Official SportsBettingWorld Light Heavyweight Rankings

Added on Aug 25, 2010 by Bill Jackson in

UFC & MMA

Last Saturday, Rafael Cavalcante knocked out Muhammed Lawal for his Strikeforce light heavyweight title in a mild upset. The win was somewhat reminiscent of Wanderlei Silva’s wins over Quinton Jackson (that is meant as a big compliment to Cavalcante). So, obviously Cavalcante jumps in the top ten and Lawal is out just as quick as he came in. There are plenty of fights that will alter the rankings in the coming months, so this is a perfect time to see where everyone stands.

1. Mauricio “ Shogun” Rua

After correcting the judges mistake in his first fight with Lyoto Machida by knocking him out in the first round of their rematch, Shogun is being forced to sit on the sidelines while he recovers from his third knee surgery in less than three years. Shogun is arguably the best fighter to have ever held the UFC light heavyweight title and he will get his chance to further prove that against former champ Rashad Evans sometime in mid 2011.

2. Lyoto Machida

Machida had the MMA world prematurely crowning him as an all time great when he won the title from Rashad Evans last year, but two fights with Shogun Rua drastically dropped his stock in the eyes of the fans. Now it appears everyone has prematurely given up on the talented Brazilian, even though technically he has only lost one fight in his career. Losing to an all-time great in Rua does not mean you were overrated, it means Rua is a great fighter. Machida is set to rebound against Quinton Jackson later this year and should be a heavy favorite.

3. Rashad Evans

There are some that insist Evans should be ranked as the No. 2 guy in the division, apparently forgetting the image of Machida knocking him out cold just last year. Rashad has put together two lackluster wins since then over quality opponents, but two wins does not erase the fact that Machida is the better fighter. Evans will have his opportunity to become the champ again next year when he faces Rua. Evans will need some luck there.

4. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Though Rogerio’s performance was a bit shaky in his last outing against Jason Brilz, he was facing a complete switch in opponent and still got the win. He had been training for a striker in Forrest Griffin, and instead faced a strict wrestler. Give him credit for even taking the fight. Next up is a very interesting matchup with rising contender Ryan Bader in September. If Rogerio loses, it will be devastating to his career. If Bader wins, he is in the top ten.

5. Forrest Griffin

Griffin remains this high on the list based off of tremendous wins in ’07 and ’08, combined with his recent decision win against Tito Ortiz. Also, who else deserves to be this high? If he doesn’t fight soon, he will barely remain in the top ten.

6. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Jackson now has the fans questioning his commitment and motivation in the fight game. He looked awful in his recent fight with Rashad Evans and was off for over a year before that. Next he will face Lyoto Machida in what will be an even harder nut to crack than any of his previous UFC fights.

7. Jon Jones

You could make a case for Jones being ranked higher than Griffin and Jackson, but they are former champs and Jones’ best win is over Brandon Vera. Still, Jones has looked amazing and unstoppable in his short tenure in the UFC. If Jones can get a fight with someone in the top ten and win, he will certainly be in the top five. A fight with Thiago Silva makes the most sense to me.

8. Gegard Mousasi

Mousasi lost his Strikeforce title earlier this year after being out-wrestled by Muhhamed Lawal for five rounds, but has already returned to the win column with an early first-round guillotine submission over UFC vet Jake O’Brien. No word yet on what is next for Mousasi, but one loss does not take away the amazing win streak he was on before losing his title. He is one of the most talented fighters in the world and will have his chance to prove it once again.

9. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante

Feijao was about a 3:1 underdog in his Strikeforce title fight against Lawal last Saturday, but defied those odds and knocked Lawal out in the third round. It was a career making performance and his name will now stick with the fans for some time. He has a few options for his first title defense, but hopefully at some point we see him face the winner of Dan Henderson/ Renato Sobral.

10. Thiago Silva

Silva was forced to pull out of a fight with Tim Boetsch at UFC 117 with an injury in what would have been a terrific fight. Though he is coming off a decision loss to Rashad Evans in December, he is one of the top UFC light heavyweights and always puts on a good show. When he recovers, giving Jon Jones a step up in competition would make a lot of sense. I have also wanted to see what a match with Brandon Vera would look like, as well.