1: Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar: After a crazy couple of years that saw him beat an all time great twice and complete an epic comeback to draw with Grey Maynard, Frankie Edgar finally got his satisfaction at UFC 136. After yet again coming within the brink of defeat in the first round, Edgar fought back, this time going one better and finishing his opponent with a devastating KO. Frankie Edgar is the best lightweight in the world, fact.

2: Gilbert ‘El Nino’ Melendez: Melendez is finally getting the respect he deserves in the MMA community after rolling through previously number two ranked Shinya Aoki last April and destroying Japanese standout Tatsuya ‘Crusher’ Kawajiri a year later. A lop-sided decision over Jorge Rivera saw ‘El Nino’ just about clear out the Strikeforce 155lb division…could a switch to the UFC be next?

3: Ben ‘Smooth’ Henderson: Despite losing his WEC title in his final fight for the promotion, Ben Henderson has excelled since jumping into the deep waters of the UFC lightweight division. Increasingly impressive performances against Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida have earned ‘Smooth’ a title shot against Frankie Edgar in Japan later this month.

4: Gray ‘The Bully’ Maynard: So near, yet so far. ‘The Bully’ has twice demolished Frankie Edgar in the early going, only to see the UFC champion fight back first for a draw, then for a devastating KO in their most recent bout. The trilogy will go down as a classic, but that will be of little consolation to Maynard, who heads to the back of a long line of 155lb contenders.

5: Jim Miller: Jim Miller seemed just a whisker away from earning himself a UFC title shot, but after a decisive loss to the dynamic Ben Henderson, the rugged grappler was forced to restart his climb up the 155lb ranks. He did so in epic fashion against Melvin Guillard in January, surviving an early scare to choke his man out in the very first round.

6: Nate Diaz: Diaz has looked ultra-impressive in his last two outings since dropping back to his more natural fighting weight of 155 pounds. Inconsistency continues to be the millstone around Diaz’ neck though. While his recent wins over Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone look good on paper, the spectre of his losses to Guida, Stevenson and Maynard are still fresh in the minds of many.

7: Shinya ‘Tobikan Judan’ Aoki: It’s not easy to re-earn your Man Card after getting knocked out by a transvestite, but Shinya Aoki is putting in the work, chaining together four solid wins since his clock was punched by skirt-wearing gender-bender Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima. With competition at 155 remaining as hot as ever though, Aoki will need to topple bigger names than Rich Clementi, Lyle Beerbohm and ‘Razor’ Rob McCullough if he is to remain in the top 10.

8: Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida: There’s never a dull moment with Clay Guida, as evidenced by his incredible performance against Ben Henderson in November. Unfortunately, the wild man of the UFC lightweight division can’t seem to get over that hump from ‘challenger’ to ‘number one contender’ status.

9: Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone: Former three-time WEC title challenger was set for a massive end to his 2011 campaign. Four fights, four emphatic wins, and only Nate Diaz between him and a 5-0 year. Unfortunately Diaz played the ultimate spoiler, battering Cerrone from pillar to post en route to a lopsided decision loss.

10: Michael Chandler: Despite coming from relative obscurity to win the Bellator lightweight tournament, Michael Chandler still had his doubters. After capturing the promotion’s lightweight title in his ‘fight of the year’ candidate against Eddie Alvarez though, those doubters have been silenced in the most emphatic of fashion.

(Updated February 1^st, 2012)

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