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Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
If there has been one criticism of MMA's premier heavyweight, it's that Emelianenko hasn't met the best of his contemporaries over the last three years. He responded with a 36-second thrashing of Tim Sylvia in July, and he will look to further prove his supremacy over the division on Jan. 24 when he takes on another former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, in the headliner of the second Affliction bill.
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)
2008 offered Arlovski a great opportunity to rebuild himself, and he did so brilliantly. With his knockouts of Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, he has earned himself the biggest fight of his career -- a meeting with the sport's finest heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, in the main event of Affliction's sophomore effort on Jan. 24.
4. Josh Barnett (23-5-0)
Barnett's management nixed hopes of him facing Fedor Emelianenko in January as the headliner for Affliction's second event. Unfortunately, Barnett's proposed participation on the Nov. 1 Sengoku card didn't come to fruition either.
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. 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.
7. 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.
8. Junior dos Santos (7-1-0)
After causing a stir in the blogosphere with some nasty mittwork leading up to UFC 90, Junior dos Santos used Fabricio Werdum's face as a focus mitt in one of the year's bigger upsets. Whether or not the young protégé of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is legitimately one of the best heavyweights in the world remains to be seen, but for now, no one can take his nasty knockout of Werdum away from him.
9. Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1)
Perhaps there's no sport with liver underdogs than MMA. Unfortunately, Werdum didn't heed history, and he had his UFC title hopes splattered courtesy of a brutal uppercut from fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos. Instead of awaiting the winner of the UFC's forthcoming heavyweight tournament, Werdum has been knocked down the ladder of contention.
10. 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.
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 troubles are not completely dead 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 Dec. 27 at UFC 92 for a third meeting with archrival Wanderlei Silva, who has brutally stopped the Memphis native twice.
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 the KO of 2008, and he will now get his chance to challenge for the UFC 205-pound title against Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 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)
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 (14-4-1)
After an up-and-down UFC tenure, "The Dean of Mean" was in a do-or-die scenario Oct. 18 against Brandon Vera. Jardine took a razor-thin split decision and avoided being pushed any farther down the ladder in a stacked UFC light heavyweight division.
8. 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.
9. Luis Arthur Cane (9-1-0)
MMA's pool of young and talented light heavyweights just got deeper. Cane's Oct. 18 stoppage of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou gave the Brazilian banger his ninth stoppage in nine victories and thrust him into the mix in one of MMA's richest divisions.
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 (23-4-0)
Silva's perfunctory title defense against Patrick Cote was supposed to be an easy addition to the Brazilian's highlight reel. Instead the middleweight ruler turned in a puzzlingly passive performance until Cote suffered a knee injury in the third round, which has created many more hot topics than the usual "Who's next for Silva?"
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)
Slated to defend his EliteXC middleweight title against Joey Villasenor, Lawler has been left in no man's land after EliteXC ceased operations. Now attention turns to where the "Ruthless" middleweight will end up in a post-EliteXC world.
5. Yushin Okami (22-4-0)
Okami was forced to watch Patrick Cote take his title shot against Anderson Silva on Oct. 25. 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. Thales Leites (14-1-0)
At UFC 90, Leites was supposed to meet undefeated Croat Goran Reljic in a high-stakes middleweight affair. Unfortunately, injury forced Reljic from the card. However, Leites was still able to pick up a win, as he took a textbook submission over late-replacement Drew McFedries in just 78 seconds.
10. 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.
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 already become the most anticipated bout of 2009.
2. Thiago Alves (16-3)
If there were any doubts as to who deserves the next crack at the UFC welterweight title after the St. Pierre-Penn rematch, Alves erased them with his sensational showing against Josh Koscheck at UFC 90 on Oct. 25. With an exciting and well-earned decision, the Brazilian has, in part, atoned for his weight-related indiscretions of the past and more than earned his crack at the UFC’s welterweight crown.
3. Jon Fitch (17-3, 1 NC)
Although Fitch could not hold a competitive candle to St. Pierre in their UFC 87 bout, he likely gained a measure of respect from fans and his contemporaries with the guts he demonstrated in making it all five rounds under heavy fire.
4. Josh Koscheck (11-3)
Accepting a fight with Alves on two weeks notice is hardly a task many welterweights would be willing to tackle. However, Koscheck stepped up on short notice and put on a fantastic fight with the “Pitbull” at UFC 90. While he dropped a unanimous verdict to Alves, Koscheck’s strong showing bodes well, especially with a slated bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Dec. 10.
