Bleacher Report MMA Rankings for April 2016

March started out hot but cooled considerably down the stretch. The first weekend saw Conor McGregor lose suddenly and shockingly to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, immediately after Miesha Tate threw a biting curveball to promoters and fans alike by taking the UFC women's bantamweight title from Holly Holm.

Things mellowed, but there was still plenty of action in the cage. Mark Hunt added another clip to his highlight reel, Neil Magny scored an impressive comeback win over Hector Lombard, and WSOF champs Justin Gaethje and David Branch defended their titles. Things were no less hectic out of the cage, either, with numerous big fights announced and far, far too many getting scrapped.

As per usual, Bleacher Report MMA is here to bring you a new batch of rankings alongside a breakdown of the month's action and analysis of the biggest stories of each division.

Rules and Notes

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You can find the full rankings for each individual member of the panel on Google Docs.

Each month, Bleacher Report MMA will deliver top-10 rankings for each major men's MMA division, as well as the women's strawweight and bantamweight divisions. The rankings will typically come out during the first week of each month, but timing will be flexible, depending on where major events fall on the calendar. Bleacher Report's rankings panel consists of Chad Dundas, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina, Jonathan Snowden and Patrick Wyman.

Which fighters are ranked? How are they ranked? Rules are as follows:

• Fighters are ranked in their weight class by each member of the panel, receiving up to 10 points based on where they are placed (the No. 1 fighter receives 10 points, the No. 2 fighter receives nine and so on). Ties are left unbroken, and fighters sharing the same number of points are ordered alphabetically.
• Weight classes for men include 125 pounds, 135 pounds, 145 pounds, 155 pounds, 170 pounds, 185 pounds, 205 pounds and 206 to 265 pounds. Weight classes for women include 115 pounds and 135 pounds. 
• Fighters must have fought within the last 18 months and/or have a bout scheduled. If fighters are removed from the rankings due to inactivity, they will only be readmitted after participating in a sanctioned MMA bout. Retirements and indefinite leaves from the sport are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Fighters suspended for failed drug tests are immediately removed from the rankings. They are eligible to rejoin the rankings after serving their suspension and competing in a sanctioned MMA bout.
• Fighters suspended for behavioral reasons are handled on a case-by-case basis.
• Fighters are only eligible to be ranked in one weight class, determined at the panel's discretion.

Here are the notes for this month:

• Tim Kennedy is out of the rankings due to inactivity. He will be eligible for consideration when he competes in a sanctioned mixed martial arts bout.
• Hector Lombard re-enters the ranking pool after fighting Neil Magny. Unfortunately, that fight did not go well for him, and he likely lost out on whatever spot he may have had.

Women's Strawweight

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No. 1—Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0, 50 Points)
No. 2—Claudia Gadelha (13-1, 45)
No. 3T—Jessica Aguilar (19-5, 28)
No. 3T—Carla Esparza (10-3, 28)
No. 3T—Tecia Torres (7-0, 28)
No. 6—Rose Namajunas (4-2, 23)
No. 7—Livia Renata Souza (9-0, 19)
No. 8T—Karolina Kowalkiewicz (8-0, 16)
No. 8T—Jessica Penne (12-3, 16)
No. 10—Valerie Letourneau (8-4, 11)

Chad: In March, our Bleacher Report homie Patrick Wyman named UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk the most exciting rising star in all of MMA. That's awfully high praise for the 28-year-old Polish striker who has taken the fight company's fledgling 115-pound weight class by storm during the last 20 months.

Everybody in these streets loves them some Joanna Champion. What say you, though, Steven? Does Champy have the stuff—and the strawweight class the overall depth—to make her a formidable drawing card for the UFC?

Steven: I'm torn on this topic. Does Joanna have it in her? Absolutely. She knows how to make the most of her minutes on camera (look at how she had Claudia Gadelha eating out of her palm at the Unstoppable presser), she's a wizard on social media, and lordy, can she fight.

