411's MMA Rankings 09.29.09: Light Heavyweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 09.29.2009

The 411 MMA Staff has your weekly rankings as we look at the crowded light heavyweight division. Has Rampage Jackson's sudden retirement pushed him down the list? See if Thiago Silva knocked Keith Jardine out of the Top 15 following the UFC 102 knockout. Following his big loss, is Rich Franklin still a Top 10 fighter? All that, your feedback and lots more in this jolly edition.

Welcome to the first light heavyweight MMA rankings of the fall season. The weather may be crappy depending on where you live, but look on the bright side, Rampage and Rashad are on TUF every week, Lyoto Machida will battle Shogun Rua in a month and Chuck Liddell is still dancing having not been eliminated from ABC's Dancing With The Stars. If that's not cause for smiles and laughter, I don't know what is.

Rampage Jackson announced his retirement last week, although if you had to place money on it, I wonder if you would say Chuck will end his retirement first or not? For Rashad Evans' sake, I hope Rampage returns in 2010 because it is one of a few money fights in the foreseeable future. If not, Rashad wants to fight Thiago Silva who knocked out Keith Jardine.

Kevin Bacon and your degrees, eat your heart out.

We will not rank the light heavyweights again until November so will this be the final time Lyoto Machida is ranked number one? The way the UFC's 205-strap has been a hot potato lately, part of me says more than likely. After all, both Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans did not get past their first title defenses.

Shogun Rua is getting the title shot next month based on his destruction of Chuck Liddell in April, so is it as close a match-up as I'm thinking?

Amazingly, all but two of the fighters ranked this month are signed to the UFC. Yes, the UFC has the majority of the best fighters, shocking I know. The lone holdouts include Gegard Mousasi (he will compete on Strikeforce's CBS show in November) and Babalu Sobral. So yes, the only fighter on this list who has never fought inside the octagon, is Mousasi. I wonder how UFC haters feel about that.

Speaking of 205ers signed to the UFC, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will make his debut for the promotion in November at UFC 106 fighting Luiz Cane. The biggest fight of Cane's career, hands down. If he wins, perhaps Cane can make it into the Top 5.




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FEEDBACK to Last Week's Lightweight Rankings

From AdamS:
And so Maynard finally cracks the list, and is still behind the guy he absolutley dominated for no reason.
Maynard has made our list for several months. Right now, he is tied for 9th and that is the highest he's risen. My take on why Edgar is #8 compared to Maynard at #9...Edgar is coming off a big win over Sean Sherk. That's it. Maynard has been impressive no doubt but Edgar has a win over the biggest name if you look at both fighters.


From GeeSpotter:
Nate Diaz should not have received an "other" vote. The guy is great against lower tier fighters.

Why has Sherk lost so much love? The guy is still a great fighter. He tried to re-invent himself because of all the booing he used to get from his wrestling. Now that he's trying to be a "stand-up" fighter, you guys are booing him in the rankings. Oh, the injustice! Does irony hold no bounds?
Nate Diaz has great tools to be a great fighter but until he beats a highly ranked lightweight, that knock will be on him for sure.

You may have a valid point about Sherk, who has only lost to Penn and Edgar in the past few years. He beat Tyson Griffin in a stand-up war which goes to show how he has improved that asset. Should he be higher than #12? Probably. Should he be higher ranked than #11 Griffin? Perhaps. Sean Sherk needs a big win to start rising up our list again.



From Sam Banks:
How is Diego umber 5?

He will be number 1 after his next fight.

And I HATE HIM!
What's your beef with Sanchez? Diego is #5 because he is still new to the division and started low in the lightweight rankings. He has shot up since his big (dominating) wins over the likes of Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. There's no doubt, if he beats Penn in December, he will be the #1 ranked lightweight. To be the man, you have to beat the man.


From stronelis:
solid list i support Kenny being over Diego for now because Diego hasn't beaten enough people in the lightweight division yet. However i believe that if diego even gives a good showing against BJ that he should be moved ahead of kenny seeing as the last time the two fought it was barely even a contest.

the one big problem i have is putting Edgar ahead of Maynard i just don't see how you can do this. i demand an explanation.
I think as long as Sanchez puts up a good fight against Penn, he may move ahead of Florian even in defeat.

