411's MMA Rankings 03.09.10: Lightweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 03.09.2010

The 411mania MMA Rankings return to feature the best lightweights in the world. BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, Shinya Aoki and Gilbert Melendez will all be in action, so check out where they rank right now. Can Frankie Edgar achieve the ultimate upset next month? Before he can try, he's still fighting Gray Maynard for the better ranking. Check out the complete list of the top 15 lightweights and much more.

Welcome to another edition of the weekly 411mania MMA Rankings and this week, the lightweights are under the microscope. While none of the top lightweights in the world saw action in the past month, that does not mean there was no change.

First, Diego Sanchez was removed from the list due to the fact that he is returning to the welterweight division. Yes, BJ Penn bashed Sanchez so bad, he's putting on fifteen pounds so he never has to fight him again.

BIG things are in the air for the lightweights because the next time we calculate this list, four of the top five fighters will see action. This is assuming Strikeforce's CBS show will not be delayed a week due to the fact that UFC will be promoting a live Spike special on April 17th as competition. BJ Penn will put his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar. On the surface, you have to go into that one assuming Penn will put on another clinic. There has been no reason to believe otherwise so hope Edgar can make fools of us. Shinya Aoki will come to the United States to challenge Gilbert Melendez on CBS with only Melendez's Strikeforce championship on the line (Aoki is the reigning DREAM champion). Plus, Kenny Florian is back in the main event at the end of this month when he fights Takanori Gomi, who will be making his UFC debut. All in all, the next five or six weeks are action packed for this division.

Joachim Hansen will return to action, although it will be at featherweight in DREAM. I will keep an eye and an ear out to see whether Hansen is considering a permanent move to 145 or whether he is just taking a fight (despite the fact it will be against Bibiano Fernandes and his championship).

One man who made a big name for himself recently is George Sotiropoulos (I typed that without needing to look it up, I swear). He dominated Joe Stevenson to win via decision in his native Australia at UFC 110 last month. The win marks the first against a real championship contender for George and was so impressive, don't be shocked if he ends up in a position to earn a title shot in the near future. However, he did not receive enough support to be ranked this month.

The weather is nicer, all of these shows will soon be here which means...IT'S ALMOST SUMMER!


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FEEDBACK to Last Week's Light Heavyweight Rankings

From wolvie316:
at best Rashad should be at #7.
Why? The man has one loss and it came against the reigning champion. He has impressive wins over Thiago Silva and Griffin, not to mention the Liddell knockout in 2008. I think those factors warrant a ranking higher than #7.
Response from Samer Kadi: Why? Because he has only one defeat, to the best light heavyweight on the planet? Or because he was the light heavyweight champion less than a year ago?

From zwarrior2:
One step closer to clearing Anderson out of these rankings. Maia in April, Sonnen in the fall which will be over a year. And then either Vitor/Wand/Akiyama at years end. And Tomasz Drwal fights at middleweight now.
True, if Silva does not compete at 205 by August, he will not be eligible. You are correct regarding Drwal, that is my mistake. Thanks.

From Cap:
Everyone happy now that Jardine is off the list?
Ha, I don't think everyone will be happy until Jardine is done fighting. Why? I have no idea.

From HaHaMan:
What the hell is with the Bader bandwagon? He hasnt beat anyone worth mentioning, who!?, Jardine? He wasnt even on your list (nor the 4 mods lists), so why would bader be there. And Anderson Silva really shouldnt count due to the fact that hes never made the claimbto go for LHW gold.
Bader is a guy who has potential, good skills and is starting to fight better competition. I don't have a huge issue with him being at the ass end of the rankings at this point.

From dd:
wtf mousassi should be higher this list is bs why cane is 10 can anyoone explain this
Mousasi may be a top three light heavyweight but his list of opponents is not going to make people put him there. In his last five fights, his impressive performances came against Jacare (awesome, indeed), Babalu (solid) and Sokoudjou (eh). Besides them, he also defeated Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge. Granted, the man is 31-2-1, but I think people want to see him fight better competition on a consistent basis.

As for Cane, He's a talented guy who was moving up the UFC ranks until he ran into Rogerio Nogueira. Perhaps 10 is a bit high when he's above guys like Frankling and Couture, but it's no travesty.

From byebye:
thank god, jardine is finally gone!
Is Bader your hero?

