"Rampage" has worked past the troubles that haunted him after a tough series of fights in Pride, the last of which saw him go down in defeat to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The exciting and flamboyant UFC light heavyweight put himself on the map by blasting out Chuck Liddell (Pictures) in less than two minutes. He followed that with a hard-fought victory over Dan Henderson (Pictures) on Sept. 8. Next up, Jackson looks to become a crossover star, as he'll coach alongside Forrest Griffin (Pictures) on the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
2. Dan Henderson (Pictures) (22-6-0)
He was torn up in his 185-pound title challenge against Anderson Silva, and his next move is uncertain. However, if Dan Henderson (Pictures) returns to the 205-pound division, there will be no shortage of interesting matchups -- although there may be a shortage of easy ones.
3. Keith Jardine (Pictures) (13-3-1)
Was Keith Jardine (Pictures) an opportunist capitalizing on a savvy game plan and an unmotivated opponent in September when he upset Chuck Liddell (Pictures)? "The Dean of Mean" will have a chance to prove he's no one-hit wonder in May, when he takes on Wanderlei Silva (Pictures).
4. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) (15-4-0)
An enormous win over "Shogun" validated Griffin in September. Now he will have the chance to add to both his celebrity and his résumé when he takes on a coaching role on the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which will culminate in a title clash against Quinton Jackson (Pictures).
5. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (21-5)
After a fantastic performance against Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) answered some questions that emerged after his losses to Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Keith Jardine (Pictures), anticipation was high for his slated June bout with Mauricio Rua (Pictures). Although Rua's injury has nixed that bout, Liddell will still face a worthy adversary in undefeated TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans (Pictures). The former UFC champ will be a prohibitive favorite.
6. Mauricio Rua (Pictures) (16-3-0)
After injuring his knee and stumbling in his UFC debut, it seemed "Shogun" had hit rock bottom. However, with a big fight against Chuck Liddell (Pictures) looming, disaster struck when Rua tore up the same knee that had been surgically repaired just months before.
7. Lyoto Machida (Pictures) (12-0-0)
An undefeated record, years of hype and a riddle of a fight style have gained Machida attention, and his recent domination of a surging Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) really put him on the map. Machida's path to his deserved title shot now seemingly runs through former UFC poster boy and champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures).
8. Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (31-8-1, 1 NC)
The 31-year-old Brazilian has lost three in a row. Given the progression of his career, few would fault him for taking a tune-up bout. Instead, the longtime Pride king will return in May to take on Keith Jardine (Pictures), who outpointed Chuck Liddell (Pictures) last September.
9. Rashad Evans (Pictures) (11-0-1)
Although Evans' last win, a razor-thin decision over Michael Bisping (Pictures) in October, came on a card titled "Validation," the real validation for the TUF 2 champ will come in June. That's when he takes a big step up in competition against Chuck Liddell (Pictures).
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) (4-2-0)
Africa's top mixed martial artist exploded upon the world stage in 2007 with early knockouts of then top-10 light heavyweights Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) and Ricardo Arona (Pictures), but he was brought back down to earth in a blowout against Lyoto Machida (Pictures) in December. The young Cameroonian will have the chance to get back on track in May, taking on Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures) in an important bout for both of the former judo standouts.