MMA Fighter Rankings October Edition: Return of the king?
On the first Wednesday of every month, theScore's MMA editors compile a list of the top 10 fighters in each of the major weight classes.
Rankings
Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight
Middleweight | Welterweight
Lightweight | Featherweight
Bantamweight | Flyweight
Women: Bantamweight | Strawweight
Light Heavyweight
| Ranking | Fighter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Jones |
| 2 | Daniel Cormier |
| 3 | Anthony Johnson |
| 4 | Alexander Gustafsson |
| 5 | Ryan Bader |
| 6 | Phil Davis |
| 7 | Glover Teixeira |
| 8 | Rashad Evans |
| 9 | Ovince St. Preux |
| 10 | Liam McGeary |
- Return of the king? After avoiding prison time by pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, Jon Jones is poised to make his return to the Octagon in the early stages of 2016. Once his suspension is lifted, he'll no doubt snag an immediate title shot.
- Daniel Cormier proved his championship mettle at UFC 192, surviving a grueling five-round war against Alexander Gustafsson, who threw everything including the kitchen sink at Cormier, only to see the former Olympian return in kind, emerging with a split-decision victory.
- If it weren't for the potential return of Jones, Ryan Bader would likely be the next challenger for Cormier's title. Bader spoiled Rashad Evans' return to the cage with a dominant unanimous decision victory at UFC 192, running his winning streak five. Following the bout, Bader called out the last man to make him taste defeat: Glover Teixeira.
- Teixeira, however, already has a dance partner in his date book, as he'll face Patrick Cummins in November.
- Phil Davis put the Bellator light heavyweight division on notice at Bellator: Dynamite, winning the one-night tournament with stoppage victories over Emanuel Newton and Francis Carmont. Davis will now face champion Liam McGeary, who retained his title with a win over Tito Ortiz.