411's MMA Rankings 07.13.10: Light Heavyweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 07.13.2010

Rich Franklin knocked out Chuck Liddell, but can he return to the top ten? Who is the better fighter between Bones Jones and King Mo? Who is the rightful #1 light heavyweight in MMA? Find out in 411's Light Heavyweight Rankings!

Welcome one, welcome all to the 411mania MMA Rankings. July is HOT and this week we bring to you the best fifteen light heavyweights in the world. While the top five may bet set in stone for the time being, that does not mean there is nothing to talk about in regards to one of the most popular divisions in the sport.

Three of the top light heavyweights saw action recently and all were victorious. Babalu Sobral bested Robbie Lawler to take a decision, Rich Franklin knocked out Chuck Liddell while fighting with a broken forearm and Gegard Mousasi made Jake O'Brien look like a rookie.

Babalu is now expected to fight Dan Henderson in August on the same show where King Mo defends the Strikeforce championship for the first time. Mo will fight Rafael Cavalcante in a fight where you have to expect the wrestling juggernaut to have control from bell to bell.

Coming up in just a matter of weeks, we will see Bones Jones and Thiago Silva in action. Bones Jones will main event another UFC card on August 1st (VERSUS) when he challenges the veteran known as "The Janitor", Vladimir Matyushenko. Thiago Silva will compete days later at UFC 117 against Tim Boetsch.

Three weeks later, RANDY COUTURE will step inside the octagon to take on professional boxer JAMES TONEY! Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

Meanwhile, the king of the division, Shogun Rua will be out of action after undergoing knee surgery recently. The UFC champion will not return to the cage until 2011 (although it's expected to be in the first quarter) where he will make his first title defense against Rashad Evans. We know what happened the last time Shogun was coming off injuries/surgeries, so will history strike twice in the favor of a former TUF winner?



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FEEDBACK to Last Week's Heavyweight Rankings

From Alex:
Werdum as the second best HW in the world is somewhat cringe inducing as he was demolished by JDS. While he did beat both Fedor and Overeem, the fact is that he only went 2-2 in the UFC. He's also lost to 3 guys in this top 15.

Fedor is going to be on the down slope of his career. That is just my prediction and I don't think that he could hang with Brock for one second.

My top 10 list is actually identical to Jeffrey Harris.
Werdum made the best heavyweight in the world tap out. Whether you think Werdum is the best in the world or not, he's #2 based on accomplishment alone.

From Litas Biggest Fan:
OK list, although I think Frank Mir should be higher. Carwin should be at 5, Mir at 6.
There's no way in hell Frank Mir should be higher.

From Brad:
Quite amazing how Brock has become the #1 HW in the world, now it is a case of who can beat him....
A lot of people think Cain can, but much like the Carwin match I had it at 50/50. JDS? I'm not sold on him completely to be honest but he is a quality HW. I still think Overeem is the man to beat Brock honestly, I know people still don't rate him but his skill set is undeniable.
Velasquez has a great skill set, too. He's probably a better wrestler than Brock and has a great gas tank. Put that in combination with a rock hard chin (I know he was blasted by Kongo, but he came back to win) and he's dangerous.

From J. Robinson:
heavyweight, Cain Velasquez. The Mexican-American is perhaps a better wrestler than Lesnar


UM...what? this would be false. Cain was a good wrestler, but he was not a National champ, All American yes, and looking at the year Lesnar won it the compition was much better that when Cain was an AA.
I say that because the last time Lesnar was a competitive amateur wrestler, it was one decade ago. Velasquez was a terrific amateur more recently (obviously, Brock accomplished more though).

From Malibou:
I would love to see big country fighting for the title. I wonder how Dana would hype that one with all the hate he has for Roy
I doubt Dana hates Roy Nelson. If Nelson were to knock out JDS, I think the UFC would have a ball hyping him for a title shot at big guys like Brock or Cain.

From Andrew S:
Here is how the list should look.

1. Brock Lesnar
2. Alistair Overeem
3. Cain Velasquez
4. Shane Carwin
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Junior Dos Santos
7. Frank Mir
8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
9. Roy Nelson
10. Fedor Emelianenko
11. Mirko Cro Cop
12. Antonio Silva
13. Brendan Schaub
14. Mirko Filipovic
15. Brett Rogers
How is Overeem #2? The biggest win (at heavyweight) for him is....? And you have Cro Cop twice ranked....I disagree wholeheartedly with your 15.

