Här kommer Sherdog's färska Top Ten ranking!
1. Fedor Emelianenko (27-1-0, 1 NC)
Following the collapse of his deal with M-1 Global, Fedor Emelianenko seems to have landed right in the money-laden laps of Affliction, Donald Trump and others with a bout against Tim Sylvia on July 19 now ready to be delivered. Hopefully this signals the beginning of a new era for MMA's "Last Emperor."
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
Some have questioned whether any UFC heavyweight, especially the battle-tested Brazilian, can cross over into stardom. Nogueira will now get the TUF treatment in the coming months as he goes head-to-head with Frank Mir in coaching the eighth season of the UFC's reality series. "The Ultimate Fighter 8" will serve as the build-up vessel to Nogueira's first title defense against the former champ.
3. Randy Couture (16-8-0)
Unfortunately, no news is bad news for Randy Couture, who continues his legal two-step with the UFC in hopes of securing a bout with Fedor Emelianenko outside the Octagon. As the drama continues to boil over, one has to wonder just how much time "The Natural" has left to make this mega-bout happen.
4. Tim Sylvia (24-4-0)
Suddenly free from the organization that nurtured him into a heavyweight force, two-time UFC champion Tim Sylvia has chosen Fedor Emelianenko as his first bout outside the UFC in nearly three years. An upset win over the sport's premier heavyweight would certainly go a long way toward erasing the memory of his collapse against Nogueira.
5. Andrei Arlovski (12-5-0)
Arlovski finally came out and announced what was the worst-kept secret in the entire sport, as he is now official for Affliction's July 19 offering at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. "The PitBull" will take on Ben Rothwell (Pictures), and look to break the Miletich product's 13-fight win streak.
6. Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1)
Werdum solidified his place in the heavyweight division with his first-round stoppage of Brandon Vera on June 7. However, unfortunately for Werdum, most of the discussion has been over referee Dan Miragliotta's debatable stoppage in the bout rather than Werdum's victory.
7. Josh Barnett (22-5-0)
After drawing some criticism for inactivity in the post-Pride period, Barnett has returned to action in Sengoku, and knocked off a quality opponent in longtime training partner Jeff Monson on May 18. Next on tap for MMA's proudest catch wrestler figures to be a date with former foe Pedro Rizzo on Affliction's July 19 card. Rizzo came out the victor with a sizzling KO in a fantastic clash between the two in February 2001.
8. Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3-0)
Gonzaga polished off Justin McCully in less than two minutes at UFC 86 on July 5, easily snatching the submission victory. However, to regain his hype and stature in a the division, more will be required of the talented Brazilian in the future.
9. Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2)
After a lingering elbow injury forced him out of his strangely scheduled June 15 grappling bout with Ralek Gracie, it is uncertain what's next for Filipovic. However, proposed matches with fellow K-1 standout Jerome LeBanner, as well as with the recently victorious Alistair Overeem, would certainly be upgrades over March's slaughter of Tatsuya Mizuno.
10. Ben Rothwell (29-5-0)
On a 13-fight win streak, Rothwell will finally get the step up in competition both he and fans alike are looking forward to. Rothwell will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski on July 19 as part of Affliction's much-hyped debut card.
1. Forrest Griffin (16-4-0)
He himself will tell you he's not the most skilled or talented guy around, but Forrest Griffin's drive and determination have paid off in spades as the poster child for the new UFC is now the man to beat at 205 pounds. With his throne capture, Griffin rises from third to take the first spot in these rankings. However, the real emphasis will be on defending his title in arguably the biggest and best weight class in the game with a potential rematch against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, a showdown with former champ Chuck Liddell, an encounter with Lyoto Machida, and tons of other challengers on the horizon.
2. Quinton Jackson (28-7-0)
After resurrecting his career and emerging as the top light heavyweight in the sport with his victories over Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson, few thought that Forrest Griffin would pose any problem. No matter what your personal scorecard read, "Rampage" was less-than-stellar and lost his title on the cards. If nothing else, it should make a highly interesting rematch possible. However, Jackson loses his top spot in the Sherdog.com rankings, slipping from first to second.