From SoulBrotherNo1:
Agree with these rankings,great work. I think Mousasi might find himself in the top5,maybe top3 soon,but he needs more quality wins before that.

I like how you dont overrate Randy,and dont write Cane completely down after one loss.
Thanks. I agree with you about Mousasi. There is no reason to put Couture higher on the list at this point. Since returning to 205, he is 2-0 and probably should be 1-1. He won a close decision over Brandon Vera that was more of a boring fight than we're used to from Randy. Then he dismantled Mark Coleman, as expected. I love watching Couture fight but I think if he's in there with one of the young bucks at 205, he will be in a lot of trouble (though, when haven't we heard that before).

From bob-o:
In Response to your response: In the COMMENT section last week under Big Nog's ranking.

"Unlike his first TKO loss, Big Nog does not have a serious illness to blame. Simply put, he was too slow to stand and bang with Cain Velasquez. It was amazing to see that unfold because just six months ago, we watched him look great against Randy Couture in a tough fight. Does this mean Big Nog's days of being a top heavyweight are over? Not for nothing, but doesn't this make Fedor all the more impressive?"

Still not sure what it means but I agree with you, it was years ago and therefore less relavent.
Okay, now I understand what you mean. "Doesn't this make Fedor all the more impressive." By that, I meant that Fedor has been in as many wars as Big Nog, but does not appear to have slowed down and aged as fast. Fedor appears as quick in his striking as he did during his PRIDE run. Hopefully, I cleared that up for you.

From K. Bett:
Says a lot about how much Machida is respected when Rua can come close to beating him and sit comfortably at #2 without doing anything else in the past three years noteworthy
Well, Rampage hasn't done anything noteworthy in the last 3 years either (loss to Griffin, wins over Wanderlei & Kardine). Evans has wins over Chuck, Griffin and Thiago with the loss to Machida. If not Shogun, there is no stand out fighter who clearly deserves to be #2 right now. But you are correct, Shogun jumped up the rankings after his losing performance against Shogun. Doesn't happen for everyone.

From King Durin:
I think Bader should be higher on the list. Babalou has done exactly Jack and Shit for over a year and didn't look like he belonged in the cage with Mousasi. Bader just comes out and wins, baby. Is he ready for Machida, Rashad or Shogun? Doubtful. Is he ready for Jones, Randy, and Cane? Yup, I think he is.
You make a good point. If it were not for that ACL (I believe) tear during the Marrero fight, I wonder how Bader's run may be different up to this point. Anyway, he is definitely a guy who should be able to compete with the bigger names (although not the elite names).

From Wyatt Beougher:
Solomon,

Here's your write-up about Big Nog from last week:

"Unlike his first TKO loss, Big Nog does not have a serious illness to blame. Simply put, he was too slow to stand and bang with Cain Velasquez. It was amazing to see that unfold because just six months ago, we watched him look great against Randy Couture in a tough fight. Does this mean Big Nog's days of being a top heavyweight are over? Not for nothing, but doesn't this make Fedor all the more impressive?"

And your comment in regards to my comment from this week:

"From Wyatt Beougher:
Wait, let me get this straight - you think Velazquez knocking out Nog so impressively in turn makes Fedor look MORE impressive? When Fedor couldn't finish Nog?
Said who?"

Apparently, said you.
Such confusion over that one sentence. I can understand why, but like I mentioned above, I was referring to the fact that while Big Nog has apparently lost something since the PRIDE days (in terms of speed, effectiveness, etc.), Fedor has not.

From sizzle:
i never understand how everyone votes anderson silva so high at LH, he has only beat leites and forrest at 205, i understand he has run through the MW division but what makes him better at 205 than lil nog??
Can't say. But what we do know is he has wins over James Irvin (not Leites) and Griffin at light heavyweight. We will never see them fight each other, Silva & Lil Nog, so I can never answer that question. However, his ranking does include the fact that the writers believe his skills make him as dangerous as any other 205er.

From MPMoore:
For the most part, good rankings. I can live with Evans and Rampage being that high. Call me crazy, but I might actually put Thiago Silva above Griffin. I like Griffin, but he doesn't seem to have an answer to anyone who brings the heat to him (Tito is a can, I don't count that one). I would like to see a Bones Jones vs Cane matchup soon too. Good young fighters.
Thiago Silva above Griffin? Interesting. Thiago had trouble against Rashad and Machida. Say what you want about Griffin, but he still has wins over Shogun Rua (injured or not) and Rampage.

