1: Fedor ‘The Last Emperor’ Emelianenko: Each time out Fedor proves his detractors wrong, and each time out they find another way to discredit him. The fact is, Emelianenko has done nothing but win for years, something that cannot be said for any other heavyweight in the sport. Who knows when his run will end, but for now, following his brutal second-round pole-axing of Brett Rogers, Fedor sits firmly at the top of the heavyweight pile.
2: Brock Lesnar: Love him or hate him, you cannot help but feel sympathy for all Lesnar has had to endure over the past few months. Missing out on his title fight with Shane Carwin became the least of his worries when it transpired that the 280lb behemoth had been suffering from infections, abscesses and a perforated intestine for almost a year. A scarier though is just how dangerous Lesnar will be should he return to the UFC even fitter and stronger than before.
3: Frank Mir: Frank Mir has been making a habit of reinventing himself and proving his detractors wrong. First he came back from a career threatening accident, then he transformed from overweight slob to svelte striking machine for his clash with Antonio Nogueira. Now he has packed on the muscle and came out looking like a He-Man action figure against Cheick Kongo at UFC 107. After blowing away the French phenom, Mir will be hoping that his added bulk will put him on a level playing field with Shane Carwin when they meet for the Interim Heavyweight Title in spring 2010.
4: Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira: Nogueira wiped away all memories of his loss to Frank Mir with a classic performance against Randy Couture at UFC 102. ‘Minotauro’ looked sharper, fitter and stronger against ‘The Natural’, and was set to take on young upstart Cain Velasquez for the interim heavyweight title early next year. Unfortunately a second bout of Staph – even worse than the one that impacted his performance against Frank Mir - has put this bout on ice for the time being. There is some good news though, there may not be an interim belt on the line, but the bout will go down at UFC 110 in Australia.
5: Junior ‘Cigano’ Dos Santos: An emphatic win at UFC 103 against heavyweight legend Mirko Cro Cop sees ‘Cigano’ rocket up the heavyweight rankings. With the Croatian powerhouse added to his laundry list of Wedum and Struve, JDS gets the nod over fellow prospects Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez for 5th place. The heavyweight division may be paper thin, but prospects like Dos Santos indicate an impending resurgence. A win over MMA veteran and dangerous striker Gilbert Yvel this weekend will see JDS on the cusp of a title shot.
6: Shane ‘The Engineer’ Carwin: After a spate of rearranged and cancelled fights that saw title shots and interim title opportunities fall by the wayside, ‘The Engineer’ will finally get a chance at the gold when he takes on former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111 in New Jersey. Should he pull out a ‘W’ here, Carwin might finally get his wish of a showdown with Brock Lesnar.
7: Cain Velasquez: Many people have questioned Cain Velasquez’s inclusion in numerous heavyweight rankings due to his lack of experience. Each time out though, Latin-America’s hottest export proves the nay-sayers wrong, dispatching an increasingly high level of opposition in increasingly emphatic style. For a 7-0 prospect, that’s all you can ask. Cain’s latest win (his 5th in the UFC) sees him slatted to face MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira early next year in what will surely be a title eliminator.
8: Brett ‘The Grim’ Rogers: Things might not have gone exactly to plan against heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko, but Brett Rogers certainly proved that he means business. Already keen to get back in the ring, ‘The Grim’ has expressed an interest in tussles with Antonio Silva and Alistair Overeem – both of which would help in his efforts to become known as the second best heavyweight outside of the UFC.
9: Andrei ‘The Pitbull’ Arlovski: It’s not uncommon for a fighter to take a hit in the rankings after consecutive losses, but few have experienced the epic fall from grace of former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski. After suffering two devastating KO losses on the trot, Arlovski will next be seen facing off against Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 5th Universal Soldier movie; coming soon to a bargain rack near you.
10: Alistair ‘The Demolition Man’ Overeem: Overeem recently returned to action after almost a year away from MMA to defeat two opponents in the space of 8 days. Neither was a world-beater, so the ‘Demolition Man’ will need a big win in the near future in order to stay relevant. After reaching the semi-finals of the K-1 World GP in early December, Overeem was quick to jump back into the MMA ring on New Year’s Eve, disposing of Kazuyuki Fujita in brutal fashion.
Light Heavyweight
1: Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida: A masterful performance punctuated by a highlight-reel knock out against Rashad Evans saw the second coming of the Karate Kid shoot to the top of the rankings. A somewhat less than convincing win against ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 104 sees Machida hold on to his spot, but the target on his back is now bigger than ever. An early May rematch will give ‘The Dragon’ a perfect opportunity to remove all doubt that he is the rightful UFC champion at 205lbs.
2: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: With ‘Rampage’ reaffirming his desire to return to the UFC and complete his contract with a fight against Rashad Evans, Memphis, Tennessee’s favourite fighting son will keep his number two spot for now. Rampage will not be looking past his fellow TUF 10 coach – but should he topple Rashad he would be an almost certainty for a title shot.
