The lightweight division has more top ranked fighters outside of the UFC than any other division in the big five, but Dana White and company still have the top dog. The next few months hold a lot for the 155 pound division and many wonder what could possibly be next for BJ Penn if he gets past Diego Sanchez.
- BJ Penn – Say what you will about BJ, his motivation, his actions in or out of the ring, and his seemingly constant desire to be physically bigger than he is, this is the best 155 pounder in the world. He isn’t just good, he is great and he has proven it by dispatching anyone in his weight class he steps in the cage with. After Sanchez it is tough to tell what is next for Penn but a win would further separate him from the pack.
- Shinya Aoki – Aoki avenged his loss to Joachim Hansen and won the rubber match between the two, firmly planting him near the top of this list. It is a shame that he and Penn are not in the same organization because a second match between the two at this point in their careers is nothing short of a superfight for the lightweight division.
- Eddie Alvarez – Alvarez is one of the hottest 155 pound prospects right now, looking more impressive by the day. If the UFC is serious about expanding to Latin markets in the future, this might be a huge ticket for them; however, Alvarez seems to be doing just fine without a Zuffa contract.
- Gray Maynard – A drastically underrated fighter in my opinion, Maynard has literally bullied almost every fighter in his way. It is hard to imagine someone he doesn’t match up well against, but he seems to be a few wins away from a title shot for reasons unknown to me. Until someone proves me wrong, I am going to continue to believe he is a top contender.
- Diego Sanchez – Sanchez has clearly been fast-tracked to a title shot with Penn because of his marketability, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve the shot. He has four strait wins, two of which are quality wins in the UFC lightweight division. When I think about Sanchez fighting the non-UFC fighters on this list, I like his chances of getting Ws over almost all of them.
- Tatsuya Kawajiri – considered the top contender for the Dream LW title, Kawajiri definitely deserves to be in the top 10 but I tend to think he is rated kind of high on most lists, including my own. Inconsistency seems to be an issue and to go much higher he is going to need to put on more impressive performances.
- Kenny Florian – It is hard to dispute that he deserved his title shot against BJ Penn. Before that fight, I might have had him number two on this list but Florian demonstrated that he was not really in BJ Penn’s league physically or mentally. A poor game plan and inability to exert any technical superiority was a big reality check for Florian. He now has the unenviable task of facing a guy that would make any fighter miserable, Clay Guida.
- Franky Edgar – His only loss comes at the hands of the Bully and he recently scored the biggest win of his career against the former monster champion, Sean Sherk. Edgar is ready for the big time and he is ready to fight top flight competition. Unfortunately he is at least number three in line right now and the guy waiting already beat him.
- Gilbert Melendez – Sure he is not the undisputed Strikeforce champion and he is still waiting to avenge a loss, but few fighters at this weight have been as impressive as he has over the past few years. He gets the nine spot from me because he has been showing improvement, demonstrating that he has learned from mistakes and losses.
- Joachim Hansen – A lot of fans and pundits expected deep down to see Hansen get beat quickly by Aoki in their rubber match. Hansen may have been a bit outclassed but he proved he was as tough as anyone at this weight. This is truly a crossroads for this young man in his career. How will he bounce back from losing the biggest fight of his career.
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