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Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (16-1)

Jones isn’t scheduled to defend his UFC light heavyweight title until September, but the 24-year-old champ now has a PR battle in front of him after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in mid-May. When he returns to the cage, “Bones” will look to defend his belt for the fourth time when he faces former Strikeforce and Pride titleholder Dan Henderson at UFC 151.

2. Dan Henderson (29-8)

Who could have guessed that Henderson would be more relevant than ever at age 41? With a four-fight winning streak that includes victories over fellow MMA icons Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio Rua, “Hendo” is now looked upon as one of the only possible foils to UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who he’ll meet in September at UFC 151.

3. Rashad Evans (17-2-1)

Evans become the first person to go the distance with Jon Jones since Stephan Bonnar accomplished the feat in a three-round affair in 2009, but he was unable to solve his opponent’s considerable reach advantage during their 25-minute encounter. Though Evans is not especially large for a light heavyweight, he expressed his desire to remain at 205 pounds during the UFC 145 post-fight press conference.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (20-6)

In nearly 10 years and 26 fights, Shogun has never dropped two in a row. On the heels of a bloody, five-round loss to Dan Henderson last November, it’s a first the Brazilian vet will be trying to avoid July 21 when he takes on countryman Thiago Silva at UFC 149.

5. Lyoto Machida (17-3)

Things have been quiet for Machida since being choked out by Jon Jones in a failed December bid to recapture the UFC light heavyweight title, but “The Dragon” is set to emerge from hibernation in August to take on the resurgent Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4.

6. Phil Davis (9-1)

After a 9-0 start, Davis was outpointed in his toughest test to date, outclassed in a five-round January routing at the hands of ex-champ Rashad Evans. The wrestler from Penn State will have a chance to right the ship when he welcomes slimmed-down Strikeforce heavyweight Chad Griggs to the division in August.

7. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1)

Sweden’s top MMA export didn’t miss the biggest opportunity of his young career: April 14 at UFC on Fuel TV 2, the 25-year-old “Mauler” dominated Thiago Silva for three rounds before a partisan crowd in Stockholm. Gustafsson’s next assignment has yet to be announced, but with champ Jon Jones booked for a September defense, it seems the Swede will need another win or two before a title shot.

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (20-5)

Injury derailed Nogueira’s second UFC main event, which was to come against Swedish up-and-comer Alexander Gustafsson on April 14. Instead, “Lil Nog” opted for surgery for an injured patella and watch from the sidelines as Gustafsson went out and cruised past Thiago Silva.

9. Ryan Bader (14-2)

Bader has rebounded nicely from his first two losses, knocking out Jason Brilz at the close of 2011 and grinding out Quinton Jackson to start 2012. He’ll have a chance to add another big name to his résumé when he goes against Lyoto Machida on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.

10. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-10)

What might have been a grand homecoming for the onetime Pride star turned out to be a one-sided drubbing, as Jackson fell to Ryan Bader via unanimous decision Feb. 26 in Saitama, Japan. Just one week later, Rampage took to Twitter and declared himself finished with the UFC -- which, according to him, stands for “U Fight Cheap” -- though he plans to continue fighting.

Other contenders:

Rafael Cavalcante, Forrest Griffin, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gegard Mousasi.

Continue Reading » MMA Middleweight Rankings