USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 19: Can Vadim Nemkov or Corey Anderson ascend to No. 1?

After turning in another scintillating performance under the Bellator banner, Corey Anderson finds himself in some very rarified air.

Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) needed just 51 seconds to put away Ryan Bader at this past weekend’s Bellator 268 event, scoring his third consecutive win in the promotion and securing a spot in the company’s current light heavyweight grand prix, where he will face reigning champ Vadim Nemkov (14-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), who was also victorious in his semifinal matchup.

In the latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, Nemkov remains in his No. 3 position after the performance, while Anderson slides up to No. 4. When the two ultimately do meet for the belt and the grand prix title, can one of them make the case to be No. 1, as Bellator head Scott Coker claims?

UFC light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz (28-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) currently sits at No. 1 on the list, and he has a history with Anderson, with the pair splitting their two meetings under the UFC banner. Blachowicz also has the matter of Glover Teixiera to deal with later this month at UFC 268.

Meanwhile, Jon Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) is at No. 2 but has made it clear he intends on a run in the heavyweight division. Does that clear the way for Nemkov or Anderson to rise to the top of the list? Time will tell.

After a big weekend, check out the latest rankings across all divisions using the dropdown menu above.