To continue from above regarding Edgar/Maynard, Frankie is coming off the higher profile victory over a former champion and top contender in Sherk. While Maynard remains undefeated and winning, he is still fighting mid-level contenders in the division. That's how I see it anyway.


From KSti:
Aoki is overrated. He only gets ranked high becuase he is outside the UFC. There's a long list of wrestlers with good striking would beat him.

Hansen is too highly ranked as well.
Hmm...I highly doubt the reason Aoki is #2 is soley due to the fact he is not a UFC fighter. Whether you think wrestlers with decent striking can beat him, until they fight, who knows. All I know is when Aoki fought Eddie Alvarez (a fellow highly ranked lightweight with great striking), Aoki made him tap within minutes.

As for Hellboy Hansen, perhaps he is ranked too high considering he has not fought in over a year. How he performs against Aoki in a couple of weeks should help us see whether he deserves where he is ranked (@ #9). Besides the fact he has not been active, he has some impressive wins in his recent fight history.



From K. Bett:
Maynard didn't move up in competition until he fought Huerta. Edgar lost to Maynard and fought higher ranked fighters i.e. Sherk, and Sherk is ranked above Huerta
That's one of the arguments in favor of Edgar.


From Diavo:
Just to clarify my comments from last week regarding Rampage, I guess "no ground game" was a bit harsh. He does have good wrestling and very good clinch but what I meant is that he has absolutely no jiu-jitsu. He's never a really a threat to submit someone, and he was never able to get Griffin off of him in their fight.

As for this week's rankings, I find that too much credit is given to the guys who fight mostly in Japan. To me, the top UFC lightweight fighters just have much tougher competition among each other so it's hard to keep perfect records. But aside from that, good rankings.
It is weird that Rampage has shown no jiu-jitsu skills since coming to the UFC. You would think a guy like him who has good wrestling and very good striking would try to open up his game so he's not limited.

Of the top 10 lightweights, five are UFC based, one is Strikeforce based, three are DREAM based with Eddie Alvarez fighting mostly in Bellator and DREAM these days. I don't get how we overrate guys who fight mostly in Japan. Is it because the top three is Penn-Aoki-Alvarez? It was a razor thin difference between Alvarez and Florian for the #3 spot and I think the reason Florian fell to #4 was because he was no threat to Penn in their fight.

Besides, the top DREAM lightweights have all fought each other over the past year. Aoki has wins over Vitor Ribeiro and Eddie Alvarez since New Years Eve. Alvarez has beaten Tatsuya Kawajiri. Kawajiri has beaten JZ Calvacante. Last year, Hansen defeated Aoki but lost to Alvarez. So it's not like these guys are avoiding each other.



From buddha:
again, no love for the wec fighters, and another lightweight list full of overrated japanese fighters. they inflate their records with sub-par opponents and lose anytime they match up with quality opponents. and where is all the eddie alvarez love coming from? aside from some decent wins in the middle of '08 this guy has done nothing to deserve to be ahead of florian. i'm not saying all the best lightweights are from the ufc, but other thank aoki and possibly Kawajiri around #10, there aren't any dream fighters deserving of top 10. beating jc cavalcante shouldn't earn you a spot at #6. alvarez should be around #6, and maybe even behind gilbert melendez.

curious where josh thompson would be ranked if he weren't injured and had fought in the last year??
I'm all for more support of the WEC lightweights (I guess those include Cowboy Cerrone and injured Varner) but they have to be more active. Plus the division is so stacked, it's tough for Varner (who's inactive) to gain support and even Cerrone to do so. We'll see what happens after Cerrone fights Ben Henderson.

Again, the top Japanese lightweights do fight one another so it's not like they avoid each other and get their records to 25-0. As a matter of fact, none of them are undefeated. As for Alvarez, since moving to the lightweight division, he is 6-1 with wins over Hansen, Kawajiri and his run through the Bellator tournament. As a matter of fact, Alvarez and Aoki are the only top 10 fighters who have two wins over other top 10 ranked lightweights. Alvarez moved up from #7 to #3 from August to September, you can chalk it up to a variety of factors.

