1. Maricio Rua (19-4) – Universidad de Luta
Shogun finally got his revenge after being robbed by the judges in his first fight with Machida- the rematch didn’t even make it out of the first round. Determined to be more aggressive in the second fight, Shogun put Machida to sleep four minutes into round one to claim UFC gold. If Dana stays true to his word, a matchup against Rashad Evans is likely on the horizon.
2. Lyoto Machida (16-1) – Black House
Machida looked unbeatable until he fought Maricio “Shogun” Rua in what was one of the worst decisions in MMA history. Still, he got the “w” and kept his belt- until Rua was given a rematch and decided to take the judges out of the equation. Machida suffered his first loss of his career and his next fight is TBA.
3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1) – Jackson’s MMA
One of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history finally came to fruition at UFC 114 when Rashad squared off against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The match failed to live up to the hype as Rashad continually put Quinton against the cage and took him down on his way to a unanimous decision victory. The win will give Rashad another crack at the title later this year.
4. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-3) – Black House
Rogerio was supposed to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 114 but due to Griffin pulling out with an injury he instead squared off against Jason Brilz. Brilz controlled the fight and took Nogueira down at will and also was able to rock Nogueira on a few occasions but the judges apparently saw a different fight as they gave the nod to Nogueira. Next up is TBA.
5. Quinton Jackson (30-8) – Wolfslair MMA
His fight with Rashad finally came and “Rampage” just didn’t deliver. There was notable cage rust as he just wasn’t aggressive and didn’t look comfortable although he did rock Rashad at one point but for some reason didn’t pursue. Rampage came into his camp very which turned his fight camp into a weight loss camp. He will look to get back into fighting shape and get back in the title hunt later this year.
6. Forrest Griffin (16-6) – Xtreme Couture
It feels weird ranking Forrest this high but at the same time it’s hard to rank guys like Jon Jones and Mo Lawal ahead of him when they only have one solid win in their career — even though I feel both of them would beat Forrest. Forrest has beaten Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua, and Tito Ortiz — and is a former UFC champion. Forrest pulled out of his fight with Rogerio and there has been talk of a possible fight with Machida in the future.
7. Mo Lawal (7-0) - Team Thirsty
Along with Jon Jones, he’s one of the best prospects in the sport. His raw talent and ability is amazing and with only six fights he was able to completely dominate a guy with over thirty fights and only two losses at the time. This guy needs to be in the UFC where the best LHW’s are. His next fight will likely be against “Feijao” and he’s also expressed interest in fighting at heavyweight as well.
8. Ryan Bader (11-0) – Arizona Combat Sports
A lot of people would rank Jones ahead of Bader because of what he’s shown in the cage, but Jones’ biggest win so far is over Vera, Bader’s biggest win is over Jardine. Jardine beat Vera not that long ago, so there ya go. These guys are going to stay on this list for years to come anyway. His next fight is TBA.
9. Jon Jones (10-1) - Jackson’s MMA
One of the most dynamic fighters in the sport and showed exactly how against Brandon Vera on Versus. Had it not been for the DQ loss against Hammill, he’d likely be ahead of Bader and right behind Mo. Next up for Jones is Matyushenko.
10. Gegard Mousasi (28-3-1) – Team Mousasi
One of the most talented guys in the sport but was completely dominated by one of the best prospects and most talented wrestlers. What the Lawal fight showed was exactly how physically lacking Mousasi is at LHW. Lawal was much bigger and obviously stronger. His next fight is TBA.