights at 145lbs and Ronda is champion at 135lbs. With Ronda (rightly) saying she will not chase Cyborg and that the Brazilian will have to come to her for a fight, Cyborg has been trying to lose 10 pounds. While it may not seem too difficult for a professional athlete to lose 10 pounds, Cyborg needs to lose the weight without losing any punching power. This is a far greater task than just running and dieting. Cyborg has said the UFC offered her the Rousey fight for this December, a claim Dana White has since denied. If this fight does eventually take place, it will make the women’s bantamweight division the biggest in the UFC, such is the hype behind Ronda vs. Cyborg.

Outside of them however, it’s slim pickings. Miesha Tate is a superstar and a definite world champion, had she been born in any other era. Tate is the number one contender but has already lost to Ronda twice and while she lasted longer than anybody else, Ronda never looked to be in serious trouble during their fights.

The rest of the division is a Ronda Rousey hit list. From Cat Zingano to Bethe Correia, Ronda has dominated them all on her way to becoming the biggest star in the UFC.

#5 Heavyweight

Reigning heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum threw a spanner in the works with his win over Cain Velasquez. Had Velasquez won, things would have been rather bleak for the heavyweight division. Cain would have, for all intents and purposes, cleared out the division. There would still be match ups for him against the likes of Arlovski but a super fight against Jon Jones would have looked far more appealing.

By beating Cain, Werdum now needs to brace himself for a barrage of challengers, the first of them being the former champion. Junior Dos Santos would have had a hard time getting another shot at Cain having already lost to him twice but him against Werdum makes sense. You also have the emergence of Ben Rothwell and the renaissance story of Frank Mir.

Of course, the biggest fight is still Werdum – Velasquez for the title. The champion will be anxious to prove that his victory in June was no fluke and that he can beat Cain regardless of the altitude. There are also rumors of a fight between Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski. Two MMA legends squaring off is an easy sell. Finally, you have the intrigue surrounding Stipe Miocic. Can he finally live up to his potential?

The main problem for the heavyweight division is that not one of their top 10 fighters are below the age of 30. The division is in desperate need of a young up and comer to take it back to the top of this list like it was during the days of Brock Lesnar.

#4 Middleweight

Weidman vs Rockhold is one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory

Just over a year ago, things weren’t looking too good in the middleweight division. Anderson Silva had cast a long shadow and the new king Chris Weidman was having a tough time staying fit. Fast forward a little over a year, Weidman has established himself as the true champion, leaving Anderson Silva behind as a distant memory. He boasts of wins over Brazilian legends Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort and is quickly establishing himself as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

Weidman’s next challenger will be Luke Rockhold. The former strikeforce champion is fresh out of a dominant win over Lyoto Machida. Both fighters have been trash talking each other via twitter for a while now and the eventual showdown between them will undeniably be huge for the UFC.

Much of this division’s promise today has sadly been built off the back of the legendary Machida. Yoel Romero dominated him, just like Rockhold did, to put himself within touching distance of a title shot. However, there is another Brazilian lurking around, who many people feel is the true number one contender. ‘Jacare’ Souza was actively campaigning for the Weidman fight before it was given to Rockhold and now it seems he will have to take care of Romero before getting his shot.

Then you have the always entertaining and always tough duo of Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy. When you add in the possibility of an Anderson Silva or Nick Diaz return, the middleweight division becomes one you cannot take your eyes off.

#3 Lightweight

Even outside the title picture, there are so many great fights to be made at Lightweight

Nobody thought Anthony Pettis could be beaten. Then Rafael Dos Anjos rag-dolled him for 5 rounds to become the new champion. Dos Anjos’ story of a man who was at one point written off as an also-ran is truly inspiring. His victory and performance over Pettis was just as good. Pettis hasn’t been seen since though he was recently cleared to return to action and it won’t be long before he gets back in the cage.

