MMA Rankings > UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Rankings
A review and ranking of the UFC's 205-pound Light Heavyweight division - March 2010 Update
The UFC’s light heavyweight division is quite possibly the deepest division in the UFC with almost every one of the top 205 pound fighters in the sport fighting in the UFC. With reigning champion Lyoto Machida along with a slew of top contenders and former champions to choose from, the Light Heavyweight division seems destined to be the premiere destination for marquee match ups in the years to come. Also be sure to see our June 2010 updated MMA Light Heavyweight rankings as we take a look at the top 205 pound fighters in the UFC and other MMA organizations across the globe.
Here are the UFC’s top ten light heavyweights for the month of March 2010.
 |
Rashad Evans defeated Thiago Silva at UFC 108 to remain one of the top Light Heavyweight contenders in the UFC. |
1. Lyoto Machida – (16-0; 8-0 UFC) – “The Dragon,” the division’s champion since May 2009, is piling up quite the resume. He had somewhat of a cakewalk through the division until his first title defense at UFC 104 in October when Machida narrowly defeated “Shogun” Rua to reclaim his belt. Since many believe the decision was controversial, a rematch was quickly scheduled atop the UFC 113 fight card this May.
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – (18-4; 2-2 UFC) – After a successful run in PRIDE FC that included winning the 2005 Grand Prix, Rua’s transition into the octagon wasn’t as smooth as he would have liked. A submission loss against Forrest Griffin was followed up with a lackluster decision victory over Mark Coleman. He has since rebounded with an impressive knockout of Chuck Liddell and a competitive championship bout with Machida at UFC 104. They will rematch at UFC 113 in May.
3. Rashad Evans – (19-1-1; 9-1-1 UFC) – Evans used The Ultimate Fighter 2 as a springboard for his light-heavyweight career. He defeated Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 in December 2008 to capture the 205-pound belt, but lost it against Machida in his very next bout. He came through at UFC 108 in January with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Thiago Silva to get back on track. He will fight rival Quinton Jackson atop the UFC 114 fight card in May with possible title implications at stake.
4. Quinton Jackson – (30-7; 5-1 UFC) – “Rampage” earned the light-heavyweight belt in only his second bout inside the octagon back in May 2007. He looked great in all but one bout so far; unfortunately it happened to be his second title defense against Forrest Griffin. His last fight came before his latest coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter 10, a March 2009 unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine. After a somewhat messy dispute with the organization, Jackson will finish his contract starting with UFC 114 in May against Rashad Evans.
> Check out all of our MMA rankings including our pound for pound rankings online provided by ProFighting-fans.com and buy UFC hats & clothing!
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – (18-3; 1-0 UFC) – Nogueira has over nine years of professional experience under his belt including stops in PRIDE, Sengoku, and Affliction. His first fight inside the octagon at UFC 106 in November earned him a lot of respect. He used his world-class boxing to TKO Luiz Arthur Cane and become a legit contender in the 205-pound weight class. He is rumored to be fighting Forrest Griffin at UFC 114 in May. 6. Forrest Griffin – (17-6; 8-4 UFC) – The original Ultimate Fighter steadily worked his way up the divisional ladder before claiming the 205-pound belt in July 2008 at UFC 86. He dropped back-to-back bouts beginning with his first title defense at UFC 92 against Rashad Evans. In November, at UFC 106, he got his career back on track with a split decision victory over Tito Ortiz. He is tentatively scheduled to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 this May. 7. Thiago Silva – (14-2; 5-2 UFC) – After a successful Brazilian career, Silva migrated to the United States and has wrecked havoc in the UFC. He won his first four fights in the octagon defeating the likes of James Irvin and Houston Alexander. He has taken a recent slide losing two of his last three, although the losses have come against top-of-the-line light-heavyweights Machida and Evans. His last fight was in early January, he doesn’t have anything scheduled at this time. |
8. Randy Couture – (18-10; 15-7 UFC) – The Hall of Famer has made another transition into the light-heavyweight division, a place where he has held the belt prior. He suffered back-to-back losses as a heavyweight in 2009, so Couture dropped and immediately found success with a pair of victories over solid opponents. He defeated Brandon Vera at UFC 105 in November and Mark Coleman at UFC 109 in February since the move.
9. Jon Jones – (9-1; 3-1 UFC) – Although he is relatively new to the organization, Jones has looked impressive each and every time inside the octagon. At UFC 87 in August 2008, he began his UFC career with a decision victory over Andre Gusmao and then followed it up with victories over Stephan Bonnar and Jake O’Brien. Even though he dominated every aspect of his The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale bout against Matt Hamill, he was officially handed his first loss when he delivered illegal elbows to the face of his opponent. He will fight Brandon Vera at the UFC on Versus event in late March.
10. Ryan Bader – (11-0; 4-0 UFC) – He has gone from prospect to contender since winning The Ultimate Fighter 8 in December 2008. He was given better quality of opponents in each of his next three bouts. Victories over Carmelo Marrero and Eric Schafer were followed with a February UFC 110 KO victory over Keith Jardine.
Look for Top Ten UFC Rankings to be up the first week of every month from here on out, exclusively on ProFighting-fans.com and don't miss the June 2009 UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior Staff Writer
Published February 2010
Photo used with permission from the UFC
More UFC Rankings from ProFighting-fans.com:
- UFC Heavyweight rankings
- UFC Middleweight rankings
- UFC Welterweight rankings
- UFC Lightweight rankings