There’s a lot going on in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Islam Makhachev, the current champion at 155, fresh off a title defense in the main event of UFC 284 in a champion vs. champion super fight against featherweight king Alexander Vokkanovski.
On top of that, there’s an important booking between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev set for UFC 286 in March, plus many established and rising contenders hungry for UFC gold.
Oh, and UFC star Conor McGregor is expected to make his comeback later this year against Michael Chandler.
Speaking on the UFC’s Youtube channel, Chandler analyzed all the figures that make up this crazy landscape at the top of the UFC lightweight division.
Below are Chandler’s thoughts on each fighter in the official UFC 155-pound rankings:
Thiago Moises
“I don’t know a ton about Thiago Moises. I know he went out there and submitted Michael Johnson really quickly. with a heel hook. So that would show that he’s got a dangerous ground game, but not just a dangerous ground game. If you can catch somebody in a heel hook that means you’re brushed up on it enough where you can finish a fight at any moment. He’s a guy that could be a force to be reckoned with. He’s got a great team at American Top Team. Time will tell, but he’s a guy I don’t know a ton about.”
Grant Dawson
“I think Grant Dawson coming in with his strength of schedule, some of the finishes that he’s had are pretty devastating hammer fists and just kind of ground-and-pounding people into submission. I think he’s got all the tools to be a future contender. He’s also very fun to watch. I think he’s pretty good at every area of mixed martial arts. I think he’s got a fun future.”
Drew Dober
“Drew Dober has been a favorite for a long time. It says a lot about a guy that’s been in the UFC for this long because it’s not easy to stay in the UFC, especially fighting very, very tough guys at all times. Went Drew Dober steps inside the octagon, people pay attention. His last fight, coming off a win. It’s going to be very interesting to see where he can finally hit his stride and break into the top 10.”
Renato Moicano
“Renato Moicano has fought a very tough strength of schedule. He hasn’t won all of them. Obviously bouncing back between 45 and 55, and even taking fights on short notice, so he’s a promoter’s dream. He’s the kind of guy who will say yes, step up, and put on a show. Also coming off a big win at Madison Square Garden. I think we might see Moicano get his second wind here in the UFC and it will be interesting to see.”
Dan Hooker
“Dan Hooker is one of my favorite fighters. in and out of the octagon. He’s a good dude, he’s a family guy, people like him. He’s always shown up, fought hard, and he’s very talented. So it was great to see him put together a win in his last fight. Things can turn on a dime in this sport. You lose, and all of a sudden you feel like you’re the worst ever and never coming back. But then you win a fight, and you get reinvigorated, and you set your sights back on that title. I think we can see a resurgence of Dan Hooker very soon. He’s got all the talent in the world. I’m excited to see Dan Hooker put together some wins and stay inside that top 10.”
Jalin Turner
“Jalin Turner is a scary dude for so many reasons. He’s a guy who’s extremely long and extremely tall and rangy and he uses it very well. One thing that sticks out, we always talk about finishing your combinations with a kick or a knee. He does that extremely well. He’ll finish a combination with a kick or a knee. He’ll throw a combination and end with a body shot. His ability to find the liver with his feet or with his left hand is second to none. And if he takes you down, he literally does feel like a long tarantula on top of you with those big arms that will choke you out.”
Rafael dos Anjos
“RDA has been a veteran and a main stay in that lightweight and even welterweight division for the last decade now. He’s obviously a former lightweight champion. He’s just so dang tough. He’s that kind of guy that’s that old leather boot that’s just so reliable. You know you can throw it on, and it can take you through any terrain. He can fight a brand new hungry guy, or he can fight a salty veteran and make light work of either of them. A guy who’s got the size and the power to fight at 170,but still fights at 155 and is a dangerous guy. RDA, I can’t say enough good things about him. He’ll be a first ballot UFC Hall of Famer and that’s why we love to watch him fight.”
