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UFC Divisional Rankings
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Ariel Shnerer
Feature Writer & Editor

POSTED: November 20, 2008 - 11:24 am

CATEGORIES: MMA

The UFC has no official ranking system and challengers for titles are seemingly chosen at random. The promotion desperately needs to give some consideration to what constitutes a top contender. Fighter quality is critical to sensible matchmaking, which has been missing in the promotion all year. Realistically, why did Cheick Kongo fight Dan Evensen? Why did Gabriel Gonzaga fight Josh Hendricks? Why was Brandon Vera ever in a fight against Reese Andy? How about Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy? Does a win over an Alaska Fighting Championship alum in Rob Yundt do anything for Ricardo Almeida? What does a win over Mark Coleman do for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua? I could go on and on.

Every time, the answer echoes the chorus of the 1969 Edwin Starr hit. "Absolutely nothing!"

Fabricio Werdum held two wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and he got the boot. And Marcus Aurelio, who holds a win over top-10 pound-for-pound lightweight Takanori Gomi, is also gone.

Brock Lesnar has defeated Randy Couture... Demian Maia continues to climb to the top... And Kenny Florian looked virtually unstoppable against Joe Stevenson...

Without further ado, below are my complete rankings for the UFC's five weight divisions. Considerations that went into the rankings include quality of opponents, win/loss record, performance and regular activity.

Heavyweight Division

17. Neil Wain
16. Dan Evensen
15. Christian Wellisch
14. Eddie Sanchez
13. Antoni Hardonk
12. Justin McCully
11. Cheick Kongo
10. Heath Herring
9. Jake O'Brien
8. Junior Dos Santos
7. Cain Velasquez
6. Shane Carwin
5. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Randy Couture
3. Brock Lesnar - UFC Heavyweight Champion
2. Frank Mir
1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion

Light Heavyweight Division

30. Michael Patt
29. Brad Morris
28. Alex Schoenauer
27. Thomasz Drwal
26. Reese Andy
25. Andre Gusmao
24. Jon Jones
23. Jason Brilz
22. James Lee
21. Tim Boetsch
20. Antonio Mendes
19. Houston Alexander
18. Eric Schafer
17. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
16. Luiz Cane
15. James Irvin
14. Matt Hamill
13. Mauricio Rua
12. Stephan Bonnar
11. Brandon Vera
10. Thiago Silva
9. Keith Jardine
8. Rich Franklin
7. Wanderlei Silva
6. Chuck Liddell
5. Rashad Evans
4. Dan Henderson
3. Forrest Griffin - UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
2. Lyoto Machida
1. Quinton Jackson

Middleweight Division

40. C.B. Dollaway
39. Amir Sadollah
38. Johnny Rees
37. Joe Vedepo
36. Justin Levens
35. Charles McCarthy
34. Tim Credeur
33. Nick Catone
32. Nate Loughran
31. Rob Kimmons
30. Ryan Jensen
29. Ed Herman
28. Alan Belcher
27. Jason Day
26. Kendall Grove
25. Alessio Sakara
24. Drew McFedries
23. Mike Massenzio
22. Jorge Rivera
21. Nate Quarry
20. Matt Horwich
19. Dan Miller
18. Chris Leben
17. Chael Sonnen
16. Jeremy Horn
15. Dean Lister
14. Jason MacDonald
13. Wilson Gouveia
12. Goran Reljic
11. Michael Bisping
10. Rousimar Palhares 
9. Ricardo Almeida
8. Demian Maia
7. Martin Kampmann
6. Thales Leites
5. Nate Marquardt
4. Patrick Cote
3. Yushin Okami
2. Dan Henderson
1. Anderson Silva - UFC Middleweight Champion

Welterweight Division

41. Matt Riddle
40. Troy Mandaloniz
39. Jason Tan
38. Ryan Thomas
37. George Sotiropolous
36. Brodie Farber
35. Matt Arroyo
34. Luke Commo
33. Ben Saunders
32. Luigi Fioravanti
31. Steve Bruno
30. Matt Brown
29. Brad Blackburn
28. Rory Markham
27. Josh Burkman
26. Pete Sell
25. Roan Carneiro
24. Anthony Johnson
23. Kevin Burns
22. Dong Hyun Kim
21. Paul Taylor
20. Tamdan McCrory
19. Paul Kelly
18. Chris Wilson
17. Marcus Davis
16. Chris Lytle
15. Mike Swick
14. Jonathan Goulet
13. Dustin Hazelett
12. Akihiro Gono
11. Dan Hardy
10. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
9. Ryo Chonan
8. Matt Serra
7. Karo Parisyan
6. Diego Sanchez
5. Josh Koscheck
4. Matt Hughes
3. Thiago Alves
2. Jon Fitch
1. Georges St. Pierre - UFC Welterweight Champion

