1. Mauricio Rua

2. Lyoto Machida

3. Rashad Evans

4. Forrest Griffin

5. Antonio Nogueira

6. Muhammed Lawal

7. Quinton Jackson

8. Gegard Mousasi

9. Ryan Bader

10. Thiago Silva

1. Gray Maynard

Even though BJ Penn regains the lightweight strap against Frankie Edgar, I still have to give the overall nod to Gray.  Gray is undefeated with a win over former champ Edgar.  Let’s face it, it should have been Gray facing Penn last year anyway for the title.  He’s my #1 lightweight for now. 

2. BJ Penn

Well he did it.  He got his strap back, but he’s still not my #1 lightweight in the world.  BJ certainly has the tools to be the best, but we’ll find out for sure when he takes on Gray Maynard in the next title fight. 

3. Frankie Edgar

I wasn’t sold that Frankie won the first fight, but BJ Penn corrected the error.  Frankie is still one of the toughest kids around, but not the UFC’s best lightweight. 

4. Gilbert Melendez

Melendez needs some new challenges.  Taking out Shinya Aoki and Josh Thomson is as impressive a string of victories as we’ve seen.  Facing a healthier Thomson and Eddie Alvarez are logical next steps, but I wouldn’t bet on Gil in either of those fights. 

5. Kenny Florian

Losing to Gray is yet another set-back for one of the finest all around mixed martial artists around.  A nice next step would be Sean Sherk. 

6. Shinya Aoki

He’s accomplished everything he can in Japan.  He needs new challenges before he loses his relevance. 

7. Eddie Alvarez

His dominance over Josh Neer was impressive.  I’m looking forward to his next fight with Pat Curran. 

8. Evan Dunham

9. George Sotiropolous

10. Benson Henderson

2. Brian Bowles

3. Joseph Benevidez

4. Bibiano Fernandes

5. Miguel Torres

6. Scott Jorgenson

7. Takeya Mizugaki

8. Shuichiro Katsumara

9. Masakatsu Ueda

10. Demacio Page

Vitor will have to repeat this performance against Lindland's training partner to get his title shot.

After Silva vs. Sonnen, it became known that the current middleweight king suffered broken ribs before his title defense, and now after the fight may be out until early 2011.  With Anderson Silva on the shelf for a good while, the question becomes what to do with the middleweight division. 

The next title fight was to be with Vitor Belfort, a pugilist who earned the shot by acing Rich Franklin in the first round in a catchweight bout, and before that dismantling Matt Lindland and Terry Martin outside of the UFC promotion. 

The fight had some serious juice, even if the road to get there wasn’t exactly earned.  The two Brazilians don’t see eye-to-eye so, like Sonnen, this has all the makings of another great grudge match, and Vitor seems to have no problem providing the trash talk.  In addition, Vitor’s aggressive boxing style would force Anderson to engage rather than fend off grapplers to a decision the way he did in very boring fashion with Demian Maia and Thales Leites. 

But after an injury forced Vitor out of this title shot in April, he has since been on the shelf, and can he really wait two years for a title shot with Anderson in 2011? 

Throwing a monkey wrench in Vitor’s plans both past and present is Chael Sonnen.  In fact, Chael’s MMA career has been one big monkey wrench, ruining Nate Marquardt’s title hopes and ending Paulo Filho’s win streak in the WEC. 

That theme came within a minute or so of continuing at UFC 117, as Sonnen punished the middleweight champ for five rounds before succumbing to a late round submission [the dreaded triangle: Sonnen’s career monkey wrench]. 

But after such a stellar performance against the seemingly immortal champ, not to mention the record number of PPV buys for a Silva fight, everyone seems more concerned about a Sonnen/Silva rematch. 

But Chael, although desirous of a rematch with the champ, has made it clear he wants to stay active until Silva recovers completely. 

So there’s an obvious problem: two title contenders and one title shot next year. 

Luckily the answer is just as obvious as the problem:  Vitor Belfort has to get off the shelf and actually earn his title fight and face Chael Sonnen. 