On the flip side, she's a woman, and despite Rousey's success, that still hurts her in a lot of ways. Her "slowly turn another human being into a pile of ground beef" fighting style isn't especially shareable or safe for work, which limits her visibility to the public at large. Perhaps worst of all, English is clearly her second language, and that's still a big hurdle to overcome in combat sports as a whole.

Can she become a legitimate draw in the future? She deserves to be, and the UFC is clearly behind her too, putting her on the Jumbotron at every event where she's in attendance and bringing her around for random photo ops. The fact that she goes from co-main-eventing one of the biggest events in UFC history to Fox Sports 1 is an indictment of where she stands right now, though.

Chad: Unfortunately, I'm inclined to agree with you on all counts. Most every hardcore MMA fan I know is already fairly devoted to Jedrzejczyk, but her fighting style and the language barrier deny her the sort of easy marketability the UFC feasted on while promoting Rousey into the stratosphere. Jedrzejczyk's celebrity may depend on the company figuring out—gasp!—a second way to hype its female stars...and I ain't holding my breath on that.

Speaking of hype, Paige VanZant is making boatloads of cash by appearing on Dancing with the Stars. That seems like a good move for her, though, most particularly because after her recent loss to Rose Namajunas it seems unlikely PVZ will develop into this weight class' biggest star, at least inside the cage.

All that leaves me feeling sort of bleak about the future of the strawweight division. Steven, can you cheer me up? Is there a star on this list who is just waiting to break out? 

Steven: From a talent perspective, the women's strawweight division is actually pretty good. In my mind, the mark of a strong weight class is how many solid fighters are not ranked, and by that metric, 115 is excellent.

Michelle Waterson isn't ranked, but there's a reason Invicta FC hitched its wagon to her. Another fighter Patrick mentioned is Alexa Grasso, a 22-year-old coming out of Mexico who is coming off a good win over the talented Mizuki Inoue. The list goes on with Seo Hee Ham, Joanne Calderwood, Maryna Moroz and more.

On our list, I'm quite bullish on Namajunas. I know that isn't a particularly bold or exciting pick, but she showed on The Ultimate Fighter 20 that she's an amazing talent. If she steels herself mentally and improves her takedown defense, she'll basically be the 115-pound woman equivalent of Luke Rockhold. When one considers that she's just 23 years old, it's not especially crazy to proclaim that she'll become a top-10 pound-for-pound talent before the end of her career.

Flyweight

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No. 1—Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1, 50 points)
No. 2—Joseph Benavidez (24-4, 43)
No. 3—John Dodson (17-7, 42)
No. 4—Henry Cejudo (10-0, 34)
No. 5—Kyoji Horiguchi (16-2, 28)
No. 6—Jussier da Silva (18-4, 23)
No. 7—Ian McCall (13-5-1, 18)
No. 8T—Ali Bagautinov (13-4, 12)
No. 8T—John Moraga (16-4, 12)
No. 10—Zach Makovsky (19-7, 9)

Nathan: There wasn't a 125-pound bout in March, and there aren't any in April until UFC 197. The co-main event is a moderately important tilt, a title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo, but no one seems to be talking about it, which seems par for the course for flyweight action.

What does the flyweight division need to gain any sort of traction?

Jonathan: To get traction with fans, flyweight fighters will need to grow five inches in height and gain 50 pounds.

Even in boxing, where smaller fighters can be drawing cards, 125 pounds is considered awfully small. No matter how good Johnson is—and he's darn good—it's hard for most fans to take him seriously.

This division is for the hardcore fans who obsess over MMA techniques and tactics. There's no data to suggest it's ever going to be more than that. And you know what? I can live with that.

Nathan: Right. I don't have any hopes that the flyweights will be a draw, but I would love to be hopeful that they can be a valuable addition to a fight card. And that just is not the case right now. For as much as I love watching Johnson perform, the fact his fights go by with barely a mention speaks volumes.

I suppose it would be remiss if we didn't briefly talk about the actual fight going down at UFC 197. Cejudo poses several tactical issues for Johnson and could be a legitimate threat to take his title. Some may say it's a bit too soon, but his pedigree shouldn't be overlooked. What odds are you giving Cejudo to pull off the upset (Odds Shark currently has Cejudo hovering around the plus-300 mark)?