From stronelis:
while i understand why you have them ranked the way they are, in all reality Silva should be ranked ahead of Rashad. I mean silva is flat better than Machida and Machida murdered Rashad. I know thats a bit of MMAth but do you actually believe that Rashad would stand a chance against Anderson?
Love that "MMAth." Frankly, I think Anderson Silva would defeat nearly every light heavyweight on this list but it does not make much sense to place him #1.

From J.T.:
On the those Griffin comments, do you mean other than Silva?
I do not consider Anderson Silva a former PRIDE superstar. Sure he fought there but I consider the superstars to be more along the likes of Cro Cop, Fedor, Big Nog, Wanderlei, Henderson, Gomi, Sakuraba, etc.

From wolvie316:
If Anderson stays at LHW I have no doubt he can be at #1. The only 3 people i see giving him problems in this division is the top 3.
Silva and Machida would likely never fight. I think the only way we see Silva continue at 205 is if A) Shogun beats Machida and b) Silva cleans out Maia, Belfort and Sonnen. That would no doubt take a long time to do so I'm not sure we will see Silva back at 205.

From Jon:
NO JARDINE!! AT LAST!! I know there are a lot of guys with sucky recent records, like Forrest, Franklin and Couture, but Jardine's record since 2008 isn't just poor, it's awful.

Anyway, onwards and upwards - if Gegard Mousasi gets bumped up from 7th after beating KING MO, we need to reassess the way the rankings work IMO. King Mo is undefeated, but pretty much unproven, and totally unworthy of fighting Mousasi IMO. What's next? Herschel Walker vs. Fedor Emelianenko?

Also, take Anderson Silva off the rankings. I don't like having part-time players taking up the rankings. Anderson could probably beat anyone in the LHW division, so being fifth is too low based solely on talent - but he's only had two fights at this weight class, so I wonder if he should even be that high on that basis. It sort of makes a mockery of the system. BJ isn't ranked as a welterweight, is he?
Woah now. You are comparing King Mo with Herschel Walker? Wow. Lawal is a guy with a great amateur wrestling background and thus far has shown tremendous potential in MMA. Does he have a 10-0 record, of course not. However, he poses a great challenge to Mousasi because of his skills. He is the better wrestler and has awesome power. For many, King Mo may be the favorite heading into that fight.

Penn is not ranked at welterweight for one thing because he has not competed at 170 in over a year. If he defeated GSP last year, you bet your ass he would have been ranked (prior to January 2010, unless he competed at welterweight again before then).

From Steeler Steve:
Note to editors.... Do you have any pics of Arlovski not getting knocked out that you could place next to his list of being knocked out? Maybe after the charity boxing, at least we will have a new pic of him being knocked out.
Ok...

From Zab Judaaaaaah:
luis cane is overated quite a bit just when looking at the guys unimpressive victories. I go as far to say that Baders are more impressive.
You can make that argument, it's not a wacky one.

From MJH:
Griffin should be higher on this list. He beat 2 and 3 and lost to 4 and 5 within his last 5 fights. That is much more impressive than anything Lil Nog or Gegard has accompished recently. He should be #6. I wonder if he beats Lil Nog (and I am not discrediting Lil Nog - just saying Forrest's recent resume is more impressive) how the haters will discredit that victory like they did his wins over Rampage and Shogun.

And as far as you saying I had revisionist history in the commentsd section and that Fedor has faced top competition in Arlovski and Sylvia, that is hog wash. Both were allowed to leave by the UFC because they could not hang with the current crop of heavys in the UFC. Lesnar defeating Mir, who in turn destroys Big Nog (insert excuse here) is impressive. Fedor beating Sylvia who in turn is humiliated by Mercer not so impressive. And none of that changes the fact that Fedor is still in position not to fight a top 8 guy for years. Again my point was not that Fedor is not the best, but that if all of the big names in the UFC are fighting each other at some point I would like to see Fedor fight one of them as well to prove he is still the best.
Trust me, if Griffin beats Lil Nog, you can bet he will jump up the rankings. Nogueira is the favorite in that fight, by far. The only negative about Griffin right now is he has not looked great since the summer of 2008, nearly two years ago.