Lightweight Division

46. Dale Hartt
45. Corey Hill
44. Shannon Gugerty
43. Samy Schiavo
42. Justin Buchholz
41. Matt Grice
40. Kyle Bradley
39. Nate Mohr
38. Manny Gamburyan
37. Denis Siver
36. Jess Liaudin
35. Rafael dos Anjos
34. Thiago Tavares
33. Matt Wiman
32. Jorge Gurgel
31. Rob Emerson
30. Alvin Robinson
29. Aaron Riley
28. Cole Miller
27. Jeremy Stephens
26. David Bielkheden
25. David Baron
24. Mark Bocek
23. Per Eklund
22. Jim Miller
21. Sam Stout
20. Spencer Fisher
19. Melvin Guillard
18. Terry Etim
17. Mac Danzig
16. Kurt Pellegrino
15. Rich Clementi
14. Gleison Tibau
13. Joe Lauzon
12. Josh Neer
11. Clay Guida
10. Nate Diaz
9. Hermes Franca
8. Roger Huerta
7. Tyson Griffin
6. Frankie Edgar
5. Joe Stevenson
4. Gray Maynard
3. Kenny Florian
2. Sean Sherk
1. B.J. Penn - UFC Lightweight Champion

Others to be ranked soon: Tom Egan, John Hathaway, Ivan Serati, Denis Kang, Dan Cramer, Mark Coleman, Razak Al-Hussan, Brian Stann, Steve Cantwell, Mustapha al-Turk, Mark Burch, Pat Barry, Johnny Rees, Brandon Wolff

Points to ponder:

Though Forrest Griffin was arguably victorious in his fight against Quinton Jackson, the decision was not justified. "Rampage" inflicted more damage throughout the bout and should have come away with the decision and his title. The highly controversial loss is not enough to take Jackson out of his top spot, especially after a hard-fought victory over former PRIDE champ Dan Henderson. However, things could change drastically when he meets Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92. If history repeats itself, Silva will walk away the victor, which should propel him into the top three.

While Keith Jardine won a competitive split decision over Chuck Liddell, he also lost to Wanderlei Silva, a man that Liddell was able to defeat, and decisively at that. With a loss to Houston Alexander on his record, Jardine is unworthy of a higher ranking. But, if you can recall, he has beaten current light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. If Griffin loses the title to Rashad Evans next month, he will drop heavily in the rankings as he has done little to establish himself as a top-five light heavyweight. A victory over an out of shape Mauricio Rua is his greatest accomplishment and I doubt he would be able to repeat such a feat if Rua went through an extensive training camp. 

Martin Kampmann defeated Thales Leites in his UFC debut. But Leites has improved by leaps and bounds since that bout and has accumulated five wins in the process. Should the two rematch today, Leites would be heavily favored. On the same note, Leites conquered Nate Marquardt by split decision earlier this year. But Marquardt lost the fight based solely on lost points. Since the highly disputed loss, Marquardt has emphatically beaten Kampmann. One of the most experienced middleweights on the roster, Marquardt is inching closer to a second stab at Silva's title. Despite the W, Leites did not do enough in his fight against Marquardt to deserve a higher ranking.

Despite a losing effort to Dan Henderson, Rousimar Palhares has established himself as a top middleweight. After going toe to toe with Henderson at UFC 88 and defeating Ivan Salaverry in May, Rousimar is on his way up the rankings, as is jiu-jitsu wizard Demian Maia, who is a win or two away from securing a title shot against champion Anderson Silva. 

Michael Bisping has been impressive thus far as a middleweight, but has not faced enough top competition in the division to warrant a higher ranking. At light heavyweight, he took Rashad Evans to the limit and holds a victory over Matt Hamill, albeit in controversial fashion. Before cracking the middleweight top-10 list, Bisping needs a win over some of the division's top talent.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was at one time the world's premier 205-pound combatant. However, times have changed. It has been a long time since we have seen Rua in action and his lackluster performance against Forrest Griffin dropped his stake significantly. Rua needs to dominate Mark Coleman to re-establish himself as a viable contender in one of the company's most competitive divisions. Assuming he conquers Coleman, which should not be too tough a task, a fight against Chuck Liddell should be on the horizon.