3: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua: It’s not often that a fighter moves up in the rankings with a loss, but we at MMABay believe that Rua’s performance in the main event of UFC 104, coupled with Rashad Evans’ inactivity, warrants a rise for the Brazilian striker. Having already beaten ‘Rampage’ Jackson (albeit some time ago) should Shogun come out of his proposed May 2010 rematch with Machida victorious, it would be tough to argue against giving him the top spot.
4: ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans: One half of TUF 10’s coaching staff is just days away from his return to the Octagon. He might not be facing his opposing team captain ‘Rampage’ Jackson, but a clash with Muay Thai wrecking ball Thiago Silva is guaranteed to produce fireworks. A win would put Evans within touching distance of a title shot – an opportunity that he will likely forego for an opportunity to face Rampage in 2010.
5: Forrest Griffin: Forrest saw his run of bad luck change with a close yet well deserved split-decision over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106. What’s next for the original Ultimate Fighter as he continues his path back to the title is unclear, but not matter who gets put in front of him, you can bet the house that Griffin will come to scrap.
6: Antonio Rogerio ‘Minotouro’ Nogueira: They always say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Little Nog certainly made the most of his, blitzing highly regarded UFC light heavyweight prospect Luiz Cane in just two minutes at UFC 106. Unfortunately we will have to wait a little longer than expected for ‘Minotouro’ to return to action – a proposed bout with Brandon Vera has been called off due to injury. With Nogueira eyeing a March/April return, the UFC light heavyweight division had better be on high alert.
7: Gegard ‘The Dreamcatcher’ Mousasi: Many believe that Mousasi should be a top five light heavyweight, however he has only fought twice in the division to date. While his talent is undeniable, it’s still early days at 205 for ‘The Dreamcatcher’. A solid performance against the athletic Thierry Sokoudjou moves Mousasi another rung up the ladder – fingers crossed that he will face a sterner test soon.
8: Thiago Silva: Despite a loss at the hands of current champion Lyoto Machida, Silva remains one of the most dangerous and fearsome strikers in a stacked division…a fact even more scary when you consider that he is most effective on the ground. A victory over former champion Rashad Evans at UFC 108 could see Silva turn the division on its head and throw his hat into the ring for title contention.
9: Jon ‘Bones’ Jones: 2009 has been a breakout year for Jones, who notched a pair of solid victories over UFC veterans Jake O’Brian and Stephan Bonnar. He may have officially lost his controversial bout against Matt Hammil at the TUF Finale, but we believe we’re not alone in thinking that his performance was nothing but a positive for the young New Yorker. Jones will get an opportunity to prove he belongs in the top ten when he faces UFC mainstay Brandon Vera in March.
10: Anderson Silva: Perhaps a controversial entry into the 205lb rankings, it’s hard not to include Anderson after putting on one of the greatest performances inside the Octagon against the always tough Forrest Griffin. Inactivity in the division has seen Silva take a dramatic fall, but should Shogun Rua wrest the belt from Lyoto Machida in May of next year, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see ‘The Spider’ move back up in a bid to avenge his team mate and become the promotions first dual-weight champion.
Middleweight
1: Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva: Question marks still surround when and where middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva will be able to compete. One thing is for certain, as soon as he’s ready, ‘The Spider’ will lock horns with power-puncher Vitor Belfort, the man that many in the Brazilian fight scene are giving the best chance yet to topple the pound-for-pound ace.
2: Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson: Henderson recently put months of speculation to rest by signing with Scott Coker’s Strikeforce organisation. With a wealth of talent at middleweight including Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ de Souza, Jake Shields and Jason Miller, Hendo will certainly have his hands full should he stay 185lbs.
3: Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort: The former heavyweight star of the early UFC’s has seen mixed success on either side of the 205lb mark. Since dropping to middleweight though, ‘The Phenom’ has looked better than ever, knocking out Terry Martin and removing Matt Lindland from both the rankings and his senses. His comeback victory over Rich Franklin may not have been at middleweight, but it seems like the Brazilian’s performance was enough for him to leapfrog the pack into title contention in the eyes of the men who matter: Dana White and Joe Silva.
4: Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt: Veteran and former ‘King of Pancrase’ Nate Marquardt has looked more than impressive in his last three outings; show-stopping performances against Martin Kampman, Wilson Gouveia and Damian Maia. Many feel that those performances more than earned ‘The Great’ a second shot at Anderson Silva. However, the delay to the Silva/Belfort title bout see’s Nate forced to take a dangerous bout with Chael Sonnen in the interim.