Jonathan: I'm not even 100 percent sure how odds work, so I probably shouldn't attempt to make them. But I'm comfortable with DJ as a significant favorite in that match.

Cejudo is entering this title fight after just a single win over a Top 10 opponent. That's troubling, especially against a fighter like Johnson who has seen pretty much everything that could possibly happen inside the Octagon.

One day Cejudo may carry UFC gold. But, right now, Johnson is simply too much, too soon.

Men's Bantamweight

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No. 1—Dominick Cruz (21-1, 50 Points)
No. 2—TJ Dillashaw (12-3, 45)
No. 3—Renan Barao (33-3 (1), 38)
No. 4—Raphael Assuncao (23-4, 33)
No. 5—Aljamain Sterling (12-0, 25)
No. 6—Urijah Faber (33-8, 24)
No. 7—Marlon Moraes (16-4-1, 17)
No. 8—Bibiano Fernandes (19-3, 14)
No. 9—Thomas Almeida (20-0, 11)
No. 10—Eduardo Dantas (17-4, 5)

Chad: Well, Patrick, now we know for sure that new/old bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will make his first/third overall UFC title defense against new/old nemesis Urijah Faber at UFC 199 on June 4. This pair split their two previous meetings, with Faber choking Cruz out during a bout for WEC featherweight gold back in 2007 and Cruz getting his revenge via unanimous decision in a bantamweight championship tiff at UFC 138.

Their rubber match comes as part of a spate of rematches the fight company will serve up over the next few months. I don't know, though, man. This one feels rather academic to me. The 36-year-old Faber doesn't really stand a chance of taking the title off The Dominator.

Or does he?

Patrick: Honestly, Faber really doesn't have much of a chance. The brief and questionable knockdowns in their last meeting aside, Cruz comfortably outpointed the slower and more limited Faber back in 2011. Who looks the worse for the intervening years? That has to be Faber, who finally seemed to be showing his age in a close fight with Frankie Saenz last December.

The real question is whether Cruz can make it to that June date without something snapping, popping or otherwise tearing itself to pieces in the interim. If the UFC was smart, it would place one Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw on the undercard of that UFC 199 event. That way, if Cruz has to pull out, we get the Dillashaw-Faber "snake in the grass" matchup; if Faber pulls up lame, we get a rematch of one of the best title fights the promotion has seen in recent years.

Who would you like to see Dillashaw face next, Chad? And is this essentially a three-man race for bantamweight gold?

Chad: Good question. I suppose it's a given that eventually we'll have to suffer through a Dillashaw-Faber bout. Say what you will about The California Kid, but he's gives every impression of being an astute and ruthless businessman. Either that or he was just fortunate enough to tumble head over heels into a title shot he probably doesn't deserve and a hot feud in waiting with the former champ. Personally, I'm inclined to think Faber may have known what he was doing all along.

In the meantime, however, I suppose I wouldn't sneeze at a couple of rematch ideas for Dillashaw. He could try to avenge his 2013 loss to Raphael Assuncao, provided the Brazilian will ever be healthy enough to return. A second meeting with John Dodson would also be good fun, now that we know Dodson plans to return to bantamweight.

Hey, though, Patrick, while I've got you, go ahead and say a few words about Thomas Almeida's upcoming bout against Cody Garbrandt on May 29 at UFC Fight Night 88. The announcement of that surefire slugfest probably stands as the biggest 135-pound news we've had during this otherwise fairly slow month. Would you, please?

Patrick: There's no denying Faber's acuity at placing himself into relevant bouts with the only other marketable fighters in the division. He's looking for paydays and big-name bouts as he reaches the end of his career, and it's clear that he's using every trick he's learned in the last 13 years as a fighter to keep himself relevant.

It seems like it's been forever since we saw Assuncao in the cage, and while he's been on the shelf with a staggering litany of injuries, we've seen a dramatic rise in young talent at 135 pounds.