From MJH:
Old business - I hate on Shields and Diaz because I do not like the Stockton crowd and their pre and post fight antics. Melendez (who I always believed in) and now Shields have proven me wrong with dominant wins over top flight guys. Diaz being overrated because he is not beating "great" competiton is my last hope......

As for heavyweights I have a big problem with Werdum being ranked ahead of JDS. My rankings would go -

1. Brock
2. Cain
3. JDS
4. Werdum
5. Fedor
6. Carwin
7. Mir
8. Overeem
9. Big Nog
10.Big Country
11. - everyone else
I don't have a problem with Werdum ahead of JDS. JDS did knock him out, but it's just that. Everyone can be knocked out, it's not like Werdum was outclassed for 20-minutes. On the same coin, Werdum caught Fedor...so who knows.

From DD:
How can you honestly rank Werdum at #2 and JDS at #5? Just because Werdum beat Fedor, doesn't mean that negates the fact that JDS destroyed him three fights prior to that.
Beating Fedor will help a guy out...

From WOW!:
Andrew S ! - your nothing but a mark for the UFC - you had Fedor at 10 ! you sir are as bad as Jeffery Harris having Fedor at 7~ ! The man has beaten everyone and only lost his first real MMA match in 10yrs ~

If all you ass cloawns wanna call Brock the Top UFC guy that feel free but he is by far the Top MMA Heavyweight in the world - no amout of stroking by Josh Rosenthal or a UFC belt will help that ! And i think guys like Overreeem and Fedor woudl disagree!
Brock Lesnar is without a doubt the top UFC heavyweight. No doubt, he's among the best heavyweights in the world right now, if not THE man.

From wolvie316:
JDS should be above Cain. he's had better quality opponents and finished all of them.
Good points.

From Commie:
Werdum is ranked way too high. Yeah, he's the first person to (really) beat Fedor. Apart from that he's been none too impressive. His fight against Bigfoot was horrible.

I'd like to see Arlovski against Big Country again. Hard to believe that last time they fought, Arlovski was one of the best heavys going--but hasn't won another match since, and would probably lose if he fought Big Country again now.
The fight with Big Foot was not horrible. It was fine. And as for AA/Nelson, remember that Nelson had him in side control before the horrible referee call to stand them up!

From wylun:
well hello... lol im not even going to go into fedor losing or watever, but i am a brock fanboy so its nice to see him at number 1... however i would of thought overeem would be alittle higher than 7? lol =/ just my 2cents.. but i can see the logic as saying the UFC HW division is more stacked ..

but it is funny to see werdum higher than JDS when JDS knocked him silly.. but i guess that fedor win put him back on top
Overeem simply has not fought consistent quality competition.

From manoftheclothe:
hahahahahaha, where are all the Brock haters now??? Oh yeah, that's right, trying to think of excuses.

We will never know what would have happened had Carwin decided not to blow his load. I think it would have still been the same result, just maybe another round. Brock would not have stood with him after that first round and would have out wrestled Carwin for either TKO via ground and pound or submission.

I am still undecided on Cain v Brock. Cain may not have the same wrestling standard as Carwin and Brock, but he has shown that his wrestling has translated into MMA better. The other plus side to Cain over Carwin, is round experience. Carwin had never passed the first round and never had to pace himself (which I would be suprised if he did not train for that in future). Cain has been hit hard, and recovered enough before he even dropped a knee and went to his instinct (or bread and butter as it is so often refered to) and wrestled into a better possition for himself.

I think after his last performnance, Fedor's possition is justified. Maybe defeating higher quality in the last 2 years would have saved such a drop. I do see Fedor climbing back up though.

I would maybe put Overeem higher, but on the lack of fighting quality (which outside of the UFC is average at best) I can see why.

I love this lists to see how the once mighty fall down, I am still gutted at the fall of Arlovski, he was one of my favourite HW fighters (and still is, I just have to quickly close my eyes when he gets punched).

Good solid list I think, going on quality of wins, and recent wins / loses this is a pretty good ranking for all envolved.