5: Yoshihiro Akiyama: The man known as ‘Sexyama’ to his fans made his long awaited debut at UFC 100 with a victory that was much more decisive than the UFC commentary would have you believe. Some serious opposition awaits in the UFC, but it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see Akiyama’s name in the hat for a title shot by the end of 2010.
6: Jake Shields: Shields November 7th victory over Jason Miller may not have produced fireworks, but it confirmed what we already knew about Shields – he’s a smothering grappler more than capable of holding his own at a higher weight. Bouts against Jacare, Scott Smith or a possible dream match against Dan Henderson will test the Cesar Gracie product early next year.
7: Damian Maia: BJJ standout Maia was perhaps the hottest prospect in the UFC’s middleweight division until he was spectacularly derailed at UFC 102 by Nate Marquardt. After having his chin checked by ‘The Great’, Maia will begin his second bid for the UFC middleweight title with a much safer fight against fellow grappler Dan Miller.
8: Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping: UK trailblazer may no longer be the sole poster boy for Brits abroad in MMA with the advent of Dan Hardy, but he proved at UFC 105 that he’s more than capable of flying the flag for the motherland inside the Octagon. A dominating second round performance against the experienced favourite Dennis Kang in Manchester sees Bisping make an appearance in the 185lb rankings. By the looks of things, ‘The Count’ has put his UFC 100 loss to Dan Henderson behind him and is ready to start a second bid for the middleweight title.
9: Chael Sonnen: The man many consider to be the linier WEC middleweight champion (defending champion Paulo Filho came in overweight for their fight, meaning that while he lost, the belt was not on the line), is finally getting into his groove in the UFC. Should he pull off the upset in his upcoming clash with Nate Marquardt, the Team Quest grappler could see himself waiting in the wings for a title shot at 185lbs.
10: Mamed ‘Cannibal’ Khalidov: A veteran of World Victory Road’s ‘Sengoku’, Elite XC and Poland’s excellent KSW events, Khalidov might just be the next big thing in European MMA. Sporting an outstanding record of 20-3-1 and riding an 18-fight undefeated streak, ‘Cannibal’ has not tasted defeat since 2005. The Chechen-Polish slugger seamlessly blends wrestling, karate and freestyle grappling into an unorthodox style that recently saw him KO Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago in just 2:45 of the first round.
1: Georges ‘Rush’ St. Pierre: Still facing a lengthy lay-off after a serious groin injury suffered in his 5-round dismantling of Thiago Alves, St. Pierre likely won’t see action again until next spring. GSP’s extended break could be just what the division needs to rebuild itself; Dan Hardy has already emerged as the next pretender to the throne, while Josh Koscheck waits in the wings for his highly-anticipated rematch.
2: Jon Fitch: The one-sided nature of Fitch’s loss to Georges St. Pierre has left few in doubt of the result of a rematch. A second clash with Thiago Alves would have practically forced Fitch into a title bout had he won, however injury has delayed that bout, and Fitch’s title aspirations, into 2010.
3: Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves: Muay Thai wrecking machine Thiago Alves enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of the UFC’s welterweight division. Unfortunately, like so many before him, the American Top Team standout was derailed by 170lb king GSP. The first step on his road to redemption was to be a rematch with Jon Fitch at UFC 107. Recent rumours suggest that this much-delayed rematch will finally take place sometime in early 2009.
4: Josh ‘Kos’ Koscheck: Josh Koscheck survived some hairy moments in his recent bout with fringe welterweight contender Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson en-route to a second round submission victory. He may have lobbied for a title shot following the win, but Koscheck now sees himself on the injured list after dropping out of a welterweight title eliminator with nemesis Paulo Thiago.
5: Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy: Hardy defied the odds and brought home the ‘W’ for his country at UFC 105 against top welterweight contender Mike Swick. The win sees ‘The Outlaw’ leapfrog the pack into title contention at 170lbs; a mouth watering March 2010 clash with GSP awaits as Hardy aims to become the first British UFC champion.
6: Nick Diaz: One of the few fighters to walk away from the UFC on a win streak, Diaz has won nine out of eleven bouts since, his only loss being a cut stoppage. Having had surgery to grind down the sharp bones in his brow, the Cesar Gracie student has amassed a five-fight win streak. Diaz’s immediate future is in doubt following his refusal to provide a urine sample for licensing purposes last time out, although he is scheduled to face Lithuanian striker Marius Zaromskis in January.
7: Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley: When opportunity knocks, you answer! That’s an adage that served hard-hitting Brit Paul Daley well in his recent UFC debut. Stepping up from an unaired prelim to a featured PPV bout on a few weeks’ notice, ‘Semtex’ took the bull by the horns and smashed his way through the durable Martin Kampman. Originally slated to face Carlos Condit at UFC 108, Daley now finds himself opposing dangerous grappler Dustin Hazelett in what could easily be the fight of the night.