Plus as I mentioned before, Florian looked bad against BJ Penn. Obviously, Penn would make most lightweights look bad inside the octagon but there was some fallout from that fight.

Josh Thomson was last ranked at #5 in his last month of eligibility (August 2009).



Thanks for all the great comments, questions and feedback. It's much appreciated.

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September 2008 Light Heavyweight Rankings:

1. Forrest Griffin

2. Quinton Jackson

3. Lyoto Machida

4. Wanderlei Silva

5. Shogun Rua

6. Rashad Evans

7. Thiago Silva

8. Chuck Liddell

9. Keith Jardine

10. Sokoudjou

Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira were "On The Bubble."

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THE CREW

The 411 MMA staff have decided to pull back the curtain and reveal the great 411 Oz. After some consideration, for the the first time in the soon-to-be two-year history of 411 MMA Rankings that you will be able to see which knucklehead put which fighter where.

So here are the nuts and bolts, the breakdown of the rankings from your favorite 411 MMA personalities:

Patrick Mullin 1) Lyoto Machida 2) Rampage Jackson 3) Rashad Evans 4) Shogun Rua 5) Anderson Silva 6) Gegard Mousasi 7) Forrest Griffin 8) Renato Babalu Sobral 9) Luis Cane 10) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 11) Jon Jones 12) Thiago Silva 13) Vladimir Matyushenko 14) Keith Jardine 15) Rich Franklin	Todd Bergman 1. Lyoto Machida 2. Quinton Jackson 3. Rashad Evans 4. Shogun Rua 5. Anderson Silva 6. Gegard Mousasi 7. Forrest Griffin 8. Thiago Silva 9. Luis Cane 10. Rich Franklin 11. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 12. Jon Jones 13. Babalu 14. Vladimir Matyushenko 15. Keith Jardine	Scott Kuczkowski 1. Machida 2. Rampage 3. Evans 4. Shogun 5. Anderson Silva 6. Noguiera 7. Luis Cane 8. Thiago Silva 9. Mousasi 10. Franklin 11. Griffin 12. Jardine 13. Sobral 14. Jon Jones 15. Matyushenko
Jeffrey Harris 1) Lyoto Machida 2) Rampage Jackson 3) Shogun Rua 4) Rashad Evans 5) Anderson Silva 6) Gegard Mousasi 7) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 8) Luis Cane 9) Jon Jones 10) Thiago Silva 11) Vladimir Matyushenko 12) Babalu Sobral 13) Forrest Griffin 14) Rich Franklin 15) Matt Hammil	Samer Kadi 1-Lyoto Machida 2-Quinton Jackson 3-Rashad Evans 4-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 5-Anderson Silva 6-Forrest Griffin 7-Thiago Silva 8-Gegard Mousasi 9-Luiz Cane 10-Rogerio Nogueira 11-Keith Jardine 12-Rich Franklin 13-Babalu Sobral 14-Vladimir Matyushenko 15-Jon Jones	Adam Tool 1. Lyoto Machida 2. Rampage Jackson 3. Anderson Silva 4. Rashad Evans 5. Forrest Griffin 6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 7. Gegard Mousasi 8. Thiago Silva 9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 10. Luiz Cane 11. Rich Franklin 12. Keith Jardine 13. Chuck Liddell 14. "Babalu" Sobral 15. Jon Jones
Daniel Bonnizzio 1. Lyoto Machida 2. Rampage Jackson 3. Anderson Silva 4. Rashad Evans 5. Forrest Griffin 6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 7. Gegard Mousasi 8. Thiago Silva 9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 10. Luiz Cane 11. Rich Franklin 12. Keith Jardine 13. Chuck Liddell 14. "Babalu" Sobral 15. Jon Jones	Bill Wannop 1 Lyoto Machida 2 Rampage Jackson 3 Anderson Silva 4 Rashad Evans 5 Forrest Griffin 6 Shogun Rua 7 Gegard Mousasi 8 Thiago Silva 9 Luiz Cane 10 Babalu Sobral 11 Keith Jardine 12 Vladimir Matsyushenko 13 Matt Hamill 14 Rich Franklin 15 Jon Jones	Jonathan Solomon 1. Machida 2. Rampage 3. Anderson Silva 4. Rashad Evans 5. Shogun Rua 6. Rogerio Nogueira 7. Griffin 8. Mousasi 9. Cane 10. Thiago Silva 11. Franklin 12. Matyushenko 13. Babalu 14. Bones 15. Jardine

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411's MMA Ranking Rules

- A fighter must fight at least once within the past calendar year to be ranked. The rule applies to weight classes as well so fighters must stay active inside their native weight class. However, if a fighter has a fight scheduled, they are eligible to be ranked.

