MMABay’s World Mixed Martial Arts Ranking’s for March

Light Heavyweight

1: Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida: A masterful performance punctuated by a highlight-reel knock out against Rashad Evans saw the second coming of the Karate Kid shoot to the top of the 205lb rankings. A somewhat less than convincing win against Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 104 sees Machida hold on to his spot, but the target on his back is now bigger than ever. An early May rematch will give ‘The Dragon’ a perfect opportunity to remove all doubt that he is the rightful UFC champion at 205lbs. 

2: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: With ‘Rampage’ reaffirming his desire to return to the UFC and complete his contract with a fight against Rashad Evans, Memphis, Tennessee’s favourite fighting son will keep his number two spot for now. Rampage will not be looking past his fellow TUF 10 coach – but should he topple Rashad in their proposed May showdown, he would be a shoe-in for a title shot.  

3: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua: It’s not often that a fighter moves up in the rankings with a loss, but we at MMABay believe that Rua’s performance in the main event of UFC 104, coupled with Rashad Evans’ recent KO loss, warrants a rise for the Brazilian striker. Having already beaten ‘Rampage’ Jackson (albeit some time ago) should Shogun come out of his proposed May 2010 rematch with Machida victorious, it would be tough to argue against giving him the top spot.    

4: ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans: Evans returned to action at UFC 108 with a less than spectacular performance against Thiago Silva, which saw him hanging on for dear life in the final round. He may have been fighting conservatively to guarantee a big money showdown with Quinton Jackson in May, but one thing is for sure; Rashad will need to turn it up a notch if he is to survive three rounds with ‘Rampage’.    

5: Forrest Griffin: Forrest saw his run of bad luck change with a close yet well deserved split-decision over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106. He won’t have too long to savour the sweet taste of victory though; following his recovery from a foot injury the original Ultimate Fighter will be matched up against Brazilian phenom ‘Minotouro’ Nogueira at UFC 113 in May.

6: Antonio Rogerio ‘Minotouro’ Nogueira: They always say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Little Nog certainly made the most of his, blitzing highly regarded UFC light heavyweight prospect Luiz Cane in just two minutes at UFC 106. Unfortunately we will have to wait a little longer than expected for ‘Minotouro’ to return to action – a proposed February bout with Brandon Vera was called off in favour of a May return against former champion Forrest Griffin.

7: Gegard ‘The Dreamcatcher’ Mousasi: Many believe that Mousasi should be a top five light heavyweight, however he has only fought twice in the division to date. While his talent is undeniable, it’s still early days at 205 for ‘The Dreamcatcher’. A solid performance against the athletic Thierry Sokoudjou moves Mousasi another rung up the ladder – fingers crossed that he will face a sterner test soon. 

8: Thiago Silva: Despite a loss at the hands of current champion Lyoto Machida, Silva remains one of the most dangerous and fearsome strikers in a stacked division…a fact even more scary when you consider that he is most effective on the ground. After doing the UFC a favour by competing against Rashad with a nagging injury, it’s assumed that Silva will be given another high-profile fight to prove himself soon.

9: Jon ‘Bones’ Jones: 2009 has been a breakout year for Jones, who notched a pair of solid victories over UFC veterans Jake O’Brian and Stephan Bonnar. He may have officially lost his controversial bout against Matt Hammil at the TUF Finale, but we believe that we’re not alone in thinking that his performance was nothing but a positive for the young New Yorker. Jones will get an opportunity to prove he belongs in the top ten when he faces UFC mainstay Brandon Vera in March.        

10: Randy Couture: Two wins on the trot at 205lbs (coupled with Anderson Silva’s inactivity) see Randy Couture sneak back into the 205lb rankings for the first time in four years. With so many hot prospects at 205 Couture will have to fight well and often to keep his spot. A summer victory over Rich Franklin is next on the cards for ‘The Natural’; a win could net him a title shot by the end of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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