5. Diego Sanchez (19-2)
Due to a rib injury, Sanchez was forced to pull out of his scheduled Oct. 25 bout with Alves. The Brazilian’s win over Koscheck has stamped his place as a top contender, and Sanchez will be forced to battle his way back up the ladder.
6. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
After months of the mixed martial arts world bemoaning his lack of challenges within EliteXC, the promotion’s death has put its former welterweight champion on the market, where he should attract a host of suitors.
7. Matt Hughes (42-7)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was exploited by another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Alves at UFC 85. 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 St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Hughes seems high in the near future.
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 Yoshida the day before UFC 88 in September. The next step for Parisyan is anyone’s guess, but hopefully he makes it to the Octagon intact.
10. Carlos Condit (23-4)
In another great WEC main event, Condit survived a life-and-death affair with an incredibly game Hiromitsu Miura and took a fourth-round stoppage in their taxing welterweight title bout in August. While Condit’s struggles may have tempered the enthusiasm 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 lookout for marquee challenges, the UFC’s lightweight champion will return to the welterweight division to rekindle his rivalry with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. However, when Penn returns to 155, there should be no shortage of suitors, with several high stakes lightweight affairs possible in the coming months.
2. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)
A Nov. 8 date against Nick Diaz fell by the wayside due to the death of EliteXC. However, Alvarez should have little trouble finding fights as one of the hottest commodities in one of MMA’s hottest divisions.
3. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
With losses to Shinya Aoki, Eiji Mitsuoka and Alvarez, it seemed that the Norwegian nightmare’s days as a top lightweight may have been 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)
Sengoku 6 will see Gomi meet Russian Sergei Golyaev on Nov. 1 in what amounts to a tune-up bout. However, Gomi's real next fight will be crystallized on the same card, when Sengoku’s lightweight tournament resolves, producing the man who will meet “The Fireball Kid” to determine the promotion’s first divisional champion.
5. Shinya Aoki (18-3, 1 NC)
Aoki attempted to put July’s brutal loss to 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 boisterously begun challenging Yoshihiro Akiyama and Badr Hari for New Year’s Eve.
6. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Still recovering from a torn knee ligament, which he carried into his April 29 bout with Aoki, Cavalcante has been missed in Dream’s lightweight division. Considering the intriguing outcomes of Dream’s lightweight grand prix, potential bouts are numerous for the American Top Teamer, who will hopefully see action in Japan on New Year’s Eve.
7. Sean Sherk (33-3-1)
The last year has not been kind to Sherk. However, in his first action since his May thumping at Penn’s hands, the Minnesotan put on his most entertaining performance in recent memory, taking a well-deserved unanimous decision over a high-caliber fighter in Tyson Griffin.
8. Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC)
Strikeforce’s 155-pound champion is hungry for the top lightweights in the world. While it remains to be seen if he’ll get those chances, the Nov. 21 Strikeforce card will give Thomson the opportunity to avenge his August 2004 highlight reel loss to Yves Edwards.
9. Gilbert Melendez (14-2)
A favorite going into his June 27 title defense against Thomson, Melendez was completely outclassed over five rounds and lost a lopsided decision. What’s next for the talented Cesar Gracie prospect remains uncertain.
10. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)
While Kawajiri embarks on a series of pro-MMA seminars across Japan, he also readies himself for the biggest night of the year for MMA in Japan, as the “Crusher” will likely see action for K-1 on New Year’s Eve.
Featherweight
1. Urijah Faber (21-1)
With many fans looking forward to another WEC title defense from “The California Kid,” Faber will put his 145-pound crown on the line against Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 36 on Nov. 5 in Hollywood, Fla.
2. Mike Thomas Brown (17-4)
After a career spent largely in anonymity, Brown finally got his well-earned moment in the sun by knocking off Jeff Curran in June, earning a WEC title shot. The American Top Teamer will get his crack at Faber on Nov. 5.
3. Leonard Garcia (11-3)
Cleared of connections to a Texas cocaine ring, Garcia will meet Jens Pulver in a battle of heavy-****** featherweights at WEC 36 on Nov. 5. He returned to the WEC in February and knocked out highly regarded Hiroyuki Takaya in 91 seconds.