The scary thing about most of these top 6 guys, they are young in their MMA career's and only getting better. This is a huge changing of the guard!!!
Great points about Cain/Brock. Changing of the guard is exactly the point with the emergence of the top wrestlers, JDS, Overeem and even Roy Nelson amongst the classics like Fedor, Big Nog and Mir.

From hammerfist:
Brock`s 5-1 does not compare to the other top HW. He beat a 45 yr old Couture, fought Mir twice, couldn`t put Heath Herring away and got beaten up by Carwin in the 1st RD. If Carwin wouldn`t have gassed, or if another ref would have called the fight Brock would be 4-2.
Holy shit, since when was Brock Lesnar 0-6?

From dosSantos>Velasquez:
Two of the top five are fighting in the minor leagues. This is a really sad list.
There's minor league MMA? Where?!

From MJH:
"Brock should'nt be #1-the way he ran like a girl from Carwin in Rd. 1 is still fresh in my mind. Brock cant take a punch-all he did was cover his face and hope for the best.
Get someone in there with more than a 1/4 full gas tank-and Brock is in trouble.
I was a Brock fan-but after this past weekend, Fedor > Brock. "

This makes no sense to me. Are you saying that running away from a top level striker to get out of harm's way (as wussy like as it seemed)is a worse MMA move then jumping into the guard of a BJJ black belt not once than twice?
Ouch!

From happy clown:) :
i'm a big brock fan myself but for him to be #1 come on. i think he a a long way to go to be number #1 and he only has had 5 fights. when he gets past fedors record before fedor lost then i will say yeah brock is #1. personally i think brock can can do it.
Nobody will have Fedor's record. Even Overeem, who has 40 fights to his credit (fewer as a heavyweight) has double digit losses.

From Josh:
Andrew, now I'm no Fedor lover by any stretch of the imagination, but I find it ironic that you dismiss Fedor as having "not beaten a top 10 fighter since pride", and yet you have Overeem as your #2. Besides Bret Rogers, who Fedor also beat, who the hell has Overeem beaten at heavyweight?
Cro Cop's groin.

From Jon:
WOW.

So Brock's 5 wins are suddenly better than Fedor's 30? Okay, I can accept that in terms of immediate relevance. So Fedor's second, right? RIGHT?!

No. Cain Velasquez, apparently, who's beaten ONE legit top Heavyweight. I'll repeat that - he has beaten ONE legit top Heavyweight. That man is Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira. Wait, where do I know that name from? OH WAIT! Fedor beat him twice! So I guess those pillow-punches against Ben Rothwell were more impressive than Fedor beating numerous top 10 HW's (at the time) in the last couple years?

Sorry, one word - DUMB.

I can sorta see the Werdum thing, like when Edgar overtook BJ - a win = a direct replacement, but STILL.

Anyway, I guess the UFC fanboys have got their way now, but I cannot see any of Anderson Silva/GSP/Brock making a 25-fight win streak then losing ONE FIGHT and dropping to number four in their division, but hey-ho.

And before anyone says "Fedor needs to fight in the UFC to rank higher", the UFC can't find any of those other guys decent opposition anyway. How is Dan Hardy a better challenger to GSP than Rogers was to Fedor?! Maybe GSP should fall for lack of competition. And the only reason Anderson Silva has competition is because UFC got it from... STRIKEFORCE! Jake Shields anyone? And since when was Vitor Belfort a number one contender in the whole world?

Fedor in Strikeforce is not the only great fighter in a weak division.
So...after a decisive loss for Fedor and a big win for Brock...you have a problem with Fedor's drop?

From gwpbrian:
I love how the ignorant fools come out of the woodwork after every Brock fight. Apparently, you're a better fighter if you just stand in front of a guy like Shane Carwin and let him just rock you over and over again. Apparently THAT is what it takes. You're not supposed to cover up and defend yourself. I'll remember that next time one of your gods like Fedor do the same exact thing.

To the morons that continue to say the ref should've stopped it... you just show how little you know about fighting. Stops happen, when the other fighter clearly cannot defend himself. Never at any point was Brock not able to defend himself. That's something that dipshits say when there guy lost.