Arman Tsarukyan
“Arman Tsarukyan he’s a guy inside that top 10 who’s surging. He’s that guy who’s vying for one of those fights that break him into that top six or seven. He’s always looking to grapple, it looks like. A lot of times great transition, strong on the ground, always looking for submissions, but very basic on the feet, which is what you have to be when you’re a really good grappler. You have to be very basic on the feet, so you don’t overextend, and he does a very good job when a guy does overextend with a punch or a kick when transitioning to a takedown.”
Mateusz Gamrot
“I think Gamrot is another one of those guys who kind of surged into the top 10 and is looking for one of those top five fights ASAP. Obviously, he dropped his last one against Beneil Dariush, but a lot of people have lost to Beneil Dariush. Gamrot is a very tough, very strong detailed grappler, wrestler. I think he can do that to a lot of guys in the top 10. It’ll be interesting to see what his future looks like. He’s got all the talent in the world. He just needs that one fight to break into that top five.”
Rafael Fiziev
“Rafael Fiziev, he’s so dynamic. We obviously get to watch him in the octagon and get to see the performances he puts on. He’s very exciting, but I’ve gotten to train with him. When you watch a guy in training and then you see him translate that perfectly onto his competition, it’s really fun to watch. I think he’s the most talented striker in all the world. Not just the UFC lightweight division. He’s a guy we could see go out there. I think he’s matched up against Justin Gaethje now. That’s going to be a real fun one. I’m really interested to see who wins that one.”
Michael Chandler
“Michael Chandler. The dude is living the dream, having a blast, and always talking about these guys that he may or may not fight. I heard he’s fighting Conor sometime this summer, sometime at 170, so we’ll see how that fight goes.”
Beneil Dariush
Beneil Dariush has been a main stay in the lightweight division for a very, very long time. He’s had a little adversity coming back from that first round, 20 second KO from that loss, but hasn’t lost. It just goes to show that it’s such a game of milliliters. At any given night, you can win or lose. It just turns out that Beneil Dariush hasn’t lost in a very long time. He’s stringing together wins against top opponents, top names that matter. He deserves to. be up there and ranked at the top of the division, and maybe even fight for the title very soon.”
Justin Gaethje
“Man, Justin Gaethje if he’s not one of your favorite fighters then you don’t like Mixed Martial Arts. He’s a guy who is exactly who he says he is and shows up every single time. At times, he even shows more wrinkles to his game which makes you like him even more because it shows he’s still evolving as a fighter, but when he needs to dig deep and turn it into a dog fight, he does it better than most of us. So Justin Gaethje heart of a champion, absolute stud, and truly just a dude you want to go have a beer with. He’s just a cool guy.”
Dustin Poirier
“He’s another one of those guys who kind of has a second lease to his MMA life. He hasn’t been crazy consistent until these last couple of years, which is awesome to see his maturation, and now he’s winning the majority of his fights. I can tell you from competing against him, he’s just consistent, and he’s good at mixed martial arts. He’s very good at the striking department. He’s stronger than you think he is. He’s a better grappler than you think he is. It was an honor to compete against him. Any back and forth, it was just two guys trying to climb the same mountain. Ultimately, he’s a good dude outside the octagon, and I stand behind that.”
Charles Oliveira
“It’s kind of crazy and kind of sad that he doesn’t have the C next to his name, that he’s not a champion. It was just such a good feel story. Charles Oliveira was just not reliable. He was losing fights that he shouldn’t have lost, he was missing weight. He was that guy that you were like, ‘Uhh I’m not quite sure Charles Oliveira is that guy.’ Then he matured a little bit, strung together some wins, and he was doing well. He was finishing guys and just being so dominant. It was really cool to see. I think Oliveira will fight for the title again in the near future.”
Islam Makhachev
“Islam came in and proved he was who he said he was. For a while, all of us giving him so much credit for the strength of schedule that he had. He didn’t deserve to be put in that position yet, but going out there and finishing Charles Oliveira, finishing Dan Hooker. For that, he proved he’s our champion, and we need to accept it. He’s very good, and we’re going to watch him defend the title. I would like to test my American wrestling against his Dagestan grappling, but I need to string together some wins and prove that I deserve to be in that position. But him as a fighter, him as our champion, I’m excited to see the wins he strings together because I do think he’ll string quite a few.”