- If a fighter appears on just one single ballot, and in the top ten, five points shall be deducted to balance out between other fighters who may have been ranked lower, but appeared on more total ballots.

- If you wish to complain about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking, and write in a language that has the ability to be read by most, if not all. That would be most helpful. Thank you.

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the staff of 411mania. Therefore, if you don't like where a fighter is ranked, don't hate the playa, hate the game.





411's Official MMA Rankings: Light Heavyweight Division

Light Heavyweight Division (205 lbs)





1) Lyoto Machida (15-0)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: May 3, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Rashad Evans - Win via knockout (punches) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Thiago Silva - Win via knockout (punches) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 - January 31, 2009

- vs. Tito Ortiz - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - Win via submission (arm triangle choke) - UFC 79: Nemesis - December 29, 2007

- vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Shogun Rua - UFC 104 - October 24, 2009

Comment: MACHIDA KARATE~!!

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2) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-7)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: June 20, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Keith Jardine - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Wanderlei Silva - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Forrest Griffin - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. Dan Henderson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - May 26, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Retired

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3) Rashad Evans (13-1-1)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: September 25, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Lyoto Machida - Loss via knockout (punches) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 88: Breakthrough - September 6, 2008

- vs. Michael Bisping - Win via decision (split) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

- vs. Tito Ortiz - Draw - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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4) Anderson Silva (25-4)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: April 14, 1975

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Thales Leites - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 97: Redemption - April 18, 2009

- vs. Patrick Cote - Win via TKO (injured knee) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. James Irvin - Win via KO (punches) - UFC: Fight Night 14 - July 19, 2008

- vs. Dan Henderson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Vitor Belfort - UFC 108 - January 2, 2009 (RUMOR)

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5) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3)

Birthday: November 25, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 97: Redemption - April 18, 2009

- vs. Mark Coleman - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson - January 17, 2009

- vs. Forrest Griffin - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. Alistair Overeem - Win via KO (strikes) - PRIDE 33: Second Coming - February 24, 2007

- vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - Win via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Lyoto Machida - UFC 104 - October 24, 2009

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6) Gegard Mousasi (29-2-1)

Height: 6'0

Currently Fighting With: DREAM and Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Babalu Sobral - Win via KO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009

- vs. Mark Hunt - Win via submission (kimura) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round - May 26, 2009

- vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza - Win via KO (upkick) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Melvin Manhoef - Win via submission (triangle choke) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - September 23, 2008

- vs. Dong Sik Yoon - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 4: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - June 15, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. TBA - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

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7) Forrest Griffin (16-6)

Height: 6'3

Birthday: July 1, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Anderson Silva - Loss by KO (strikes) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Rashad Evans - Loss by TKO (punches) - UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008

- vs. Quinton Jackson - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. Mauricio Rua - Win by submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. Hector Ramirez - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 72: Victory - July 16, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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8) Luiz Cane (10-1)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: February 4, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Steve Cantwell - Win via decision (unanimous) - UC 97: Redemption - April 18, 2009

- vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben - October 18, 2008

- vs. Jason Lambert - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 85: Bedlam - June 7, 2008

- vs. James Irvin - Loss via DQ (knee to the head on the ground) - UFC 79: Nemesis - December 29, 2007

- vs. James Damien Stelly - Win via KO (knee) - Art Of War 3 - September 1, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - UFC 106 - November 21, 2009

Comment: Cane will face the biggest name of his career when he welcomes "Lil' Nog" to the UFC in November. With Rogerio Nogueira having no interest in challenging friend Lyoto Machida, this match-up is all the more interesting.

