Pundits and fans alike questioned whether it was in the best interest of the UFC, and of Silva himself, for the middleweight champion to move up to 205 pounds for a fight against James Irvin (Pictures). What if Silva gets hurt, postponing his 185-pound title defense? What if he loses to Irvin and cripples his growing star, all over the desire to go head-to-head with Affliction's pay-per-view. Of course, like any pound-for-pound king should, Brazil's outstanding arachnid made it look easy, punching clean through Irvin in 61 seconds in another outstanding performance.
2. Paulo Filho (Pictures) (16-0-0)
After suffering through depression, drug dependency and rehab, the Brazilian fireplug will be back to rematch Chael Sonnen (Pictures) on Sept. 10, with his WEC middleweight title on the line. Filho took a comeback victory over Sonnen last December, escaping with the win after a controversial armbar stoppage.
3. Rich Franklin (Pictures) (23-3-0, 1 NC)
It seems Franklin has been trading notes with nemesis Anderson Silva (Pictures). The former UFC middleweight champ is all but confirmed to return to the 205-pound division for a one-off bout with Matt Hamill (Pictures) on the Sept. 6 UFC 88 card in Atlanta, after which "Ace" is expected to return to 185 pounds.
4. Robbie Lawler (Pictures) (16-4-0, 1 NC)
On the biggest stage of his career -- primetime network television -- Lawler appeared on his way to victory in his May 31 fight-of-the-year candidate against Scott Smith (Pictures). An errant finger to the eye ended Smith's night, though, and disappointingly rendered the bout a no contest. However, Smith and Lawler will settle their business on Elite XC's second event on CBS on July 26.
5. Yushin Okami (Pictures) (22-4-0)
Hand issues are on Okami's agenda right now, as Japan's top middleweight seeks to heal his broken fist so he can get back into the Octagon. The last man to beat Anderson Silva (Pictures), albeit in a controversial disqualification, Okami is perhaps the most interesting remaining challenger for the Brazilian.
6. Frank Trigg (Pictures) (16-6-0)
After spending most of his recent time in the commentators' booth, Trigg will get back into action Aug. 24 on the fourth offering from World Victory Road's Sengoku. The bout figures to be a softer touch for "Twinkle Toes," as the two-time UFC title challenger will take on former Olympic judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto (Pictures) in a middleweight tilt.
7. Thales Leites (Pictures) (13-1-0)
It certainly wasn't the prettiest win you'll ever see, but the Nova Uniao product showed his toughness when he withstood some serious trials in his bout with Nathan Marquardt (Pictures). With the aid of a couple of point deductions, Leites took the split decision.
8. Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) (26-8-2)
Amidst controversy, Marquardt dropped a split decision to Thales Leites (Pictures) after two point deductions sabotaged his chance at victory. The result figures to be a considerable setback to Marquardt in his quest to get another crack at the UFC middleweight championship.
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures) (11-1-0, 2 NC)
It was a bit tougher than expected, but Akiyama got the job done against reckless pro wrestler Katsuyori Shibata (Pictures) in their July 21 bout. He absorbed some surprising strikes from Shibata before choking him out with an Ezekiel choke.
10. Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) (20-8-2, 1 NC)
The ever-tough Misaki turned in another usual gritty performance against solid Minnesota product Logan Clark (Pictures) on June 8. Although Misaki suffered some damage to his left ankle that put him on crutches after the bout, it shouldn't require surgery, which is good since Misaki may finally come stateside to fight for Strikeforce this September.