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Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
Between hand injuries and teases of possibly competing on New Year's Eve in Japan, the next step for MMA's top heavyweight is, as usual, not etched in stone. However, a return for Emelianenko is likely in January, as Affliction looks to kick off its co-promotional relationship with boxing powerhouse Golden Boy Promotions.
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
Although the TUF 8 coach is still locked into a bout with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir later this year, the future for Nogueira has gotten more interesting with the return of Randy Couture to the mix. Now, should Nogueira defend his interim version of the UFC heavyweight crown, 2009 will see "Minotauro" take on either Couture or Brock Lesnar in a high-stakes heavyweight affair.
3. Andrei Arlovski (14-5-0)
Sliding into primetime on short notice, the "Pitbull" parlayed his recent work with renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach into a second-round sniping of a high-quality heavyweight in Roy Nelson. With his Affliction association, the former UFC champion may have a bout with heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko to look forward to, especially with Josh Barnett no longer a shoo-in to face Emelianenko in January.
4. Josh Barnett (23-5-0)
Back into the heavyweight mix in a serious way, Barnett has teased that he may compete on Sengoku's Nov. 1 card. However, his management has publicly nixed hopes of him facing Fedor Emelianenko in January as the headliner for Affliction's co-promotion with Golden Boy Promotions.
5. Tim Sylvia (24-5-0)
In the biggest fight of his career, Tim Sylvia was summarily smashed by Fedor Emelianenko in a humbling 36 seconds. Although his missteps have come against the top heavyweights in the world, Sylvia has lost three of his last four and he is a year removed from his last win in a suddenly active heavyweight division.
6. Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1)
Werdum will meet fellow Brazilian Junior "Cigano" dos Santos on Oct. 25 in Chicago at UFC 90. Unfortunately, the real story for the BJJ standout is the difficult UFC heavyweight title picture, which may lead to Werdum taking another tune-up fight after the Santos fight as he awaits a title opportunity.
7. Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3-0)
Gonzaga took an easy two-minute submission win over Justin McCully in July with little surprise. "Napao" figures to be a heavy favorite again in his slated November bout at UFC 91 against Midwesterner Josh Hendricks.
8. Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2, 1 NC)
He didn't take a loss in his Sept. 23 meeting with Alistair Overeem, but what "Cro Cop" did take in the fight may have been just as painful. In addition to being completely dominated for the abbreviated bout, and taking a nasty series of knees to groin, Filipovic looked like a shell of the fighter who had torn through Pride's open-weight grand prix just two years ago.
9. Ben Rothwell (29-6-0)
Rothwell validated himself with a gutsy performance against Andrei Arlovski. He was looking to get back into the ring against Pedro Rizzo on Affliction's slated Oct. 11 follow-up card, but the postponement of the event left him in the lurch temporarily. The Miletich product may still meet Rizzo on the rescheduled January Affliction bill.
10. Alistair Overeem (28-11-0, 1 NC)
Overeem was dominating the early going of his bout with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, but he didn't get the chance to seize victory due to his errant knees ending the bout prematurely. The Dutchman is still amidst one of his hot streaks, though, and may find another highlight reel to add to it Nov. 9 if a bout with Gary Goodridge comes to fruition in his native Netherlands.
Light Heavyweight
1. Forrest Griffin (16-4-0)
The sport's unlikely 205-pound king will make the first defense of his UFC title against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. While a fight against Chuck Liddell may have been promotionally more appealing, the Evans matchup has given a previously unthinkable validation to the UFC and the TUF brand as a whole.
2. Quinton Jackson (28-7-0)
While his legal brouhaha is not completely done yet, the former UFC champ is moving on and in a major way. No tune-up fights are in order for Jackson, who will return at UFC 92 on Dec. 27 for a third meeting with his archrival, Wanderlei Silva, who has twice brutally stopped the Memphis native.
3. Rashad Evans (12-0-1)
There is little left to be said for Evans' thrilling knockout of Chuck Liddell. Evans has successfully vaulted himself to elite light heavyweight status with what may be 2008's KO of the year. He will get his chance to challenge for the UFC 205-pound title against Forrest Griffin on Dec. 27.
