The Dark Horses: Three princes of the lightweight division

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On September 7, UFC held a championship bout for the lightweight world title where we saw Khabib defend his title against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242.

On that day we saw MMA greatness, or should we say grappling excellence. Either way, it was a pure showing of absolute domination by “The Eagle”.

He was able to completely neutralize any offerings from Poirier, even taking a clean shot and recovering while being hunted. The undefeated Russian champion put “The Diamond” under pressure and by round 3, Dustin cracked. What followed was heartbreak, but a clear path for the next title challenger and his name is “El Cucuy” aka Tony Ferguson.

UFC has tried many times to book Khabib vs. Tony. Now the stars may finally aline and the MMA world will finally get to see who truly is #1 at 155 pounds.

Let us first chalk down the list of lightweight Dark Horses:

Dan Hooker (19-8-0)

At one time, Hooker was a featherweight fighter. But he made the jump to 155 and has shown extreme promise, especially with his height and reach over most of the division.

Coming off a big win against Raging Al, he is inline for a major fight next without a doubt.

Gregor Gillespie (13-0-0)

One of the top wrestlers in the division who has made quick, or we could say easy work of 100% of his opposition. That includes a TKO win over Yancy Medieros.

With his biggest test coming up against Kevin Lee, this will be his make-or-break moment/

Paul Felder (16-4-0)

A veteran of the MMA game, Felder has endured his fair share of highs and lows.

Most recently, we have seen him go from respected veteran to top-10 challenger riding a 5-fight win streak. Paul is looking for his next moment to shine, so once he’s healed up, expect a great matchup for “The Irish Dragon”.

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