Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Light Heavyweight
Dec 18, 2007
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (205-185)
1. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (28-6-0)
"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 "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. With an injured hand, Jackson likely won't fight until next spring. "Rampage" takes the No. 1 spot with Rua's loss.
2. Dan
Henderson (Pictures) (22-6-0)
Undersized for the division, Dan Henderson (Pictures) is not a known name amongst many casual MMA fans. A scrappy former Olympic wrestler who's worked hard to integrate a dangerous striking game punctuated by one of the best right hands in the sport, Henderson has continually defied the odds against heavier opposition. His 25-minute war against Jackson is indicative of how tough the 37-year-old Henderson can be. Henderson slides up two spots. News of a fight with Anderson Silva at 185 pounds would suggest that Henderson will focus on the middleweight division, where he was previously ranked and subsequently dropped because of inactivity.
3. Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (31-7-1, 1 NC)
Finally, after setback after setback ad nauseam, a clash between Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and Chuck Liddell (Pictures) will happen Dec. 29. It isn't the fight it would've been at one time, but at the end of the day, it is still a clash between enduring top fighters in one of MMA's strongest weight classes. Not a bad Christmas gift at all.
Proof that a good game plan and a quality fight camp can get you far in MMA, Keith Jardine (Pictures) enjoyed the benefits of both on Sept. 22 in out-pointing former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures). Like Liddell, "The Dean of Mean" was returning to the ring for the first time since suffering a brutal knockout loss, but Jardine showed no ill effects in winning.
5. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) (15-4-0)
Tough. To be so is an important trait for a fighter, but alone it's usually not enough to find someone ranked amongst the elite. Griffin has taken his toughness and added to it over the years. That hard work, done recently in Randy Couture (Pictures)'s gym in Las Vegas, paid huge dividends on Sept. 22 when the unranked "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner submitted Mauricio Rua (Pictures), who topped most rating lists at 205 pounds.
6. Mauricio Rua (Pictures) (16-3-0)
Rua had nothing for the previously unranked Griffin in their Sept. 22 UFC fight. Following the choke-out loss, Rua falls from No. 1 to 6. The Brazilian earned his reputation by winning in Japan, where he demolished current UFC champion Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and captured the prestigious PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix. With his exciting fighting style and world-class skill, the Chute Boxe fighter was poised to become a star in the United States. At just 25 years of age, he can rebound from the Griffin defeat, but it will take excellent performances for him to find the top spot anytime soon.
7. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (20-5)
Although his dismal decision loss to Keith Jardine (Pictures) in September shouldn't earn him any favors, Liddell will get his longtime wish Dec. 29 when he will finally meet Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) in the cage. If Liddell was looking for a way to erase his back-to-back disappointments this year, this is it.
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) (4-1-0)
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). The accomplished judoka has relied on his hands, but he's also paid the price for slugging it out, suffering a stoppage loss in October 2006 to Glover Teixeira (Pictures), a training partner of Chuck Liddell (Pictures). Finally Sokoudjou has signed with an organization and will make his UFC debut Dec. 29 versus Lyoto Machida (Pictures).
9. Rashad Evans (Pictures) (11-0-1)
"Sugar" Rashad returns to the Sherdog top-10 after his tight decision win over Michael Bisping (Pictures) at UFC 78. On the heels of a draw versus Tito Ortiz (Pictures), which Evans would have lost had Ortiz not grabbed the cage fencing and suffered a point deduction, a destructive KO over Sean Salmon (Pictures) and, most impressively, a dominating stoppage of Jason Lambert (Pictures), "The Ultimate Fighter 2" heavyweight winner moves into the ninth spot.
10. Lyoto Machida (Pictures) (11-0-0)
While the enigmatic Machida's fight style and consequent low finishing rate tend to polarize fans' opinions of him, the 29-year-old Brazilian has gone from a hardcore fan's curiosity to a bonafide contender over the course of 2007. His undefeated record is fortified by his back-to-back dismantlings of then-undefeated David Heath (Pictures) and the respectable Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures). With his recent wins, and the lack of performance from Arona and Nogueira, Machida moves into the 205 ranks. Machida will have a golden opportunity to climb the rankings, and to answer his detractors, when he meets fellow breakout light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) on Dec. 29.
1. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (28-6-0)
"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 "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. With an injured hand, Jackson likely won't fight until next spring. "Rampage" takes the No. 1 spot with Rua's loss.
Advertisement
Undersized for the division, Dan Henderson (Pictures) is not a known name amongst many casual MMA fans. A scrappy former Olympic wrestler who's worked hard to integrate a dangerous striking game punctuated by one of the best right hands in the sport, Henderson has continually defied the odds against heavier opposition. His 25-minute war against Jackson is indicative of how tough the 37-year-old Henderson can be. Henderson slides up two spots. News of a fight with Anderson Silva at 185 pounds would suggest that Henderson will focus on the middleweight division, where he was previously ranked and subsequently dropped because of inactivity.
3. Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (31-7-1, 1 NC)
Finally, after setback after setback ad nauseam, a clash between Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and Chuck Liddell (Pictures) will happen Dec. 29. It isn't the fight it would've been at one time, but at the end of the day, it is still a clash between enduring top fighters in one of MMA's strongest weight classes. Not a bad Christmas gift at all.
4. Keith
Jardine (Pictures) (13-3-1)
Proof that a good game plan and a quality fight camp can get you far in MMA, Keith Jardine (Pictures) enjoyed the benefits of both on Sept. 22 in out-pointing former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures). Like Liddell, "The Dean of Mean" was returning to the ring for the first time since suffering a brutal knockout loss, but Jardine showed no ill effects in winning.
5. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) (15-4-0)
Tough. To be so is an important trait for a fighter, but alone it's usually not enough to find someone ranked amongst the elite. Griffin has taken his toughness and added to it over the years. That hard work, done recently in Randy Couture (Pictures)'s gym in Las Vegas, paid huge dividends on Sept. 22 when the unranked "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner submitted Mauricio Rua (Pictures), who topped most rating lists at 205 pounds.
6. Mauricio Rua (Pictures) (16-3-0)
Rua had nothing for the previously unranked Griffin in their Sept. 22 UFC fight. Following the choke-out loss, Rua falls from No. 1 to 6. The Brazilian earned his reputation by winning in Japan, where he demolished current UFC champion Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and captured the prestigious PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix. With his exciting fighting style and world-class skill, the Chute Boxe fighter was poised to become a star in the United States. At just 25 years of age, he can rebound from the Griffin defeat, but it will take excellent performances for him to find the top spot anytime soon.
7. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (20-5)
Although his dismal decision loss to Keith Jardine (Pictures) in September shouldn't earn him any favors, Liddell will get his longtime wish Dec. 29 when he will finally meet Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) in the cage. If Liddell was looking for a way to erase his back-to-back disappointments this year, this is it.
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) (4-1-0)
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). The accomplished judoka has relied on his hands, but he's also paid the price for slugging it out, suffering a stoppage loss in October 2006 to Glover Teixeira (Pictures), a training partner of Chuck Liddell (Pictures). Finally Sokoudjou has signed with an organization and will make his UFC debut Dec. 29 versus Lyoto Machida (Pictures).
9. Rashad Evans (Pictures) (11-0-1)
"Sugar" Rashad returns to the Sherdog top-10 after his tight decision win over Michael Bisping (Pictures) at UFC 78. On the heels of a draw versus Tito Ortiz (Pictures), which Evans would have lost had Ortiz not grabbed the cage fencing and suffered a point deduction, a destructive KO over Sean Salmon (Pictures) and, most impressively, a dominating stoppage of Jason Lambert (Pictures), "The Ultimate Fighter 2" heavyweight winner moves into the ninth spot.
10. Lyoto Machida (Pictures) (11-0-0)
While the enigmatic Machida's fight style and consequent low finishing rate tend to polarize fans' opinions of him, the 29-year-old Brazilian has gone from a hardcore fan's curiosity to a bonafide contender over the course of 2007. His undefeated record is fortified by his back-to-back dismantlings of then-undefeated David Heath (Pictures) and the respectable Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures). With his recent wins, and the lack of performance from Arona and Nogueira, Machida moves into the 205 ranks. Machida will have a golden opportunity to climb the rankings, and to answer his detractors, when he meets fellow breakout light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) on Dec. 29.
Related Articles
