-The UFC's current Light Heavyweight Champion has come a long way from winning the first season of the Ultimate Fighter. He's had some ups and downs throughout his journey to the top, but he's emerged as the top light heavyweight in the world. With a win over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who at the time was thought to be one of the top fighters on this list, followed up with his victorious five round battle against Quinton Jackson for the belt more than makes him worthy to fill this spot.
2. Quinton Jackson
-Rampage may have lost his belt at UFC 86, but it was in a fight where there were many thinking he won. While he came up short in that fight, and has had well documented issues in the aftermath, he's still one of the best in the game right now at 205. He's looking to pick up a victory over Wanderlei Silva next month, in the third fight between the two. We'll see if he's come as far as it's looked like he has against Silva in December.
3. Rashad Evans
-Love him or hate him, all he does is win. The challenger for Forrest's Title next month catapulted himself into Title contention with that shocking knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. Rashad has had to overcome a lot of negativity geared in his direction, and he's done that and more to get himself in this spot. He's going to give Forrest one hell of a fight in the battle of two Ultimate Fighter winners.
4. Lyoto Machida
-Here's another fighter where, love him or hate him, all he does is win. His evasive countering style tends to turn many people off from his fights, but he's smart and he fights both efficiently and effectively. If he picks up a win against Thiago Silva it's going to be very hard for the UFC to justify not giving him a Title shot.
5. Wanderlei Silva
-"The Axe Murderer" showed us a bit of his true form in his decimation of Keith Jardine in the first round at UFC 84. He came back more focused than ever after suffering defeat at the hands of Chuck Liddell in their all out war almost one year ago, and he's one of those fighters where if he's on his game lookout. He's still a top five fighter despite UFC losses.
6. Thiago Silva
-This may be a bit high for this young talent, but he's got a chance to earn an even higher ranking if he can defeat Lyoto Machida in January. He's just a very skilled fighter that continues to make a name for himself each time he steps foot in the Octagon.
7. Chuck Liddell
-Liddell will not be fighting for the Light Heavyweight Championship anytime soon, if ever again, but despite his recent losses it's clear that it's all been against top 10 fighters. His one win since defeating Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 was a huge one, battling it out in that aforementioned war with Wanderlei. He's been on the losing end to Jackson, Evans and Jardine in the last year and a half, but he's still Chuck Liddell. Even a 70% Chuck Liddell has a chance against most guys in the weight class.
8. Keith Jardine
-One of the most enigmatic fighters in all of mixed martial arts, it's very hard to get a grasp on just what exactly Jardine can do. He's got some impressive names on his list of victories, including a tko of the current Champ just a short couple of years ago. At the same time, he's been destroyed by the likes of Houston Alexander as well as by Wanderlei, and it's really tough to know which Keith Jardine you'll see on a show by show basis.
9. Mauricio Rua
-He's been out of action for perhaps too long to keep him on this list, but Shogun is a fighter. He's a highly skilled talent who hasn't fought since being submitted late in his fight with Forrest Griffin. A couple of wins over some other guys on this list, and we could be seeing that rematch in the next year or so.
10. Luis Cane
-A young fighter with tremendous power at 205 lbs that seems to be a fight or two away from really breaking loose from that lower mid card route. The punishment he was able to withstand in his fight with Sokoudjou was nothing short of stellar. He took the onslaught and then pounced, catching a gassed Sokoudjo and sending him home packing. Cane's another one of those fighters with a seemingly long career ahead of him.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