4. Lyoto Machida (13-0-0)
Unfortunately, Machida's slated October bout with Thiago Silva fell apart due to Silva injuring his back. However, Machida will have his big chance to convince all doubters and UFC brass that he is the undisputed top challenger to the light heavyweight title on an even bigger stage. He'll meet Silva on Super Bowl weekend in Vegas at UFC 94.
5. Chuck Liddell (21-6-0)
While still a dangerous and bankable fighter, Liddell's planned run to a second UFC light heavyweight championship was brutally thwarted by Rashad Evans in their Sept. 6 encounter. Liddell still has considerable superfight potential, but he may never get another chance to be UFC light heavyweight king.
6. Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1, 1 NC)
Wanderlei Silva has two vicious stoppages of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on his resume. However, if "The Axe Murderer" wants to restore his status as a top-of-the-top light heavyweight, he'll need to get a third victory over his rival on Dec. 27 when they meet again at UFC 92.
7. Keith Jardine (13-4-1)
Undoubtedly keen on erasing his brutal beating at the hands of Wanderlei Silva in May, Jardine will return to action at UFC 89 on Oct. 18. "The Dean of Mean" faces a tall order in former heavyweight prospect turned light heavyweight contender Brandon Vera, who will look to rehabilitate his own hype following a string of uninspiring performances.
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2-0)
Sokoudjou will see action on the UFC 89 card in October from Birmingham, England. The 24-year-old Cameroonian has been done no favors by the UFC, as he'll have to back up his hype when he takes on Brazilian punisher Luiz Arthur Cane in a fight that would seem to render scorecards unnecessary.
9. Thiago Silva (13-0-0)
A back injury postponed an October bout with Lyoto Machida, but fortunately the battle of undefeated fighters is still a go. In the biggest fight of his career, Silva will have a massive stage when he meets his fellow Brazilian at UFC 94 on Jan. 31.
10. Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3-0)
After injury threatened to retire him, Matyushenko has resuscitated his career in a major way. The 37-year-old Belarusian has put together eight straight wins in a late career surge, and he will look to make it nine if his slated rematch with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira makes January's rescheduled Affliction card.
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva (22-4-0)
While Yushin Okami was the preferred opponent for the next UFC middleweight title defense of the "Spider," a hand injury will keep Silva from getting revenge on the last man to beat him. However, Oct. 25 in Chicago, Silva will headline UFC 90 against surging contender Patrick Cote and look to further his brutal stranglehold on the 185-pound division.
2. Paulo Filho (16-0-0)
After suffering through depression, drug dependency and rehab, the Brazilian fireplug was ready to rematch Chael Sonnen on Sept. 10 with his WEC middleweight title on the line. The unfinished business between Filho and Sonnen will have to wait until Nov. 5, though, due to Hurricane Ike's postponement of the WEC card.
3. Rich Franklin (24-3-0, 1 NC)
Franklin was dominant in returning to light heavyweight against Matt Hamill in September. Now, the former UFC middleweight champ will look to take a leap into 205-pound contention when he meets Dan Henderson in a 205-pound headliner at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland.
4. Robbie Lawler (16-4-0, 1 NC)
Desperate for challengers, Lawler will defend his EliteXC middleweight crown against Joey Villasenor on Showtime on Nov. 8. Lawler and Villasenor met in October 2006, with Lawler knocking out the New Mexico native in 22 seconds with a flying knee.
5. Yushin Okami (22-4-0)
Come Oct. 25, Okami will be forced to watch Patrick Cote take his title shot against Anderson Silva. However, with his broken hand mended, Okami will have a chance to wrap up his title opportunity Dec. 27 when he takes on Dean Lister at UFC 92.
6. Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1)
In a year filled with breakout fighters, Gegard Mousasi may have gained the most of any. A sterling 6-0 on the year, the 23-year-old needed less than a combined four minutes to dispatch Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and become Dream's middleweight ruler. The wins marked his arrival as one of the division's elite.
7. Nate Marquardt (27-8-2)
After point deductions led to a souring split decision loss to Thales Leites in June, the usually passive Marquardt vowed to fight more aggressively and finish his foes. Unlike most fighters who make such comments, Marquardt made good on his promise with a stirring 82-second destruction of the talented Martin Kampmann at UFC 88.
8. Dan Henderson (23-7-0)
Henderson announced his return to middleweight triumphantly in September with a well-appointed decision over a very tough Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares. Now, the former Pride 205-pound champ will make an unexpected return to 205 pounds to meet Rich Franklin in a high-stakes headliner in Dublin, Ireland, for UFC 93.
