Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Light Heavyweight

1. Mauricio Rua (19-4)
“Shogun” underwent another knee surgery, stemming from an injury suffered in his May 8 title capture against Lyoto Machida. Recovery and rehab will postpone his slated title defense against former champion Rashad Evans, which will now be pushed back until early 2011.

2. Lyoto Machida (16-1)
Despite his father, Yoshizo, announcing he would like to see his son retire, Machida will do just the opposite. Coming off his brutal knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in May, Machida will get right back into the 205-pound fray later this year. He will face another former UFC champion, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in the main event of UFC 123 on Nov. 20.

3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1)
It has now become a waiting game for Evans. With his May win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans earned another crack at the UFC light heavyweight title. However, with champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on the shelf until early 2011 with yet another knee surgery, the real question for Evans remains whether or not he will be placed into an interim title bout while he waits for Shogun to heal.

4. Quinton Jackson (30-8)
Coming off a tough decision loss to rival Rashad Evans in May, Jackson will stay right in the hottest fires at 205 pounds. In the main event of UFC 123 on Nov. 20, Jackson will take on fellow former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in a must-win bout for “Rampage.”

5. Forrest Griffin (17-6)
With his second book penned and injuries healed, Griffin is due for his return to the Octagon. He will take on former middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in what could be a highly entertaining affair at 205 pounds.

6. Ryan Bader (12-0)
It was not a thrilling victory, but at UFC 119 on Sept. 25, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner earned a unanimous decision over well-established veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the twin of his reality series coach. The win sets up Bader -- who is set to get married later this year -- for a potential Feb. 5 showdown with fellow fast-riser Jon Jones at UFC 126.

7. Jon Jones (11-1)
The 23-year-old Jones seems destined for greatness. The next step in the evolution for “Bones” will be a major prospect-versus-prospect showdown come Super Bowl weekend. Jones is unofficially slated to meet fellow blue chipper Ryan Bader at UFC 126 on Feb. 5.

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4)
At UFC 119, “Minotoro” did not have a ton to offer Ryan Bader in their high-stakes light heavyweight duel. Though he was competitive throughout, the Brazilian could not find any particularly effective offense, as he was outwrestled and even outstruck at times by the former Arizona State wrestler en route to a unanimous decision loss.

9. Rafael Cavalcante (10-2)
The world expected Muhammed Lawal to affirm his place as one of MMA’s hottest prospects on Aug. 21 in Houston. Cavalcante was not particularly content with that storyline. “Feijao” started fast and wound up halting Lawal early in the third round to take the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.

10. Muhammed Lawal (7-1)
“King Mo” had his crown taken by Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante on Aug. 21 in Houston. A slow start and an overreliance on his stand-up skills saw Lawal play right into Cavalcante’s game. It got him stopped just 74 seconds into the third round, as he suffered the first loss of his MMA career.

Other contenders: Rich Franklin, Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gegard Mousasi, Thiago Silva.