Image: John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Light Heavyweight
1. AlexPereira (11-2) | UFC [1]
Pereira added to his legend at UFC 303, as he vanquished JiriProchazka with a head kick and follow-up punches 13 seconds intothe second round of their headlining encounter at the T-MobileArena in Las Vegas on June 29. In addition to improving to 2-0against Prochazka, “Poatan” secured his fourth championship fightvictory since 2022 — all while helping save the marquee spot on acard that was vacated by Conor McGregor. Instead of a move toheavyweight, Pereira will remain an active 205-pound champion,defending his crown against Khalil Rountree in the UFC 307 mainevent.
2. VadimNemkov (17-2, 1 NC) | Bellator [2]
After vacating his 205-pound belt, Nemkov enjoyed a successfulheavyweight debut at PFL vs. Bellator, as he put Bruno Cappelozzato sleep with an arm-triangle choke 2:13 into the second round oftheir encounter at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24. Notonly did the Fedor Emelianenko protégé carry the extra 40 poundsquite well, but he managed to survive a brief moment of adversitywhen his Brazilian opponent clipped him on the feet just prior tothe finishing sequence. The Russian is unbeaten in his last 13professional appearances dating back to June 2016, and he becomesan instant contender in his new weight class. Nemkov’s rankingseligibility at 205 pounds will expire on Dec. 16, 2024.
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3. JiriProchazka (30-5-1) | UFC [3]
Given a second opportunity against Alex Pereira, Prochazka couldn’tfind any new weaknesses in his Brazilian rival, as he suffered asecond-round technical knockout loss in the UFC 303 headliner onJune 29. While the Czech Republic native may very well still be oneof the very top talents in the division, his hopes of a return tochampionship glory will likely remain extinguished until Pereira nolonger reigns at 205 pounds.
4. MagomedAnkalaev (18-1-1, 1 NC) | UFC [4]
After their first meeting ended in a disappointing no contest,Ankalaev got some much-needed closure in the UFC Fight Night 234headliner, as he vanquished Johnny Walker via second-roundknockout. The Dagestani standout is now unbeaten in his last 13 UFCappearances — including the no contest vs. Walker and a drawagainst Jan Blachowicz — and has his sights set on a lightheavyweight title shot. First, he’ll need to get past AleksandarRakic at UFC 308.
5. JamahalHill (12-2, 1 NC) UFC [5]
After vacating his belt in 2023 due to a torn Achilles tendon, Hillrecovered quickly enough to challenge new light heavyweightchampion Alex Pereira at UFC 300. That effort was short lived,however, as “Sweet Dreams” suffered a first-round knockout loss inthe evening’s main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Hillwas scheduled to make a quick turnaround at UFC 303 against CarlosUlberg before pulling out of the fight due to injury.
6. JanBlachowicz (29-10-1) | UFC [6]
Blachowicz welcomed ex-middleweight champ Alex Pereira to thedivision at UFC 291 and with Jamahal Hill having vacated the beltdue to injury, their clash might well have been a title eliminatorat the very least. Blachowicz came out on the wrong end of a closesplit decision, leaving him very much in the mix, but time isdwindling if he means to make another run at the belt. A shoulderinjury forced Blachowicz to withdraw from a rematch againstAleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 in Toronto.
7. CoreyAnderson (18-6, 1 NC) | Bellator [7]
It wasn’t always pretty, but Corey Anderson imposed his will overfive rounds to earn a unanimous decision triumph over Karl Moore inthe Bellator Belfast headliner on March 24. Nearly 10 years afterwinning “The Ultimate Fighter 19,” Anderson has his firstchampionship in a major organization. The 34-year-old known as“Overtime” is now 5-1 with one no contest since leaving the UFC forBellator in 2020.
8. NikitaKrylov (30-9) UFC[8]
After an illness forced Krylov out of a proposed headlining clashagainst Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 220, the bout was rescheduledtwo weeks later as a 215-pound catchweight affair. “The Miner”showcased his grappling chops in the rebooking, submitting Spannwith a triangle choke in the opening stanza of their UFC FightNight 221 matchup. Krylov has won three straight outings, a runthat includes wins over Spann, Volkan Oezdemir and AlexanderGustafsson.
9. KhalilRountree (13-5, 1 NC) UFC [9]
After an inconsistent beginning to his UFC tenure, Rountree hasfound a groove in recent years, winning his last five Octagonappearances dating back to September 2021. His most recent victorywas also his most significant to date, as he stopped former titlechallenger Anthony Smith via third-round technical knockout at UFCFight Night 233 on Dec. 9. Rountree had a high-profile bookingagainst former title holder Jamahal Hill fall through at UFC 303when he tested positive for the banned substance DHEA, which wasfound in a supplement he took. Despite that transgression, “WarHorse” will receive a title shot against Alex Pereira at UFC 307 onOct. 5.
10. AzamatMurzakanov (14-0) | UFC [10]
Murzakanov continued to impress in his latest Octagon appearance,as he knocked out Alonzo Menifield in the second round of theirencounter at UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi. The 35-year-old Russian hasbeen victorious in his first four promotional outings — threeinside the distance — since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’sContender Series in 2021. The former Brave Combat Federationchampion will return to action against Nikita Krylov at UFC 309 onNov. 16.
Other Contenders: AleksandarRakic, AnatolyMalykhin, CarlosUlberg, VolkanOezdemir, ImpaKasanganay. Jump To »
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