9. Frank Trigg (18-6-0)
Trigg quietly took an entertaining unanimous decision over tough Hawaiian Falaniko Vitale Oct. 3. However, the ever-outspoken Trigg is left with no clear dance partner for a future big bout.
10. Thales Leites (13-1-0)
The UFC's 185-pound division needs young talent to step up and out into the spotlight. The once-beaten Leites will have the chance to take another leap forward and make his case for a crack at his countryman Anderson Silva on Oct. 25 in Chicago, when he meets undefeated Croat Goran Reljic at UFC 90.
Welterweight
1. Georges St. Pierre (17-2)
For now, the king of the 170-pounders will have some time to bask in his Aug. 9 blowout of Jon Fitch. However, the hype for his forthcoming rematch with lightweight ruler B.J. Penn has already begun, and their Super Bowl weekend rematch at UFC 94 has quickly become the most anticipated bout of 2009.
2. Josh Koscheck (11-2)
A seemingly forgotten man in a stacked welterweight division, the St. Pierre-Penn rematch and forthcoming Thiago Alves-Diego Sanchez title eliminator leaves Koscheck without a clear dance partner. Nonetheless, the former NCAA wrestling champion, with a new contract in tow, should see Octagon action before the end of 2008.
3. Jon Fitch (17-3, 1 NC)
Although Fitch couldn't hold a competitive candle to Georges St. Pierre in their Aug. 9 bout, he likely gained a different measure of respect from fans and his contemporaries with the guts he demonstrated in making it all five rounds under heavy fire.
4. Diego Sanchez (19-2)
If Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to put himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved stand-up en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti. However, business only picks up from here, as the “Nightmare” faces Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago.
5. Thiago Alves (15-3)
Though his failure to make weight tainted his win over former champion Matt Hughes on June 7 in London, Alves will have the chance to make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Diego Sanchez on Oct. 25 in Chicago in what should be an all-action bout.
6. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
It was not his best performance, but the EliteXC welterweight champion got the job done with a second-round submission of dangerous British export Paul Daley at “Heat” on Oct. 4. Having dispatched Daley, the conversation surrounding the Cesar Gracie disciple involves what challenges ProElite can offer him at this point.
7. Matt Hughes (42-7)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes exploited by another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves at UFC 85 in June. Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra is likely next up for Hughes, who continues to recuperate from a knee injury.
8. Matt Serra (9-5)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with Georges St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes seems high in the near future, perhaps in early 2009.
9. Karo Parisyan (18-5)
After going public about his personal battles with panic attacks in months prior, Parisyan was forced out of his highly anticipated clash with Yoshiyuki Yoshida the day before UFC 88 in September. Where Parisyan lands next is anyone’s guess, but hopefully he makes it to the Octagon intact.
10. Carlos Condit (23-4)
In another great main event, Condit survived a life-and-death affair with an incredibly game Hiromitsu Miura to take a fourth-round stoppage in their taxing World Extreme Cagefighting title bout at WEC 35. While Condit’s struggles may have tempered the push for him to head to the UFC, welterweight challenges within the WEC seem all but exhausted for the 24-year-old New Mexico native.
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)
Always on the quest for the most marquee challenges, the UFC’s lightweight champion will return to welterweight to rekindle his rivalry with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. However, when Penn returns to 155 pounds, there will be no shortage of challengers with several high-stakes lightweight affairs in the UFC’s coming months.
2. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)
He was unable to take home championship gold in Dream’s lightweight tournament due to injury, but the gifted Philadelphian will now get the chance to add another piece to the mantle. Alvarez will take on Nick Diaz for EliteXC’s vacant lightweight crown Nov. 8 in Reno, Nev.
3. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
With losses to Shinya Aoki, Eiji Mitsuoka and Eddie Alvarez, it seemed the Norwegian nightmare’s days as a top lightweight were finished. However, when the stars lined up and gave “Hellboy” his chance to step back into the Dream lightweight grand prix, Hansen blasted Aoki to gain a measure of revenge, the Dream lightweight championship and his biggest win in years.
