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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
We’re back on the rotation in our “Keeping Tabs On…” series this week, where we break down the UFC’s Top 15 ranked fighters in each division. We'll let you know where we've got them ranked, what they've got coming up, how often they've been competing, what we've said about them recently at MMATorch, and more. We continue today with the light heavyweight division.
Champ: Jon Jones
MMATorch Rank: 1 Next Fight: Glover Teixeira, UFC 172, April 26 Previous Fight: Alexander Gustafsson (Win), UFC 165 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Current Champ What We're Saying: "For anyone who has criticized Jones for being "fake" in the past, he's clearly no longer trying to live up to any standards of conduct you might want to place on him. The simple fact of the matter is he's quite possibly the best MMA fighter on the planet, so he's not going to be bothered by criticisms from fans and fighters, especially those not in the UFC." - Jamie Penick
1. Alexander Gustafsson
MMATorch Rank: 2 Next Fight: Jimi Manuwa, UFC Fight Night, March 8 Previous Fight: Jon Jones (Loss), UFC 165 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Biggest remaining challenge for Jones at 205 lbs. What We're Saying: "Gustafsson can't afford to overlook Manuwa here with what's at stake for him. A win gets him another shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title, likely against Jon Jones, and an upset loss would take that rematch away for quite some time. I don't expect him to slip up here; he's an elite talent, and while Manuwa can certainly be dangerous, it's not as if Gustafsson's never faced a dangerous opponent in his career." - Jamie Penick
2. Glover Teixeira
MMATorch Rank: 4 Next Fight: Jon Jones, UFC 172, April 26 Previous Fight: Ryan Bader (Win), UFC Fight Night 28 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Next title challenger What We're Saying: "The top Brazilian contender secured his title fight with his fifth straight win in the Octagon in September. After 2013 wins over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and James Te Huna, Teixeira knocked out Ryan Bader after getting rocked himself." - Jamie Penick
3. Rashad Evans
MMATorch Rank: 3 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Chael Sonnen (Win), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Rising, realistically could get in the mix What We're Saying: "Six months is about as expected for a severe knee injury. It's unfortunate, still, but getting the injury fixed as quickly as possible is a positive. The time out is going to be unfortunate, but if he is diligent in his rehab and recovery, hopefully he can get back to action as close to his best as possible later this year." - Jamie Penick
4. Phil Davis
MMATorch Rank: 5 Next Fight: Anthony Johnson, UFC 172, April 26 Previous Fight: Lyoto Machida (Win), UFC 163 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Fight or two away from a title fight What We're Saying: "He has somewhat of a right to be upset when he sees guys he's defeated getting big opportunities while he's yet to get a title fight. Then again, some of that gets brought on himself for the way he's been winning fights. The UFC makes the road harder for guys who grind out wins, or who win controversial decisions the likes of which Davis won over Lyoto Machida last year. Davis needs an impressive win over Johnson, and he'll likely get a No. 1 contender fight from there." - Jamie Penick
5. Daniel Cormier
MMATorch Rank: 6 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Pat Cummins (Win), UFC 170 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Now competing at 205 lbs. What We're Saying: "These are the two fights that make sense for Cormier, and it all comes down to what happens March 8. If Manuwa pulls off the upset, Cormier's spot as a contender at heavyweight could make him a viable option for the Light Heavyweight Title shot. If Gustafsson gets the title fight next, Cormier vs. Davis/Johnson for the next shot after that is perfect. It's now just on the UFC and what they'd like to do on that front after the Gustafsson-Manuwa fight next week." - Jamie Penick
6. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
MMATorch Rank: 11 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Rashad Evans (Win) UFC 156 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 1 Contender Status: Stagnant, continued injury issues have his future in question What We're Saying: "It's impossible to hold any high expectations for Nogueira upon his return. Prior to the win over Evans - in what was perhaps Evans' worst performance in the UFC - Nogueira hadn't fought since December of 2011. He's fought just six times in the UFC since his debut in 2009, and though he's got some big wins, the lack of activity massively hurts his status in the division. He needs to fight with some consistency in order to get any serious considerations in the UFC's light heavyweight division." - Jamie Penick
7. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
MMATorch Rank: 10 Next Fight: Dan Henderson, UFC Fight Night 38, March 23 Previous Fight: James Te Huna (Win), UFC Fight Night 33 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 4 Contender Status: Stagnant, bought new life with KO win over Te Huna What We're Saying: "Rua, meanwhile, has had his own ups and downs since the Henderson loss. He bounced back from that in 2012 when he stopped Brandon Vera, but he then lost to Alexander Gustafsson before getting submitted by Chael Sonnen. He returned to the win column in December, though, knocking out James Te Huna in his best performance since capturing the title from Lyoto Machida in 2010." - Jamie Penick
8. Dan Henderson
MMATorch Rank: 7 Next Fight: Shogun Rua, UFC Fight Night 38, March 23 Previous Fight: Vitor Belfort (Loss), UFC Fight Night 32 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Falling, needs a win badly What We're Saying: "For now, Henderson's going to concentrate on his fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua next month, where he'll be the final fighter granted an exemption for TRT by Brazil's MMA commission. After that, he'll figure out what to do with the new landscape against TRT." - Jamie Penick
9. Chael Sonnen
MMATorch Rank: 8 Next Fight: Wanderlei Silva, “TUF: Brazil 3” Finale, May 31 Previous Fight: Rashad Evans (Loss), UFC 167 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Falling, probably won’t get another title fight What We're Saying: "Unfortunately for those who were actually going through the process by the book, the issues over exemptions being too readily available negate even the legitimate diagnoses. For Sonnen, who already described how poorly his body would deal without testosterone therapy, he'll have to find something that works or he won't be fighting anymore, and that's just a reality of the situation post-TRT ban." - Jamie Penick
10. Ryan Bader
MMATorch Rank: 9 Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Anthony Perosh (Win), UFC Fight Night 33 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Stagnant, needs to win several in a row to get in the mix What We're Saying: "The light heavyweight Ultimate Fighter season 8 winner is still recovering from a hand injury suffered in that fight, but with a new deal in place, he's working on other projects while gearing up for a summer return." - Jamie Penick
11. Jimi Manuwa
MMATorch Rank: 15 Next Fight: Alexander Gustafsson, UFC Fight Night 37, March 8 Previous Fight: Ryan Jimmo (Win), UFC Fight Night 30 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Rising, could catapult with an upset over Gustafsson What We're Saying: "Manuwa's got a lot of power, and is a very dangerous fighter on the feet. He's got some holes in his game that some at the top may be able to exploit, and most will expect Gustafsson to do just that. However, if Manuwa does find a way to pull off the upset, he'll move himself into that title picture and give himself a chance to follow through on his thoughts here." - Jamie Penick
12. Vitor Belfort
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (#3 at middleweight) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Dan Henderson (win), UFC Fight Night 32 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Non-existent, No. 1 contender at middleweight What We're Saying: "It still doesn't make sense for Belfort and his camp to not release the drug test unless he failed. And if he failed, then whenever he applies for a license somewhere, that test failure can be taken into account and he can be denied a license and not be able to apply again for nine months to a year from that. It's what happened to Alistair Overeem, and the longer he delays in attempting to get a license should that test be positive for anything, the worse off it will be for him and the UFC." - Jamie Penick
13. Gegard Mousasi
MMATorch Rank: Not eligible (Ranked #9 at middleweight) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Lyoto Machida (Loss), UFC Fight Night 36 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Fighting at middleweight What We're Saying: "Both fighters started on the same pace, but it was clear that Mousasi just couldn't figure Machida out throughout the fight. He had a few spurts of success, more than some others have had against Machida, but he couldn't sustain any offense. Machida was able to pick up his pace and deliver more damage, and it kept Mousasi out of sorts through most of the bout." - Jamie Penick
14. James Te-Huna
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked (received votes) Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Loss), UFC Fight Night 33 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 5 Contender Status: Non-existent, dropping to the middleweight division What We're Saying: "Te Huna might be able to translate well to middleweight, but that shift in weight classes doesn't always breed the results fighters hope for. He's still a good fighter, though, he just ran up against a vicious right hand against Shogun that took him out, and he needs a spark to get him back on track. For his sake hopefully this is what he needs to get back in the win column.
" - Jamie Penick
15. Rafael Cavalcante
MMATorch Rank: Not Ranked Next Fight: TBA Previous Fight: Igor Pokrajac (Win), UFC Fight Night 32 Number of Fights Since Jan. 2012: 3 Contender Status: Stagnant, far from contention What We're Saying: "Two straight submissions due to strikes when that's among the rarest finishes in the UFC. Nice. Feijao looked as good as he has in a long while, and that was a much needed win for him." - Jamie Penick
[Jon Jones art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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