3. Lyoto Machida (13-0-0)
With all the talk of immediate rematches and possibly a Forrest Griffin - Chuck Liddell fight, the undefeated Machida has seemingly been lost in the shuffle. While whether he gets the next title shot is uncertain, it would seem that the karate expert will get his crack sooner or later if he continues to dominate in the Octagon. However, with the ascent of Forrest Griffin, Machida falls from second to third in these rankings.
4. Chuck Liddell (21-5-0)
After a hugely anticipated clash with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was nixed, the "Iceman" suffered a nasty hamstring tear, which slashed his clash with undefeated Rashad Evans set for UFC 85 on June 7. Thankfully, the Liddell-Evans bout will still go on, and is reportedly set for Sept. 6 in Atlanta.
5. Mauricio Rua (16-3-0)
After injuring his knee and stumbling in his UFC debut, it seemed "Shogun" had hit rock bottom. Then, with a big fight against Chuck Liddell looming, disaster struck again when Rua injured the same knee that had been surgically repaired just months before. His next battle is not yet in sight.
6. Dan Henderson (22-6-0)
Following his March loss to Anderson Silva, there was much speculation over whether Henderson would continue to campaign as a 185-pounder, or head back to the 205-pound class. It's been decided: Henderson will be staying at middleweight to meet hot Brazilian prospect Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares at UFC 88 on Sept. 6 in Atlanta.
7. Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1, 1 NC)
After a vintage Silva performance in May when he stampeded over Keith Jardine in 36 seconds, people were left wanting more Silva, ASAP. While they almost got their wish, a bout couldn't be finalized with "The Axe Murderer" for the July 19 UFC "Silva vs. Irvin" card, so fans will have to wait a little bit longer for Silva's return.
8. Keith Jardine (13-4-1)
After knocking off Chuck Liddell last September, Jardine had the opportunity to defeat two of the sport's greatest light heavyweights in history when he entered the Octagon for his May 24 bout with Wanderlei Silva. Instead, Jardine was ripped apart, getting brutally dispatched in 36 seconds.
9. Rashad Evans (11-0-1)
Evans slid into the biggest fight of his career, a scheduled June 7 clash with Chuck Liddell, before he ended up being removed from the card after injuries to Liddell, and then replacement opponent James Irvin. Luckily for Evans, he will get his crack at the former UFC light heavyweight king on Sept. 6 when the UFC heads to Atlanta.
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2-0)
Sokoudjou restored some measure of his hype, handling a quality opponent in Kazuhiro Nakamura and stopping him at the end of the first frame. Although Africa's top mixed martial artist may still continue to fight talk of his 2007 wins being flukes, the UFC's 205-pound division should prove to be the acid test for the Cameroonian.
1. Anderson Silva (21-4-0)
Although a middleweight title defense against Yushin Okami still seems likely for early fall, Silva will begin a new chapter in his pound-for-pound dominance when he takes the step up to 205 pounds to meet James Irvin on the July 19 UFC "Silva vs. Irvin" card. More of "The Spider" is certainly a good thing.
2. Paulo Filho (16-0-0)
After suffering with depression, drug dependency and rehab, the Brazilian fireplug will be back to rematch Chael Sonnen on Sept. 10, with his WEC middleweight title on the line. Filho took a comeback victory over Sonnen last December, escaping with the victory after a controversial armbar stoppage.
3. Rich Franklin (23-3-0, 1 NC)
Franklin put his second brutal loss to Anderson Silva behind him, overcoming some early adversity to put a beatdown on another former Silva challenger, Travis Lutter at UFC 83 in April. With that second-round stoppage in the books, it's unclear what Franklin's next move at middleweight will be. But in the wide-open division, there is still a multitude of interesting fights for "Ace."
4. Robbie Lawler (16-4-0, 1 NC)
On the biggest stage of his career, primetime network television, Lawler appeared on his way to victory in his May 31 fight of the year candidate against Scott Smith, before an errant finger to the eye ended Smith's night and disappointingly rendered the championship bout a no contest. However, Smith and Lawler will settle their business on EliteXC's second event for CBS on July 26.
