Garden of Bones: A glance at the UFC's limp light heavyweight division

The UFC light heavyweight title will soon be contested for the first time in 18 months. What's scary about this isn't how long it's been, but whether fans have even noticed the belt's absence.

When the likes of Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture roamed the Octagon, the 205-pound division was the highest-drawing attraction in MMA. That trio of Hall of Famers broke box office records with their titanic title feuds and continued to be moneymaking attractions after they'd gone their separate ways.

Now? Most MMA fans would be hard-pressed to name the top five fighters in the weight class, and even if they could, they're not exactly rushing to buy tickets to see them.

With Daniel Cormier set to defend his belt at UFC 210 in a rematch with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, and lineal champion Jon Jones scheduled to be in attendance, now is a good time to look at the official rankings and how we ended up with this mess.

The 2 champs:

Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones

It's a testament to Jones' achievements that his reputation inside the Octagon has stood the test of time even as he continually embarrasses himself outside of it. Cormier has done his best to move on from his rival, but the two are inextricably tied together.

The fact remains that Jones was never beaten for the belt, and while he was rightfully stripped of it for his involvement in a hit-and-run (and then later stripped of an interim title after being popped for a USADA violation), in the minds of the fans he's still the rightful ruler at 205 pounds.

What's especially unfortunate about Jones being sidelined for the better part of the last three years is that his first fight with Cormier at UFC 182 looked like it would kick off a new boom for the light heavyweights. The card drew approximately 800,000 pay-per-view buys, Jones' most successful appearance yet. Unfortunately, subsequent meetings with Cormier were canceled by injuries and Jones' failed drug test.

Pound-for-pound, these two are as good as anyone to ever strap on a pair of four-ounce gloves, and the rest of the division is essentially on hold until they resolve their feud.

1. Anthony Johnson

That said, there is one man who could shake up the whole division and that's the aptly named Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

Based on his last three knockout victories, there are probably more than a few fans who think that Rumble already is the best fighter at light heavyweight. Simply put, there is arguably nobody in the UFC who can match his power:

To provide an idea of how feared Johnson is, consider that Cormier submitted him in their first meeting and yet the rematch is a pick 'em on most betting sites.

2. Alexander Gustafsson

It feels like Alexander Gustafsson has always been a fingernail's length away from capturing UFC gold.

When he fought Jones, it looked like he landed more strikes, but did less damage; when he fought Cormier, he did more damage, but landed less strikes. In both cases, the judges ruled against the Swedish challenger.

Gustafsson has only lost to the absolute best at 205 pounds, and he's held his spot in the rankings despite having just one win since January 2015. His career has been greatly impeded by injuries, and he needs to show the matchmakers that he can stay healthy before he even thinks about a third title shot.

3. Glover Teixeira

Glover Teixeira just keeps plugging away with three finishes in his past four wins, but the 37-year-old Brazilian looks like he's a lot closer to the end of his career than his prime.

With all due respect to Teixeira, his lofty ranking is as indicative of the dearth of elite talent at 205 pounds as it is his own notable accomplishments.

4. Jimi Manuwa

Like Teixeira, Jimi "Poster Boy" Manuwa is benefiting from the circumstances in front of him.

Top-five light heavyweights Phil Davis and Ryan Bader recently made the jump to Bellator MMA, leaving the door open for Manuwa to creep up the rankings with wins over lightly regarded competition. To his credit, he's put himself on the map with stunning knockouts wins of Ovince Saint Preux and Corey Anderson, the highest-ranked foes he's faced yet:

What makes Manuwa's ascent so jarring is that he entered 2017 as an afterthought at 205 pounds and now the 37-year-old Englishman finds himself filling the spot vacated by Davis and Bader.

5. Mauricio Rua

In the 14th year of his professional fighting career, Mauricio Rua owns a top-five spot in the UFC rankings.

Yikes.

Not to take anything away from the light heavyweight legend who recently won his third straight fight to earn his longest winning streak since joining the UFC in 2007, but it's disappointing that no young fighters have come along to usurp the well-traveled "Shogun."

For those of you keeping score, four of the top seven light heavyweights are 35 or older.

6. Volkan Oezdemir
7. Corey Anderson
8. Ovince Saint Preux

Now this is where things start to get ugly.

For any readers wondering what a Volkan Oezdemir is, he's the relatively unknown Swiss fighter who made his UFC debut this past February with a split decision win over Saint Preux. That marked OSP's third straight loss, bumping him from interim title challenger to fringe contender.

Below Oezdemir and Saint Preux sits Anderson, a former "Ultimate Fighter" winner who always seems to be taking one step forward and two steps back.

Oezdemir's high ranking following what would kindly be described as an uneventful performance along with Saint Preux and Anderson's inconsistency are a perfect representation of how the 205-pound division is stuck in the mud.

9. Misha Cirkunov

Misha Cirkunov is lucky to even be back in this spot after the UFC ranking committee made the decision to remove him from the top-10 while he was negotiating a new contract with the promotion.

At 30 years old, Cirkunov represents the promotion's best hope to organically create a new star. He's lived up to that hype so far with finishes in his first four Octagon appearances:

Company politics aside, if Cirkunov keeps racking up wins, he could add some much-needed legitimacy to the light heavyweight division.

10. Ilir Latifi

The 10th spot in the UFC's rankings is essentially a rotating position depending on who has fought most recently, but it's currently occupied by Swedish fan favorite Ilir Latifi.

"The Sledgehammer" is still looking for a signature win to cement himself as a legitimate contender, though nobody will question that he looks the part:

Were the rankings based on who is the most majestic, Latifi would be at least five spots higher.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)