4. Takanori Gomi (29-3, 1 NC)
In just his second bout in 18 months, Sengoku’s lightweight ace took a hard-fought decision over the anonymous but underrated Deep lightweight champion Seung Hwan Bang. Gomi has promised better in-ring performance in the future, which he may need, as he will soon face the winner of Sengoku’s lightweight tournament -- Satoru Kitaoka, Eiji Mitsuoka, Mizuto Hirota or Kazunori Yokota.
5. Shinya Aoki (18-3, 1 NC)
Aoki attempted to put July’s brutal loss to Joachim Hansen behind him, as he got a quick and easy submission victory over Todd Moore at Dream 6 on Sept. 23. The bout was Aoki’s sixth bout of 2008 but likely only the penultimate, as he has already began facetiously challenging Yoshihiro Akiyama and K-1 star Badr Hari for New Year’s Eve.
6. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he carried in to his April 29 bout with Shinya Aoki, Cavalcante has been missed in Dream’s lightweight division. With the intriguing outcomes of Dream's lightweight grand prix, the potential bouts are numerous for the American Top Team product, who will hopefully see action before the year is out.
7. Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC)
The Strikeforce lightweight champ got an easy tune-up in his Sept. 20 smashing of Ashe Bowman at the Playboy Mansion. However, the options get more interesting from here, as Thomson has expressed his desire to meet Dream kingpin Joachim Hansen, as well as Japanese standout Mitsuhiro Ishida.
8. Gilbert Melendez (14-2)
A favorite going into his June 27 title defense against Josh Thomson, Melendez was completely outclassed over five rounds and lost a lopsided decision. What’s next for the talented Cesar Gracie protégé remains uncertain.
9. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)
Not unlike his September 2005 mega-clash with Takanori Gomi, Kawajiri threw caution to the wind and fought fire with fire against Eddie Alvarez at Dream 5 in July. While it may eventually earn him “Fight of the Year” honors, it did not earn him a victory, as Alvarez rallied back from adversity to stop Kawajiri on strikes for the first time in his career.
10. Sean Sherk (32-3-1)
A rejuvenated B.J. Penn thwarted plans of lightweight supremacy for Sherk. However, “The Muscle Shark” will have a chance to get into the lightweight mix in a major way at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago. There, he will meet surging young lightweight Tyson Griffin in a compelling 155-pound scrap.
1. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
Between hand injuries and teases of possibly competing on New Year's Eve in Japan, the next step for MMA's top heavyweight is, as usual, not etched in stone. However, a return for Emelianenko is likely in January, as Affliction looks to kick off its co-promotional relationship with boxing powerhouse Golden Boy Promotions.
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
Although the TUF 8 coach is still locked into a bout with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir later this year, the future for Nogueira has gotten more interesting with the return of Randy Couture to the mix. Now, should Nogueira defend his interim version of the UFC heavyweight crown, 2009 will see "Minotauro" take on either Couture or Brock Lesnar in a high-stakes heavyweight affair.
3. Andrei Arlovski (14-5-0)
Sliding into primetime on short notice, the "Pitbull" parlayed his recent work with renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach into a second-round sniping of a high-quality heavyweight in Roy Nelson. With his Affliction association, the former UFC champion may have a bout with heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko to look forward to, especially with Josh Barnett no longer a shoo-in to face Emelianenko in January.
4. Josh Barnett (23-5-0)
Back into the heavyweight mix in a serious way, Barnett has teased that he may compete on Sengoku's Nov. 1 card. However, his management has publicly nixed hopes of him facing Fedor Emelianenko in January as the headliner for Affliction's co-promotion with Golden Boy Promotions.
5. Tim Sylvia (24-5-0)
In the biggest fight of his career, Tim Sylvia was summarily smashed by Fedor Emelianenko in a humbling 36 seconds. Although his missteps have come against the top heavyweights in the world, Sylvia has lost three of his last four and he is a year removed from his last win in a suddenly active heavyweight division.
6. Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1)
Werdum will meet fellow Brazilian Junior "Cigano" dos Santos on Oct. 25 in Chicago at UFC 90. Unfortunately, the real story for the BJJ standout is the difficult UFC heavyweight title picture, which may lead to Werdum taking another tune-up fight after the Santos fight as he awaits a title opportunity.
7. Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3-0)
Gonzaga took an easy two-minute submission win over Justin McCully in July with little surprise. "Napao" figures to be a heavy favorite again in his slated November bout at UFC 91 against Midwesterner Josh Hendricks.
8. Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2, 1 NC)
He didn't take a loss in his Sept. 23 meeting with Alistair Overeem, but what "Cro Cop" did take in the fight may have been just as painful. In addition to being completely dominated for the abbreviated bout, and taking a nasty series of knees to groin, Filipovic looked like a shell of the fighter who had torn through Pride's open-weight grand prix just two years ago.
9. Ben Rothwell (29-6-0)
Rothwell validated himself with a gutsy performance against Andrei Arlovski. He was looking to get back into the ring against Pedro Rizzo on Affliction's slated Oct. 11 follow-up card, but the postponement of the event left him in the lurch temporarily. The Miletich product may still meet Rizzo on the rescheduled January Affliction bill.
10. Alistair Overeem (28-11-0, 1 NC)
Overeem was dominating the early going of his bout with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, but he didn't get the chance to seize victory due to his errant knees ending the bout prematurely. The Dutchman is still amidst one of his hot streaks, though, and may find another highlight reel to add to it Nov. 9 if a bout with Gary Goodridge comes to fruition in his native Netherlands.
Light Heavyweight
1. Forrest Griffin (16-4-0)
The sport's unlikely 205-pound king will make the first defense of his UFC title against fellow “Ultimate Fighter” winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. While a fight against Chuck Liddell may have been promotionally more appealing, the Evans matchup has given a previously unthinkable validation to the UFC and the TUF brand as a whole.
2. Quinton Jackson (28-7-0)
While his legal brouhaha is not completely done yet, the former UFC champ is moving on and in a major way. No tune-up fights are in order for Jackson, who will return at UFC 92 on Dec. 27 for a third meeting with his archrival, Wanderlei Silva, who has twice brutally stopped the Memphis native.
3. Rashad Evans (12-0-1)
There is little left to be said for Evans' thrilling knockout of Chuck Liddell. Evans has successfully vaulted himself to elite light heavyweight status with what may be 2008's KO of the year. He will get his chance to challenge for the UFC 205-pound title against Forrest Griffin on Dec. 27.
4. Lyoto Machida (13-0-0)
Unfortunately, Machida's slated October bout with Thiago Silva fell apart due to Silva injuring his back. However, Machida will have his big chance to convince all doubters and UFC brass that he is the undisputed top challenger to the light heavyweight title on an even bigger stage. He'll meet Silva on Super Bowl weekend in Vegas at UFC 94.
5. Chuck Liddell (21-6-0)
While still a dangerous and bankable fighter, Liddell's planned run to a second UFC light heavyweight championship was brutally thwarted by Rashad Evans in their Sept. 6 encounter. Liddell still has considerable superfight potential, but he may never get another chance to be UFC light heavyweight king.
6. Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1, 1 NC)
Wanderlei Silva has two vicious stoppages of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on his resume. However, if "The Axe Murderer" wants to restore his status as a top-of-the-top light heavyweight, he'll need to get a third victory over his rival on Dec. 27 when they meet again at UFC 92.
7. Keith Jardine (13-4-1)
Undoubtedly keen on erasing his brutal beating at the hands of Wanderlei Silva in May, Jardine will return to action at UFC 89 on Oct. 18. "The Dean of Mean" faces a tall order in former heavyweight prospect turned light heavyweight contender Brandon Vera, who will look to rehabilitate his own hype following a string of uninspiring performances.
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2-0)
Sokoudjou will see action on the UFC 89 card in October from Birmingham, England. The 24-year-old Cameroonian has been done no favors by the UFC, as he'll have to back up his hype when he takes on Brazilian punisher Luiz Arthur Cane in a fight that would seem to render scorecards unnecessary.
9. Thiago Silva (13-0-0)
A back injury postponed an October bout with Lyoto Machida, but fortunately the battle of undefeated fighters is still a go. In the biggest fight of his career, Silva will have a massive stage when he meets his fellow Brazilian at UFC 94 on Jan. 31.
10. Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3-0)
After injury threatened to retire him, Matyushenko has resuscitated his career in a major way. The 37-year-old Belarusian has put together eight straight wins in a late career surge, and he will look to make it nine if his slated rematch with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira makes January's rescheduled Affliction card.
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva (22-4-0)
While Yushin Okami was the preferred opponent for the next UFC middleweight title defense of the "Spider," a hand injury will keep Silva from getting revenge on the last man to beat him. However, Oct. 25 in Chicago, Silva will headline UFC 90 against surging contender Patrick Cote and look to further his brutal stranglehold on the 185-pound division.
