Heavyweight
- Cain Velasquez (UFC) – We await his return from injury eagerly while the number one contender and former champion coach TUF and fight for a title shot.
- Junior Dos Santos (UFC) – Few have been more deserving of a title shot than JDS but he has one more big, BIG test in the way in the form of Brock Lesnar.
- Fabricio Werdum (Strikeforce) Werdum dethroned Fedor and now meets Alistair Overeem in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.
- Brock Lesnar (UFC) – His lose to Velasquez must have been a bit humbling, but he gets no rebound fight as JDS is as good as they come.
- Antonio Silva (Strikeforce) – Silva is the real deal. He didn’t just catch Fedor, he beat Fedor up and bad. This has the potential to be a huge year for him.
- Shane Carwin (UFC) – It will be interesting to see how 2011 goes for Shane Carwin. How far can his power and wrestling really take him?
- Alistair Overeem (Strikeforce/Dream) – The Strikeforce HW champion could make a case for himself to be the top HW in the world if he wins the heavyweight tournament.
- Fedor Emelianenko (Strikeforce/M-1) – The fall of Fedor continues. As much as I thoroughly enjoy seeing Fedor fight, I thoroughly hate seeing him lose. Maybe it is time to hang it op
- Frank Mir (UFC) – His win over Cro Cop was one of the great disappointing main events in recent memory. Now he has to fend of Roy Nelson to stay in the top 10.
- Cole Konrad (Bellator) – He sneaks in with his 7-0 record but quality of competition is an issue for The Polar Bear.
Light- Heavyweight
- Shogun Rua (UFC) – It is unnerving that he is returning from another knee injury but Shogun is the best in the world until proven otherwise.
- Rashad Evans (UFC) – He presented a dangerous fight for Shogun but the injury bug strikes again.
- Jon Jones (UFC) – Most impressive win of his career against Bader brings a title shot. Now its time to REALLY see what he is made of.
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (UFC) – Needs to find consistency in the division again.
- Lyoto Machida (UFC) – His skid has a really good chance of coming to an end against Randy Couture, Good news as he really needs a win.
- Thiago Silva (UFC) – Here is to hoping that the failed drug test is a rumor and he can return from this potential time off sooner rather than later.
- Ryan Bader (UFC) – Didn’t look good against Jones but still possesses tons of potential and recorded significant success for his age.
- Rafael Cavalcante (Strikeforce) – Needs to keep the belt in one spot for a while to build it a bit. Dan Henderson isn’t going to make that easy.
- Forrest Griffin (UFC) – Big win over Franklin propels him up the list. He is probabliy even a little better than a few guys above him, but needs wins in 2011.
- Muhammed Lawler (Strikeforce) – Very good athlete but very green. King Mo should continue to improve.
Middleweight
- Anderson Silva (UFC) – What can you say that hasn’t been said. The best fighter in the world now waits for GSP to take care of his business.
- Yushin Okami (UFC) – Okami has earned his shot but will likely again be passed over. He still gets the number two nod from me though.
- Ronaldo Souza (Strikeforce) – One of the more impressive parts of Strikeforce’s recent card, his record speaks for itself.
- Chael Sonnen (UFC) – Between the drug test fiasco and the money laundering, I can’t put him any higher than this.
- Hector Lombard (Bellator) – One of Bellator’s greatest attractions, keep an eye on Lombard in 2011.
- Vitor Belfort (UFC) – Vitor came to fight and it’s a real shame there wasn’t more time to see what he had. Back to the drawing board.
- Demian Maia (UFC) – Still amazing, still talented, Maia has to put it together and continue winning.
- Jorge Santiago (UFC) – Just signed with the UFC and could meet Brian Stann at UFC 130, a great chance to move up.
- Nate Marquardt (UFC) – Needs to find consistency and the ability to win the big one.
- Wanderlei Silva (UFC) – Silva’s inactivity is a problem but his win over Bisping has not been forgotten.
Welterweights
- Georges St. Pierre (UFC) – It appears that one test remains between GSP and Silva, and few see GSP falling from grace against Shields.
- Jon Fitch (UFC) – It appears that Fitch would be a dominant champion if it wasn’t for GSP. A win over Penn could put him in line for a title shot soon.
- Jake Shields (UFC) – Say what you will about Shields but he just keeps winning. He has the chance to pull off the upset of the year against GSP.
- Thiago Alves (UFC) – Reworking his way up the 170 pound ladder, Alvez is still among the elite in the welterweight division
- Carlos Condit (UFC) – Condit had to pull out of his next fight but barring an extended layoff he should maintain his spot until a result goes against him.
- Nick Diaz (Strikeforce) – Diaz won but he was exposed by an exceptionally mediocre figher earlier this year. That is enough to fall a spot.
