Sherdog.com’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10

Urijah Faber was the top featherweight in the world and a pound-for-pound entrant, talks were beginning for a clash with fellow pound-for-pounder and emerging star Miguel Torres, and fans had already begun to question whether Faber had outgrown the featherweight division.

But Mike Thomas Brown didn't care too much for those best-laid plans, thrashing "The California Kid" and wresting his title in less than three minutes.

Despite the formerly sixth-ranked Faber's departure, this pound-for-pound ledger welcomes the addition of two of 2008's breakout forces. With three straight wins over top-10 opponents, 25-year-old Thiago Alves has locked in his status as the most deserving challenger to the UFC's welterweight throne. Meanwhile 24-year-old Eddie Alvarez has made good on the hype that accompanied his young career by pounding on some of the lightweight division's perennially toughest participants.

And better yet is a look to the future: While the past few months have largely been an in-between period for MMA's pound-for-pound stalwarts, seven of the 10 listed here are set for action in the next two months, and that's not counting a potential mega-money showdown for the sport's numero uno.

The ever-fickle MMA fan base questioned Silva's top pound-for-pound status after his bizarre October outing with Patrick Cote. Seemingly a victim of his own violent success, MMA's middleweight ruler was criticized for in-fight passivity and lollygagging despite complete control over the bout at hand. However, Silva will likely get the opportunity to atone for the Cote debacle come February at UFC 95 in London, where a rumored 205-pound bout with Chuck Liddell could come to fruition.

St. Pierre's August blowout of Jon Fitch easily supplanted Rich Franklin-David Loiseau as the most sustained, one-sided title fight in UFC history. "Rush" blasted Fitch for 25 minutes, turning the AKA product's survival into the most amazing part of the bout. On Jan. 31, St. Pierre will look to address the one continuously nagging question in his career when he takes on fellow pound-for-pounder and lightweight ruler B.J. Penn at UFC 94. Against “The Prodigy,” St. Pierre will aim to put a more definitive stamp on his 170-pound supremacy in what could go down as an all-time MMA classic.

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Fedor Emelianenko

It could be temporary, but Affliction will give MMA's greatest heavyweight the opportunity to meet some of the division's best opposition. Emelianenko will finish his acting work on a forthcoming action movie in Thailand this month and then set about training for his Jan. 24 showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

While the UFC's 155-pounders continue to duke it out for the rights to challenge Penn, come Super Bowl weekend the Hawaiian will look to avenge his controversial March 2006 split decision loss to Georges St. Pierre. For Penn, it is not only the chance to avenge a highly contentious loss but also to validate his celebrated status in notching what would be the biggest win of his career.

Things just got much more interesting for MMA's perennially second heavyweight. While he must first deal with Frank Mir on Dec. 27, if "Minotauro" emerges victorious, he'll meet up with Brock Lesnar in the new year. The fight would be the Brazilian's biggest bout in years and a potential stage for a vintage Nogueira performance.

One of 2008's breakout stars, Torres will look to end the year with an emphatic statement against his toughest test to date when he takes on fellow chicano Manny Tapia in the headliner of the Dec. 3 WEC bill. While a victory would entrench him deeper as the kingpin of the emergent bantamweight division, he'll have little time for rest as the surging Brian Bowles takes on Brazilian banger Will Ribeiro on the same card, likely producing his next challenger.

After back-to-back surprises in taking out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Griffin has earned his status as the sport's top light heavyweight. The first challenge for the TUF 1 winner's title will come from TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. Another victorious performance would give Griffin back-to-back-to-back wins that would be tough for anyone in MMA to rival.

With the worst of his legal mess behind him, "Rampage" is now locked into a bout that could be as pivotal as any in his career. Having severed ties with former trainer Juanito Ibarra, who had been in the sidecar with Jackson for his resurgence, "Rampage" is now set for a third showdown with archrival Wanderlei Silva on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. Jackson will be under the microscope as fans and pundits look to see how he performs after training with England's Wolfslair Academy for his final chance to erase memories of his brutal highlight-reel stoppages at the hands of "The Axe Murderer."

Alves is one of the sport's most dynamic young talents. But more than that, with his outstanding October victory over fellow welterweight elite Josh Koscheck, he has taken out three straight top-10 fighters in arguably MMA's richest weight class. When Alves finally does get a crack at the UFC welterweight crown, he will have more than earned it by beating top-shelf opposition in stirring fashion.

Alvarez was considered a can't-miss welterweight prospect after completely rifling his first 10 opponents. However, he has come into his own since his cut to the lightweight division. His thrilling “Fight of the Year” candidates against Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri, two perennially outstanding lightweights, have affirmed him as one of the sport's great young stars. A plethora of intriguing bouts await.