That Almeida-Garbrandt bout is my everything. They're two of the best up-and-comers in the division and probably among the five best young fighters in all of MMA. They have fan-friendly styles and match up perfectly. It's a battle of Almeida's pressure and pace against Garbrandt's sharp counterpunching and one-hitter-quitter power.

And if Garbrandt and Almeida are two of the brightest lights at bantamweight, we should be equally thrilled about Aljamain Sterling, whose re-signing with the UFC in free agency should put a smile on every dedicated fan's face.

Women's Bantamweight

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No. 1—Holly Holm (10-1, 46 Points)
No. 2—Miesha Tate (18-5, 45)
No. 3—Ronda Rousey (12-1, 44)
No. 4—Cat Zingano (9-1, 33)
No. 5—Amanda Nunes (12-4, 26)
No. 6—Alexis Davis (17-6, 24)
No. 7—Tonya Evinger (17-5, 23)
No. 8—Julianna Pena (7-2, 15)
No. 9—Sara McMann (8-3, 10)
No. 10—Jessica Eye (11-4 (1), 3)

Patrick: So, Jonathan, we have a new women's bantamweight champion in the form of Miesha Tate. The former Strikeforce queenpin used her entire bag of tricks to hang tough against Holly Holm for four rounds before seizing her moment to work a takedown, get to the back and choke out the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native with the fight on the line in the fifth.

What should come next for Tate? And aside from the looming shadow of Ronda Rousey, are there any interesting matchups for Tate at 135 pounds?

Jonathan: The great thing about Tate, if you are anyone other than Tate and her team of coaches, is that every fight is an interesting matchup. There isn't a single fighter in the UFC Top 10 that you couldn't picture giving her a rough time on the right night.

As a fan, it's one of the things I love about watching her fight. Sometimes, like in the Holm fight, she pulls victory from nowhere. Other times, like in her fight against Cat Zingano, she doesn't quite see it through. Either way, you know you're in for a wild ride.

Patrick: I couldn't agree more about Tate. She's the rare special fighter who's special not because of physical tools or an overwhelming skill set but because of her durability, patience, adaptability and intelligence.

Whether it's a rematch with Rousey or a fresh matchup with someone like Amanda Nunes, it's hard to count Tate out, or even to pick against her, but it's also hard to see her walking away without taking a beating in some form.

Although it's only been five months since Rousey lost her belt to Holm, she feels increasingly irrelevant to the division she once ruled with an iron fist.

Featherweight

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No. 1—Conor McGregor (19-3, 50 Points)
No. 2—Jose Aldo (25-2, 45)
No. 3—Frankie Edgar (20-4-1, 40)
No. 4—Chad Mendes (17-4, 32)
No. 5—Max Holloway (15-3, 30)
No. 6—Ricardo Lamas (16-4, 23)
No. 7—Daniel Straus (24-6 (1), 16)
No. 8—Charles Oliveira (21-5 (1), 15)
No. 9—Cub Swanson (21-7, 10)
No. 10—Patricio Freire (24-3, 6)

Steven: When Conor McGregor lost to Nate Diaz at UFC 196, he seemed pretty much set on defending his featherweight title. In the weeks since, though? The talk has shifted to Diaz vs. McGregor 2.

You had a great discussion with Mike Chiappetta about the awkward holding pattern that fighters like Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar are stuck in, but I'm wondering what you think is going to happen. There are a lot of moving parts here between the UFC's plans, Conor's plans, Conor's actual ability to make 145 pounds again, the outcome of the rematch and any number of things...

So, what's your prediction?

Jonathan: It looks to me like the McGregor era at 145 pounds is over before it really began. The UFC is already booking an interim title bout between Edgar and Aldo. And, beyond those two, pickings are slim.

Max Holloway has turned himself into a compelling contender. But the rest of the Top 15 are either retreads or fighters like Darren Elkins who don't do much to excite anyone.

You can see why this division was so moribund before McGregor and why it will likely sink back into obscurity when and if he departs. It's not pretty out there.

Steven: I completely agree.

From a competitive perspective, the featherweight division isn't as great as many believe. It has one of the best Top Fives in MMA, but there's a steep drop-off from there into the gatekeeper tier made up of guys like Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez. Meanwhile, veterans like Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens have their strengths, but there's little reason to believe they qualify as championship material.