Dan Henderson is floating between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, a role that he is no stranger to. His resume speaks for itself and he maintains his spot as a top challenger in both weight classes. Henderson vs. Rich Franklin is a great fight and if Franklin wins, it will undoubtedly raise his stock at 205 pounds.

Patrick Cote's high ranking can be attributed to a strong outing against champion Anderson Silva. As the first man to take the "Spider" into the third stanza, he showed strong stand-up ability and perseverance. Cote deserves to be in the fold for contendership upon his return. 

Once Denis Kang disposes of Alan Belcher in his UFC debut, he will become a legitimate middleweight contender in a hurry.

Brainstorming of logical fights to book in the next few months:

Heavyweight:
Shane Carwin vs. Brock Lesnar (if Lesnar loses the title to Nog/Mir)
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Cain Velasquez (winner should get next title shot once undisputed champion is crowned)
Junior Dos Santos vs. Heath Herring 

Light Heavyweight:
Mauricio Rua vs. Chuck Liddell (after Coleman fight)
Luiz Cane vs. Keith Jardine
Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera

Middleweight:
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami (for title if Okami beats Lister, which is a fair bet)
Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia (for #1 contendership)
Martin Kampmann vs. Rousimar Palhares
Ricardo Almeida vs. Michael Bisping
Thales Leites vs. Goran Reljic 
Chael Sonnen vs. Dean Lister

Welterweight:
Thiago Alves vs. Georges St. Pierre (whether GSP wins or loses against Penn, this fight needs to happen)
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Dustin Hazelett vs. Diego Sanchez 
Ryo Chonan vs. Dan Hardy

Lightweight:
Kenny Florian vs. Sean Sherk (if Florian wins, then definitely Florian vs. B.J. Penn for title)
Gray Maynard vs. Joe Stevenson
Tyson Griffin vs. Nate Diaz 
Clay Guida vs. Hermes Franca
Roger Huerta vs. Frankie Edgar
Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
Rich Clementi vs. Joe Lauzon 

COMMENTS (23): Submit A Comment
1. pauly
November 21, 2008 - 9:03 am

"Before cracking the middleweight top-10 list, Bisping needs a win over some of the division's top talent."

here here

2. jason
November 21, 2008 - 12:07 pm

your a complete tool.....You ranked Rampage over Forrest and claimed that Rampage should have won that fight? Jesus man, Thats totally retarted,,,, Then you place Jon Fitch over Alves, after a handy loss to GSP....Alves is next in line for a shot, FITCH just lost.. And you also think that Florian should fight Sherk next......why? They already awarded him a title shot? Thats your match making idea? Dude, your rankings are stupid, dont cover mma. your an idiot

3. D.G.
November 21, 2008 - 12:49 pm

Bisping is UBER overrated. And these rankings are VERY questionable. To put it mildly.

4. OSH ryan
November 21, 2008 - 1:02 pm

I have to agree with Jason on the Rampage thing. Even Rampage said it over and over that he lost to Forrest and he was domanited by him as well. I also agree with Jason with the Fitch thing as well. Why would you think Fitch gets a higher ranking????? Alves has won 7 fights in a row stopping 5 out of the 7 in the 2nd round. Again WHY?????? Now Liddell vs Rua.....what if Liddell get destroyed by Silva witch the rumors have that fight happening taken place in Feb-March. Does that Liddell, Rua fight still happen?? In your Heavyweight match ups where is C. Kongo??? Does he not get a chance to get into the mix??? HOW THE HELL DOES MATT SERRA GET IN THE TOP 10????? Other then the one lucky punch against GSP the last time the Decision Master stopped anyone was in 2002. Ya thats a big top 10 threat there. He has only fought 2 men in 3 fights in 2 YEARS. The only thing I agree with you on is the Bisping issue, but if thats what your going to base his ranking on the you have to factor in and YES I know he won the belt but Brock beat an older and way smaller Randy and an out of shape Herring, so why 3rd when everyone from 5-9 could beat him with a Randy Couture game plan. You cant be tough on ranking someone for not beating anyone when another guy who only got a title shot or passing of the gaurd fight so the UFC could big up the gate and PPV. Everyone knows he didnt desreve that title shot even Brock himself, just by his own quotes by saying that any other heavyweight who was offerd a title shot would take so why not him. 3 fights in the UFC and one tomatoe can somewhere else dosent merit a 3rd ranking, belt or no belt. Man I thougt a new face would be cool to read on this site. Looks like there is a new ramdeen in the house.