The result creates no controversy.  If Sonnen takes down Belfort, then we have a highly anticipated rematch for the fans with huge PPV numbers for the promotion.  If Belfort KOs Sonnen, then he earns a legitimate opportunity to compete for the UFC middleweight strap. 

Now such an obvious solution would be ignored by promotions such as Strikeforce [see Heavyweight division], but the UFC’s brass have always had a great handle on match-making so expect this fight to carry the still unannounced card at UFC 122. 

Staying with the middleweight division, another fight that almost makes too much sense is Yushin Okami vs. Wanderlei Silva. 

Wanderlei is coming off a long lay-off from knee surgery, but also off a win over big name, Michael Bisping.  Silva is a guy that the UFC would love to have headlining title fights due to his exciting style and enormous fan base. 

Meanwhile, Okami has neither trait [think of a middleweight Jon Fitch], but what he does have is a brilliant resume’ and a Japanese background. 

Back in the Pride promotion, Wanderlei Silva was like a god whom Japanese fighters treasured the opportunity to face.  Most recently Yoshihiro Akiyama was up to bat before losing to Chris Leben. 

Okami doesn’t generate the juice of Akiyama, but the UFC would have an MMA-loving country more than intrigued by the fight. 

The bout would also perfectly set-up the next middleweight championship as, assuming Anderson Silva wins his next title defense, would be facing either an exciting Brazilian striker, or a hated rival, whom he has a loss to, and sets up yet another win-win scenario in the UFC’s middleweight division.

1. Anderson Silva

Well, he didn’t exactly look like the pound-for-pound best on the planet, but he got the win in exciting fashion.  Didn’t seem like himself and maybe it was the rib injury or maybe he wasn’t used to a guy coming after him for once.  Sonnen took the fight to Silva and rattled him early.  Still, showed slick striking in the later rounds when standing, a ridiculous chin, good submissions and a desire to win.  I hope there’s an immediate rematch. 

2. Chael Sonnen

How painful was Saturday for this guy?  Dominated the champ for four and half rounds before being submitted.  He backed up his talk and is the clear #2.  I’m a Sonnen fan.

3. Dan Henderson

Hendo’s wrestling has definitely slipped.  He was owned by Jake Shields and couldn’t control Anderson Silva on the ground the way Sonnen did.  But he’s still a dangerous striker with good enough wrestling to beat most guys.  He’s still a top guy.

4. Vitor Belfort

I’m a big fan of Vitor and after watching Sonnen land shots on Silva, he has to be licking his chops.  However, Saturday’s showdown was too close to not get an immediate rematch so Vitor should have to sit out and fight Yushin Okami for the next shot.  Besides, he has yet to compete at MW in the UFC or to get more than one win.

5. Nate Marquardt

If it’s any consolation, he probably did way more damage to Sonnen than Anderson did in the three rounds.  Nate is great, but he’s just not the champ.

6. Demian Maia

I think this is a fair spot for Maia considering he does have a win over the #2 guy.  Will have his work cut out for him against upstart Mario Miranda.

7. Yushin Okami

Looks awesome against top ten quality MW, Mark Munoz.  Secured the win kind of easily despite what one judge felt.  Okami is always in the mix.  Hopefully he’s competing for a title shot soon either against Belfort or maybe Wanderlei Silva.

8. Paulo Filho

I’m probably the only ranker still ranking Filho, especially after tying Denis Kang, but his record is still really impressive and can claim a first round win over the #2 guy.

9. Wanderlei Silva

Nearly finished Michael Bisping in his first MW bout.  Can’t wait for him to get healthy and start competing again.

10. Mark Munoz

One judge thought he beat Okami.  Mark is a tough guy for anyone in this division.  He hits hard and is a fantastic wrestler.  He’s top ten talent.

1. Georges St. Pierre

Easily the most talented WW in the world and perhaps the most dominant champ for a division.  GSP is special.  Enjoy him while we have him.   

