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| Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports |
The rankings in order from number one contender to tenth:
Champion: Jon Jones
1) Alexander Gustafsson
2) Rashad Evans
3) Glover Teixeira
4) Daniel Cormier
5) Anthony Johnson
6) Dan Henderson
7) Phil Davis
8) Mauricio Rua
9) Chael Sonnen
10) Ryan Bader
So what is next for champion "Bones" Jones?
It is all but certain that Gustafsson will get his highly anticipated rematch against Jones, after the Swede put Jimi Manuwa down with some vicious strikes. UFC President, Dana White, recently announced that the rematch could take place in Gustafsson's home country, Sweden. Safe to say Jones is in for one hell of a fight.
Now, what does the rest of Light Heavyweight division have in-store for UFC fans?
Number 2 contender, Evans, is currently nursing a torn ACL that has him sidelined until the last months of 2014. Teixeira just lost to champion Jones, his first defeat since March of 2005. That leaves Cormier, Johnson, and Henderson. "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis just ruined any hype he was attempting to make at a title shot, losing to "Rumble" Johnson this past weekend. How's that cookie taste, Phil?
Cormier and Henderson are scheduled to face off at UFC 173 as the co-main event. This will be Cormier's first true test within the Light Heavyweight division in the UFC, something Jones has stated is lacking from Cormier's perfect 14-0 record. Cormier has said that he was told, "'Daniel, you win, you're in', that's what I was told." Simply put, Cormier has his shot at the belt if he beats 43-year old Henderson, but it's never that simple, Henderson at any time could ignite one of his signature H-Bombs and ruin any chance Cormier has at the title.
But what about Anthony "Rumble" Johnson?
So far, we have Jones vs. Gustafsson 2, with the winner getting the victor of Cormier vs. Henderson. That leaves "Rumble" with at least two more successful fights until he gets a title shot. Maybe even one if everything goes right, but that does not seem likely in this up-and-down division. He could fight Teixeira and the winner of that matchup gets the loser of Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 for a number one contender spot; however, that would only work if Gustafsson lost. If Jones lost, he would immediately get a rematch to regain the LHW title. There is also Evans, who if healthy at the end of the year, could be a potential number one contender matchup, but that might be too long of a lay-off for "Rumble".
After Johnson, the rest of the division features fighters who are recently coming off losses (Davis, "Shogun" Rua, Manuwa) and/or fighters who have underperformed to a contending standpoint (Chael Sonnen and Ryan Bader).
It is transparent that the rest of this year will be either another legacy cementing year for Jon "Bones" Jones, reminiscence of his 2011 year, or there will be a major upheaval in the Light Heavyweight division and the upper parts of the totem pole in the UFC.
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