So keep the excuses up jackasses. Brock is undisputed #1. He completely avenged his only loss and completely destroyed Frank Mir. He beat a legend in Randy Couture, and now he withstood punishment from one of the hardest hitting bad asses in the world, and proved that he indeed has a chin. So Carwin got gassed? He has no cardio? So who's fault is that? Has anyone questioned Brock's cardio? I don't think so. So get your excuses ready. You're running out.
Word.

From What.:
I like when people say Carwin gassed out, or for that matter when anyone does after 5mins. He just lost to a better fighter, has nothing to do with cardio.
Cardio does have something to do with it. Carwin wanted to be as strong as Brock for the fight so he worked to become as massive as he could. Apparently, he forgot about possibly going past the first round because as he said himself, his body shut down.

From Brian:
Werdum is too high - he went 2-2 in the UFC yet after beating Fedor he is somehow now above them (like Alex stated - JDS killed him)? Fedor hasn't really fought anyone recently that is of current significance - he never should have been at number one.

In my opinion, the top 5 or 6 UFC guys belong above both Fedor and Werdum before and after the Fedor/Werdum fight. Neither of them have proven themselves in the only place that matters in the HW division (in the UFC).
Fedor was the #1 fighter (rightfully so) and the only reason he is not now, is because he lost. Simply put!

From Its Shogun Nigga:
Its hard to say who really is #1..Brock didnt impress, Werdum was about to get ko'd, Cain hasnt fought top level comp (imo)...

i still say even though Fedor loss, he still is #1 because he got caught, its not like he got his ass kicked..

Rankings shouldnt be based on if you lose or if you win a title, it should be based on ur overall skill set. For Ex. just because Edgar beat BJ, Edgar jumped like 8 spots to #1. Thats bullshit, we all know Edgar is not the best LW in the world, and he def isnt better then BJ or Melendez
Brock definitely impressed. He withstood Carwin's monster punches, came back and submitted him. I understand your second point about not being the best in the world, but when top fighters are beaten, they take a fall. Unless it's a situation like Shogun Rua's first fight with Machida, there has to be a consequence to losing.

From kid:
MY GOD YOU GUYS OVERREACT TO1 WIN!!!!!!
No way is Wedrdum the #2 HVWT, as Carwin, Overeem, Mir, and Cain would ALL beat him.
Didn't people say the same thing about Werdum not being able to beat Fedor?

From MJH:
Wolvie - there was another difference, Brock won his fight while Fedor lost with a beyond rookie mistake. Maybe Fedor should have showed some fear of Werdum's BJJ?
He definitely should have feared Werdum's ground game more, instead of throwing wild punches.

From J:
LMAO!

All these tools making excuses that the fight should have been stopped are NOOBS who think that the refs work for Dana! HAHAHAHAHA!

Frank Mir was dead for 10 seconds before the ref stopped his fight with Carwin. What's my point here? You never wanna risk a controversial call in a mega match situation. The fact that Brock wrestled his way back up into a dominant clinch position with a minute left to go in the round only validates the fact that it was the RIGHT decision.

Get over it, you butthurt haters.
The fight was handled 100% correctly by Josh Rosenthal. I'd hate to say it, but anyone who says otherwise does not understand the role of the referees. They only stop the fight if a fighter is not protecting themselves/defending themselves in that situation.

From King Durin:
First, I want to say it's been a momentous couple of weeks for MMA. Like boxing, the sport is defined by the Big Boys. You have your super stars at other weights (Mayweather, GSP), but nothing fires up a crowd (or buy rate) like the biggest, baddest dudes on the planet going at it.

Saturday night, as I drove home from a UFC party, I was contemplating what had just happened. In the course of a week we had Fedor losing clean and fair, and then Brock doing the MMA version of rope-a-dope with Carwin to come back and win the most decisive way a man can win. Within a span of 8 days a pair of arm triangles ushered in a new era of supremacy in the heavy weight division.

We are in for a title reign as long as Brock desires to be champ. The scariest thing to me is that Brock is already contemplating life after fighting with his farm, and that's a bigger and tougher opponent for the champ than anyone poised to step into the ring with the man for the foreseeable future.

Looking at the landscape of heavyweights, I believe that the Cain Train is just the next bandwagon in line to be knocked over by Brock. I'm going to rank the Heavyweights, but in an order that I think they have the best chance to dethrone the current king.