- Josh Koscheck (UFC) – Few can match his athleticism. It may be back to the drawing board for Kos but it wont be long till he regains momentum.
- Martin Kampmann (UFC) – Has another chance to win when the pressure is on against Diego Sanchez. Needs to win more matches like this.
- Jay Hieron (Strikeforce) – Seven fight win streak and so very little love for Hieron. Time to make a name for himself in 2011.
- Dan Hardy (UFC) – His flight to the top wasn’t as quick as his fall. Dan Hardy has a lot of fight left in him but a lot to prove this year.
Lightweight
- Gray Maynard (UFC) – The only non-UFC Champ at the top. Maynard has a win and a draw over the champ and is unbeaten as a pro.
- Frankie Edgar (UFC) – Will get another shot to beat Maynard and silence the critics that are still not sold he is the best LW in the world.
- Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce) – Probably as good as anyone in the world at 155. We would all be better MMA fans if we got to see him fight the best.
- Eddie Alvarez (Bellator) – Another reason big reason to keep an eye on MMA outside the UFC, Alvarez could meet Melendez this year… if we are lucky.
- Shinya Aoki (Dream) – I tend to think he is a bit overrated, especially after taking a beating from Melendez but his record speaks for itself.
- Anthony Pettis (UFC) – The biggest loser in the Maynard/Edgar draw, Pettis now has to fight a very tough Clay Guida before he gets a crack at UFC gold.
- George Sotiropoulos (UFC) – This guy gets better every time we see him. Will get another shot to shine and step closer to the title against Siver at UFC 127.
- Tatsuya Kawajiri (Dream) – Consistancy issues keep him from gaining too much momentum.
- Melvin Guillard (UFC) – His most recent win was the biggest of his career. If he is ready to fight smart the sky is the limit for Guillard.
- Kenny Florian (UFC) – On his way to featherweight, Florian won’t stay here for long. One win from any number of fighters will be his exit.
Featherweight
- Jose Aldo (UFC) – Good News: He is 2010 fighter of the year and pound for pound rated. Bad News: Top UFC lightweights are moving down to Featherweight.
- Hatsu Hioki (Sengoku) – Quite brilliant over the last few years with only one blemish on his record in that time. Hioki is dangerous almost everywhere.
- Mark Hominick (UFC) – Earned himself a title shot recently. We will get to see if his hands look as good against Aldo as they did against Roop.
- Chad Mendes (UFC) – Unbeaten and rising quickly, Mendes will likely have to fend off a former UFC lightweight before he can get his crack at the belt.
- Diego Nunes (UFC) – His win over Mike Brown (although narrow) is the biggest of his career and puts him right in the hunt for a title shot.
- Joe Warren (Bellator) – Big questions about quality of competition loom but Warren has beaten his share of game opponents.
- Manny Gamburyan (UFC) – Manny is though as nails but had nothing to offer Aldo in his last outing and has a long way to go back to the top.
- Michihiro Omigawa (UFC) A solid record outside the UFC has led to no success inside at 0-3. This stacked division wont afford him many more chances.
- Dustin Poirier (UFC) – Poirier surprised everyone with his last win over Josh Grispi. He is young and has a very bright future in MMA.
- Marion Sandro (Sengoku) – His 17-2 record would warrant a much higher spot if his two loses hadn’t come in his last five fights.
Bantamweight
- Dominick Cruz (UFC) – Simply put, he has been more impressive than anyone at this weight over the last year. He awaits his challengers for his new belt.
- Joseph Benavidez (UFC) – Benavidez doesn’t lose to people not named Dominick Cruz. Unfortunately that is the one guy he needs to beat to move up.
- Brian Bowles (UFC) – If he can’t shake the injury bug he may move down further. Bowles has top tier skills at 135 pounds.
- Scott Jorgensen (UFC) – Another great fighter that fell short of the champ, Jorgensen will now be tested in terms of his response to his big lose.
- Masakatso Ueda (Shooto) – He may only be on a two fight win streak but he is 12-1-2. Ueda seems to be improving with each fight.
- Miguel Torres (UFC) – It was dreadful to watch but Torres gets a win on his first “big stage” show. Lets see if he brings the excitement we are use to next time.
- Urijah Faber (UFC) – The pressure is on Faber to not only win but to give the people excitement. Cruz wants this fight and I honestly do too.
- Demetrious Johnson (UFC) – When the pressure was on Johnson stepped up and put Kid Yamamoto and all his hype away.
- Brad Pickett (UFC) – Just one lose in his last 11 fights, Pickett will need to continue his exciting ways if he wants to move up from here.
- Takeya Mizugaki (UFC) – Not the best stretch for the Japanese fighter but he has talent in spades and never draws an easy task.
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