2. Paulo Filho (16-0-0)
After suffering through depression, drug dependency and rehab, the Brazilian fireplug was ready to rematch Chael Sonnen on Sept. 10 with his WEC middleweight title on the line. The unfinished business between Filho and Sonnen will have to wait until Nov. 5, though, due to Hurricane Ike's postponement of the WEC card.
3. Rich Franklin (24-3-0, 1 NC)
Franklin was dominant in returning to light heavyweight against Matt Hamill in September. Now, the former UFC middleweight champ will look to take a leap into 205-pound contention when he meets Dan Henderson in a 205-pound headliner at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland.
4. Robbie Lawler (16-4-0, 1 NC)
Desperate for challengers, Lawler will defend his EliteXC middleweight crown against Joey Villasenor on Showtime on Nov. 8. Lawler and Villasenor met in October 2006, with Lawler knocking out the New Mexico native in 22 seconds with a flying knee.
5. Yushin Okami (22-4-0)
Come Oct. 25, Okami will be forced to watch Patrick Cote take his title shot against Anderson Silva. However, with his broken hand mended, Okami will have a chance to wrap up his title opportunity Dec. 27 when he takes on Dean Lister at UFC 92.
6. Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1)
In a year filled with breakout fighters, Gegard Mousasi may have gained the most of any. A sterling 6-0 on the year, the 23-year-old needed less than a combined four minutes to dispatch Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and become Dream's middleweight ruler. The wins marked his arrival as one of the division's elite.
7. Nate Marquardt (27-8-2)
After point deductions led to a souring split decision loss to Thales Leites in June, the usually passive Marquardt vowed to fight more aggressively and finish his foes. Unlike most fighters who make such comments, Marquardt made good on his promise with a stirring 82-second destruction of the talented Martin Kampmann at UFC 88.
8. Dan Henderson (23-7-0)
Henderson announced his return to middleweight triumphantly in September with a well-appointed decision over a very tough Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares. Now, the former Pride 205-pound champ will make an unexpected return to 205 pounds to meet Rich Franklin in a high-stakes headliner in Dublin, Ireland, for UFC 93.
9. Frank Trigg (18-6-0)
Trigg quietly took an entertaining unanimous decision over tough Hawaiian Falaniko Vitale Oct. 3. However, the ever-outspoken Trigg is left with no clear dance partner for a future big bout.
10. Thales Leites (13-1-0)
The UFC's 185-pound division needs young talent to step up and out into the spotlight. The once-beaten Leites will have the chance to take another leap forward and make his case for a crack at his countryman Anderson Silva on Oct. 25 in Chicago, when he meets undefeated Croat Goran Reljic at UFC 90.
Welterweight
1. Georges St. Pierre (17-2)
For now, the king of the 170-pounders will have some time to bask in his Aug. 9 blowout of Jon Fitch. However, the hype for his forthcoming rematch with lightweight ruler B.J. Penn has already begun, and their Super Bowl weekend rematch at UFC 94 has quickly become the most anticipated bout of 2009.
2. Josh Koscheck (11-2)
A seemingly forgotten man in a stacked welterweight division, the St. Pierre-Penn rematch and forthcoming Thiago Alves-Diego Sanchez title eliminator leaves Koscheck without a clear dance partner. Nonetheless, the former NCAA wrestling champion, with a new contract in tow, should see Octagon action before the end of 2008.
3. Jon Fitch (17-3, 1 NC)
Although Fitch couldn't hold a competitive candle to Georges St. Pierre in their Aug. 9 bout, he likely gained a different measure of respect from fans and his contemporaries with the guts he demonstrated in making it all five rounds under heavy fire.
4. Diego Sanchez (19-2)
If Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to put himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved stand-up en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti. However, business only picks up from here, as the “Nightmare” faces Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago.
5. Thiago Alves (15-3)
Though his failure to make weight tainted his win over former champion Matt Hughes on June 7 in London, Alves will have the chance to make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Diego Sanchez on Oct. 25 in Chicago in what should be an all-action bout.
6. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
It was not his best performance, but the EliteXC welterweight champion got the job done with a second-round submission of dangerous British export Paul Daley at “Heat” on Oct. 4. Having dispatched Daley, the conversation surrounding the Cesar Gracie disciple involves what challenges ProElite can offer him at this point.