5. Ariel Shnerer , TFN Author
November 21, 2008 - 2:26 pm

To answer just a few concerns -

1 - Florian should fight Sherk because he has lost to him in the past and B.J. Penn is booked up for a long time. Instead of sitting on the sidelines for an extended period of time until he can finally take on Penn, Florian can prove he is undoubtedly the top contender in the division by beating Sherk.

2 - If you can recall, Jon Fitch holds a win over Thiago Alves. While Alves may have improved his record since the loss, he has done nothing to prove that he deserves a higher ranking, especially given that Fitch put up a hell of a fight against St. Pierre. This one is debatable as Alves has the potential to win in a rematch, but until he does, it is unfair to label him a superior fighter.

3 - I expect a lot of negative feedback to the claim that "Rampage" should have been awarded the fight over Forrest Griffin. Many of you are convinced he won the fight, probably heavily influenced by the nonsensical scores allocated at the end of the bout, but if you watch it again, that was probably the most lackluster title change in recent memory. "Rampage" was not outclassed in any way and the fact that leg kicks are compared to damaging power punches is ludicrous.

4 - Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell is not good matchmaking and does nothing to help either fighter. The outcome is predictable and will likely send Liddell right into retirement. Instead, you can make use of the "Iceman" against some of the talent in his division. Rua vs. Liddell is a much better match-up.

5 - The longer Matt Serra is inactive, the likelier he is to drop out of the top 10. But to claim that a win over the current champion is undeserving of a high ranking is ridiculous.

6 - Cheick Kongo is slated to take on Mustapha al-Turk in December. If Kongo wins that fight, then a potential next opponent can be assessed.

7 - Rankings will always be questionable, especially given the merry-go-round of wins and losses in certain divisions, namely light heavyweight. There is no realistic way to assess a deserving ranking for Brock Lesnar until he faces all the top dogs in the division.

6. Pete
November 21, 2008 - 3:15 pm

There are so many odd ball ranks here its hard to know where to start. the most obvious to cach my eye is Grey Maynard at 4 in lw and huerta at 9. Kind of screwy if you ask me

7. cortez
November 21, 2008 - 4:58 pm

in my mind the only reasonable thing to do is when a fighter has won at least 3-4 fights in a row against solid compition he doesn't get a title shot unless he beats the last person to challenge for the title or if the champ was dethroned example ''rampage'' the up and commer should have to beat him to fight for the title.also,why aren't there more draws?i mean two guys train they're asses off for months and then put on an awesome fight like,forrest vs rampage or even bisbing vs hamill really how can anyone say who won those fights like i watch the ufc's with friends usually and in those cases it seems that different people see the fight differently and who's to say who's right or wrong,what is better power punching or takedowns that really don't result in much damage?in some cases what would be so bad with a rematch for instance between forrest and rampage,i mean myself ,i would be almost as excited if it were a draw and they had to have an immediate rematch...on another note really whats so important about rankings anyway when a guy can come in out of nowhere and get a title shot after basically one win?maybe dana should think about letting the fans create the matchups for a ufc based on voting! i'll shut-up now

8. Jack Moves
November 21, 2008 - 8:55 pm

The ANSWER to everyones question about lesner...my man Fedor..The Human Bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached to it..Tell Dana Dane to put up the dough so Fedor can come reek some havoc..Lesner Is a Huge Guy but Fedor has Talent..All Around Skills..Number One For Heavyweights Doesn't matter if hes got a contract or not..He's still the Best out there..HANDS DOWN..

9. Bigevil1
November 21, 2008 - 11:40 pm

Ummm isnt salavery retired? that should take him off any rankings list.

As far as Rampage being ranked higher than the current Champion.. thats rediculous. If you dont aree with a decision thats fine. ... but ive never EVER seen a challenger ranking system with a contender ranked higher than the World Champion. Irregardless of your thoughts on the fight, a ranking system should be just that... a system, taking personal feelings out of it. Sure it was a lackluster win. But it was a win within the rules nonetheless. You need to acknowlege that and adjust accordingly.

Decisions like you just made are exactly why I am glad there is no current ranking system in the UFC.

10. mancio
November 22, 2008 - 4:18 pm

good list. maynard is on a winning streak and huerta just lost to florian and has not been in action since. would be a good fight though.

