Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn (14-5-1)
Penn will make the next defense of his UFC lightweight crown on Dec. 12 at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn. There, he will take on another solid contender in Diego Sanchez, who remains unbeaten as a lightweight. That will make for two title defenses in just four months for “The Prodigy,” countering his history of wanting to venture outside the lightweight division.

2. Shinya Aoki (22-4, 1 NC)
The biggest fight of his career yielded a finish for Aoki, as the Japanese submission stalwart armbarred Norwegian rival Joachim Hansen in the dying moments of their Oct. 6 rubber match. The victory gave Aoki a 2-1 win in the trilogy, along with Dream’s lightweight title.

3. Eddie Alvarez (19-2)
In an entertaining and tougher-than-expected bout with Japanese prospect Katsunori Kikuno, the sure-fisted Alvarez continued to flaunt his grappling prowess, submitting the karateka with an arm-triangle in the second round. The victory moved Bellator's lightweight champ to 4-0 on the year with four submissions.

4. Kenny Florian (11-4)
Coming off of his August loss in a title bid against B.J. Penn, Florian did not have to wait long to find another opponent. The fighter-turned-analyst will take on divisional motor fighter Clay Guida at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)
It was perfunctory and meaningless, but Kawajiri had little trouble smashing an overmatched Melchor Manibusan on Oct. 6. The real question remains whether Kawajiri will get the Dream title fight he so richly desires against Shinya Aoki come New Year’s Eve.

6. Gray Maynard (8-0, 1 NC)
Gray Maynard is viewed by many as the UFC's lightweight title challenger in waiting. However, the former Michigan State wrestler will need to clear another hurdle before he can challenge the winner of the December B.J. Penn-Diego Sanchez bout, when he takes on Nate Diaz in the headliner of the promotion's Jan. 20 "Fight Night" card.

7. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
Herniated discs forced Kurt Pellegrino off of the Dec. 10 finale for "The Ultimate Fighter 10," but Frankie Edgar wasn't without an opponent for long. "The Answer" will now take on unbeaten Matt Veach on the event's main card.

8. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
Sherk was forced out of a slated bout with Gleison Tibau in October due to a shoulder injury. "The Muscle Shark" will now make his return to action at UFC 108 on Jan. 2, when he will take on Brazilian Rafaello Oliveira, who was bested by Sherk's training partner Nik Lentz in September.

9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1)
Hirota all but officially has a challenger for his first Sengoku title defense on Dec. 31: With Kazunori Yokota handily defeating Eiji Mitsuoka on Nov. 7, the path is paved for a five-round rematch between Hirota and Yokota on New Year's Eve. Yokota won a unanimous decision in the first meeting between the two in November 2008.

10. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
After a nearly 15-month layoff, Hansen was game in his Oct. 6 rubber match with Shinya Aoki, but he succumbed to an armbar in the latter stages of the bout, losing the Dream lightweight title and spoiling his return to the ring.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Tyson Griffin, Gilbert Melendez, Jim Miller, Diego Sanchez.