From a promotional and business perspective, the division is probably dead without McGregor. Aldo and Edgar are proven box office drags, and there's no reason to think they'll turn it around. Holloway and Charles Oliveira aren't drawing numbers either, and fighters coming down the pipe like Mirsad Bektic and Doo Ho Choi probably won't become needle-movers at any point in the near future.

The featherweight division probably won't turn into the wasteland that is the light heavyweight division, mind you. There are plenty of hot, young prospects who are working their way up the totem pole right now, and the division will be home to plenty of great fights and elite-level athletes over the coming years.

But man, when you look at the featherweight division pre-McGregor—where Aldo, Mendes and Edgar consistently combined for less than 200,000 buys—all the venom being spat at McGregor sounds more like a "please don't go."

Lightweight

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No. 1—Rafael Dos Anjos (25-7, 50 Points)
No. 2—Eddie Alvarez (27-4, 40)
No. 3—Tony Ferguson (20-3, 36)
No. 4T—Will Brooks (17-1, 32)
No. 4T—Donald Cerrone (29-7 (1), 32)
No. 6—Anthony Pettis (18-4, 30)
No. 7—Nate Diaz (19-10, 23)
No. 8—Beneil Dariush (12-1, 13)
No. 9T—Edson Barboza (16-4, 5)
No. 9T—Justin Gaethje (16-0, 5)

Patrick: Whether he won or lost against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196, the lightweight division was supposed to be Conor McGregor's new home. Instead, Dos Anjos got hurt, and champion of chaos Nate Diaz choked out the golden boy at 170 pounds, where they'll rematch at UFC 200 this summer.

The division suddenly seems wide open again without a Dos Anjos-McGregor matchup clogging the line. The long-lost yet still undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov's return may or may not happen after Tony Ferguson was forced to withdraw from their April 16 matchup at UFC on Fox 19 in Orlando, Florida, per MMAFighting.com. If not Nurmagomedov, who would you like to see face Dos Anjos?

Steven: While Dos Anjos vs. Nurmagomedov 2 makes sense, it is just not going to happen anytime soon. According to an interview with Riakchr.ru (h/t Karim Zidan of BloodyElbow.com), Nurmagomedov turned down a spot at UFC 200 because he plans to observe the fasting customs of Ramadan, which lasts from June 6 to July 5 this year. Put that side by side with the rumors of Eddie Alvarez getting a crack at Dos Anjos at UFC 200, per MMA Mania, and...yeah, it's not looking good.

To answer your question, Alvarez is a fine choice, albeit a "potato salad" one. He hasn't wowed fans with his work in the UFC, but it's hard to argue against him with back-to-back wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis. If, however, Ferguson is good to go by UFC 200, I would much rather see RDA vs. El Cucuy in that vacant co-main event slot.

Patrick: I'd much rather see Ferguson in that slot against Dos Anjos when he returns from injury than Alvarez. Both of his wins have been controversial, and neither of them was particularly inspiring even if you did think Alvarez actually won them.

Ferguson's injury might be a blessing in disguise for Nurmagomedov. Returning from a two-year layoff to face a dangerous fighter operating at the highest level of his career is a recipe for an upset, and instead the Dagestani gets a chance for a tuneup fight. There are a great many potential options for him, but I'd like to see someone lower in the Top 15 in the vein of Michael Chiesa or even Donald Cerrone.

Who would you like to see him face and when? Should the company try to keep him on this UFC on Fox card?

Steven: Obviously, eating and drinking are an important part of training for a fight (and not dying in general), so booking a fight for Nurmagomedov around Ramadan is quite tricky.

If the UFC wants to keep Nurmagomedov at UFC on Fox 19, it has a couple of options on the card, most notably Beneil Dariush. That fight makes perfect sense on paper and would be an amazing opportunity for Dariush. And of course, chances are that "Cowboy" Cerrone has already given matchmaker Joe Silva a call about stepping in to face Nurmy, but given the short prep time, one has to imagine that the fight would have to take place at 170 pounds (which, for some reason, is still a huge hang-up for UFC decision-makers).

