Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn (13-5-1)
Greasing controversies aside, Penn was dominated from bell to bell by rival Georges St. Pierre in their Jan. 31 superfight. What the loss means for Penn is anyone's best guess given the mercurial decision-making of "The Prodigy." If the UFC has its way, Penn will head back to 155 to defend his title against Kenny Florian come June.

2. Shinya Aoki (19-3, 1 NC)
While Aoki has affirmed himself as a bona fide lightweight star, Dream parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group is trying to persuade the Shooto world champion to return to the 168-pound division for the Dream welterweight grand prix, which kicks off in April.

3. Eddie Alvarez (15-2)
A Shinya Aoki heel hook on Dec. 31 left Alvarez with a tweaked knee, canceling his planned Jan. 23 tune-up against Naoyuki Kotani. However, the fiery Philly native is still slated for April action as part of the upstart Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.

4. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
Despite the attention given to his New Year's Eve rematch with Gesias Cavalcante, the bout was nixed at the last minute when a pre-fight medical test revealed undisclosed head injury to Hansen, which promptly canceled the bout. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the sport's most notorious Norwegian.

5. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Cavalcante was denied the chance to avenge his July 2004 loss to Joachim Hansen when their Dec. 31 date was canceled at the last minute. Fortunately, the bout's cancellation will give "JZ" more time to rehabilitate his knee injury and get ready for 2009.

6. Sean Sherk (33-3-1)
Sean Sherk's quest toward regaining the UFC lightweight title will continue at UFC 98 on May 23, where "The Muscle Shark" will take on fellow dynamic wrestler Frank Edgar.

7. Kenny Florian (11-3)
He'll continue to win over the world in the role of analyst, but Florian's future in the cage now largely rests on the whims of B.J. Penn. Should "The Prodigy" acquiesce to the desires of the UFC, Florian could get his second crack at the lightweight title come June.

8. Satoru Kitaoka (24-8-9)
The hulking Pancrase product continued his lightweight surge, effortlessly leglocking perennial divisional standout Takanori Gomi in under two minutes. The bout gave Kitaoka the Sengoku lightweight title, and some serious attention from the MMA populace who had heard little of Kitaoka prior to his recent run.

9. Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC)
Strikeforce's lightweight champion was given the chance to atone for his August 2004 highlight reel KO loss to Yves Edwards in his first title defense on Nov. 21. Unfortunately, Thomson tore ligaments in his toe, which forced him out of the bout and have put him on the shelf.

10. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)
Kawajiri turned in one of the most impressive performances of his career on New Year's Eve. While it wasn't an MMA bout, the "Crusher" absolutely stormed Japanese kickboxing icon Kozo Takeda with a brutal first-round stoppage that put the former Shooto world champion's improved striking on display.