Heavyweight
- Junior Dos Santos (UFC) – It doesn’t get much more impressive than that. It took less than two minutes for JDS to set himself apart as the best of the big men.
- Cain Velasquez (UFC) – Finally slipped up against one of the best strikers the game has seen. He doesn’t slip far though.
- Alistair Overeem (UFC) – Beating Brock Lesnar was impressive but it doesn’t make him jump Velasquez just yet.
- Josh Barnett (Strikeforce) – Lesnar is out so everyone moves up. 2012 promises a lot of shakeups in this division.
- Fabricio Werdum (UFC) – Looked sharp against Nelson, demonstrating improved striking and a good chin. Needs to develop a killer instinct.
- Daniel Cormier (Strikeforce) – I am higher than most on this guy. I think he has world-beater potential but his size might be an issue in the UFC.
- Frank Mir (UFC) – Ok ok ok, I have to give credit where credit is due. He took a beating and managed to somehow defeat Big Nog again.
- Antonio Silva (Strikeforce) – This tournament is even good to its losers, placing them in high profile fights. Silva is good and we will find out how good very soon.
- Shane Carwin (UFC) – Carwin needs to stay active and needs a good match-up soon. Carwin and Mir are lucky I am totally disinterested in Fedor being top 10 now.
- Cheick Kongo (UFC) – I reluctantly don’t have anyone else to put here. I was grossly disappointed with Big Nog the last time out, otherwise he would be here.
Light- Heavyweight
- Jon Jones (UFC) – Will we finally get to see him back up his talk and defend his belt against Evans?
- Dan Henderson (UFC) – He did just enough to pull off what might be the best fight in the sports history. That is enough to jump right to the front of the line.
- Rashad Evans (UFC) – He gets the next show but I wasn’t overly impressed with him. We haven’t learned anything new about Rashad in a long time but he is definitely top tier.
- Shogun Rua (UFC) – Shogun was heroic against Henderson and did enough to get a draw in my book. I’d watch those two fight 100 times over
- Lyoto Machida (UFC) – Looked good in the first round and got caught in the second. Machida doesn’t actually slip down the list at all though.
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (UFC) – Rampage needs to bounce back in Japan. Can he prove that he is still a top 10 LHW?
- Alexander Gustafsson (UFC) – Gustafsson keeps winning and winning. This should be a huge year for the young striker.
- King Mo Lawal (Strikeforce) – King Mo needs better competition. However, he keeps winning and looking better with each fight.
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (UFC) – I think his body shots actually made Tito Ortiz cry. This guy is getting better against wrestlers and I think he is really dangerous.
- Phil Davis (UFC) – A lackluster performance drops Mr. Wonderful to the bottom of the top 10 but the future is still bright.
Middleweight
- Anderson Silva (UFC) – The best fighter in the world is going to fight Sonnen in a soccer stadium in Brazil – Enough Said.
- Chael Sonnen (UFC) – Earned himself another title shot by edging out Bisping. Sonnen better be sharper against the Spider.
- Mark Munoz (UFC) – Tough break on the injury but Munoz is still very much at the top of the heap. Munoz should get a quality uponent upon his return.
- Yushin Okami (UFC) – He gets to fight in Japan against Tim Boetsch and the pressure will certainly be on. It is time to get back on track.
- Vitor Belfort (UFC) – Coaches TUF Brazil and meets Wandi in June. The Brazil card should be nuts so it can gain a lot of momentum over the next 5 months.
- Michael Bisping (UFC) – Bisping was so impressive in losing that I am moving him up my top 10. The Brit might have been robbed of a title show by a few judges that prefer takedowns to clinch control.
- Hector Lombard (Bellator) – I really don’t like having him at number 5 but wins are wins. I think a few guys below might be primed to jump him.
- Nate Maquardt (Some British Organization) – I don’t know what else to do with this guy. Hindsight is 20/20 so he has to be top 10 but what is next?
- Luke Rockhold (Strikeforce) – As some fighters fall some must rise and the Strikeforce champion has done as much as anyone to rise.
- Brian Stann (UFC) – Stann has had his ups and downs but as a spot opens at the bottom of my top 10, I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.
Welterweights
- Georges St. Pierre (UFC) – Out till November, GSP should return against Condit to unify the titles.
- Carlos Condit (UFC) – Beats Diaz, proving me right for having him ranked higher pre fight but its hard to make him number one when you know GSP is returning.
- Nick Diaz (UFC) – He lost a close fight to Condit but he still looked good. If he retires the division loses one of its best fighters.
- Josh Koscheck (UFC) – I was not really impressed with Koscheck against Pierce. He is in a tough spot but a change of camp might give him a new start.