The UFC wanted Andrei Arlovski but he got a great $$$ offer to leave. They did not want to match it, feeling it would wreak havoc on their whole pay structure. It had nothing to do with him not being able to compete in the UFC. All I'm saying is, when Fedor fought them, both Arlovski and Sylvia were considered top heavyweights. You cannot dispute that, it's fact.

I think everyone would love to see Fedor fight in the UFC. Whether it's Brock or Velasquez or Mir, etc., it would make for an historic MMA fight. Hopefully we will get to see it someday.

From Its Shogun Bitch:
Im sorry but A.silva shouldnt be at #5, he's fought once at LHW and that was almost a year ago. So i'll call bullshit on that
I'm sorry you feel that way. Silva has fought twice at LHW (Irvin and Griffin). He last fought there in August. Our rules stipulate that there is a one-year deadline to fight. Not an eight-month deadline. :)

From KSti:
Mousasi needs to sign with the UFC so he can fight top competition. Until he does so (or fights Henderson) he is ranked too high.
I disagree. He can fight plenty of solid competition in Strikeforce and Japan, but clearly all the elite guys are in the UFC. As long as he fights serious competition and looks as good as he has, I have no issue with him being at least a top 10 fighter.

From mae:
WHERE'S TITO!!!

He's only stunk cuz of a back injury lol
He'd be ranked number one if it weren't for the back injury, the cracked skull, and all the other "nagging" injuries he has to persist through.

From Town Drunk (in reference to my Fedor comment from last week):
I think the point he was trying to make is that doesn't the fact that Fedor hasn't fallen off and started to get knocked out in first rounds after all these years is impressive when you see what is happening to Big Nog. It wasnt the fact that Cain knocked out Nog that makes Fedor impressive. Its the fact that the same thing hasn't started to happen to Fedor that is impressive. At least I think that was his point.
Indeed it was Mr. Drunk.


Thanks to all for the comments/questions/hoopla, they are always appreciated.

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Lightweight Rankings from One Year Ago (2/24/2009)

1. B.J. Penn

2. Shinya Aoki

3. Kenny Florian

4. JZ Cavalcante

5. Sean Sherk

6. Eddie Alvarez

7. Joachim Hansen

8. Josh Thomson

9. Tatsuya Kawajiri

10. Gilbert Melendez

11. Diego Sanchez

12. Takanori Gomi

13. Mitsuhiro Ishida

14. Jamie Varner

15. Satoru Kitaoka

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THE CREW

The 411 MMA staff is pulling back the curtain to 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:

Samer Kadi 1-BJ Penn 2-Shinya Aoki 3-Kenny Florian 4-Eddie Alvarez 5-Kawajiri 6-Gilbert Melendez 7-Gray Maynard 8-Frankie Edgar 9-Joachim Hansen 10-JZ Calvacante 11-Josh Thinsib 12-Sean Sherk 13-Tyson Griffin 14-Ben Henderson 15-George Sotiropoulos	Scott Kuczkowski 1. BJ Penn 2. Kenny Florian 3. Shinya Aoki 4. Eddie Alavarez 5. Joachim Hansen 6. Gilbert Melendez 7. JZ Calvancante 8. Josh Thomson 9. Frankie Edgar 10. Gray Maynard 11. Ben Henderson 12. Sean Sherk 13. Tatsuya Kawajiri 14. "Shaolin" Riberio 15. George Sotiropoulos	Daniel Bonnizzio 1) BJ Penn 2) Jenny Florian 3) Shinya Aoki 4) Eddie Alvarez 5) Gilbert Melendez 6) Tatsuya Kawajiri 7) Joachim Hansen 8) JZ Cavalcante 9) Ben Henderson 10) Gray Maynard 11) Frankie Edgar 12) Sean Sherk 13) Josh Thomson 14) Vitor Ribeiro 15) George Sotiropoulos
Jeffrey Harris 1. BJ Penn 2. Kenny Florian 3. Shinya Aoki 4. Eddie Alavarez 5. Joachim Hansen 6. Gilbert Melendez 7. JZ Calvancante 8. Josh Thomson 9. Frankie Edgar 10. Ben Henderson 11. Gray Maynard 12. Tatsuya Kawajiri 13. "Shaolin" Riberio 14. George Sotoropoulos 15. Donald Cerrone	Jonathan Solomon 1. Shinya Aoki 2. B.J. Penn 3. Gilbert Melendez 4. Kenny Florian 5. Tatsuya Kawajiri 6. Eddie Alvarez 7. Joachim Hansen 8. Frankie Edgar 9. Gray Maynard 10. Ben Henderson 11. Josh Thomson 12. Takanori Gomi 13. Tyson Griffin 14. Sean Sherk 15. Shaolin Ribeiro	Todd Bergmann 1. BJ Penn 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Eddie Alvarez 4. Kenny Florian 5. Tatsuya Kawajiri 6. Gray Maynard 7. Frankie Edgar 8. Gilbert Melendez 9. Mizuto Hirota 10. Josh Thomson 11. JZ Calvacante 12. Tyson Griffin 13. Bendo Henderson 14. Jim Miller 15. Jaime Varner