The UFC could also boot somebody off a card between now and May 29...unfortunately, there are limited options available in that regard outside of having Nurmagomedov squash someone like Jon Tuck or Chris Wade. Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Pettis is the biggest fight during that stretch, but there's no way that fight gets broken up. The best option, weighing all considerations when it comes to rankings, venues and training partners, would probably be kicking Yancy Medeiros off UFC 198 and sliding in Nurmagomedov to face Francisco Trinaldo. 

Whether the UFC pulls the trigger on something like that is anyone's guess.

Welterweight

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No. 1—Robbie Lawler (26-10 (1), 50 Points)
No. 2—Rory MacDonald (18-3, 43)
No. 3—Stephen Thompson (12-1, 35)
No. 4—Tyron Woodley (15-3, 30)
No. 5T—Carlos Condit (30-9, 26)
No. 5T—Johny Hendricks (17-4, 26)
No. 7—Demian Maia (22-6, 24)
No. 8—Ben Askren (14-0, 20)
No. 9—Neil Magny (18-4, 8)
No. 10—Dong Hyun Kim (21-3-1 (1), 5)

Nathan: We could lead this off by talking about the biggest welterweight main event in UFC history, but we both know Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz is anything but a true welterweight contest.

In that regard, we did get Neil Magny's resilient performance against Hector Lombard. What is Magny's ceiling in this division? Can he actually become not just a contender but a threat to the gold?

Patrick: I've been sold on Magny for a long time now, largely because he has made such consistent improvements. Every time we see him in the cage, he's better than he was the time before, and the performance against Lombard cemented that impression.

The Cuban judoka was the worst-case scenario matchup for Magny: someone who could give him fits in the clinch, which Magny relies on for takedowns, and who had the power and pressure game to exploit his bad habit of backing straight up to the fence. Magny weathered the storm and beat the ever-loving crap out of Lombard for far too long afterward.

I'm not sure Magny can be a champion in a division that features the likes of Rory MacDonald, but he belongs among the elite now and will remain there for a while.

Speaking of other big welterweight fights, how does that scheduled MacDonald vs. Stephen Thompson bout on June 18 have you feeling?

Nathan: I love that matchup, but I actually don't feel anything right now. Perhaps that is because it's not coming up this weekend or because it's not a featured bout on a strong card. I suppose when it does roll around I'll be stoked for the fight.

I've been thoroughly impressed with Thompson's rise, and MacDonald is the perfect test for him right now.

There aren't many 170-pound fights coming up in April, but which fights are you looking forward to the most? There are a couple of names worth watching.

Patrick: Believe it or not, there are no meaningful welterweight fights this month. A few prospects find themselves in action, but it's a slow month in one of the UFC's two deepest weight classes. We'll have to check back in next month when there's more to report.

Middleweight

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No. 1—Luke Rockhold (15-2, 50 Points)
No. 2—Chris Weidman (13-1, 45)
No. 3—Ronaldo Souza (22-4 (1), 38)
No. 4T—Vitor Belfort (25-11, 29)
No. 4T—Michael Bisping (28-7, 29)
No. 6—Lyoto Machida (22-7, 27)
No. 7—Gegard Mousasi (38-6-2, 16)
No. 8—Anderson Silva (33-7 (1), 14)
No. 9—Robert Whittaker (15-4, 13)
No. 10—Derek Brunson (15-3, 7)

Chad: This time last year, I probably would have told you I thought middleweight was among the UFC's deepest and most interesting divisions. Now? Yeesh. Erstwhile No. 1 contender Yoel Romero is gone for six months due to a controversial drug test, leaving the rest of the weight class looking old and at loose ends behind him. Without any real better options, matchmakers are going to run back an immediate rematch between new champ Luke Rockhold and old champ Chris Weidman at UFC 199. That'll be cool...I guess.

For entertainment purposes only, I want you to play matchmaker for me here, Nathan. Is the Rockhold-Weidman rematch the way to go, or would you rather see the new titlist defend the gold against someone else in June?

