UFC Lightweight Division: Evaluating the Current Landscape

The UFC lightweight division is one of the most talent-packed divisions in MMA. The names of Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Rafael Dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gilbert Melendez and Benson Henderson easily come to the mind of MMA fans when simply mentioning the words "UFC lightweight division." 

UFC Lightweight Division Rankings

Ranking	Fighter	Record	Last Fight Result	Next Fight
Champion	Rafael Dos Anjos	24-7	Win over Anthony Pettis	N/A
1	Anthony Pettis	18-3	Loss to Rafael Dos Anjos	N/A
2	Khabib Nurmagomedov	22-0	Win over Rafael Dos Anjos	vs. Donald Cerrone
3	Donald Cerrone	27-6, 1 NC	Win over Benson Henderson	vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
4	Gilbert Melendez	22-4	Loss to Anthony Pettis	vs. Eddie Alvarez
5	Benson Henderson	22-5	Win over Brandon Thatch	N/A
6	Michael Johnson	17-8	Win over Edson Barboza	N/A
7	Edson Barboza	15-3	Loss to Michael Johnson	N/A
8	Myles Jury	15-1	Loss to Donald Cerrone	N/A
9	Josh Thomson	20-7, 1 NC	Loss to Bobby Green	Vs. Tony Ferguson
10	Eddie Alvarez	25-4	Loss to Donald Cerrone	Vs. Gilbert Melendez
11	Bobby Green	23-6	Loss to Edson Barboza	N/A
12	Tony Ferguson	19-3	Win over Gleison Tibau	vs. Josh Thomson
13	Jim Miller	24-5, 1 NC	Loss to Donald Cerrone	vs. Beneil Dariush
14	Al Iaqunita	12-3-1	Win over Jorge Masvidal	N/A
15	Jorge Masvidal	28-9	Loss to Al Iaqunita	N/A

It was once thought that Anthony Pettis would hold onto the lightweight strap for a while. However, the division received a huge shakeup at UFC 185 when Dos Anjos dominated Pettis to take the title. 

The top of the division seems easy enough to figure out. The winner of the Nurmagomedov/Cerrone matchup at UFC 187 will have a shot at the lightweight title. 

But what about the rest of the division? 

Let's start with what happens to the loser of the Nurmagomedov/Cerrone matchup. 

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

If Nurmagomedov loses, the whole division seems wide open to him in terms of a potential matchup. He could face off against Anthony Pettis, which would definitely attract a lot of interest and would be the ideal follow-up fight. He could also face another fighter in the Top Five, which still would be a big draw. The only fighter he has fought in the Top Five is Dos Anjos, who he has beaten.

If Cerrone loses, he still has several options, just not as many as Nurmagomedov. A possible rematch with Pettis could be interesting. Also, a fight between him and Melendez could be an option, depending on the results of the Melendez/Alvarez matchup in Mexico City. 

Speaking of Pettis, what should be next for him? A shot against Nurmagomedov would be ideal, of course. If Nurmagomedov beats both Cerrone and then Dos Anjos, and Pettis wins his next fight or two, then a strong case could be made for Pettis to be Nurmagomedov's first title defense.

Otherwise, Pettis stated on The MMA Hour that he would be interested in fighting Nate Diaz. Despite Diaz not in the Top 15, it still would have some hype value since the two fighters have been talking trash to each other back and forth for years. 

Is Nate Diaz still relevant in the UFC lightweight landscape? After coming off his self-imposed yearlong exile, he took a thrashing from Dos Anjos. He came into the fight four pounds overweight and with that loss, Diaz has dropped three of his last four fights. 

Dave Doyle of Yahoo! Sports makes a great point that the Dos Anjos fight shows what happens when a fighter with "name value doesn't have his head in the game." Doyle noted that in Diaz's post-fight interview, he mentioned training-camp issues and an injury, yet he didn't further explain those issues. 

The Gilbert Melendez/Eddie Alvarez matchup at UFC 188 could pose to be an interesting matchup. Both fighters are coming off losses and have held titles outside of the UFC. While Melendez is looking to keep his head above water in the title picture, Alvarez is on a quest to make his bid for an eventual title shot further down the road. If Alvarez can string together three or four wins, he could have his name thrown in the ring for a title shot as well. 

Benson Henderson looks like he's going on a Cerrone-type tear after his own loss to Cowboy. Not even a month after his loss, he took on Brandon Thatch and defeated him in Colorado. He recently took to Twitter as well to fill the hole left at UFC 186, with both T.J. Dillashaw/Renan Barao and Rampage Jackson matches scrapped. 

He did have several takers.

Michael Johnson is eyeing Henderson himself. Johnson himself is on a four-fight win streak and has broken into the Top 10. According to Johnson, a victory over Henderson will get him closer to a title shot himself. And he is confident that Henderson will give him a fight, as reported by John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com.

Michael Bacos/EXTRA Bilingual Newspaper

Fighters You Should Be Watching For

• Tony Ferguson. He has been on a tear and is currently riding a five-fight win streak. If he defeats Josh Thomson, maybe a rematch against Michael Johnson to avenge his 2012 loss could be in the works?
• Beneil Dariush (10-1). He is another fighter who is making his mark on the lightweight landscape and recently dominated Daron Cruickshank at UFC 185. Dariush displayed some powerful kicks and amazing submission skills. He trains in the same camp as Dos Anjos and will be a force to be reckoned with in 2015.