Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 1 year, 7 months ago  |  All By toastedcereal_25

1. 1

   

   Michael Chandler

   "Iron"

   23-8-0

   So...right. Chandler may not be the best fighter. His fight IQ and tendency for recklessness may get him in trouble. That being said, he is my favorite fighter currently, and I don't see how anyone else on this list could take that spot any time soon. There is no other guy who can consistently put on fights of the night every time he fights and still be an absolute class act outside the cage (aside from Shane Burgos). This guy could've easily become lightweight champion had he done a couple things different in that fight with Charles (I would know, I was there). I still think there's a possibility that we see Chandler with a belt some time in the future (especially if he beats Dustin), but even if he doesn't, he'll still be my favorite fighter because of how he fights and his attitude outside the cage. Also, I've met him before, and it was fantastic.
   

2. 2

   

   Ilia Topuria

   "El Matador"

   15-0-0

   It may be weird seeing someone who's barely even ranked so high in my favorite fighters list, but Ilia Topuria has that "it factor" as a fighter. From what we've seen so far, he has one of the most well-rounded skillsets we've seen in quite a while. Crisp boxing with heavy hands, Georgian-style wrestling, and a BJJ black belt; this guy can do it all. I got sold on this guy after the Damon Jackson fight (yes before the Ryan Hall fight). That Jai Herbert fight was one of the best displays of grit and adjustment I've ever seen in a fight, and I really believe that Ilia will win a belt in the future. Even if he doesn't, I'll still tune into every fight because he's so fun to watch.
   

3. 3

   

   Max Holloway

   "Blessed"

   26-7-0

   The best is blessed. In all seriousness, while I don't think that Max Holloway will ever win a world championship again, he doesn't really need to after what he's accomplished. He's put on some spectacular fights, win or lose, and he's done so while still remaining a class act in and out of the cage. With someone who's been fighting for as long as Max has, there's the expectation that he'll become grizzled and cold, but he's still a great dude. I don't think I need to elaborate on his best performances: Brian Ortega, Calvin Kattar, Aldo 2, Yair. All spectacular fights. I can't even remember a time where Max didn't make a fight at least interesting, and that's the mark of fan favorite fighter.
   

4. 4

   

   Islam Makhachev

   26-1-0

   So before I get bombarded by hate comments because I said that I like Islam more than Charles, let me explain. Back when I was wrestling in high school, Coach told us to tune into UFC events to see if we could learn something. He recommended us a few guys, but the two main ones were Daniel Cormier and Khabib. Now because those two guys fought on paid cards a lot, we couldn't always watch them. So we watched Islam instead, and that's where I got hooked. I don't like Islam because he wins a lot, or because he's from Dagestan, or anything superficial like that. I just love his fighting style, as I do for most of the Dagestan guys, or really any MMA wrestler - Daniel Cormier, Randy Couture, Ben Askren (yes I do like Ben Askren). Islam's fight with Arman Tsarukyan remains one of my favorite fights ever because of how good the grappling was in that fight, and whether Islam wins or loses to Charles, I'll still enjoy watching him fight, and I won't be swayed in saying how good he really is.
   

5. 5

   

   Charles Oliveira

   "do Bronx"

   34-10-0, 1 NC

   Despite me thinking that Charles is getting caught up in his own hype a little too much, I still can't hate this guy. Being born in Brazil myself, I know where Charles comes from, and it's truly incredible how someone like Charles has become so successful in spite of where he came from. Aside from his upbringing, his fights are brilliant. Since losing to Paul Felder a few years ago, he's been all action, all the time. Being in the arena live for the Chandler fight was a great experience, especially when you really like both fighters. Even though he's beaten some of my other favorite fighters like Chandler and Dustin (and he has a really good chance to beat another of my favorite fighters in Islam), I still like this guy a lot. While I will not definitively say that Charles is the lightweight GOAT (I think we to stop using GOAT so frequently because it's starting to lose meaning), I still think he is a great fighter. For now, even though I hate people parroting this phrase everywhere, the champion has a name, and it's Charles Oliveira.
   

6. 6

   

   Dustin Poirier

   "The Diamond"

   30-9-0, 1 NC

   He look, another guy who I've met before.
   

7. 7

   

   Khamzat Chimaev

   "Borz"

   13-0-0

   And low my credibility has fallen. So, yes, the elephant in the room, the weight miss. Was it egregious? Yes (which is why Khamzat is not in my top 5). Do I think the weight miss takes away from his skill as a fighter and how entertaining he is? No. The Gilbert Burns fight had me feeling a way that I had never felt before when watching a fight. Whether you agree with the decision or not, you cannot deny that Khamzat showed a hell of a lot of heart and toughness in that fight. I remember seeing this guy debut, and I thought "oh he's pretty good." Then the GM3 KO happened and I said "oh this guy is damn good." He may win a world championship, he may not. That won't stop me from tuning in, and I know it won't stop anybody else.
   

8. 8

   

   Jiří Procházka

   "BJP"

   30-4-1

9. 9

   

   Alexander Volkanovski

   "The Great"

   26-4-0

10. 10

    

    Alex Pereira

    "Poatan"

    10-2-0

11+

11. 11

    

    Jan Błachowicz

    29-10-1

12. 12

    

    Derrick Lewis

    "The Black Beast"  |  28-12-0, 1 NC

    I mean...I'm from Houston right? Explanation done. No but seriously. Despite Lewis...struggling let's say in his past couple fights, you can't hate this guy.
    

13. 13

    

    Adrian Yanez

    17-5-0

    Fun fact: I met Adrian Yanez in a hotel lobby in Austin. Neat right?
    

14. 14

    

    Petr Yan

    "No Mercy"  |  17-5-0

15. 15

    

    Mateusz Gamrot

    "Gamer"  |  24-2-0, 1 NC

16. 16

    

    Robert Whittaker

    "The Reaper"  |  25-7-0

17. 17

    

    Cory Sandhagen

    "Sandman"  |  17-4-0

18. 18

    

    Stipe Miocic

    20-4-0

19. 19

    

    Valentina Shevchenko

    "Bullet"  |  23-4-1

20. 20

    

    Geoff Neal

    "Handz of Steel"  |  15-6-0