1) Brock Lesnar's Farm - already covered this one.
2) Shane Carwin - if the man had a gas tank he might have finished Brock. He's got the best skills to take Brock out, now he just needs to put in the work.
3) Fedor - Always, always, always has a chance to win.
4) JDS - Best striker not named Shane Carwin in the division.
5) Roy Nelson - Has the striking, size and strength to give Brock fits.
6) Overeem - Same as JDS, just not as good as JDS.
7) Cain Velasquez - over-rated for 265. Make a Cruiserweight division and here's your God.
8) Randy Couture - See Fedor, just older.
9a) Minotauro - May be one of two men with both the power and grappling to deal with Brock.
9b) Frank Mir - See Minotauro
10) Fabrico Werdum - He's just too small for Brock, but he's got a chance, just like he showed against Fedor. But Brock isn't Fedor. Do you think Werdum's legs are long enough to lock a triangle on Brock? Me neither.
Crap. Werdum makes Fedor tap out and he cannot get higher than 10? You're a tough judge of talent.

From zwarrior2:

M-1 really likes this site "Brock`s 5-1 does not compare to the other top HW". How did you find this place?

From just saying:
ok i'm a fan of roy nelson too, I like seeing him fight; I like his personality and everything.....
However does winning TUF just give you a slot in the top 10? Yes I know he's fought in alot of places and had alot of match ups, but the only two men he's ever faced that have challenged for or won a UFC title are his last two fights before he entered the UFC house.... lossing both to jeff monson and andre....... Look people let's be real and not give him a ranking and a hype that he's not deserving of even if the UFC see's a marketable fight between him and JDS...... there's a ton of MMAthimatics one can put together to agrue either side but the fact still remains roy of all the guys except for kongo have either fought better talent and have better records over their last 10 fights AND have higher quality of oppentents beaten..... How does Roy get slot 10 for beat Brandon Shaub and Struve???? I'm not a Silva fan personally but I mean at least he's beaten UFC former contenders and Champions.... Andre beat him...... I'm just saying maybe 13 or 14 cause the division is weak but roy at 10 is a def not
I totally understand what you are talking about. In some instances, Roy Nelson's skill set is seen as giving him a great chance against some of the elite heavyweights. He has tremendous ground skills and obviously has dynamite in his hands. While he may not have a slew of wins over guys like Overeem, Mir, Big Nog, etc., he has looked great in nearly all of his recent fights (even the Arlovski loss). That's my defense of Roy on this front. Besides, thankfully we shall get to see Nelson take on his biggest test in JDS this year.

From mae;
"My top 10 list is actually identical to Jeffrey Harris."

shouldn't admit that
oh boy

From Fear_Inc.:
@ All: let's stop living in 2008; forget the whole time period from UFC 92 to 116... You people sound like some guy in a party bragging about doing 3 chicks' in one year, 2 years ago... Whoopy doo!!! Thing is the Heavyweight Division is stacked right now (2010), so the title has to be put on the line more often, than usual, because of it... So, Why not from now on, one fight at least every 6 months?... that way we have Brock twice a year (June/July – Nov/Dec) that way he has time to rest + see his kid's birth + hold is baby + spend time with sable + shoot dear + play with his farm animal's + build ice castle's + invite Dana, to play monopoly + train + Bench press a car + Hype the Show & all that shit... do you agree? This is a good time period between fights?
It is deer, not dear.

From 401k:
Rankings are and should be mostly about current results.. Anyone can sit around and say who they THINK does something better than another fighter..Results are the only concrete facts to go by.. I happen to think Cain has translated his wrestling better to MMA than Brock, and is much better striker.. However based on results and quality opposition Brock is number 1.. In a couple months we will have our answer..
There is no doubt Cain has used his wrestling background more productively in MMA. While Lesnar is the champion, he has undoubtedly had takedowns stuffed by both Couture and Carwin. Velasquez is a wrestling monster in MMA which makes him as dangerous as any other potential challenger in the UFC.


Thanks for all the comments. As always, they are much appreciated.