7. Matt Hughes (42-7)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes exploited by another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves at UFC 85 in June. Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra is likely next up for Hughes, who continues to recuperate from a knee injury.
8. Matt Serra (9-5)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with Georges St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes seems high in the near future, perhaps in early 2009.
9. Karo Parisyan (18-5)
After going public about his personal battles with panic attacks in months prior, Parisyan was forced out of his highly anticipated clash with Yoshiyuki Yoshida the day before UFC 88 in September. Where Parisyan lands next is anyone’s guess, but hopefully he makes it to the Octagon intact.
10. Carlos Condit (23-4)
In another great main event, Condit survived a life-and-death affair with an incredibly game Hiromitsu Miura to take a fourth-round stoppage in their taxing World Extreme Cagefighting title bout at WEC 35. While Condit’s struggles may have tempered the push for him to head to the UFC, welterweight challenges within the WEC seem all but exhausted for the 24-year-old New Mexico native.
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)
Always on the quest for the most marquee challenges, the UFC’s lightweight champion will return to welterweight to rekindle his rivalry with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. However, when Penn returns to 155 pounds, there will be no shortage of challengers with several high-stakes lightweight affairs in the UFC’s coming months.
2. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)
He was unable to take home championship gold in Dream’s lightweight tournament due to injury, but the gifted Philadelphian will now get the chance to add another piece to the mantle. Alvarez will take on Nick Diaz for EliteXC’s vacant lightweight crown Nov. 8 in Reno, Nev.
3. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
With losses to Shinya Aoki, Eiji Mitsuoka and Eddie Alvarez, it seemed the Norwegian nightmare’s days as a top lightweight were finished. However, when the stars lined up and gave “Hellboy” his chance to step back into the Dream lightweight grand prix, Hansen blasted Aoki to gain a measure of revenge, the Dream lightweight championship and his biggest win in years.
4. Takanori Gomi (29-3, 1 NC)
In just his second bout in 18 months, Sengoku’s lightweight ace took a hard-fought decision over the anonymous but underrated Deep lightweight champion Seung Hwan Bang. Gomi has promised better in-ring performance in the future, which he may need, as he will soon face the winner of Sengoku’s lightweight tournament -- Satoru Kitaoka, Eiji Mitsuoka, Mizuto Hirota or Kazunori Yokota.
5. Shinya Aoki (18-3, 1 NC)
Aoki attempted to put July’s brutal loss to Joachim Hansen behind him, as he got a quick and easy submission victory over Todd Moore at Dream 6 on Sept. 23. The bout was Aoki’s sixth bout of 2008 but likely only the penultimate, as he has already began facetiously challenging Yoshihiro Akiyama and K-1 star Badr Hari for New Year’s Eve.
6. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he carried in to his April 29 bout with Shinya Aoki, Cavalcante has been missed in Dream’s lightweight division. With the intriguing outcomes of Dream's lightweight grand prix, the potential bouts are numerous for the American Top Team product, who will hopefully see action before the year is out.
7. Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC)
The Strikeforce lightweight champ got an easy tune-up in his Sept. 20 smashing of Ashe Bowman at the Playboy Mansion. However, the options get more interesting from here, as Thomson has expressed his desire to meet Dream kingpin Joachim Hansen, as well as Japanese standout Mitsuhiro Ishida.
8. Gilbert Melendez (14-2)
A favorite going into his June 27 title defense against Josh Thomson, Melendez was completely outclassed over five rounds and lost a lopsided decision. What’s next for the talented Cesar Gracie protégé remains uncertain.
9. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)
Not unlike his September 2005 mega-clash with Takanori Gomi, Kawajiri threw caution to the wind and fought fire with fire against Eddie Alvarez at Dream 5 in July. While it may eventually earn him “Fight of the Year” honors, it did not earn him a victory, as Alvarez rallied back from adversity to stop Kawajiri on strikes for the first time in his career.
10. Sean Sherk (32-3-1)
A rejuvenated B.J. Penn thwarted plans of lightweight supremacy for Sherk. However, “The Muscle Shark” will have a chance to get into the lightweight mix in a major way at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago. There, he will meet surging young lightweight Tyson Griffin in a compelling 155-pound scrap.