5. Yushin Okami (22-4-0)
If Okami needed a dominant and decisive victory to really cement his place in the middleweight division, he's got it. Japan's best plus-155 product crashed former UFC champ Evan Tanner's homecoming party with a nasty second-round knockout in March. Given the controversial history between the two, a rematch with Anderson Silva would seem to be the most sensible fight, though Okami will be hard-pressed to score a second win over the champ.
6. Frank Trigg (16-6-0)
After a bit of drama with Fighting and Entertainment Group and Dream, "Twinkle Toes" will head back to Japan, but he'll be stepping into the ring for World Victory Road and Sengoku. Trigg will square off with a presently undetermined opponent at Sengoku's next card on Aug. 24.
7. Thales Leites (13-1-0)
It certainly wasn't the prettiest win you'll ever see, but the Nova Uniao product showed his toughness when he withstood some serious trials in his bout with Nathan Marquardt at UFC 85 on June 7, and with the aid of a couple point deductions, took the split decision win.
8. Nathan Marquardt (26-8-2)
Amidst controversy, Marquardt dropped a split decision to Thales Leites after two point deductions sabotaged his chance at victory. The result figures to be a considerable setback to Marquardt in his quest to get another crack at the UFC middleweight championship.
9. Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1-0, 2 NC)
After injury kept him out of the ongoing Dream middleweight tournament, Akiyama has confirmed that he'll be back in action for July 21's Dream offering in Osaka against a yet-to-be-scheduled opponent. More importantly, with Dream's 185-pound tournament bracket really producing excitement, some great matches may be on the horizon for one of MMA's premiere villains.
10. Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2, 1 NC)
The ever-tough Misaki turned in another usual gritty performance against solid Minnesota product Logan Clark on June 8. Although Misaki suffered some damage to his left ankle that put him on crutches after the bout, it shouldn't require surgery, which is good since Misaki may finally come stateside to fight for Strikeforce this September.
1. Georges St. Pierre (16-2-0)
With the Matt Serra drama behind him, St. Pierre's attention now turns to reigning in the fashion others expected from him when he first captured the UFC title in November 2006. First on deck for GSP is a fantastic title scrap with Jon Fitch, headlining the UFC's Aug. 9 foray in Minnesota.
2. Jon Fitch (16-2-0, 1 NC)
Now a gaudy 8-0 in the UFC, Jon Fitch's Aug. 9 title shot against Georges St. Pierre has been well earned. However, the former Purdue wrestling captain will need to take his game to the next level to unseat the dynamo Canadian in their anticipated welterweight showdown.
3. Josh Koscheck (11-2-0)
He didn't show us anything new, but Koscheck pounded out a solid victory over Chris Lytle on July 5, hacking up the veteran's face and spilling blood all over the cage. In a stacked 170-pound class, Koscheck's next go-around in the Octagon figures to be an alluring matchup.
4. Diego Sanchez (19-2-0)
If Diego Sanchez needed an impressive performance on June 21 to vault himself back into contention at 170 pounds, he got it. Sanchez showed off vastly improved standup en route to his sensational third-round stoppage of a tough Luigi Fioravanti. However, things only pick up from here as the "Nightmare" is penciled in to meet Brazilian dynamo Thiago Alves on Oct. 18 in England.
5. Thiago Alves (15-3-0)
Though some weight issues tainted his win over Matt Hughes on June 7, Alves will have the chance to return to England and make an even louder case for a title shot when he meets Diego Sanchez on Oct. 18 in Birmingham in what should be an all-action bout.
6. Matt Hughes (42-7-0)
Already in the twilight of his career, Hughes was turned into a highlight reel at the hands of another young, up-and-coming welterweight in Thiago Alves. Although some have called for the longtime welterweight king to retire, a grudge match with Matt Serra is likely next up for Hughes.
7. Jake Shields (20-4-1)
After his on-again-off-again bout with Drew Fickett was finally sent out behind the shed, Shields was scheduled for Elite XC's next primetime CBS card on July 26. Now, the Cesar Gracie product will meet fellow welterweight standout Nick Thompson to crown Elite XC's first welterweight champ.