Nathan: I suppose it would depend on what angle I wanted to take. Simply based on availability and the current climate, Weidman is the way to go. Selfishly, I would have gone a different direction.

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza should have been the choice. Romero claimed that top spot by edging him in a contentious split decision on the same card Rockhold won the strap. Most of the media gave Jacare the bout, and being there live I can say I concur.

Rockhold took the belt off Jacare in Strikeforce, and this rematch for the UFC belt could have been something to write home about. It was a missed opportunity.

Chad: It's a sad state of affairs, that's all I know. Unfortunately, April is going to stay pretty dead at 185 pounds. There are only a couple of fights that even have the potential to jostle our official rankings: Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson at UFC on Fox 19 on April 16 and Robert Whittaker vs. Rafael Natal at UFC 197.

At 25 years old and riding a four-fight win streak, Whittaker might be one of the better young upstarts in this otherwise fairly hoary division. Doe either of those bouts spark your interest? You want to see what Whittaker can do against Natal, or you prefer to keep it geriatric with Hendo vs. The Dragon?

Nathan: Is it possible to have negative interest? Because that is what I feel for Machida vs. Henderson. Whittaker is a fun fighter to watch, but I hate this particular matchup.

I'm really interested in the Australian's progression. He is set up nicely to take advantage of this aging division in a year or two. The UFC realizes this, and that is why this fight, which may not be particularly exciting, is on the main card of UFC 197. With another impressive showing, one should expect the UFC to start putting a bit more promotional muscle behind Whittaker as an international star.

Light Heavyweight

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No. 1—Jon Jones (21-1, 50 Points)
No. 2—Daniel Cormier (17-1, 45)
No. 3—Anthony Johnson (21-5, 40)
No. 4—Alexander Gustafsson (16-4, 31)
No. 5—Ryan Bader (20-5, 28)
No. 6—Phil Davis (15-3 (1), 27)
No. 7—Glover Teixeira (24-4, 21)
No. 8—Liam McGeary (11-0, 14)
No. 9—Rashad Evans (19-4-1, 6)
No. 10T—Mo Lawal (19-4 (1), 5)
No. 10T—Ovince Saint Preux (19-7, 5)

Steven: 2016 has been fiery so far, but alas, things weren't going to stay hot forever. The tantalizing rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones has been scrapped. Cormier is out. Ovince Saint Preux is in. That's a new name for many MMA fans so, Chad, what do fans need to know about OSP?

Chad: That he's the archetypal example of a fighter who never lived up to his potential, I guess.

When he first started showing up in Strikeforce in 2010—6'3", 80-inch reach, with the athleticism of a former college football player—we all thought Saint Preux could really be somebody once he really learned the ins and outs of the MMA game. Unfortunately, six years later, sometimes it looks like he's still figuring it out.

He comes in a middling 3-2 in his last five fights, and his wins—over Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, Patrick Cummins and Shogun Rua—don't do much to stoke our confidence. Neither, frankly, do recent losses to Glover Teixeira (who Jones murdered) and Ryan Bader (who Jones murdered).

Luckily for OSP, perhaps, he now gets the chance to make good on all the early potential in one fell swoop, if he can beat Jones. But, I mean, come on, he doesn't have a chance...does he?

Steven: Theoretically he does.

Jones has been out of the cage for 15 months now, and those have not been a quiet, happy 15 months. Any of the controversies he has gone through could have weighed on his psyche or impacted his training in a way that could adversely impact his performance. Couple that with ring rust, possibly exacerbated by the fact that Jones was a relatively active champion, and there's some cause for concern.

Jones is also bigger and buffer than ever. While a hulking Jones is theoretically scarier than the spindly one we saw at UFC 182, Conor McGregor showed us that rapidly packing on muscle can wreak havoc on cardio. That could spell trouble down the stretch against an athletic guy with real pop in his hands.

And of course, Jones is also not going to be fully prepared for a guy like Saint Preux. As you spelled out, OSP is not an amazing fighter but does have some tools at his disposal, and they aren't even remotely similar to those wielded by Cormier. Jones has probably been drilling his wrestling and clinch work since UFC 187 when Cormier won the vacant title, but that won't be ideal against an accurate power puncher like OSP.

