The UFC lightweight division is wide-open, and a new era is on the horizon after Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his shock retirement at UFC 254 shortly after submitting Justin Gaethje last Saturday.
With Nurmagomedov out of the picture and with the sport reeling from his retirement, attention is now turning to who will replace him as the lightweight king.
Here are TIBS News’ picks on the top five lightweight contenders…
Credit: Twitter/@UFC
5. Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler recently signed a deal to join the UFC after competing in rival championship Bellator. Weirdly he was the replacement fighter for Nurmagomedov vs Gaethje, if one or the other pulled out.
As a three-time Bellator lightweight champion, his career speaks volumes and he won’t be a walkover in the UFC that’s for sure.
He recently proposed an idea of a mini tournament for the lightweight crown with Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Gaethje and himself as the names and while we like the idea, we do believe he needs a few fights before he can make such a claim as he is currently unranked in the UFC lightweight rankings.
4. Dustin Poirier
One of Nurmagomedov’s victims, Dustin Poirier, is no joke in the lightweight division. He famously knocked out Justin Gaethje and has somewhat an amazing CV in the UFC.
Similarly to McGregor, Poirier has made his way up the UFC rankings and competed in the featherweight division before moving up a division to lightweight where he became an interim champion when he beat Max Hollaway at UFC 236.
He also fought McGregor earlier in his career, losing at UFC 178. The UFC have recently given the green light to a rematch between the pair – however nothing as of yet has been materialised.
Poirier recently bounced back from his defeat by Nurmagomedov with a flattering performance over Dan Hooker, and with negotiations with McGregor continuing, a win over the Irishman would be the perfect way to stake his claim for the vacant lightweight title.
3. Tony Ferguson
Let’s not forget about Tony Ferguson. A fighter who has been one of the division’s most active and exciting prospects over the past decade.
Before his fight with Gaethje back at UFC 249, Ferguson was on a 12-fight winning streak and had been scheduled to fight Nurmagomedov five times, with each fight being called off due to injuries and complications due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With Nurmagomedov retired and Gaethje having already beaten the 36-year-old, it’s hard to say what is next for ‘El Cucuy’, especially coming off such a devastating defeat. Ferguson however, is not the type to give up and a pathway back to title contention is in his grasp if he wants it.
2. Justin Gaethje
Despite having just lost to the former lightweight champion Nurmagomedov, Gaethje still remains as the No 1 contender in the UFC rankings. In fact, Gaethje was up on two of the three judges’ scorecards before being submitted on Fight Island.
McGregor was quick to call out Gaethje after his loss as the Irishman wrote on Twitter: ‘Dustin KO’d you, as well as your wrestling/grappling and overall fear of the central positions being truly embarrassing tonight, Justin.’
But Gaethje is ready and willing to take on McGregor for the belt, saying: ‘With him [Nurmagomedov] retiring, I’m No 1.
‘Poirier and McGregor are going to fight. They haven’t made it official, so if McGregor wants to bounce out and get the belt, then I’m right here.
‘If they want to give it to someone else, then so be it. But I’ll be ready. I’m ready to fight again. This is my job. This is my life. I love it so much.’
What makes sense is that Gaethje sits out for a while and fights the winner between McGregor and Poirier next summer. But once again, is Gaethje really the type of fighter to want to sit out?
Either way we wouldn’t like to have Dana White’s job here.
1 . Conor McGregor
Saving the best for last. Or is he?
McGregor’s frequent retirement announcements means it’s really hard to judge where he is in his UFC career. Undoubtedly, he would have been extremely disappointed with the shock news of Nurmagomedov’s retirement as it seems he will never get the rematch he has always wanted.
His most recent fight saw him defeat Donald Cerrone at welterweight back in January and from what we are hearing, as rumours start to pick up the pace and make the rounds, is that White is keen to get him in the ring to face off with Dustin Poirier – a man who McGregor already defeated in his early fighting days, way back in 2014.
The only problem is that McGregor looked sharp and healthy at welterweight and the question here lies in if the 32-year-old really wants to cut weight to lightweight anymore. Either way, with Poirier currently ranked at No 4 in the lightweight division, what’s to say that McGregor vs Poirier can’t be made for the vacant title?
Besides, the UFC owes McGregor a lifetime of favours for what he has done in the sport.
For now though, let’s all sit back and enjoy the talent on disposal in the lightweight division. Some amazing fights to be made here, Dana.
By Jordan Hall
Follow @joordyy18