8. Matt Serra (9-5-0)
The slipper dropped for Serra, who was destroyed in his rematch with St. Pierre last April in the beloved Canadian's backyard of Montreal. However, Serra might not be done in big bouts, as the potential for a clash with Matt Hughes seems high in the near future.
9. Karo Parisyan (18-5-0)
Parisyan, who was set to challenge for the UFC welterweight title in November 2005, just had his title hopes take another hit when he was stopped by Thiago Alves in their April 2 UFC Fight Night bout.
10. Carlos Condit (22-4-0)
In February, Condit avenged one of his losses to the tough Carlo Prater in front of his hometown crowd in Albuquerque. Now, the WEC's welterweight king will make the third defense of his title on Aug. 3, when he meets Hiromitsu Miura as part of the WEC's title tripleheader in Las Vegas.
1. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)
With his return to the division, many proclaimed Penn the world's best lightweight. With his dominant victory to retain the UFC lightweight championship against Sean Sherk, Penn validated those claims. With a Roger Huerta - Kenny Florian eliminator on tap for August, and his desire to rematch welterweight king Georges St. Pierre made vocal, Penn's future should certainly prove exciting.
2. Takanori Gomi (28-3-0, 1 NC)
Gomi will return to action on the next Sengoku bill on Aug. 24, against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. More importantly, the card will also feature an eight-man lightweight clash featuring the likes of Eiji Mitsuoka, Satoru Kitaoka, Kazunori Yokota, Rodrigo Damm and Duane Ludwig, with the tournament winner likely going on to challenge Gomi for the inaugural Sengoku lightweight championship.
3. Shinya Aoki (16-2, 1 NC)
It was a bit of a headache to schedule, but Aoki finally got into the ring with Katsuhiko Nagata for their Dream lightweight tournament quarterfinal, and the dynamic grappler notched a nasty submission win with a mounted gogoplata. Aoki will now meet veteran Caol Uno on July 21 in the semifinals of the grand prix, with a finals berth later that evening on the line.
4. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1, 1 NC)
Cavalcante came out on the losing end of things in his April 29 rematch with Shinya Aoki. Now, "JZ" is looking at three to four months on the shelf to recover from a torn ACL.
5. Josh Thomson (15-2-0, 1 NC)
Long critical of his perceived place in MMA rankings, Josh Thomson went out and put on the best showing of his career, dominating Gilbert Melendez from wire to wire in their June 27 Strikeforce title bout. Always considered a super talented fighter, Thomson finally has a performance to match, and with that, debuts at five in the Sherdog.com rankings.
6. Gilbert Melendez (14-2-0)
A favorite going into their June 27 clash, Melendez was completely outclassed by Josh Thomson over five rounds en route to a lopsided decision. What's next for the talented Cesar Gracie prospect is uncertain, but for now Melendez slips from fifth to sixth in the Sherdog.com rankings.
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2)
On what is shaping up to be one of the year's best cards, perhaps the most action-guaranteed bout on Dream's July 21 card is the lightweight grand prix semifinal between Kawajiri and Eddie Alvarez. If nothing else, he may be looking at being one half of the fight of the year, but a win would go a long way as Kawajiri drops from sixth to seventh in these rankings with Thomson's victory.
8. Sean Sherk (32-3-1)
The ten months of torture for Sean Sherk were punctuated in painful fashion, as he was thoroughly handled by B.J. Penn in their lightweight title clash. However, the possibilities are numerous for Sherk, who has only fought thrice in the division, making plenty of matchups with the UFC's young, talented lightweights possible. Josh Thomson's victory bumps Sherk from seventh to eighth.
9. Caol Uno (25-10-4)
After turning in a vintage performance in May where he shockingly finished off Mitsuhiro Ishida to march into the Dream lightweight tournament final four, Uno will have his hands full on July 21, where he takes on Shinya Aoki in the semifinals of the tournament. "The Punk" toppling Melendez nudges Uno down a peg from eighth to ninth.
10. Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-4-1)
Most expected Ishida to use his active top game to take out veteran Caol Uno in the Dream lightweight tournament's quarterfinals. Instead, after being knocked off by Uno, Ishida will now be resigned to rooting for his friend and training partner Tatsuya Kawajiri on July 21 when the lightweight grand prix concludes. Ishida moves to the fringe of the rankings with Thomson's victory over Melendez, falling from ninth to tenth.
1. Urijah Faber (21-1-0)
In the biggest featherweight fight this sport has seen to date, Urijah Faber proved himself as the world's top featherweight, dominating Jens Pulver to a unanimous decision. After his dominant display in which he flexed his much improved striking game, Faber entrenched himself as a blooming star in the sport.
2. Mike Thomas Brown (17-4-0)
Hardly a hyped competitor, Mike Thomas Brown forced the featherweight division to take notice with a hard-fought and well-earned decision over perennial divisional standout Jeff Curran on June 1. While he may not be a superstar, Brown should prove another interesting and worthy contender to Urijah Faber.
3. Leonard Garcia (11-3-0)
Garcia says that his legal matters regarding a major cocaine ring in Texas are all but behind him now, and he's ready to focus on fighting. While he won't be back for the Aug. 3 WEC card in Vegas, "Bad Boy" should be back in the cage later this year.
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (18-6-2)
After dropping three of his last four, the colorful veteran abandoned the lightweight division, where he'd spent his entire career, to compete as a featherweight. In his 145-pound debut, Mishima made out fantastically, taking a majority decision, and the Deep featherweight title, from Masakazu Imanari.
5. Jeff Curran (30-10-1)
After a career where many decisions went his way, Curran was taken out on the cards in a hard-fought bout by an underrated Mike Thomas Brown. Although the next bout for Curran is unclear, there will always be a place for the "Big Frog" in the featherweight division.
6. Masakazu Imanari (14-6-1)
Imanari couldn't strike gold with one of his leglocks against Dokonjonosuke Mishima on May 19. As a result, Imanari dropped the decision, and his Deep featherweight title.
7. Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1)
After his stateside debut against Leonard Garcia in February wound up with Takaya coming out on the losing end in less than two minutes, the Japanese brawler will look for a better result in his second go-around. However, it won't be easy as the "Streetfight Bancho" meets tough prospect Cub Swanson on the WEC's Aug. 3 offering.
8. Hatsu Hioki (15-3-1)
After a slated bout with the legendary Rumina Sato couldn't be made in May due to injury, Hioki will return to his hometown of Nagoya on Aug. 3 against Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura. In the meantime, Hioki rises from ninth to eighth in these rankings with Antonio Carvalho's loss to Yuji Hoshino.
9. Savant Young (Pictures) (9-7-0)
After notching the biggest win of his career with his May upset of former Shooto world champ "Lion Takeshi" Takeshi Inoue, "Savant" will have to prove he's no fluke as a featherweight when he takes on Mark Hominick on the undercard of Affliction's July 19 bill. Antonio Carvalho's loss means that Young gets a pre-fight boost, jumping from tenth to ninth.
10. Takeshi Inoue (14-3-0)
The former Shooto world champ looked like he was taking control of his May 3 fight with Trenell "Savant" Young, until he got caught in a deep guillotine that turned the tide. Despite dropping the decision, "Lion Takeshi" sneaks back into these rankings through the back door with the loss of his former nemesis Antonio Carvalho.
1. Miguel Torres (33-1-0)
In the first defense of his WEC bantamweight crown, Torres showed why he's putting the bantamweight division on the map. In a fight of the year candidate with Yoshiro Maeda, Torres showed off all facets of his game, stopping Maeda by grotesquely swelling his eye closed. The win affirmed Torres' status as the top 135-pounder in the world.
2. Masakatsu Ueda (8-0-1)
In the biggest fight of his young career, Ueda became just the second fighter to be an All Japan amateur Shooto champion, a Shooto rookie champion and a Shooto world champion by taking a commanding decision over Koetsu Okazaki to win the Shooto 132-pound world title. Although the WEC will continue to become the focal point of the weight class, Ueda has become the division's torchbearer abroad.