2. Jon Fitch

If GSP retires like he’s talking, then Fitch is the guy that benefits.  He’s Antonio Nogueira to GSP’s Fedor Emelianenko back in the Pride days — he never looks pretty, but just keeps winning.  Dominated Alves for three rounds and deserves a shot right now.  Will probably have to fight the winner of Kampmann/Shields.

3. Jake Shields

It’s hard exactly to know where to rank Jake since he’s been a middleweight for the past couple of years, but he did start out as WW and a pretty good one at that.  At MW he beat the likes of Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and Dan Henderson and those wins have to count for something.  At WW, his last win was against Paul Daley, and beating Daley was good enough to Koscheck a title shot so I think this is a fair spot for Jake.

4. Thiago Alves

Thankfully he’s healthy again and with his youth, Alves could end up running this division.  Extraordinary striker with developing takedown defense.  But is his future at WW?

5. Josh Koscheck

Even though he already got taken to school once by GSP, he’s still probably the division’s best bet for taking out the champ.  He’s remarkable wrestler with vastly improved striking.  He’ll make a perfect heel as a coach on this season’s Ultimate Fighter.

6. Nick Diaz

It’s hard to know where to put this guy.  He’s looked great in his last few fights, but we haven’t seen him against top tier talent in a while.  My hunch is that Nick is this good and maybe better.

7. Paul Daley

Way to ruin a burgeoning career in MMA.  Daley will now have to hope that Strikeforce signs him, otherwise he will be relegated to obscurity for the rest of his career and most likely off this list.

8. Martin Kampmann

Memo to Kampmann: avoid slugfests with known brawlers.  It almost cost him against Drew McFedries at MW, cost him against Nate Marquardt and recently Paul Daley.  His latest win over Paul Thiago did a lot to put Kampmann back on track.  He now has the pleasure of welcoming Jake Shields to the UFC in what should be an epic fight.  Martin, this is a guy you CAN stand with.

9. Paulo Thiago

Paulo looks like the man that could unseat GSP half-the-time, and the other half, a guy tailored to be abused by the champ.  Thiago looked really bad in his last loss to Kampmann.  He could bounce back nicely if he beats Diego Sanchez at UFC 121.

10. Carlos Condit

Rarely looks pretty, but keeps winning.  He’s taken a lot of damage by guys that aren’t supposed to be on his level.  His fight with the largely unproven Dan Hardy will be telling.

Alistair Overeem went from being a guy with a soft chin, woman-beater, bar-room brawler, suspected steroid-user, and crotch shot artist to a fan favorite, almost with one simple publicity stunt: the Reem. 

The Reem is a well edited quick video that allows fans to learn a little more about Alistair Overeem’s personal life.  In the latest installment, we learn about Overeem’s daughter, training partners, the ineptitude of Japanese promotions, and that Bas Rutten likes to dance. 

Rutten opens part 5 with a little tale of a young Overeem desperately trying to figure out how to out-grapple El Guapo.  Rutten remains one of the easiest guys in MMA to like.

Gegard Mousasi makes an appearance in the video, training with Overeem.  Nothing terribly interesting is explored here, but it is interesting that Mousasi trains with both Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko, when both seem to be on a collision course, of course with a Brazilian  monkey wrench now in the mix.  I wonder who Gegard would corner? 

The video then cuts to some cute scenes with his daughter, where he talks about how he will handle her future boyfriends saying,  “If I don’t like the guy, then he’s not going to come back.  It will be the first and last time I ever see him.”  It might just be the last time anyone ever sees this potential young man, period. 

Then we hear about Overeem’s frustrations with Dream.  First he has an unknown opponent, then he doesn’t have an opponent at all, but that frees him up to watch Fedor/Werdum so he can challenge Fedor after he wi…well, never mind.  Who knows who Overeem will face next?  Since his last title defense was against a guy coming off a loss, maybe we can still see him face Fedor in the crazy world of Strikeforce match-making. 

Anyway, most fighters should take note of Overeem’s marketing ploy.  These videos did wonders for Dana White’s image, and now one of the more disliked fighters out there is one of the more well-liked.  Of course this method may not be for everyone – for some less would probably be more.

