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UFC Lightweight Division Rankings

A review and ranking of the UFC's 155-pound Lightweight division - November 2009 Update

With the top two fighters in the weight class set to battle it out on December 12, 2009 in the main event of UFC 107 fight card, the UFC’s lightweight division is abuzz with activity. With the fall of former champions and contenders, and the continued rise of future challengers at a breakneck pace, the belt could be in any one of the Top Ten’s hands by the end of next year. Also be sure to see our MMA Lightweight rankings as we take a look at the top 155 pound fighters in the UFC and other MMA organizations across the globe.

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Kenny Florian defeated Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 via Rear Naked Choke in Round 1.

1. BJ Penn – (14-5-1, 10-4-1 UFC) – “The Prodigy” is a former UFC welterweight champion and the current UFC Lightweight champion after winning the belt in a fight with Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 in January of 2008. BJ hasn’t shown any signs of sharing either. Since settling in as the lightweight king, he has defended against Sean Sherk (UFC 84) and Kenny Florian (UFC 101). He will put it up again at UFC 107 in December against a reeling Diego Sanchez.

2. Diego Sanchez – (21-2, 10-2 UFC) – Some MMA fans believe that Sanchez hasn’t earned the right to fight for the title after only two wins in the division, however he has dominated both fights proving that he is more than willing to take the opportunity and run with it. After a run at welterweight gold was thwarted upon losing to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Sanchez dropped in weight and defeated Joe Stevenson (UFC 95) and Clay Guida (TUF 9 finale) bringing him to his proposed UFC 107 match-up with BJ Penn.

3. Gray Maynard – (8-0, 6-0 UFC) – After an embarrassing “No Contest” in his TUF 5 finale bout against cast-mate Robert Emerson, the former Michigan State wrestling standout has been red-hot winning six straight bouts and knocking on the door for a future title shot. Top-of-the-division lightweights Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller and Roger Huerta have all been on the losing side of fights with “The Bully”. He is scheduled to fight at Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, VA on January 11 against Nathan Diaz.

4. Frankie Edgar – (10-1, 5-1 UFC) – Frankie has had “The Answer” for all but one of his opponents since arriving in the 155 pound division in 2007. Only Gray Maynard has slipped by Edgar, leaving Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca and most recently Sean Sherk as fallen opponents. His battle-tested cardio always seems to play a role in his fights, having gone the distance in five of his six UFC bouts. He was expected to fight Kurt Pellegrino at TUF 10 finale; however an injury to “Batman” has allowed H.I.T. Squad’s Matt Veach to step in as a very-dangerous replacement.

5. Kenny Florian – (11-4, 9-3 UFC) – “Ken Flo” has had his opportunity at UFC gold, losing to both Sean Sherk (UFC 64) and BJ Penn (UFC 101) in lightweight championship bouts. The Boston-native remains a top-tier lightweight with his all-around skill set. The former TUF 1 welterweight runner-up has still won six of his last seven bouts, finishing all but one of his opponents, making him a tough opponent for any 155 lbs. contender. He will appear on the December UFC 107 card as well, opposite of Clay Guida when the promotion visits Memphis, Tennessee for the first time.

6. Tyson Griffin – (14-2, 7-2 UFC) – The exciting Xtreme Couture fighter has only been defeated by high-end lightweights Sean Sherk (UFC 90) and Frankie Edgar (UFC 67). Since debuting at UFC 63 in September of 2006, Griffin has won “Fight of the Night” honors five times and “Submission of the Night” honors once. The former Gladiator Challenge bantamweight champion (defeated Urijah Faber) is scheduled to fight Jim Miller at UFC 108 in January when the promotion returns home to Las Vegas.

7. Sean Sherk – (33-4-1, 7-4 UFC) – “The Muscle Sherk” has lost two of his last three bouts, but remains planted firmly in the middle of the top-10 UFC lightweights. His accomplished organizational career began at UFC 30 in February of 2001 as a welterweight. He has fought for both the 170 lb (lost to Matt Hughes at UFC 42) and the 155 lb title (defeated Kenny Florian at UFC 64). Sherk isn’t scheduled to appear on any future cards at this time.

8. Joe Stevenson – (30-10, 8-4 UFC) – Joe “Daddy” was on the ropes after losing back-to-back bouts against Kenny Florian (UFC 91) and Diego Sanchez (UFC 95), but has recently bounced back with a pair of wins over Nate Diaz (TUF 9 finale) and Spencer Fisher (UFC 104) to return to the top of the division. The former TUF 2 winner switched to lightweight after only two bouts as a 170 pounder and earned a title opportunity at UFC 80 (loss to BJ Penn). Having just fought in late-October, “Daddy” will rest and wait for his body to recuperate.

9. Kurt Pellegrino – (14-4, 6-3 UFC) – After a 3-3 start to his UFC career, “Batman” was just another fighter trying to keep his job with the worlds’ top promotion. He has since shed the journeyman moniker and re-invented himself as a head-of-the-class lightweight. Wins over Thiago Tavares, Robert Emerson, and Josh Neer has brought life to his UFC title hopes, and as soon as he can shake a back injury that forced him from the TUF 10 Finale, he can resume his way up the ladder.

10. Clay Guida – (25-10, 5-4 UFC) – “The Carpenter” has crowd-pleasing victories over Justin James, Marcus Aurelio, Samy Schiavo, Mac Danzig, and Nate Diaz inside the octagon, but he also has losses against top 155-pound contenders Din Thomas, Tyson Griffin, Roger Huerta, and Diego Sanchez, however in two of his losses still accepted “Fight of the Night” honors. His trademark long hair will be flying when he steps back in at UFC 107 against Kenny Florian this December.

Look for updates on the Top Ten UFC Rankings to be up the first week of every month from here on out, only on ProFighting-fans.com and don't miss the August 2009 UFC Lightweight Rankings.

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer

Published November 2009
Photo used with permission from the UFC

UFC Lightweight Division Rankings

A review and ranking of the UFC's 155-pound Lightweight division - November 2009 Update

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