Please note that to inactivity, TJ Grant is ineligible for the rankings. Also note the rankings are voted on and previous are in parenthesis:
1. Anthony Pettis (1)
July 1st is the only listed date that filming for The Ultimate Fighter season 20 will start so Anthony Pettis will probably be in Vegas by then. It’s hard to tell what kind of relationship he and future opponent Gilbert Melendez will have over the course of the show, friendly or hostile.
2. Gilbert Melendez (tied) (2)
As mentioned above, July 1st is probably when The Ultimate Fighter season 20 will start and we know from an online interview that Gilbert Melendez will probably be bringing Gracie Fighter teammate Jake Shields as his team wrestling and Brazilian Jui-Jutsu coach.
2. Benson Henderson (tied) (3)
Benson Henderson not only beat Rustam Khabilov at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov, earning a Performance of the Night bonus on top of it, but will also be fighting in two months at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos against Rafael dos Anjos.
4. Eddie Alvarez (9)
In all likelihood, Eddie Alvarez will be facing Interim Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brook in the final fight on his contract. It will probably also be on pay per view as it was a part of the matching contract that Bellator matched with the UFC contract Alvarez was offered.
5. Khabib Nurmagomedov (6)
Khabib Nurmagomedov has certainly established himself as a contender in the UFC lightweight division. However, with lightweight champion Anthony Pettis busy for the rest of the year, Nurgagomedov probably won’t get a title shot until next year.
6. Nate Diaz (10)
There is no word as to whether Nate Diaz is even considering taking Diego Sanchez’s challenge to fight at UFC 180 in Mexico City.
7. Josh Thomson (4)
Josh Thomson has finally recovered from his thumb injury and will now be facing Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown.
8. Donald Cerrone (5)
With a three fight winning streak all of which were bonuses award fights, expect Donald Cerrone to put on a war with Jim Miller.
9. Rafael dos Anjos (N/A)
After getting a rebound win against Jason High, Rafael dos Anjos will next be facing Benson Henderson at UFC Fight Night 49.
10. Jim Miller (7)
Jim Miller is looking to get a high profile win against Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller on July 16th next month.
Contenders
The following fighters received votes and are contenders: 11) Michael Chandler, 12) Will Brooks, Myles Jury, and Rustam Khabilov.