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07/07/2009 Light Heavyweight Rankings:

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Quinton Jackson

3. Rashad Evans

4. Forrest Griffin

5. Shogun Rua

6. Keith Jardine

7. Rich Franklin

8. Luiz Cane

9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

10. Babalu Sobral

11. Thiago Silva

12. Vladimir Matyushenko

13. Gegard Mousasi

14. Chuck Liddell

15. Jonathan Jones

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THE CREW

Here are the nuts and bolts, the breakdown of the rankings from your favorite 411 MMA writers:

Samer Kadi 1-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 2-Lyoto Machida 3-Rashad Evans 4-Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 5-Anderson Silva 6-Forrest Griffin 7-Rogerio Nogueira 8-King Mo 9-Thiago Silva 10-Gegard Mousasi 11-Rich Franklin 12-Jon Jones 13-Randy Couture 14-Ryan Bader 15-Renato Sobral

Scott Kuczkowski 1. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 2. Lyoto Machida 3. Rashad Evans 4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 5. Anderson Silva 6. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera 7. Thiago Silva 8. Forrest Griffin 9. Mohammed Lawal 10. Jon Jones 11. Rich Franklin 12. Gegard Mousasi 13. Ryan Bader 14. Renato Sobral 15. Randy Couture

Jeffrey Harris 1. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 2. Rashad Evans 3. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida 4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 5. Anderson Silva 6. Mohammed "King Mo" Lawal 7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 8. Forrest Griffin 9. Thiago Silva 10. Jon Jones 11. Ryan Bader 12. Gegard Mousasi 13. Rich Franklin 14. Randy Couture 15. Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Larry Csonka 1. Shogun 2. Machida 3. Rashad Evans 4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 5. Rogerio Nogueira 6. Anderson Silva 7. King Mo 8. Forrest Griffin 9. Rich Franklin 10. Thiago Silva 11. Jon Jones 12. Ryan Bader 13. Randy Couture 14. Gegard Mousasi 15. Renato Sobral

Jonathan Solomon 1. Shogun Rua 2. Lyoto Machida 3. Rashad Evans 4. Rampage Jackson 5. Anderson Silva 6. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 7. King Mo 8. Bones Jones 9. Forrest Griffin 10. Thiago Silva 11. Gegard Mousasi 12. Randy Couture 13. Babalu Sobral 14. Jason Brilz 15. Cyrille Diabate

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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 appeared on more ballots.

- Want to complain about a fighter's ranking? Go right ahead, in the comments section and argue to your hearts desire.

- 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.

* denotes a statistical tie




411's Official MMA Rankings: Light Heavyweight Division

Light Heavyweight Division (205 lbs)



1) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-4)

Birthday: November 25, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Lyoto Machida - Win via KO (punches) - UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2 - May 8, 2010

- vs. Lyoto Machida - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Dragon vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Rashad Evans - TBA - 2011

Comment: Shogun Rua underwent knee surgery recently and is expected to be out of actioin until March 2011. According to his manager, Eduardo Alonso, they are preliminarily looking at the UFC Super Bowl show in February as a potential target date.

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2) Lyoto Machida (16-1)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: May 3, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Shogun Rua - Loss via KO (punches) - UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2 - May 8, 2010

- vs. Shogun Rua - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Dragon vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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3) Rashad Evans (15-1-1)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: September 25, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans - May 29, 2010

- vs. Thiago Silva - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva - January 2, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Shogun Rua - TBA - 2011

Comment: Evans has said he has no interest in fighting for an interim-belt and will wait for when Shogun is healthy and able to fight.

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4) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: June 20, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Rashad Evans - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans - May 29, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

Comment: Rampage has said he does not want to fight Lyoto Machida because he expects that fight to be boring. He reportedly wanted to fight Lil Nog but that will not happen. Perhaps he will be matched with Forrest Griffin in a rematch once Griffin is healthy and able to train. Stay tuned.

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5) Anderson Silva (26-4)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: April 14, 1975

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Demian Maia - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 112: Invincible - April 10, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Chael Sonnen - UFC 117 - August 7, 2010

Comment: Silva remains eligible at light heavyweight until August or longer if he has a fight scheduled in the division.

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6) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: June 2, 1976

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jason Brilz - Win via decision (split) - UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans - May 29, 2010

- vs. Luiz Cane - Win via KO - UFC 106 - November 21, 2009

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Ryan Bader - UFC 119 - September 25, 2010

Comment: After Lil Nog's lackluter performance at UFC 114, I surmise many will pick Bader to defeat the great Brazilian fighter.