8: Mike ‘Quick’ Swick: One of the original Ultimate Fighters, Swick has got better and better since appearing on the show. Moving up to 205 for a chance to win the UFC contract, Swick is now back at his natural weight of 170lbs where he was recently handed his first defeat by Dan Hardy in Manchester. Swick will begin his climb back to the top by replacing teammate Josh Koscheck against Paulo Thiago at UFC 109.
9: Martin ‘Hitman’ Kampman: One of Denmark’s finest exports (second only to their bacon) ‘The Hitman’ recently has his red hot run at welterweight derailed by late replacement Paul Daley. While Kampman’s title aspirations may be on hold for the short term, an intriguing clash with last minute replacement Jacob Volkmann at UFC 108 awaits.
10: Marius ‘The Whitemare’ Zaromskis: A relative unknown outside of the hardcore fan base, Zaromskis jumped into the welterweight rankings after an incredible run through the DREAM 168lb GP. ‘The Whitemare’ will get his chance to shine in front of American fans for the first time in January, when he faces off with everyone’s favourite stoner Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight title.
Lightweight
1: BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn: Penn looked absolutely untouchable in his UFC 107 clash with Diego Sanchez, putting on a clinical performance that left his opponent a battered, bloody and broken mess. While Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard wait in the wings, it’s tough to see who, if anyone, in the UFC can come close to ‘The Prodigy’ at 155lbs.
2: Shinya ‘Tobikan Judan’ Aoki: Aoki continues to hold onto his number two ranking by the skin of his teeth. After pulling out a miracle submission against Joachim Hansen in his last bout, Aoki’s ended the year on a violent note, snapping the arm of Mizuno Hirota on New Year’s Eve. An all-Japanese showdown with ‘Krusher’ Kawajiri is all that remains.
3: Eddie ‘The Silent Assassin’ Alverez: Alverez is becoming known as something of a tournament superstar. Undefeated in the 2008 DREAM GP, Alverez had to withdraw from the finals due to an eye injury. He then entered and won the first Bellator FC lightweight GP with three submissions. Alverez will not be able to rest on his laurels forever though – after a proposed New Year’s Eve bout failed to materialise, ‘The Silent Assassin’ will need to fight again soon if he is to hang on to his top five ranking.
4: Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar: Edgar saw himself out of top ten contention after his loss to Gray Maynard, however two upset victories over Hermes Franca and former champion Sean Sherk saw ‘The Answer’ jump back into the top ten. A multiple time ‘Fight of the Night’ winner, his victory at the TUF 10 Finale over Matt Veach sees Edgar firmly in the mix to face BJ Penn for the title at 155lbs.
5: Kenny ‘Ken-Flo’ Florian: Despite being largely outclassed in his second attempt at the UFC lightweight title against BJ Penn, ‘Ken-Flo’ is remaining resolute in his desire to become a champion at 155. He took his first step en-route to proving that the third time is a charm against fan-favourite Clay Guida at UFC 107 in December, finishing the wild man with a trademark rear-naked choke.
6: Diego ‘Nightmare’ Sanchez: Sanchez found himself thoroughly shut out in his first ever UFC title bout at UFC 107. Where he goes from here is anybody’s guess, but you can bet that whoever is put in front of him, Sanchez will tackle the challenge with his trademark positivity. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed for a rematch with fellow TUF 1 alumni Kenny Florian.
7: Gray ‘The Bully’ Maynard: The Xtreme Couture-trained lightweight has been on a tear of late, remaining undefeated in nine pro bouts. He’ll next see action against Nate Diaz, the man who submitted him on The Ultimate Fighter Season 6, at UFC Fight Night 20. While the loss to Diaz was technically an ‘exhibition bout’ and not included on his pro record, ‘The Bully’ will doubtless be looking to erase the defeat from memory when the two face off again.
8: Tyson Griffin: After dropping an enthralling unanimous decision to former champion Sean Sherk last year, Griffin has rebounded in style, decisioning the durable Rafael Dos Anjos and scoring a devastating knock out of Hermes Franca at UFC 103. Griffin has seen his title aspirations put on hold for the time being after being forced to pull out of his UFC 108 clash with Jim Miller.
9: Gilbert ‘El Nino’ Melendez: Melendez had been waiting for over a year to get his hands on perennially injured lightweight Josh Thomson. He certainly made the most of the opportunity, winning a five round war and taking a well deserved unanimous decision to earn his spot in the rankings.
10: Tatsuya ‘Krusher’ Kawajiri: After an up and down couple of years in which ‘Krusher’ has experienced wins and losses in MMA and K-1, the Japanese warrior has finally focused on MMA full time again. After his tune-up victory over unheralded Melchor Manibusan at DREAM 12, Kawajiri scored a dominating decision victory over Sengoku standout Kazunori Yokota on New Year’s Eve, setting the scene for a title showdown with Shinya Aoki.