- Jake Ellenberger (UFC) – Ellenberger smash! Another fighter that might be looking at the Condit winner if he can get past Sanchez
- Johnny Hendricks (UFC) – Huge win for Big Rig. I confidently give him the big jump because he has all the tools to fight with the cream of the crop
- Jon Fitch (UFC) – To be honest, he is better than number 7 but with the long lay off and the quick KO, he has to fall for now.
- Martin Kampmann (UFC) – Kampmann finally gets the nod on a close one. Beating Story is big and now it looks like he has Alvez on deck.
- Thiago Alvez (UFC) – If this kid can keep his weight down and keep improving the sky is the limit. Those are such big “ifs” though.
- Diego Sanchez (UFC) Jake Shields could easily be number 10 for me but I want to see more from Shields in the UFC. Sanchez has a chance to make a huge jump by beating Ellenberger.
Lightweight
- Frankie Edgar (UFC) – Finally shakes the 180 pound monkey off his back by TKOing Gray Maynard and solidifying himself as the man at 155 pounds.
- Benson Henderson (UFC) – I never thought I would put him here in front of Maynard and Melendez but no one wants to fight this guy right now. I’d bet on him against MMA Jesus right now.
- Gray Maynard (UFC) – Finally falls in my rankings but not far. This guy is still a beast at 155 and I don’t think we have heard the last of him.
- Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce) – Melendez is great but I am really tired of the hype. He needs to get a taste of the UFC lightweight shark tank if he is going to move up.
- Shinya Aoki (Dream) – Another win for the Japanese submission wizard but I would love to see him do it in the UFC because I suspect he wouldn’t be able to.
- Jim Miller (UFC) – Back on track, now Jim Miller is in the hunt for a title shot and might be able to string together the big wins to do it.
- Joe Lauzon (UFC) – The win over Guillard is only the tip of the iceberg. He is a great fighter with a solid career to this point
- Nate Diaz (UFC) – I think both Diaz boys are hitting their stride right now and Nate looked pretty good against the dynamic Cerrone.
- Clay Guida (UFC) – Guida didn’t look bad against Henderson he just didn’t have much for him.
- Michael Chandler (Bellator) – Out of nowhere this guy comes out to beat Eddie Alverez and move to 9-0.
Featherweight
- Jose Aldo (UFC) – Aldo holds up against the game Mendes. Hopefully a new contender emerges soon.
- Kenny Florian (UFC) – I would really like to see Florian return. There just simply aren’t many contenders as Aldo has whipped out the division.
- Hatsu Hioki (UFC) – He will likely earn a title shot with a win in Japan. I don’t have a ton of faith in him but will be pulling for him to emerge as the new number one contender.
- Chad Mendes (UFC) – Another fighter falls to Aldo and another fighter falls down the ranks.
- Dustin Poirier (UFC) – Another big performance puts Poirier in a solid position to push for a title shot in 2012.
- Diego Nunes (UFC) – Nunes gets a big win in the invisible prelims but he is back to his winning ways and looking for a title shot in 2012.
- Pat Curran (Bellator) – Talented fighter with the world in front of him. He just needs to find consistency.
- Chang Sung Jung (UFC) – I have been really impressed with his last two wins. He is at a great camp and has his best days in front of him.
- Jimmy Hettes (UFC) – This kid is what I call a third generation grappler and I think he has all the tools for a really bright future.
- Bart Palaszewski (UFC) – Wrecked Tyson Griffin in one of the bigger upsets of the year. I like this guy and can’t wait to see him again.
Bantamweight
- Dominick Cruz (UFC) – Another big one for Cruz. Can anyone stop this guy. He has topped 2-6 on this list already.
- Joseph Benavidez (UFC) – Benavidez is moving down to Flywieght which means the next ranking list will look markedly different at 135 pounds
- Urijah Faber (UFC) – I really thought Bowles would have more for him. Faber looked good though and he will get another title shot.
- Renan Barao (UFC) – This guy is the real deal. I think he will earn himself a title shot by the end of the year but he has to wait for Faber and Cruz to settle their score.
- Brian Bowles (UFC) – Really came up short against Faber but he is still one of the best in the division. I have lots of time for him.
- Scott Jorgensen (UFC) – Solid performance but not enough to beat the rising star Barao. Now he gets to restart the climb.
- Demetrious Johnson (UFC) – Moving to 125 pounds in 2012 so we will see him move from this list and probably into the top 2 of the flyweight division.
- 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) – He is going to get a second chance at life in the UFC. I think the luster has been lost on this one though.
- Takeya Mizugaki (UFC) – I have all the time in the world for Mizugaki and am pulling for him to string together some wins.
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