Light Heavyweight 6-12-08

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Rank

Fighter

Comments

1.

Quinton Jackson

2.

Lyoto Machida

The recurring criticism of Lyoto Machida as a boring, even cowardly fighter displays a prejudice about "what a mixed martial artist should be" that we simply don't agree with. Machida is the first fighter we've seen who focuses more on defense than offense, and in doing so, completely demoralizes his opponents. He'll need to start finishing fights before he's recognized as a star by casual fans, but to us, watching his flawless technique in action is anything but dull.

3.

Chuck Liddell

4.

Forrest Griffin

He might be too unpolished to be champion quite yet. But time and time again, Forrest Griffin has displayed unparalleled heart and an admirable willingness to take abuse. His shocking choke-out of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 76 proved that he can hang on an elite level. Underestimate this man at your own peril.

5.

Mauricio Rua

6.

Wanderlei Silva

Since Keith Jardine had already shown that his weakness was aggressive brawlers who come out like a house on fire, Wanderlei Silva's knockout victory over "The Dean of Mean" at UFC 84 didn't really prove much. Silva's accomplishments - which include two brutal KOs of the consensus #1 light-heavyweight in the world - speak for themselves. But we're still waiting to see how the Axe Murderer does against some of the UFC's other top dogs before jumping back on the Wandy War Wagon.

7.

Thiago Silva

8.

Keith Jardine

9.

Vladimir Matyushenko

If not for a decision loss to Tito Ortiz at UFC 33 in 2001, he would have been the UFC’s light-heavyweight champion. Instead, “The Janitor” found his way to the IFL, where he went on a 5-0 killing spree and took the title there. Unfortunately, without higher-caliber competition, we don’t see Matyushenko going much higher on this list.

10.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

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