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9) Thiago Silva (14-1)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: November 12, 1982

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Keith Jardine - Win via KO - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Lyoto Machida - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn - January 31, 2009

- vs. Antonio Mendes - Win via submission (punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Houston Alexander - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

- vs. Tomasz Drwal - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. James Irvin - Win via TKO (knee injury) - UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - May 26, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: With Rampage in retirement, Rashad Evans has already called out Thiago Silva for a possible fight. After taking out Jardine, can Silva make it 2-0 going after Greg Jackson fighters?

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10) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: June 2, 1976

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Dion Staring - Win via submission (triangle choke) - Jungle Fight: Ceara - May 9, 2009

- vs. Vladimir Matyushenko - Win via TKO (strikes) - Affliction: Day of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Moise Rimbon - Win via decision (unanimous) - Sengoku 6 - November 1, 2008

- vs. Edwin Dewees - Win via TKO (punches) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Todd Gouwenberg - Win via TKO - HCF - Destiny - February 1, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Luiz Cane - UFC 106 - November 21, 2009

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11) Renato "Babalu" Sobral (32-8)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: July 9, 1975

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gegard Mousasi - Loss via KO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009

- vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - Win via submission (darce choke) - Affliction: Day of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Bobby Southworth - Win via TKO (doctor stoppage due to a cut) - Strikeforce: Destruction - November 21, 2008

- vs. Mike Whitehead - Win via decision (unanimous) - Affliction: Banned - July 19, 2008

- vs. Rodney Glunder - Win via submission (arm-triangle choke) - PFP: Ring of Fire - December 9, 2007

- vs. David Heath - Win via submission (anaconda choke) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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12) Rich Franklin (25-5)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: October 5, 1974

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Vitor Belfort - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin - September 19, 2009

- vs. Wanderlei Silva - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 99: The Comeback - June 13, 2009

- vs. Dan Henderson - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson - January 17, 2009

- vs. Matt Hamill - Win via TKO (kick to the body) - UFC 88: Breakthrough - September 6, 2008

- vs. Travis Lutter - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2 - April 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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13) Jonathan Jones (9-0)

Height: 6'4

Birthday: July 19, 1987

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jake O'Brien - Win via submission (D'arce choke) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

- vs. Stephan Bonnar - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 - January 31, 2009

- vs. Andre Gusmao - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 87: Seek and Destroy - August 9, 2008

- vs. Moyses Gabin - Win via TKO (punches) - Battle Cage Xtreme 5 - July 12, 2008

- vs. Parker Porter - Win via KO (punch) - WCF 3 - June 20, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Matt Hamill - UFC Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - December 5, 2009

Comment: Whether you think Matt Hamill is a more dangerous fight than Stephan Bonnar is debatable. What's not (at least in my opinion) is Hamill poses the biggest danger to Bones Jones. Hamill is a strong wrestler with power in his hands, a combination Jones may not be use to.

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14) Keith Jardine (14-6-1)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: October 31, 1975

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Thiago Silva - Loss via KO - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Quinton Jackson - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Brandon Vera - Win via decision (split) - UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben - October 18, 2008

- vs. Wanderlei Silva - Loss by KO (punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win by decision (split) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: People have been calling for this for some time and it finally happens. Keith Jardine nosedives out of the top ten and falls to #14 after his knockout loss to Thiago Silva. Going one back to his last six fights, Jardine is 2-4 with three quick knockout losses and a pair of decision victories.

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15) Vladimir Matyushenko (23-4)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: January 4, 1971

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Igor Pokrajac - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin - September 19, 2009

- vs. Jason Lambert - Win via decision (unanimous) - Call to Arms 1 - May 16, 2009

- vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - Loss via TKO (strikes) - Affliction: Day Of Reckoning - January 24, 2009

- vs. Jamal Patterson - Win via TKO (strikes) - IFL: New Jersey - April 4, 2008

- vs. Alex Schoenauer - Win via decision (unanimous) - IFL - World Grand Prix Semifinals - November 3, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown





Final Notes: Others receiving votes include Matt Hamill and Chuck Liddell.