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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 feel like complaining about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking. Remember "if u rite lik thiss" then your opinion doesn't matter and everyone will point and laugh.

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. If you wish to jump on the bandwagon and throw your hate on top of the pile, be my guest. Just have faith that there will be no backlash, we're writers not fighters. Besides, this is not North Korea. At least, that's what I heard Csonka shout at Ash behind closed doors one time.


* denotes a statistical tie.






411's Official MMA Rankings

Lightweight Division (155 lbs)





1) B.J. Penn (15-5-1)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: December 13, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Diego Sanchez - Win via TKO (cuts) - UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez - December 12, 2009

- vs. Kenny Florian - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via TKO (corner stoppage) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 - January 31, 2009

- vs. Sean Sherk - Win via TKO (knees and punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Joe Stevenson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Frankie Edgar - UFC 112 - April 10, 2010

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2) Shinya Aoki (23-4)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: May 9, 1983

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Mizuto Hirota - Win via technical submission (hammerlock) - K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 - December 31, 2009

- vs. Joachim Hansen - Win via submission (armbar) - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

- vs. Vitor Ribeiro - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 10 - July 20, 2009

- vs. Hayato Sakurai - Loss via KO (knees) - DREAM 8: Welterweight Grand Prix 1st Round - April 5, 2009

- vs. David Gardner - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix 1st Round - March 8, 2009

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Gilbert Melendez - Strikeforce on CBS - April 17, 2010

Comment: Aoki will make his U.S. debut in April against the best that Strikeforce has to offer. Aoki will have a lot of challenges to face as he will not be able to wear his famed pants and will be fighting in the cage for the first time. While the fans in Tennessee may not be aware, I can bet you many "hardcore" fans will be hoping Melendez puts a whooping on Aoki for his infamous actions during the Hirota fight on New Year's Eve.

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3) Kenny Florian (12-4)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 26, 1976

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Clay Guida - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez - December 12, 2009

- vs. BJ Penn - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Joe Stevenson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Roger Huerta - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy - August 9, 2008

- vs. Joe Lauzon - Win via TKO (punches and elbows) - UFC: Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Takanori Gomi - UFC Fight Night 21 - March 31, 2010

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4) Eddie Alvarez (18-2)

Birthday: November 11, 1984

Currently Fighting With: Bellator Fighting Championship

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Katsunori Kikuno - Win via submission (arm-triangle choke) - DREAM 12 - October 25, 2009

- vs. Toby Imada - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 12 - June 19, 2009

- vs. Eric Reynolds - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 5 - May 1, 2009

- vs. Greg Loughran - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 1 - April 3, 2009

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via submission (heel hook) - FEG FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008 - December 31, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Josh Neer - Bellator - May 2010

Comment: Before he defends his Bellator championship, he will fight Josh Neer in a non-title fight this May.

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5) Gilbert Melendez (16-2)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: April 12, 1982

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Josh Thomson - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Evolution - December 19, 2009

- vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida - Win via TKO - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009

- vs. Rodrigo Damm - Win via KO - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz - April 11, 2009

- vs. Josh Thomson - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson - June 27, 2008

- vs. Gabe Lemley - Win via TKO (punches) - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le - March 29, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Strikeforce on CBS - April 17, 2010

Comment: Melendez will be the American "hero" as he takes on the best foreign lightweight in the world. He has the tools that should give Aoki trouble but anything can happen inside the cage.

