Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

UFC 123 had some surprises in store.

Quinton Jackson was presumed to be an also-ran at 205 pounds inside the UFC, destined to lose a commanding decision to fellow former champion Lyoto Machida. Instead, fighting through the flu, “Rampage” showed off a bit of the game that made him UFC champion three years ago and earned a hotly contentious split decision over “The Dragon."

B.J. Penn entered his rubber match with rival Matt Hughes as a favorite. However, no one saw “The Prodigy” steamrolling the all-time great welterweight in a mere 21 seconds. Now, Penn has earned himself a Feb. 27 date with welterweight second banana Jon Fitch at UFC 127 in a bout filled with implications for the 170-pound division, the weight class that will take center stage in the month of December, as Georges St. Pierre stakes his crown against Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 on Dec. 11 in Montreal.