photo courtesy Zuffa/Hedges
Light Heavyweight (186lbs. – 205lbs.)
1 Mauricio Rua
19-4-0 UFC
“Shogun” removed any doubt about who truly won their October ‘09 fight by knocking Machida out at UFC 113 in May.
2 Lyoto Machida
16-1-0 UFC
The former undefeated champion finally met his match, but can anyone other than Shogun beat him?
3 Rashad Evans
15-1-1 UFC
Though he earned a title shot by defeating Jackson, he’ll have to wait: Shogun will be out until March ‘11 with a knee injury.
4 Quinton Jackson
30-8-0 UFC
Though he showed his fight-stopping potential against Evans, one wonders how much his time away from MMA affected him in that fight.
5 Muhammed Lawal
7-0-0 Strikeforce
Came in as a +180 dog against Mousasi, left with the Strikeforce title. “King Mo” will defend his title against Rafael Cavalcante on August 21st.
6 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
19-3-0 UFC
Did he simply underestimate Brilz, or was a weakness exposed? A rumored bout against Jackson should allow him to let his hands fly at will.
7 Forrest Griffin
17-6-0 UFC
The former champ finds himself in the bottom half due to inactivity resulting from a shoulder injury.
8 Rich Franklin
28-5-0 (1 NC) UFC
Though he was always in Liddell’s shadow during his prime, Franklin effectively ended “The Iceman’s” career.
9 Gegard Mousasi
28-3-1 Strikeforce
Having lost his Strikeforce title to Lawal, he’ll head back to DREAM and likely run through their light heavyweight tournament.
10 Jon Jones
10-1-0 UFC
Even in his “loss” to Hamill, Jones has looked like a world beater every time out. Will he be the one to bring stability to the top of the division?
11 Randy Couture
18-10-0 UFC
After a successful two-fight trip down, Couture will go back up to heavyweight to fight former boxing champ James Toney at UFC 118 on August 28th.
12 Thiago Silva
14-2-0 UFC
His loss to Evans was another example of the importance of cardio in a fight.
On the brink: Ryan Bader (UFC, 11-0-0), Renato Sobral (Strikeforce, 36-8-0), Matt Hamill (UFC, 9-2-0)