Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

The world’s top light heavyweight is named Jon Jones. | Sherdog.com

Far beyond a statement win, Jon Jones’ beatdown of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 on March 19 in Newark, N.J., signified a changing of the guard and firmly established the 23-year old as the world’s preeminent 205-pound fighter.

The man called “Bones” moves from No. 5 to No. 1 in this installment of the Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings, owing to a brutal, third-round stoppage of Rua which capped a purely cinematic day for the young Greg Jackson fighter. In a scene destined to become a piece of MMA lore -- and sure to be included in a biopic someday -- Jones, along with coaches Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, subdued an accused robber in a New Jersey park just hours before Jones’ title-snatching victory.

Reentering the light heavyweight rankings is Dan Henderson, who, at 40 years of age, made his own statement with a third-round knockout of Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante on March 5 to take the Strikeforce 205-pound belt. Also switching divisions is ex-lightweight Diego Sanchez, who enters the 170-pound rankings at No. 10 following back-to-back wins in the welterweight division.

MMA Heavyweight Rankings