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7) Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-0)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: January 11, 1981

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gegard Mousasi - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Nashville - April 17, 2010

- vs. Mike Whitehead - Win via KO (punches) - Strikeforce: Evolution - December 19, 2009

- vs. Mark Kerr - Win via TKO (strikes) - M-1 Global: Breakthrough - August 28, 2009

- vs. Ryo Kawamura - Win via decision (unanimous) - Sengoku 7 - March 20, 2009

- vs. Yukiya Naito - Win via TKO (strikes) - Sengoku Rebellion 2009 - January 4, 2009

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Rafael Cavalcante - Strikeforce: Houston - August 21, 2010

Comment: King Mo jumps up a few spots surpassing Bones Jones, Thiago Silva and Forrest Griffin since last month. Up next for the Strikeforce champion is his first title defense, against Rafael Cavalcante next month.

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8) Forrest Griffin (17-6)

Height: 6'3

Birthday: July 1, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Tito Ortiz - Win via decision (split) - UFC 106 - November 21, 2009

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- Unknown

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9) Thiago Silva (14-2)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: November 12, 1982

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Rashad Evams - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva - January 2, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Tim Boetsch - UFC 117 - August 7, 2010

Comment: Silva will take on Tim Boetsch in his UFC return as Boetsch originally went 2-2 in the UFC (and 3-0 since being let go after UFC 96).

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10) Jonathan Jones (10-1)

Height: 6'4

Birthday: July 19, 1987

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Brandon Vera - Win via TKO (elbows) - UFC on Versus - March 21, 2010

- vs. Matt Hamill - Loss via DQ (illegal elbows) - UFC Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - December 5, 2009

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Vladimir Matyushenko - UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko - August 1, 2010

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11) Gegard Mousasi (32-3-1)

Height: 6'0

Currently Fighting With: DREAM and Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Jake O'Brien - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - DREAM 15 - July 10, 2010

- vs. King Mo Lawal - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Nashville - April 17, 2010

- vs. Gary Goodridge - Win via TKO (strikes) - K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 - December 31, 2009

- vs. Sokoudjou - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - November 7, 2009

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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Tatsuya Mizuno - DREAM 16 - September 25, 2010

Comment: Mousasi returned to action this past weekend with a quick (and easy) submission victory over Jake O'Brien. The win moves Mousasi into the DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix finals (only four participants), against Tatsuya Mizuno in two months.

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12) Rich Franklin (26-5)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: October 5, 1974

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin - June 12, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- Injured

Comment: Rich is out recovering from a broken forearm suffered after being on the receiving end of a Chuck Liddell head kick.

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13) Ryan Bader (11-0)

Height: 6'2

Birthday: June 7, 1983

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Keith Jardine - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez - February 21, 2010

- vs. Eric Schafer - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009

- vs. Carmelo Marrero - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann - April 1, 2009

- vs. Vinny Magalhaes - Win via TKO (strikes) - TUF 8 Finale - December 13, 2008

- vs. Buckley Acosta - Win via submission (Arm Triangle choke) - XCC 6: Western Threat - April 5, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - UFC 119 - September 25, 2010

Comment: Bader is taking a big step up in competition and will challenge Lil Nog in September. If Bader can win this fight, he has to be considered for a title shot next year.

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14) Randy Couture (18-10)

Height: 6'1

Weight: 225

Currently fighting with: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Mark Coleman - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 109 - February 6, 2010

- vs. Brandon Vera - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera - November 14, 2009

- vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - August 29, 2009

- vs. Brock Lesnar - Loss via TKO (punches) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. James Toney - UFC 118 - August 28, 2010

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15) Renato "Babalu" Sobral (33-8)

Height: 6'1

Birthday: July 9, 1975

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Robbie Lawler - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Los Angeles - June 16, 2010

- 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Dan Henderson - Strikeforce: Houston - August 21, 2010

Comment: Babalu fought well against Robbie Lawler and afterwards, said NO GO when asked about a potential title fight with friend, King Mo. Instead, Sobral challenged Dan Henderson, who he lost to in 2000 in Japan. That fight is unofficially set for next month's Strikeforce show in Houston.





Final Notes: Others receiving votes include Jason Brilz and Cyrille Diabate.