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6) Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-5-2)

Height: 5'7

Birthday: May 8, 1978

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Kazunori Yokota - Win via decision (unanimous) - K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 - December 31, 2009

- vs. Melchor Manibusan - Win via TKO (strikes) - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

- vs. Gesias Calvacante - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round - May 26, 2009

- vs. Ross Ebanez - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix First Round - March 8, 2009

- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Loss via TKO (punches) - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Sadly for The Crusher, he will not get his hands on Aoki anytime soon. What's next for him in Japan is anyone's guess.

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7) Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 26, 1979

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via submission (armbar) - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Win via TKO (punches) - DREAM 5 Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Kultar Gill - Win via submission (armbar) - DREAM 5 Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 3 Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals - May 11, 2008

- vs. Kotetsu Boku - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 1 Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Bibiano Fernandes - DREAM 13 - March 22, 2010

Comment: Hansen will fight for the DREAM Featherweight Championship later this month but it's unclear whether he is permanently moving to the lighter weight class.

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8) Frankie Edgar (11-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: October 16, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Matt Veach - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - December 5, 2009

- vs. Sean Sherk - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin - July 19, 2008

- vs. Gray Maynard - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

- vs. Spencer Fisher - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. B.J. Penn - UFC 112 - April 10, 2010

Comment: Edgar is training for the fight of his life and is considered as big an underdog as anyone in history.

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9) Gray Maynard (9-0)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: May 9, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Nate Diaz - Win by decision (split) - UFC Fight Night 20 - January 11, 2010

- vs. Roger Huerta - Win by decision (split) - UFC Fight Night 19 - September 16, 2009

- vs. Jim Miller - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Rich Clementi - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Frank Edgar - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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10) Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (14-3-1)

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round - May 26, 2009

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 2: Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round - April 29, 2008

- vs. Shinya Aoki - No Contest - DREAM: Heiwa 1 - March 15, 2008

- vs. Andre Amade - Win via submission (armbar) - K-1 HERO'S 10 - September 17, 2007

- vs. Vitor Ribeiro - Win via TKO (strikes) - K-1 HERO'S 10 - September 17, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Nothing is official, but the talk is JZ is expected to return to the DREAM ring next month.

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11) Josh Thomson (16-3)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: September 21, 1978

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gilbert Melendez - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Evolution - December 19, 2009

- vs. Ashe Bowman - Win via TKO - Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion II - September 20, 2008

- vs. Gilbert Melendez - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson - June 27, 2008

- vs. Adam Lynn - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion - September 29, 2007

- vs. Nick Gonzalez - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni - June 22, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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12) Ben Henderson (11-1)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: November 16, 1983

Currently Fighting With: WEC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jamie Varner - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson - January 10, 2010

- vs. Donald Cerrone - Win via decision (unanimous) - WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson - October 10, 2009

- vs. Shane Roller - Win via TKO (strikes) - WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki - April 5, 2009

- vs. Anthony Njokuani - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone - January 25, 2009

- vs. Diego Saraiva - Win via decision (unanimous) - EVO MMA - October 4, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Donald Cerrone - WEC 48 - April 24, 2010

Comment: Henderson's first title defense as undisputed champion is a month away as he will attempt to defeat The Cowboy for a second time.

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13) Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: August 5, 1973

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Frankie Edgar - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Tyson Griffin - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. BJ Penn - Loss via TKO (knees and punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

- vs. Kenny Florian - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 64: Unstoppable - October 14, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Injured

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14) Tyson Griffin (14-2)

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort - September 19, 2009

- vs. Rafael dos Anjos - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann - April 1, 2009

- vs. Sean Sherk - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Marcus Aurelio - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. Gleison Tibau - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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15) Vitor Ribeiro (20-3)

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix Final Round - July 20, 2009

- vs. Katsuhiko Nagata - Win via doctor stoppage (cut) - DREAM 8: Welterweight Grand Prix First Round - April 5, 2009

- vs. Gesias Cavalcante - Loss via TKO - K-1 Hero's Tournament Final - September 17, 2007

- vs. Kazuyuki Miyata - Win via submission (arm triangle choke) - K-1 Hero's Middleweight Tournament First Round - July 16, 2007

- vs. Ryuki Ueyama - Win via submission (triangle armbar) - K-1 Hero's 8 - March 12, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: HEY STRIKEFORCE! BOOK THE MAN TO FIGHT!





Final Notes: Other fighters receiving votes include George Sotiropoulos, Takanori Gomi, Mizuto Hirota, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner.