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By Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor Top 10 Light Heavyweights
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Mauricio Rua
4. Dan Henderson
5. Rashad Evans
6. Rich Franklin
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Lyoto Machida
9. Keith Jardine
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Honorable Mentions- Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Thiago Silva
This list was hard to fill out because there's a lot of ways to go with the rankings. After all, it was only two years ago that Keith Jardine knocked out Forrest Griffin. However, I have Forrest at number 1 while Jardine is at number 9. Jardine knocked out Forrest 2 years ago and beat Chuck Liddell in a decision 1 year ago. But in that same time period Jardine got KO'd by both Houston Alexander and Wanderlei Silva in the first rounds of those fights. Jardine seems very hit or miss so I can't justify placing him very high on my list.
I put Quinton Jackson at number 2 because if it wasn't for a somewhat questionable decision loss to Forrest he would still be the Light heavyweight champion. Mauricio Rua is at number 3 because, other than a bad elbow dislocation in a loss to Mark Coleman, his only loss in the past several years was to Forrest. Dan Henderson comes in at number 4 because his recent losses have been to Rampage and Anderson Silva.
Rashad Evans is on a hell of a tear and seems to improve with every fight. His striking is great and he's also got an underrated wrestling background. He's just plain an athlete who gets the job done. That's why I ranked Rashad at number 5. I won't be surprised too much if he defeats Forrest. I put Rich Franklin at number 6 only because he's only had one fight recently at 205 pounds. If Franklin beats Henderson he jumps way up the list. Wanderlei is number 7 because I can't put him higher than that with him having lost 3 of his last 4 fights. He's still a dangerous fighter, though, as evidenced by his quick destruction of Keith Jardine.
Lyoto Machida is at number 8 even though I haven't been terribly impressed by any of his wins. He decisioned Tito Ortiz and submitted Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Those are good victories but nothing that makes you want to consider him elite just yet. If he fights and beat Thiago Silva then I might have to move him up the rankings a spot or two. Until then, however, I can't put him higher than number 8.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira gets the number 10 spot partly because of his last name and also because of his boxing and grappling skills. He's shown flashes of being great but also flashes of not being able to win a big fight. He holds a win over Dan Henderson but has lost to Sokoudjou and Mauricio Rua in his career. Minotouro sneaks in at number 10, but could also be off the list entirely if he loses anytime soon.fff
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