Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (15-1)
So much for taking five months off: Instead of resting for the first half of 2012, the UFC’s 24-year-old light heavyweight ace will be back to work in the first quarter of the year. Jones’ sensational submission of Lyoto Machida on Dec. 10 once again set up a twice-canceled showdown with former training partner and ex-champ Rashad Evans, now slated for April 21 at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

2. Dan Henderson (29-8)
Henderson appears to have his sights set solely on gold. UFC President Dana White recently said that the 41-year-old turned down an April fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, instead preferring to wait for the winner of the April 21 Jon Jones-Rashad Evans title bout. “Hendo” will ride an impressive four-fight win streak into his next bout, including a rousing, five-round November decision over Mauricio Rua.

3. Rashad Evans (17-1-1)
The former champ is once again a step away from reclaiming his UFC title after a Jan. 28 routing of previously unbeaten prospect Phil Davis. Evans has seen multiple title shots pass due to injury, including two tentative meetings with current champ Jon Jones. The pair will hope the third time’s the charm as they’re slated to clash April 21 in the main event of UFC 145.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (20-6)
The former UFC titleholder fought back valiantly, but Rua could not overcome the deficit created by ex-Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson through the first three stanzas of their Nov. 19 encounter. The Brazilian came up on the short end of a brutal, 25-minute decision against Henderson and has now lost two of three since taking the title from Lyoto Machida in May 2010.

5. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-9)
Jackson was halted for the first time since 2005 and submitted for only the second time in his career on Sept. 24 when he ran up against red-hot champion Jon Jones at UFC 135. Now, the Memphis native looks to get back on track in front of the Japanese audience he used to so love in Pride when he meets Ryan Bader at UFC 144.

6. Lyoto Machida (17-3)
Things were looking up for Machida in his Dec. 10 title confrontation with Jon Jones. The Brazilian karateka’s unorthodox style was proving an apt foil to the young champ until a second-round guillotine detached Machida from consciousness and dashed his hopes of once again holding the UFC light heavyweight title.

7. Phil Davis (9-1)
On Jan. 28, Davis returned from a 10-month layoff and went straight into the toughest bout of his nascent career. It also proved his longest outing, as “Mr. Wonderful” was outclassed across 25 minutes by former UFC champ Rashad Evans en route to a unanimous decision loss.

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (20-5)
In December, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira assaulted Tito Ortiz to the body. However, his April assignment will be a much tougher one, as he heads to Stockholm to battle once-beaten Swedish prospect Alexander Gustafsson in the headliner of April 14's UFC on Fuel 2.

9. Alexander Gustafsson (13-1)
Alexander Gustafsson proved he was ready for A-level tests in December by blowing out respected veteran Vladimir Matyushenko. Now, “The Mauler” will get to move to the next echelon in his backyard, as the UFC touches down in Sweden on April 14 with Gustafsson headlining against Brazilian veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

10. Forrest Griffin (18-7)
After losing his UFC light heavyweight title in 2008 and being embarrassed by Anderson Silva in 2009, Griffin strung together back-to-back victories over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. That streak came to an abrupt halt on Aug. 27, however, when the man Griffin shockingly submitted in 2007, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, took revenge in the form of a first-round knockout at UFC 134.

Other contenders: Ryan Bader, Rafael Cavalcante, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gegard Mousasi

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