1: Georges ‘Rush’ St. Pierre: First it was Diaz, then Condit, then Diaz again. Now the only opponent GSP has to look forward to is another bout of rehab after blowing out his knee. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for ‘Rush’, who had a point to prove after his most criticized performance to date against Jake Shields. Can GSP come back from the brink? We may be in for a long wait to find out.

2: Carlos ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Condit: It may have been close, it may have been contentious, but the history books will show that Carlos Condit beat Nick Diaz to become the UFC interim champion, and with it the consensus number 2 at 170lbs. An immediate rematch with Diaz was in the works, but after the Stockton Smoker failed a drug test, Condit will await the return of George St Pierre for a chance to unify the division.

3: Josh ‘Kos’ Koscheck: The ‘Fighting Fraggle’ may have got back on track with a KO of UFC legend Matt Hughes, but a weak performance against Mike Pierce has done little for Koscheck’s bid for another shot at the gold. A May showdown with Johnny Hendricks could well be a sink or swim moment for one of the original Ultimate Fighters.

4: Jake Ellenberger: Ellenberger won September’s battle of the Jakes, knocking out former title contender Shields in devastating fashion in his first ever UFC main event. The win cemented Ellenberger as a top ten welterweight, and his incredible performance against Diego Sanchez in February moved him within spitting distance of a UFC title shot.

5: Nick Diaz: Whatever your personal views are on the subject, the fact is that Nick Diaz threw yet another opportunity away due to his unwillingness to stay off the green medicine for a couple of weeks ahead of his interim title fight with Carlos Condit. Should Diaz be suspended for a year when his hearing rolls around, he’ll be removed from the rankings – and will have no one to blame but himself.

6: Johny Hendricks: A new kid on the block in the welterweight top 10, MMABay favourite and ‘beard of the year’ Johny Hendricks has rocketed into the rankings of many of MMA’s top media outlets. His entry may be due in part to the recent poor form of Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and Thiago Alves, but after capping off his 12-1 record with a win over former title contender Jon Fitch, Hendricks has established himself as a force in the 170 pounds ranks.

7: Jon Fitch: After being the defacto number 2 at 170lbs for as long as we can remember, Jon Fitch now finds himself further from the title than ever. Following a disappointing draw against BJ Penn and a devastating loss to up and comer Johny Hendricks, Fitch will need nothing short of a miracle if he is to get back in the welterweight title hunt.

8: Diego ‘The Dream’ Sanchez: It’s been an up and down few years for Sanchez, both in terms of his record and the weight division’s he’s fought in. After losing out to Jake Ellenberger in his most recent bout at 170lbs, ‘The Dream’ is considering a second crack at lightweight in an effort to capture UFC gold.

9: Martin ‘The Hitman’ Kampmann: For the man who stood with Paul Daley and grappled with Jake Shields, game-planning has never been a strong point. Kampman was just moments away from losing another ill-advised stand up war with Thiago Alves in early March, before one of the most ‘WTF?’ finishes in recent memory saw him snatch a last second submission and with it, a stay of execution in the MMABay Rankings.

10: Ben Askren: ‘Funky’ is currently undefeated at 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career and despite a growing reputation as one of the most snooze-worthy fighters in the sport today it’s unmistakable that he has talent few rival. He defended his Bellator crown in April with a five-round win over Douglas Lima.

(Updated May 1^st, 2012)

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