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#4 Anthony Johnson (22-6)
"Rumble" recently announced he is planning a return to the octagon, at the moment in the light heavyweight division, and he has all the credentials to quickly assert himself as a force in the division. Prior to his retirement, Johnson had only lost 2 of his last 14 fights with both defeats coming at the hands of one of the greatest of all time in Daniel Cormier, each time for the title. Johnson is an explosive athlete, boasting the most sub-minute KOs in UFC history with 5 and it is this ridiculous power that made him a huge hit with UFC fans. At 36, Johnson should still have a number of years left competing at a high level and while it remains to be seen what sort of shape he can get himself into ahead of his potential return, it does not seem outside the realms of possibility that he could have a run at the top of the division.
#3 Jan Blachowicz (26-8)
Blachowicz will have the first shot at becoming the man in the 205 lbs division September 26, when he takes on Dominick Reyes for the title. While he may be at the top of the division now, Blachowicz struggled at the beginning of his UFC career, losing 4 of his first 6 fights with the company. Since then, however, he has turned things around, winning 7 of his last 8 bouts including a stunning first-round KO of Corey Anderson in his last octagon appearance. The pole is the number 3 light heavyweight in the world and has shown he is capable of both KO's and submissions as he has racked up 7 of the former and 9 of the latter in a career that has seen him earn plenty of "performance of the night" bonuses. While Blachowicz will undoubtedly have his work cut out if he is to defeat Reyes and claim the gold, should he do so, he has the chance to carve out a place in history as champion.
