Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Lyoto Machida (16-0)
The rematch will happen a few months later than expected, but when Machida's hand has fully healed, the UFC light heavyweight champion is expected to meet fellow Brazilian Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on May 1 in Montreal.

2. Mauricio Rua (18-4)
Though Rua would undoubtedly have preferred to get his rematch with Lyoto Machida in January, "Shogun" will have his chance to right what many observers feel is one of 2009's most egregious wrongs on May 1 in Montreal.

3. Quinton Jackson (30-7)
While viewers continue to watch the shortcomings of Team Rampage on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” Jackson remains hard at work away from the sport of MMA. He can be found on the set of Hollywood’s “The A-Team,” playing B.A. Baracus, much to the chagrin of the MMA world that eagerly awaited his showdown with Rashad Evans.

4. Rashad Evans (13-1-1)
“The Ultimate Fighter 10” rolls on, but MMA’s hardcore contingent is now well aware that Evans will not get his chance to square off with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson later this year. However, Evans will meet up with a standout light heavyweight when he takes on Thiago Silva at UFC 108 on Jan. 2.

5. Forrest Griffin (16-6)
Much like his April 2006 encounter with Tito Ortiz, Griffin went nip-and-tuck until the final bell with "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy." Once again, the fight ended in a split decision. This time, though, the cards favored Griffin, who got a much-needed victory and moved toward putting his loss to Anderson Silva behind him.

6. Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1)
Mousasi further showed a fighting maturity that belies his years as the 24-year-old coolly took apart Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in their Nov. 7 meeting on CBS. The real question surrounding Mousasi has now become whether Strikeforce can find worthwhile challengers to his 205-pound title in a division largely owned by Zuffa.

7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3)
In his Octagon debut at UFC 108, Nogueira was absolutely dominant. "Minotoro" used his boxing to blow away Luis Arthur Cane inside of two minutes and establish himself as another elite competitor in the UFC 205-pound division.

8. Thiago Silva (14-1)
To continue ascending in the light heavyweight division, Silva will have to topple another Greg Jackson-trained standout. Having already felled Keith Jardine, Silva will now meet former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 108.

9. Luis Arthur Cane (10-2)
Cane stood on the cusp of potential UFC light heavyweight title contendership at UFC 106. That is, until Antonio Rogerio Nogueira laid waste to him in less than two minutes, sending "Banha" back into the general population at 205 pounds.

10. Rich Franklin (25-5)
On the brink of becoming a light heavyweight contender, Franklin was victimized by a first-round knockout from Vitor Belfort in the UFC 103 headliner. Though Belfort will now move to 185 pounds to campaign, the loss leaves Franklin without a clear direction in the UFC’s 205-pound division.

Other contenders: Keith Jardine, Vladimir Matyushenko, Renato Sobral, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell.