Penn is slated to make the next defense of his UFC lightweight crown Dec. 12 at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn., where he will take on another solid contender in Diego Sanchez, who is unbeaten as a lightweight. That will make for two title defenses in just four months for “The Prodigy,” who has been known more than anything for his preoccupations outside the lightweight division.
2. Shinya Aoki (21-4, 1 NC)
Aoki drew criticism for pot-shotting his way to a unanimous decision win over Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro on July 20. However, the win set up a high-stakes rubber match for the rubbery grappler, as he is slated to meet Joachim Hansen for the Dream lightweight title on Oct. 6.
3. Eddie Alvarez (18-2)
Alvarez ended the Cinderella run of likely “Submission of the Year” winner Toby Imada on June 19, as he choked him out in the second round. A rumored bout against Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante did not come to fruition, but Bellator’s lightweight champion will have the luxury of courting high-quality opponents from both Bellator and Dream in the near future.
4. Kenny Florian (11-4)
Coming off of his August loss in his title bid against B.J. Penn, Florian did not have to wait long to find another opponent. The fighter-turned-analyst will take on divisional motor fighter Clay Guida at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2)
It’s far from the most challenging opposition he has ever faced, but Kawajiri will return to the ring for tune-up action at Dream 11 on Oct. 6, when he will meet Guam’s Melchor Manibusan.
6. Gray Maynard (8-0, 1 NC)
In his Sept. 16 win over Roger Huerta, Maynard showed both the evolution of his striking skills and the increasing potency of his top game. Furthermore, the well-appointed decision win has seemingly put him on the doorstep of a UFC lightweight title shot.
7. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
In order to continue ascending in the UFC lightweight division, Edgar will need to dispatch one of his New Jersey brethren when he takes on fellow northeasterner Kurt Pellegrino at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Live Finale on Dec. 5.
8. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
With a deflating loss to Frankie Edgar in May, Sherk was set to face Gleison Tibau, another lightweight in a must-win scenario, at UFC 104 on Oct. 24. However, a shoulder injury in training has taken Sherk out of the bout, and Josh Neer will fill his place.
9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1)
In their Aug. 2 encounter, Hirota withstood Satoru Kitaoka’s early submission storm and wore down the Sengoku champion. He then smashed Kitaoka with a barrage of knees in the fourth round to claim Sengoku’s lightweight crown.
10. Satoru Kitaoka (25-9-9)
In the first defense of his Sengoku lightweight title, Kitaoka was outlasted by the hard-hitting Mizuto Hirota, who battered him with knees and took his title in the fourth round. The defeat was Kitaoka’s first as a lightweight.
Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Tyson Griffin, Gilbert Melendez, Eiji Mitsuoka, Diego Sanchez.
* With no activity in the last 365 days and no scheduled bouts in the next 30, Josh Thomson is ineligible to be ranked and has been removed from the contenders list, allowing for the entrance of Tyson Griffin.