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Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (16-1)

Jones isn’t scheduled to defend his UFC light heavyweight title until Sept., but the 24-year-old champ now has a PR battle in front of him after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in mid-May. When he returns to the cage, “Bones” will look to defend his belt for the fourth time when he faces former Strikeforce and Pride titleholder Dan Henderson at UFC 151.

2. Dan Henderson (29-8)

Who could have guessed that Henderson would be more relevant than ever at age 41? With a four-fight winning streak that includes victories over fellow MMA icons Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio Rua, “Hendo” is now looked upon as one of the only possible foils to UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who he’ll meet in Sept. at UFC 151.

3. Rashad Evans (17-2-1)

Evans become the first person to go the distance with Jon Jones since Stephan Bonnar accomplished the feat in a three-round affair in 2009, but he was unable to solve his opponent’s considerable reach advantage during their 25-minute encounter. Though Evans is not especially large for a light heavyweight, he expressed his desire to remain at 205 pounds during the UFC 145 post-fight press conference.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (20-6)

Originally scheduled to lock horns with countryman Thiago Silva at UFC 149, Rua was transplanted to UFC on Fox 4 when Silva withdrew from the bout with due to injury. After allegedly turning down a proposed fight with hot prospect Glover Teixeira, Shogun will lock horns with Brandon Vera in a curious Fox main event pairing on Aug. 4.

5. Lyoto Machida (17-3)

Things have been quiet for Machida since being choked out by Jon Jones in a failed December bid to recapture the UFC light heavyweight title, but “The Dragon” is set to emerge from hibernation in August to take on the resurgent Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4.

6. Phil Davis (9-1)

Davis was supposed to face former heavyweight Chad Griggs at UFC on Fox 4, but Griggs wasn’t immune to the injury bug that has hit numerous UFC fighters recently. Now, “Mr. Wonderful” will square off with unbeaten Octagon newcomer Wagner Prado on Aug. 4 instead.

7. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1)

Sweden’s top MMA export didn’t miss the biggest opportunity of his young career: April 14 at UFC on Fuel TV 2, the 25-year-old “Mauler” dominated Thiago Silva for three rounds before a partisan crowd in Stockholm. Gustafsson’s next assignment has yet to be announced, but with champ Jon Jones booked for a Sept. defense, it seems the Swede will need another win or two before a title shot.

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (20-5)

Injury derailed Nogueira’s second UFC main event, which was to come against Swedish up-and-comer Alexander Gustafsson on April 14. Instead, “Lil Nog” opted for surgery for an injured patella and watch from the sidelines as Gustafsson went out and cruised past Thiago Silva.

9. Ryan Bader (14-2)

Bader has rebounded nicely from his first two losses, knocking out Jason Brilz at the close of 2011 and grinding out Quinton Jackson to start 2012. He’ll have a chance to add another big name to his résumé when he goes against Lyoto Machida on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.

10. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-10)

Even though Jackson hasn’t exactly had the kindest words for his employer of late, “Rampage” was offered former Pride Fighting Championships rival Mauricio Rua for the final bout on his current UFC contract. However, the proposed summer matchup was scratched when Jackson announced that he would be having surgery on both of his knees. His return to action has yet to be determined.

Other contenders:

Rafael Cavalcante, Forrest Griffin, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gegard Mousasi.

Continue Reading » MMA Middleweight Rankings