Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Lightweight

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1)
In round one of his lightweight title defense against Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Edgar looked dead to rights after taking an epic pummeling from “The Bully.” Somehow, Edgar fought back valiantly over the last 20 minutes, shutting down Maynard’s wrestling and becoming the more effective boxer. After five rounds, Edgar had forced a split draw in a sensational fight, as well as a third fight with Maynard at UFC 130 on May 28.

2. Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
After a potential New Year’s Eve rematch with Dream champion Shinya Aoki fell apart, Strikeforce champ Melendez was left with no clear next opponent. In the meantime, “El Nino” has taken to calling out welterweight contender Paul Daley, announcing his interest in a 165-pound catchweight bout against the hard-hitting Brit.

3. Gray Maynard (10-0-1, 1 NC)
Through five minutes at UFC 125, it seemed a lock that Maynard would leave Las Vegas with the UFC lightweight crown. But while “The Bully” crushed Frankie Edgar in the first round, the champion battled back over the next four to force a draw and retain his title in an early “Fight of the Year” contender. The pair will square off for the third time on May 28 at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

4. B.J. Penn (16-7-1)
Penn and Matt Hughes were rivals for nearly six years. However, in the rubber match between the former UFC champs, it took “The Prodigy” just 21 seconds to brutally put Hughes down for the count. Next for Penn will be another fight at 170 pounds -- and a major one, at that -- as he meets Jon Fitch in the UFC 127 headliner on Feb. 27 in Sydney, Australia.

5. Shinya Aoki (26-5, 1 NC)
It was not really an MMA bout, but Aoki was embarrassed by cosplaying K-1 Max veteran Yuichiro Nagashima on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo. After surviving the kickboxing round of their “mixed rules” bout, Aoki was clobbered with a giant knee just four seconds into the MMA round by “Jienotsu,” making for a bitter end to 2010.

6. Eddie Alvarez (21-2)
In his Oct. 21 bout with Roger Huerta, Alvarez was positively destructive, using his uppercut and newly-found low kicks to batter the UFC veteran and force the cageside doctor to halt the fight after 10 minutes. Postfight, Alvarez took the opportunity to call out Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, and the Bellator Fighting Championships promotion itself further exacerbated the call for the crossover megafight. Bellator’s Season 4 tournament to determine Alvarez’s next challenger kicks off in March.

7. Kenny Florian (13-5)
A knee injury took Kenny Florian out of a proposed Jan. 22 bout with Evan Dunham. As the knee injury heals, the former UFC lightweight title challenger is looking at a return in the early spring, possible at UFC 130 or 131, and likely at 145 pounds.

8. Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2)
On New Year’s Eve, Kawajiri dulled the bitter sting of his July submission loss to Shinya Aoki by soundly handling former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. Kawajiri used top position to dominate “The Punk” en route to an impressive unanimous decision win, perhaps paving the way for the “Crusher” to compete stateside in 2011.

9. Jim Miller (19-2)
A winner of six straight bouts in the hyper-competitive UFC lightweight division, Miller is inching ever closer to a coveted 155-pound title shot. In order to keep that dream afloat, he will have to deal with “The Prince of Persia,” Kamal Shalorus, at UFC 128 on March 19. The upside? The fight will be contested in Miller’s home state of New Jersey.

10. Sean Sherk (36-4-1)
With 40-plus fights and over a decade in the sport, injuries have piled up for Sherk. As a result, the 37-year-old “Muscle Shark” has taken time off to heal and rehab, and is now targeting a potential summer return to the Octagon.

Other contenders: Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis, George Sotiropoulos.

*With his Jan. 22 loss to Melvin Guillard, previously 10th-ranked Evan Dunham falls from the lightweight top 10.

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