Just so you know Paul, those aren't silent 'Ls' in Amarillo.

In what seems like a surprise move, top ten welterweight, Paul Daley, has signed up to compete on the Shark Fight 9-11 card, which also happens to feature some of the biggest names in the sport not competing in the octagon. 

Part of me expected to see Daley in Strikeforce or maybe Dream due to his talent, but it’s clear that after his antics at UFC 113, where he sucker punched Josh Koscheck after the final horn sounded, that he carries MMA’s scarlett letter. 

Daley is added to a line-up of big name guys like Keith Jardine, Trevor Prangley, Houston Alexander Rameau Sokoudjou, Drew McFedries and Joey Villasenor.

The promotion promised a big name for Daley and since this card already has a UFC vs. Strikeforce feel to it, here are some potential names [even though I know Rameau, and Prangley competed in the UFC before Strikeforce]…

Jesse Taylor — everyone’s favorite Ultimate Fighter degenerate could be a nice opponent.  He’s fought some really good guys since leaving the UFC between WW and MW, and would look to do the exact same thing that Koscheck did to Daley. 

Pete Spratt — he’s coming off a nice win over UFC veteran, and Marine veteran, Luigi Fioravanti.  His style would make for fireworks with Daley. 

Luke Stewart — he’s on his second straight loss after a successful run with Strikeforce.  This last loss was on ShoMMA card, which is kind of like their JV card so that could be all-she-wrote for Luke with Strikeforce.  He’ll look to get a fight with Daley to the mat, ASAP.

Of course, there’s actually a lot of good names in this division, like a Terry Martin or Akihiro Gono, to choose from, and a win here could really vault an unknown like Quinn Mulhern.

It didn’t take long for Nick Diaz to respond to Jason Miller’s comments in a recent interview. 

A quick rundown is that it kind of seems like Nick is disinterested in fighting Miller and cites the following reasons:

1. Jason Miller is too big for him.  Miller now competes at middleweight and has for a long time now, but Diaz has moved up twice on recent occassion to face MWs like Scott Smith and Frank Shamrock at catchweights of 180 lbs.  Miller, a former welterweight, would probably have no trouble dropping 5 pounds for this bout. 

2. Diaz doesn’t think Miller is a worthy challenger and is only trying to use the CBS event to capitalize on his 15 minutes.  But Hype aside, Miller is arguably the best MW left in Strikeforce, and due to a weak talent pool at WW, this is probably Diaz’ best career challenge. 

Nick Diaz is continuously one of the most intriguing fighters out there, in and out of the cage, so it’s hard to predict his moves.  His boss Scott Coker will definitely want this fight to go down so he may not have much of a say in the matter anyway, but I could see Nick doing his best to deny this fight. 

One thing I’ve always thought, and this stretches back to Diaz’ disinterest in fighting talented welterweight Jay Hieron, is that Nick does not want to fight wrestlers.  It’s not that he can’t.  He certainly has the talent and some, but if you look back at his career most of his losses were at the hands of guys that could get a fight to the ground. 

But the biggest question is, if not Miller, then who?

Now that I’m off my soapbox, it is hardly surprising that the stars of a relatively new sport are not paid as the stars of century old games like golf or boxing, but MMA’s best is hardly in the starving artist category. 

The sport’s lead spokesman for the past few years has been Chuck Liddell and he makes on average six million per year.  In other words, I’m not going to shed any tears for Mr. Liddell. 

In a world of inflated salaries, where unproven rookies like Sam Bradford will become the highest paid football player ever, I’m actually a little relieved to see a sport that isn’t so fiscally out of control. 

But the day is coming.  The UFC routinely dominates the pay-per-view grabs each year, only being outdone by boxing matches featuring Manny Pacquiao or Mayweather.  Sponsors are jumping on board daily and major networks are intrigued at the viewing potential of the young sport.  I pray we never see Brock Lesnar striking a ‘Money’ Mayweather pose.