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (18-6-2)
After dropping three of his last four fights as a lightweight, the colorful veteran abandoned the 155-pound division, where he had spent his entire career, to compete as a featherweight. In his debut at 145 pounds, Mishima made out fantastically, as he took a majority decision and the Deep featherweight title from Masakazu Imanari.
5. Jeff Curran (30-10-1)
Since dropping a decision to Brown in June, “The Big Frog” has decided to test the waters in the intensifying bantamweight division in the near future. Curran could make his 135-pound debut at WEC 37 on Dec. 3.
6. Masakazu Imanari (15-6-1)
After his disappointing featherweight title loss to Mishima in May, Imanari became a two-division Deep champion with a stealthy 29-second heel-hook victory over Hiroshi Umemura in a bout for the promotion’s bantamweight title on Aug. 17. Imanari will now keep his fingers crossed that he can land a big money bout on New Year’s Eve.
7. Hatsu Hioki (16-3-2)
Still rehabilitating after a woeful year in 2007, Hioki will look to close 2008 with a bang. The TKO featherweight champion will take on Shooto legend Rumina Sato on Nov. 29 and look to step into contention for a second title.
8. Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1)
After Takaya’s slated WEC 35 opponent, Cub Swanson, sustained a hand injury shortly before the event, International Fight League veteran LC Davis was served up as a late replacement. That would have salvaged a great bout. Unfortunately, Takaya’s management rejected the last-minute replacement, which resulted in the Japanese banger being removed from the card.
9. Takeshi Inoue (14-3)
Inoue was shocked by Savant Young in May, but the former Shooto world champion has not fallen out of favor with promoters and has been afforded the chance to regain his crown. “Lion Takeshi” will take on reigning Shooto 143-pound champion Hideki Kadowaki on Nov. 29, as he looks to become the first fighter ever to regain a Shooto world title.
10. Wagnney Fabiano (10-1)
It was a prayer answered by MMA’s premiere promotion for featherweights when the International Fight League’s only 145-pound champion announced he had signed with WEC. The talented Brazilian will get his chance to prove he’s a top-flight featherweight when he makes his promotional debut at WEC 37 on Dec. 3 against Akitoshi Tamura.
....very solid list and I like where Alves ended up!!
1. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
If there has been one criticism of MMA's premier heavyweight, it's that Emelianenko hasn't met the best of his contemporaries over the last three years. He responded with a 36-second thrashing of Tim Sylvia in July, and he will look to further prove his supremacy over the division on Jan. 24 when he takes on another former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, in the headliner of the second Affliction bill.
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)
2008 offered Arlovski a great opportunity to rebuild himself, and he did so brilliantly. With his knockouts of Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, he has earned himself the biggest fight of his career -- a meeting with the sport's finest heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, in the main event of Affliction's sophomore effort on Jan. 24.
4. Josh Barnett (23-5-0)
Barnett's management nixed hopes of him facing Fedor Emelianenko in January as the headliner for Affliction's second event. Unfortunately, Barnett's proposed participation on the Nov. 1 Sengoku card didn't come to fruition either.
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. 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.
7. 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.
8. Junior dos Santos (7-1-0)
After causing a stir in the blogosphere with some nasty mittwork leading up to UFC 90, Junior dos Santos used Fabricio Werdum's face as a focus mitt in one of the year's bigger upsets. Whether or not the young protégé of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is legitimately one of the best heavyweights in the world remains to be seen, but for now, no one can take his nasty knockout of Werdum away from him.
9. Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1)
Perhaps there's no sport with liver underdogs than MMA. Unfortunately, Werdum didn't heed history, and he had his UFC title hopes splattered courtesy of a brutal uppercut from fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos. Instead of awaiting the winner of the UFC's forthcoming heavyweight tournament, Werdum has been knocked down the ladder of contention.
10. 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.
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 troubles are not completely dead 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 Dec. 27 at UFC 92 for a third meeting with archrival Wanderlei Silva, who has brutally stopped the Memphis native twice.
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 the KO of 2008, and he will now get his chance to challenge for the UFC 205-pound title against Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 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)
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 (14-4-1)
After an up-and-down UFC tenure, "The Dean of Mean" was in a do-or-die scenario Oct. 18 against Brandon Vera. Jardine took a razor-thin split decision and avoided being pushed any farther down the ladder in a stacked UFC light heavyweight division.
8. 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.