11. Sean
November 22, 2008 - 9:58 pm

"Rampage" inflicted more damage throughout the bout and should have come away with the decision and his title" i dont remember the UFC rule's staying that? This damage thing has nothing to do with it, Forest out striked him just bcause Rampage didnt or did bleed more is irrlevent is the UFC.....this isn't PRIDE rules.. your list is avg at best

12. D.G.
November 22, 2008 - 10:26 pm

Florian SHOULD be fighting Penn next. Not Penn putting on 15 pounds of donuts, just to fight a guy that's already beat him convincingly once before at the same weight. I think your obligation should be to defend the title around your waist. Not avenge a past loss, and leave the number one contender for your title hanging in the wind.

13. Marcus
November 25, 2008 - 1:01 pm

Heath Herring, Jake O'Brien, Jason MacDonald, Jeremy Horn, Ryo Chonan, Jonathan Goulet, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Gray Menard, Sean Sherk, Nate Diaz, Josh Neer and Joe Lauzon all found themselves way higher on the list then they deserve! I'm not taking anything away from these fighters but look who is behind them.
What does Jardine gain from fighting Cain? Griffin/Diaz? Florian/Sherk 2? Really?
There are some real bad matchups up there.

14. OSH ryan
November 25, 2008 - 1:06 pm

Here is a better question D.G. ........when was the last time Penn won a match at 170lbs??????? So he drops down in weight wins a belt and all of a sudden he gets a shot at a belt at 170lbs, while everyone on else in 170lbs is busting there ass's off to get a shot. How bout this, let Chuck Liddell drop down to 185lbs wins 3 fights against inferior opponents and then get a shot at the 205lbs crown. Maybe thats what some people on this site should be wrighting about a LEGIT topic, instead of trying to make legit topics. But I do agree with 100% D.G.

15. RJ
November 26, 2008 - 3:04 pm

BJ Penn can't be compared to other lightweights in his division. He deserves another shot at St-Pierre. He will probably win too... There is nothing wrong with the fight. D.G. how did GSP win the fight convincingly? Also... I hope Forrest Griffin gets exposed by Rashad Evans! He would lose to Wanderlei, Machida, Dan Henderson, even probably Chuck or Rich Franklin can beat him. oh and I hope Rampage beats Silva and gets a rematch against Griffin assuming he is still be champ. Rampage would get his revenge thats for sure!

16. OSH ryan
November 26, 2008 - 3:21 pm

Thats my point RJ. BJ cant be compared to the other lightweights cause he is supieror to them but thats where he went after losing two in a row at 170lbs. I want to see the fight and cant wait but just like everyone was complaining about Brock getting a shot. Why does BJ deserves a shot??? cause he beat inferior oppnents at lightweight?? He has done nothing at 170lbs for two years and now gets a shot. If i were Alves winner of 7 in a row at Welterweight I would be pissed. What else dose he have to do to get a shot??

17. Bill
November 26, 2008 - 8:49 pm

To Big evil ...its regardless ..not irregardless

18. evan
November 27, 2008 - 12:33 am

its an exiting fight thats all i personally care about ryan and ya i get what your saying but its gonna sell its gonna be called a super fight witch i belive it is and im exited for it but i see both arguments theres stilll room for bj and ken flow theyll fight yet and alves will get a shot at his title its not running off anywhere on him im just happy that there are so many exiting fights comig up and and possible fights its a great time to be fan

19. OSH ryan
November 27, 2008 - 11:19 am

Oh I cant wait to watch it either and this one is going to sell like crazy. It's just that it's a legit topic that I think that could be addressed since these blogers on this site have nothing to write about like made up rankings

20. MMAJUNKIE
November 27, 2008 - 6:50 pm

Some questionable rankings for sure, but still accurate for the mostpart..AND to everyone who thinks Penn should fight Florian instead of ST-PIERRE, Penn DESERVES the rematch. GSP barely survived that first fight and Penn is actually training now. alves-fitch and florian-sherk make sense...You would be giving two contenders a chance to avenge a previous loss while the champions are busy against each other! If florian beats sherk and alves beats fitch, nobody can argue that theyre not the number 1 contender!!!

21. Jason
November 28, 2008 - 12:49 pm

I will say that Penn deserves to fight GSP. But I also think that his next fight, win or lose should be against Florian. The need to create a Mandatory Title defense rule, so that the title must be defended every six or eight months, or it is fore fitted.

22. Deems
November 28, 2008 - 11:58 pm

your list isn't the worst thing, that i seen or heard of. But if you go by the top fighters like Matt Hughs, then he should be further down on your list do to the lost to Thiago Alves as well as josh Koscheck who has a lost to GSP as well, so they would have to prove themselves again against the up and coming stars. this is not pro wrestling where you see the same guys fight over and over and over again. if we wanted to see that shit the i would watch WWE. and wasn't Fitch cut lose

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