Realistically, though? This is almost certainly Jones' fight. Unless the former champ has regressed in a serious way since defeating Cormier, Saint Preux has little more than a puncher's chance.

Chad: Yeah, if we were sitting here talking about a mortal man, I might be worried about time off and added bulk and personal turmoil...but we're not. This is Jones we're talking about. You're right that if his lengthy unbeaten streak in the Octagon ever comes to a screeching halt, it'll probably be because of some petty reason like he feels pressured to take a short-notice fight.

But here? Now? I doubt it.

My wild guess is that some part of Jones feeds off this negative energy. He'll come in motivated and sharp and blitz Saint Preux in the fashion we became accustomed to while he stomped a mudhole in five consecutive former 205-pound champions in 2011 and 2012.

Then we'll be right back to where we were before, waiting for Jones vs. Cormier

Heavyweight

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No. 1—Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1, 50 Points)
No. 2—Cain Velasquez (13-2, 45)
No. 3—Stipe Miocic (14-2, 36)
No. 4—Ben Rothwell (36-9, 33)
No. 5—Alistair Overeem (40-14 (1), 31)
No. 6—Junior Dos Santos (17-4, 24)
No. 7—Travis Browne (18-3-1, 21)
No. 8—Andrei Arlovski (25-11 (1), 19)
No. 9—Mark Hunt (12-10-1, 7)
No. 10—Josh Barnett (34-8, 6)

Steven: The first time I was really exposed to the glorious thing that is combat sports was back in 2003. I was 16 years old at the time and on summer vacation from my sophomore year of high school. I was up past midnight that night doing nothing in particular, and was channel surfing after some reruns of, I'd guess, Star Trek: Voyager or Michael J. Fox-era Spin City.

I watched the guide channel (we didn't have those fancy menus you can freely navigate back in my day) and saw something labeled "karate" on ESPN 2. I turned it on expecting something like what I'd witnessed in karate tournaments in my youth. Board breaking, point sparring, katas...that sort of thing.

Instead, I was treated to one of the greatest tournaments in combat sports history; the K-1 2002 World Grand Prix. One of the first fights in that tournament was a 28-year-old Mark Hunt knocking out a poor man by the name of Stefan Leko with one hook. I've been a fan ever since.

Nathan: I can't recall the exact moment I got to know the Super Samoan, but it was most likely his butt splash in Pride. Which is just one of the most glorious things to ever happen in this sport.

Hunt is such a fan favorite because of his personality. His fighting style doesn't hurt, but it's just really hard not to like the guy. When he suffered his rough patch from 2006 to 2010, it was a bit depressing, but it made his unlikely rise to UFC title contender all that more satisfying to watch.

He is a special character that we are fortunate enough to have around.

Steven: One of the crazy things about combat sports, but MMA in particular, is how interchangeable the fighters can be. Darren Elkins has been a rock at 145 pounds since 2011, and I can't remember the particulars of any of his fights. He is most certainly not alone in that boat, either.

The phrase I use is "fighters we'll tell our grandkids about" and the tale of Mark Hunt is something the young 'uns will get tired of by the time they start to walk. Whether it's the butt stomp, #RallyForMarkHunt, his upset wins over Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva, the roundabout way he joined the UFC, any one of his devastating knockouts or, yes, just his generally laid back persona, there's plenty to tell them about.

Nathan: If you look at the current heavyweight landscape, you'll notice two things: It has an exciting title picture and Hunt is in a great spot to contend once again.

Most of the Top 10 is booked against one another, and Hunt is available to fill in should anyone fall out. That includes a possible title rematch against Fabricio Werdum. Hunt is in a good spot so long as he stays at the ready. And if all of those fights go off without a hitch, Hunt has to be a top choice for the next title eliminator anyway.

Steven: I don't know that the UFC would necessarily throw the doors open to a title shot for him. He's most certainly popular, but he's feuded with company brass and is already over 40 years old. If he does find his way back into the title picture, though, I certainly won't complain.