The UFC light heavyweight division was an afterthought in 2016, suffering from the erratic professionalism of one of its biggest former stars, Jon Jones, and perhaps a few visits from the injury bug. The current champion, Daniel Cormier, who only won the title when it was vacated, did not even defend the belt once in 2016. In fact, the only official title fight that occurred for the division was between Jones and Ovince Saint Preux in Cormier's injury-induced absence. And the interim title Jones won would later be stripped.
Title fights in this division are as hard to come by as legitimate challengers, several of whom have recently left the UFC altogether. So when Anthony "Rumble" Johnson enters the cage at UFC 210 for a second title shot against Cormier, he'll do so against a swirling backdrop. Johnson is currently an ever-so-slight favorite as a challenger, and if he wins, a third grudge match wouldn't be out of the question.
But what about Jones, the former champion who never lost a title fight and the obvious next contender? The legitimacy of the top three light heavyweights belies the lack of viable challengers further down the ranks. Our only hope is that this Saturday's fight can go off without any last-minute changes, and that the winner can come back quickly to clear up the three-way mess. And who wins? With such even odds, any lean would be worth a stab at the sports books. So let's take a closer look, and at a few other key matchups as well.