It was the most controversial MMA moment of 2010 so far, but “The Answer” walked out with a unanimous decision victory and the lightweight title in his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 112. However, the Toms River, N.J., native will have to replicate his feat this summer, as a rematch with Penn will headline UFC 118 in August.
2. B.J. Penn (15-6-1)
Screw job? Sinus infection? Whatever case Penn backers and “The Prodigy” himself make for his April 10 defeat to Frankie Edgar, the Hawaiian will get a chance to regain the lightweight mantle in August in a summer rematch at UFC 118 in Boston.
3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
The Strikeforce lightweight champion notched the biggest win of his career in Nashville, Tenn., as he dominated Dream titleholder Shinya Aoki for all 25 minutes of their bout on network television and entrenched himself as one of the sport’s elite at 155 pounds.
4. Shinya Aoki (23-5, 1 NC)
Following his lopsided April loss to Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce, Aoki will stay within the heat of the 155-pound elite. The Dream lightweight champion will defend his title for the first time when he meets Tatsuya Kawajiri at Dream 15 in July in a showdown between Japan’s top two lightweights.
5. Eddie Alvarez (20-2)
Bellator Fighting Championships’ second season lightweight tournament was the first to wrap up, meaning Alvarez was the first Bellator champion to know his first challenger; the Philadelphia product will take on upstart Pat Curran this summer, when Bellator begins its third season.
6. Kenny Florian (13-4)
Florian has fallen short in two previous cracks at the UFC lightweight title. In order to have a third opportunity to take division gold, “Ken Flo” will have to take out unbeaten Gray Maynard in August, when they meet in Florian’s Boston backyard at UFC 118.
7. Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC)
After Maynard called out Kenny Florian following his victory over Takanori Gomi, Maynard-“Ken Flo” became an obvious must-have match in the UFC lightweight division. With a Frankie Edgar-B.J. Penn rematch now locked in for UFC 118 in August, Maynard-Florian looks to be a perfect compliment when Zuffa rolls into Beantown this summer.
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-5-2)
Kawajiri’s wish has finally been granted. Come July 15 in Saitama, Japan, the “Crusher” will finally get to vie for the Dream lightweight title, as he challenges rival Shinya Aoki in a major lightweight contest and perhaps the most relevant matchup to be made in Japan right now.
9. Evan Dunham (11-0)
It has been a precipitous rise to lightweight relevance for Dunham. Ten months ago, he was preparing for a bout with Marcus Aurelio. Today, the Oregon native owns a 4-0 mark in the Octagon after soundly out-grappling Tyson Griffin to a well-appointed decision win at UFC 115 on June 12.
10. Benson Henderson (12-1)
An 11-fight winning streak, with nine finishes, has seen Henderson pick up the WEC lightweight crown. He defended it with shocking ease against Donald Cerrone at WEC 48, as he tapped the Greg Jackson protégé with his patented guillotine in less than two minutes. Now, the issue for “Smooth” will be combating the big-fish-in-a-small-pond perception.
Other contenders: Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Tyson Griffin, Mizuto Hirota, Jim Miller, Kurt Pellegrino.
* With no bouts in the last 365 days and with no fight scheduled in the next 90 days, the formerly ninth-ranked Sean Sherk exits the rankings due to inactivity.