9. Luis Arthur Cane (9-1-0)
MMA's pool of young and talented light heavyweights just got deeper. Cane's Oct. 18 stoppage of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou gave the Brazilian banger his ninth stoppage in nine victories and thrust him into the mix in one of MMA's richest divisions.
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 (23-4-0)
Silva's perfunctory title defense against Patrick Cote was supposed to be an easy addition to the Brazilian's highlight reel. Instead the middleweight ruler turned in a puzzlingly passive performance until Cote suffered a knee injury in the third round, which has created many more hot topics than the usual "Who's next for Silva?"
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)
Slated to defend his EliteXC middleweight title against Joey Villasenor, Lawler has been left in no man's land after EliteXC ceased operations. Now attention turns to where the "Ruthless" middleweight will end up in a post-EliteXC world.
5. Yushin Okami (22-4-0)
Okami was forced to watch Patrick Cote take his title shot against Anderson Silva on Oct. 25. 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. Thales Leites (14-1-0)
At UFC 90, Leites was supposed to meet undefeated Croat Goran Reljic in a high-stakes middleweight affair. Unfortunately, injury forced Reljic from the card. However, Leites was still able to pick up a win, as he took a textbook submission over late-replacement Drew McFedries in just 78 seconds.
10. 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.
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 already become the most anticipated bout of 2009.
2. Thiago Alves (16-3)
If there were any doubts as to who deserves the next crack at the UFC welterweight title after the St. Pierre-Penn rematch, Alves erased them with his sensational showing against Josh Koscheck at UFC 90 on Oct. 25. With an exciting and well-earned decision, the Brazilian has, in part, atoned for his weight-related indiscretions of the past and more than earned his crack at the UFC’s welterweight crown.
3. Jon Fitch (17-3, 1 NC)
Although Fitch could not hold a competitive candle to St. Pierre in their UFC 87 bout, he likely gained a measure of respect from fans and his contemporaries with the guts he demonstrated in making it all five rounds under heavy fire.
4. Josh Koscheck (11-3)
Accepting a fight with Alves on two weeks notice is hardly a task many welterweights would be willing to tackle. However, Koscheck stepped up on short notice and put on a fantastic fight with the “Pitbull” at UFC 90. While he dropped a unanimous verdict to Alves, Koscheck’s strong showing bodes well, especially with a slated bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Dec. 10.
5. Diego Sanchez (19-2)
Due to a rib injury, Sanchez was forced to pull out of his scheduled Oct. 25 bout with Alves. The Brazilian’s win over Koscheck has stamped his place as a top contender, and Sanchez will be forced to battle his way back up the ladder.
6. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
After months of the mixed martial arts world bemoaning his lack of challenges within EliteXC, the promotion’s death has put its former welterweight champion on the market, where he should attract a host of suitors.
7. Matt Hughes (42-7)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was exploited by another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Alves at UFC 85. 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 St. Pierre in April. However, he might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Hughes seems high in the near future.
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 Yoshida the day before UFC 88 in September. The next step for Parisyan is anyone’s guess, but hopefully he makes it to the Octagon intact.
10. Carlos Condit (23-4)
In another great WEC main event, Condit survived a life-and-death affair with an incredibly game Hiromitsu Miura and took a fourth-round stoppage in their taxing welterweight title bout in August. While Condit’s struggles may have tempered the enthusiasm 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 lookout for marquee challenges, the UFC’s lightweight champion will return to the welterweight division to rekindle his rivalry with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. However, when Penn returns to 155, there should be no shortage of suitors, with several high stakes lightweight affairs possible in the coming months.
2. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)
A Nov. 8 date against Nick Diaz fell by the wayside due to the death of EliteXC. However, Alvarez should have little trouble finding fights as one of the hottest commodities in one of MMA’s hottest divisions.
3. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
With losses to Shinya Aoki, Eiji Mitsuoka and Alvarez, it seemed that the Norwegian nightmare’s days as a top lightweight may have been 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)
Sengoku 6 will see Gomi meet Russian Sergei Golyaev on Nov. 1 in what amounts to a tune-up bout. However, Gomi's real next fight will be crystallized on the same card, when Sengoku’s lightweight tournament resolves, producing the man who will meet “The Fireball Kid” to determine the promotion’s first divisional champion.
5. Shinya Aoki (18-3, 1 NC)
Aoki attempted to put July’s brutal loss to 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 boisterously begun challenging Yoshihiro Akiyama and Badr Hari for New Year’s Eve.
6. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Still recovering from a torn knee ligament, which he carried into his April 29 bout with Aoki, Cavalcante has been missed in Dream’s lightweight division. Considering the intriguing outcomes of Dream’s lightweight grand prix, potential bouts are numerous for the American Top Teamer, who will hopefully see action in Japan on New Year’s Eve.
7. Sean Sherk (33-3-1)
The last year has not been kind to Sherk. However, in his first action since his May thumping at Penn’s hands, the Minnesotan put on his most entertaining performance in recent memory, taking a well-deserved unanimous decision over a high-caliber fighter in Tyson Griffin.
8. Josh Thomson (16-2, 1 NC)
Strikeforce’s 155-pound champion is hungry for the top lightweights in the world. While it remains to be seen if he’ll get those chances, the Nov. 21 Strikeforce card will give Thomson the opportunity to avenge his August 2004 highlight reel loss to Yves Edwards.
9. Gilbert Melendez (14-2)
A favorite going into his June 27 title defense against Thomson, Melendez was completely outclassed over five rounds and lost a lopsided decision. What’s next for the talented Cesar Gracie prospect remains uncertain.
10. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)
While Kawajiri embarks on a series of pro-MMA seminars across Japan, he also readies himself for the biggest night of the year for MMA in Japan, as the “Crusher” will likely see action for K-1 on New Year’s Eve.
Featherweight
1. Urijah Faber (21-1)
With many fans looking forward to another WEC title defense from “The California Kid,” Faber will put his 145-pound crown on the line against Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 36 on Nov. 5 in Hollywood, Fla.
2. Mike Thomas Brown (17-4)
After a career spent largely in anonymity, Brown finally got his well-earned moment in the sun by knocking off Jeff Curran in June, earning a WEC title shot. The American Top Teamer will get his crack at Faber on Nov. 5.
3. Leonard Garcia (11-3)
Cleared of connections to a Texas cocaine ring, Garcia will meet Jens Pulver in a battle of heavy-****** featherweights at WEC 36 on Nov. 5. He returned to the WEC in February and knocked out highly regarded Hiroyuki Takaya in 91 seconds.
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (18-6-2)
After dropping three of his last four fights as a lightweight, the colorful veteran abandoned the 155-pound division, where he had spent his entire career, to compete as a featherweight. In his debut at 145 pounds, Mishima made out fantastically, as he took a majority decision and the Deep featherweight title from Masakazu Imanari.
5. Jeff Curran (30-10-1)
Since dropping a decision to Brown in June, “The Big Frog” has decided to test the waters in the intensifying bantamweight division in the near future. Curran could make his 135-pound debut at WEC 37 on Dec. 3.
6. Masakazu Imanari (15-6-1)
After his disappointing featherweight title loss to Mishima in May, Imanari became a two-division Deep champion with a stealthy 29-second heel-hook victory over Hiroshi Umemura in a bout for the promotion’s bantamweight title on Aug. 17. Imanari will now keep his fingers crossed that he can land a big money bout on New Year’s Eve.
7. Hatsu Hioki (16-3-2)
Still rehabilitating after a woeful year in 2007, Hioki will look to close 2008 with a bang. The TKO featherweight champion will take on Shooto legend Rumina Sato on Nov. 29 and look to step into contention for a second title.
8. Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1)
After Takaya’s slated WEC 35 opponent, Cub Swanson, sustained a hand injury shortly before the event, International Fight League veteran LC Davis was served up as a late replacement. That would have salvaged a great bout. Unfortunately, Takaya’s management rejected the last-minute replacement, which resulted in the Japanese banger being removed from the card.
9. Takeshi Inoue (14-3)
Inoue was shocked by Savant Young in May, but the former Shooto world champion has not fallen out of favor with promoters and has been afforded the chance to regain his crown. “Lion Takeshi” will take on reigning Shooto 143-pound champion Hideki Kadowaki on Nov. 29, as he looks to become the first fighter ever to regain a Shooto world title.
10. Wagnney Fabiano (10-1)
It was a prayer answered by MMA’s premiere promotion for featherweights when the International Fight League’s only 145-pound champion announced he had signed with WEC. The talented Brazilian will get his chance to prove he’s a top-flight featherweight when he makes his promotional debut at WEC 37 on Dec. 3 against Akitoshi Tamura.
....very solid list and I like where Alves ended up!!
