UFC 141 Results: Alexander Gustafsson and 5 Other Future Title-Fight Contenders

With his Round 1 beatdown of Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141, Alexander Gustafsson entrenched himself amidst the 205-lb title contenders to Jon “Bones” Jones and his light heavyweight crown.

Still, he’ll have to fight his way to the front of the queue as there are several other fighters in the hunt as well.

Let’s see.

5. Ryan Bader

The former future of the light heavyweight division finds himself positioned in the No. 5 slot and could’ve disappeared altogether from the list, save for his resurgence back at UFC 139, where he scored a knockout win against Jason Brilz.

That was his first win since losing consecutive bouts to current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion Tito Ortiz.

Still, a loss against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 144 will severely limit any hopes he had of vying for the title.

Even if he wins, he’ll still be on the outside looking for the foreseeable future.

4. Alexander Gustafsson

The Swedish mixed martial artist is now 13-1 in his MMA career—5-1 in the UFC.

Nine of those wins have come via stoppage with three by submission and one by decision.

A record like that suggests “The Mauler” is certainly someone to be taken seriously.

It also means that he could be contesting for top honors in the not too distant future.

Be that as it may, he still has bit more to accomplish before he gets that shot.

3. Phil Davis

“Mr. Wonderful” is so far undefeated in his mixed martial arts career (9-0).

His most notable wins have come against Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio “Lil Nog” Rogério Nogueira.

With that said, he still needs to prove himself against a more complete fighter.

That fighter will present itself in the mold of Rashad Evans when they meet at UFC on Fox 2 later this month.

If the Penn State collegiate standout can take care of Evans, then he will in no uncertain terms book his spot for a chance to bring to an end Jon Jones' dominance, or whoever is the current champ.

2. Dan Henderson

The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion was successful on his return to the Octagon after more than two years plying his trade in the San Jose-based promotion.

That fight, which took place at UFC 139, earned him and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Fight of the Year honors at the recent 2011 Bazzie awards.

At 41, time is not on Dan Henderson’s side, however, another win is a surefire way to stake his claim for a title shot.

1. Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans' route to the title has been blighted by a series of injuries to both him and his opponents.

If there’s any consolation, it’s the fact that he’s still the No. 1 contender to the UFC’s light heavyweight crown.

Still, it’s a necessity that he gets past Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2, on Jan. 28th.

Anything less would be catastrophic, as he’ll automatically slide down the pecking order and out of title contention.

Honorary Mentions

Mauricio Rua

Shogun was relieved of the title by Jon Jones back at UFC 128.

Nonetheless, he failed in his attempt to get another shot at UFC gold when he lost a unanimous points decision to Dan Henderson at UFC 139.

That defeat leaves him out of the title picture for a while.

Rampage Jackson

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson had his shot at the title and came up short, courtesy of a Jones' rear-naked choke at UFC 135.

He’s next slated to throw down with Ryan Bader in Japan at UFC 144.

A win, however, doesn’t guarantee him a title shot—he’s a long way from that transpiring.

Lyoto Machida

The Dragon is now 1-3 in his last four outings—losing to Shogun, Rampage and most recently Jones at UFC 140.

As that is the case, I doubt he’ll being competing for top honors in the 205-lb division anytime soon.

To view the latest Top 10-ranked UFC light heavyweight fighters go here.

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