3. Koetsu Okazaki (5-1-1)
Okazaki was quite simply outclassed by the stronger, more technical Ueda in their March 28 title showdown. What's next for the Osaka native is uncertain, as he has never been much of a workhorse and may not get back into the ring until the latter stages of the year.
4. Atsushi Yamamoto (11-5-1)
The Norifumi Yamamoto pupil had the biggest opportunity of his career in his bout with Masakatsu Ueda, which offered the winner a chance to fight for the vacant 132-pound Shooto world title. In a hard-fought bout, Ueda came out the victor, sending Yamamoto back to the drawing board.
5. Brian Bowles (4-0-0)
After a breakout year in 2007 featuring smashings of the well-regarded Charlie Valencia and Marcos "Louro" Galvao, Bowles will have to prove his meddle come Aug. 3 when he takes on the rugged and raw Damacio Page in what should prove to be a highly exciting bantamweight scrap.
6. Marcos Galvao (6-2-0)
After years of competing in Shooto, "Louro" got a golden opportunity to showcase his skills in the WEC. The result? Galvao got absolutely destroyed by upstart Brian Bowles, who tore him apart on the feet en route to a second-round stoppage.
7. Takeya Mizugaki (9-2-2)
The frontrunner in GCM's 135-pound Cage Force tournament showed why he's the lead dog in the bracket on June 22. He waffled Daichi Fujiwara so hard that Fujiwara didn't even know he was knocked out, prompting him to get up and try to attack a victorious Mizugaki while he posed for photographers. Mizugaki will meet Taiyo Nakahara in the Cage Force tourney semifinals Sept. 27.
8. Manny Tapia (10-0-1)
Tapia's next battle will be rehabbing from surgery, following the knee injury that scuttled his June 1 WEC title challenge against Miguel Torres. However, upon return, he will likely be the man to challenge for the WEC crown.
9. Will Ribeiro (9-1-0)
Although he came in with a bit of buzz, few expected the former Brazilian boxing champion to best former WEC champ Chase Beebe in their June 1 bout. However, Ribeiro showed off his hands, as well as some new developments in his all-around MMA game, which helped him take a well-earned split decision.
10. Chase Beebe (11-3-0)
The former WEC champ was surprised by hot Brazilian up-and-comer Will Ribeiro in their June 1 bout, dropping a split decision. However, the future is undoubtedly still bright for Beebe, who at 23 years old still has considerable upside.
1. Shinichi Kojima (8-3-4)
Kojima's embarrassing run at 132 pounds is now seemingly over, thankfully. "BJ" is scheduled to be back in action July 18, when he'll defend his 123-pound Shooto world title against the man he took the title from in October 2006, Mamoru Yamaguchi. He'll attempt to regain some measure of dignity with a successful title defense.
2. Yasuhiro Urushitani (14-3-6)
May 3 provided more of the same for MMA's most unlucky fighter, as another seemingly strong performance by Urushitani against Ryuichi Miki didn't earn him the expected decision but rather resulted in another disappointing draw. C'est la vie.
3. Mamoru Yamaguchi (20-4-3)
Shooto's only two-division champion will get the chance to be the first Shooto world champion to ever lose and regain his title when he meets Shinichi "BJ" Kojima on July 18. Shooto's 123-pound world title and flyweight supremacy will be on the line.
4. Yuki Shoujou (7-4-2)
After a great 2007 campaign, Shoujou took the step up in competition against former champion Mamoru Yamaguchi in February. Despite a spirited effort, Mamoru was dominant for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision. Although losing to Mamoru is nothing to be ashamed of, Shoujou's loss illustrates the difficulty for up-and-coming flyweights to break the compact of the "big three."
5. Ryuichi Miki (6-2-3)
Shooto's ultimate underdog, Miki defied the odds once again May 3. Although it may not have been the most deserved draw in the world, Miki proved game and tough against the ultra-slick Urushitani and didn't back down for 15 minutes. His aggression was rewarded by the judges, who handed him the draw.



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