LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
These are Sherdog's world wide MMA rankings for LHW and notice that EVERY fighter is currently in the UFC. It may not be a one pony show, but there's obviously one MAIN pony in MMA and its name is UFC.
Do you agree with Machida at #2? How 'bout the rest of the rankings?
1. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (29-6-0)
Currently starring in the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," "Rampage" has provided high-quality television thus far. Here's hoping for a high-quality bout in the season's culmination on July 5, when Jackson defends his UFC title against opposing coach Forrest Griffin (Pictures).
2. Lyoto Machida (Pictures) (13-0-0)
Many questioned how MMA's proudest karateka would fare against a strong, experienced wrestler. Machida passed that test with flying colors, dominating Tito Ortiz (Pictures) over three rounds and emerging as the presumptive challenger to face the winner of July's Rampage-Griffin clash. With his dominant display, and the falls of Henderson and Jardine, Machida rises from seventh to second.
3. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) (15-4-0)
Griffin has gone from TUF competitor to coach, as he leads his team against Quinton Jackson (Pictures)'s on the seventh season of the show. However, what's more important is the buildup to July's light heavyweight title clash, which should pull big numbers for Zuffa and the UFC. Griffin rises from fourth to third with the slips of Jardine and Henderson.
4. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (21-5)
A badly torn hamstring has put Liddell on the shelf and cancelled his main event bout with Rashad Evans (Pictures) for June's UFC 85 card in London. Already entering the twilight of his career, the injury certainly isn't a good sign for one of MMA's most battle-tested veterans. Nonetheless, Liddell rises one spot to fourth.
5. Mauricio Rua (Pictures) (16-3-0)
After injuring his knee and stumbling in his UFC debut, it seemed "Shogun" had hit rock bottom. Then, with a big fight against Chuck Liddell (Pictures) looming, disaster struck again when Rua injured the same knee that had been surgically repaired just months before. There is a small silver lining: with the stumbles of Jardine and Henderson, Rua rises from sixth to fifth.
6. Dan Henderson (Pictures) (22-6-0)
He was torn up in his 185-pound title bout against Anderson Silva and his next move is uncertain. However, if Dan Henderson (Pictures) returns to the 205-pound division, there will be no shortage of interesting matchups -- although there may be a shortage of easy ones. In the mean time, inactivity sees Henderson drop from second to sixth in the red-hot light heavyweight division.
7. Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (32-8-1, 1 NC)
If an impressive victory was needed to quell talks of whether "The Axe Murderer" was over the hill, that was exactly what was delivered in his 36-second blitzkrieg of Keith Jardine (Pictures). With the vintage Silva victory, the Brazilian rises from eighth to seventh.
8. Keith Jardine (Pictures) (13-4-1)
After knocking off Chuck Liddell (Pictures), Jardine had the opportunity to defeat the two greatest light heavyweights in the sport's history when he entered the Octagon for his May 24 bout with Wanderlei Silva (Pictures). Instead, Jardine was ripped apart and brutally dispatched in 36 seconds. With the demoralizing defeat, Jardine falls from third to eighth.
9. Rashad Evans (Pictures) (11-0-1)
After "Shogun" injured his knee a second time, Evans was moved into the main event role against Chuck Liddell (Pictures) only to see Liddell suffer a hamstring injury that forced him to pull out. Evans will now get a softer touch, when he takes on James Irvin (Pictures) on the card.
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) (5-2-0)
Sokoudjou restored some measure of his hype, handling a quality opponent in Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures) and stopping him at the end of the first frame. Although Africa's top mixed martial artist may still continue to fight talk of his 2007 wins being flukes, the UFC's 205-pound division should prove to be the acid test for the Cameroonian.
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