Dos Anjos meanwhile, nursing an injury of his own, is scheduled to fight Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in his next fight. Cerrone is a fan favorite for his willingness to fight anybody, anywhere ,at anytime. Such is his eagerness to fight that his coach Greg Jackson has said that he may have to tie Cowboy to a chair to force him to wait for Dos Anjos to return.

While Cowboy tries sitting out waiting for Dos Anjos, another top contender is working his way back from injury. Khabib Nurmagomedov has an unbeaten 22-0 record in MMA and might be the best wrestler in the UFC. Khabib seems to be on a collision course with Anthony Pettis, a fight worthy of headlining any card even if there is no title involved.

The lightweights also have killers like Al Iaquinta and Edson Barboza, who could have a thing or two to say about Pettis fighting Khabib. Another man who wants a shot at Khabib is Nate Diaz. Diaz and Khabib were involved in a brawl earlier this month at a World Series of Fighting card. A brawl that saw chairs being flung all over the place. Dana White will probably want to make the Khabib and Diaz fight but with so many options and so many possibilities for great fights, the true winner will be the fans. You can put the names of any top 10 lightweight in a hat and draw 2 of them against each other and you are guaranteed a highly exciting bout. Such is the quality that this division boasts.

#2 Featherweight

Biggest UFC fight of all time?

There is a very strong case for the featherweight division to be the top ranked division in the UFC. Even if you discount the Jose Aldo – Conor McGregor fight, this division has so much to offer. Chad Mendes is one of the best wrestlers in MMA and has only ever been beaten in a title fight. Frankie Edgar is a first ballot Hall of Famer who was a champion at 155lbs. Ricardo Lamas is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC. Max Holloway is a rising star on a great run of wins. Then there are the dark horses in the form of emerging stars Makwan Amirkhani and Yair Rodriguez.

But you can’t talk about the featherweights without talking about Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. The biggest fight in the UFC will take place in December in Las Vegas at UFC 194. McGregor has come in like a whirlwind and captured the imagination of the MMA world. Within 2 years, he has established himself as the biggest draw in the game. He’s tough, talented, charismatic and hard-working, everything needed to become a modern day superstar. Jose Aldo is the only undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history. He is riding a 10 year undefeated streak and is the pound for pound king. If this fight had taken place at UFC 189 it would have been massive. However given Conor’s victory, the December fight will be even bigger than expected. There is little doubt that this is the biggest fight in UFC history.

What makes this division so special is what can happen after the Aldo – McGregor fight. If Aldo wins, he has basically cleaned up the division and could move up to Lightweight to challenge for the title there. He could have a super fight with T.J. Dillashaw, who is fresh off a win over Aldo’s training partner and friend Renan Barao. If McGregor wins, it opens everything up again - a rematch with Aldo, a rematch with Mendes (who will have the benefit of a full training camp this time), a showdown with Frankie Edgar and even a move to Lightweight should he choose to stop making those gruelling weight cuts.

#1 Welterweight

Robbie Lawler emerging victorious in one of the best fights of the year against Rory Macdonald

Robbie Lawler, Rory Macdonald, Johny Hendricks, Tyron Woodley, Carlos Condit, Matt Brown, Hector Lombard. This division is packed to the rafters with killers. Not only do you have the previously mentioned fighters, but also dark horses like Damian Maia, arguably the best Jiu Jitsu practitioner in the UFC.

As if it wasn’t enough that Robbie Lawler just defended his title against Rory Macdonald in one of the greatest fights of all time, he has already been booked to face Carlos Condit in what has the makings of an all-out war. Meanwhile, former champion, Johny Hendricks will face Tyron Woodley. What’s amazing about this division is just how exciting all of these fighters are. Take any one of them and pit them against any other and you’re guaranteed a fight of the night winner. These fighters don’t put on ordinary brawls, they put on exhibitions. Technical mastery mixed in with an undying desire to win. The Lawler-Macdonald fight was the best advertisement for this division.

You also have CM Punk talking about fighting in this division and while he is not and probably never will be at the level of any of the other fighters mentioned here, Punk fighting at Welterweight will only help the division as a whole.