Light-Heavyweight 5-26-09

Rank

Fighter

Comments

1.

Lyoto Machida

The Dragon’s stunning KO of Rashad Evans at UFC 98 was a watershed moment, both for him and for the UFC. Karate, which had been an Octagon punchline since Fred Ettish, was finally an art to reckoned with in MMA. Machida shed the last of his “boring” label and became an improbable fan favorite. And the UFC’s light-heavyweight division may very well have its first dynasty fighter since Chuck Liddell. The Machida Era is here — get on board or get out of the way.

2.

Quinton Jackson

At this point, Rampage is the only legitimate contender to Lyoto Machida’s belt. With his head finally in the right place, Quinton Jackson could beat any 205’er on a good night. But his increasingly one-dimensional boxing style doesn’t bode well in a fight against Machida, who eats strikers for lunch, then washes them down with a nutritious glass of his own urine.

3.

Rashad Evans

Lets not forget that Rashad Evans is a relatively young, exceptionally talented fighter who wrecked Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin before he ran afoul of Lyoto Machida. He took his first career loss, people — this could just be the beginning of his story. And we still need to see a “Black on Black Crime” fight with Rampage to determine who’s really the second-best light-heavyweight in the world right now.

4.

Forrest Griffin

 

5.

Mauricio Rua

Knocking out Chuck Liddell might not be the greatest accomplishment these days, but the win must have done wonders for Shogun’s confidence. If Rua’s past struggles were only due to conditioning and injuries, then a return to the top of the light-heavyweight pack isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

6.

Renato Sobral

 

7.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

 

8.

Wanderlei Silva

 

9.

Thiago Silva

 

10.

Keith Jardine

 

See previous rankings (published April 19, 2009)