Pound-for-Pound Top 10:
1. Georges St. Pierre (20-2): Although often criticized for his wrestling-based performances as of late, there are few challenges left in the welterweight division for the reigning champion. St. Pierre's list of victories reads like a who's who list of talent with wins over Karo Parisyan, Jay Hieron, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn (twice), Matt Hughes (twice), Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Dan Hardy. A list of wins like those previously mentioned leaves little debate over St. Pierre's status as our number one pound-for-pound king.
2. Anderson Silva (27-4): Many arguments have been made about Silva's hot and cold performances as of late but one thing's for sure: The Spider's win-streak shows no signs of being tampered with anytime soon. In fact, Silva has recently set the records for longest active winning streak in the UFC as well as the longest reigning champion in the promotion's history with twelve consecutive wins in the octagon. Silva is a fight or two away from clearing out any challenges in the middleweight division and also has a perfect record at light heavyweight, placing him soundly as our number two pick for our pound-for-pound list.
3. Fedor Emelianeko (31-2, 1 NC): Emelianenko recently experienced something new in his career - a loss. Although he came into his June 26 Strikeforce bout the heavy favorite over Fabricio Werdum, "The Last Emperor" fell short and succumbed to a triangle choke in the very first round. The loss was Fedor's first in the last decade, snapping a 28-fight winning streak.
4. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-4): Once regarded as the second best light heavyweight in the world at a time when Chuck Liddell was the most feared striker on the planet and knocked out all those who stood in front of him. After a less-than-stellar start to his UFC career, "Shogun" seems to have returned to a well-refined version of his old self. Though for the last few years, Lyoto Machida staked his claim as the best light-heavyweight in the world, "Shogun" put the former champ away in devastating fashion at UFC 113 by capturing the title with a first round knockout. Rua also holds notable victories over some of the division's biggest names such as Akihiro Gono, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem (twice), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and Chuck Liddell.
5. Lyoto Machida (16-1): Although the former UFC light heavyweight champion was recently dethroned of his championship status by our number four pick, Mauricio Rua, Machida still stands firmly on our list after gaining sixteen straight wins over some of the biggest names in the sport today. Over the last seven years, Machida has beaten the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans, and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
6. Jose Aldo (19-1): Although the American fans are just getting warmed up to the Brazilian phenom, Aldo had been racking up victories long before his face was plastered across numerous MMA publications. The seemingly unbeatable Aldo made quick work of Mike Thomas Brown, capturing the WEC featherweight title at WEC 44 with an impressive second round TKO. Upon making his pay-per-view debut at WEC 48 against fan-favorite Urijah Faber, Aldo chopped down the former champ with thunderous leg kicks before taking mercy and letting the fight go to a decision, earning the unanimous nod from the judges. Also most recently made quick work of challenger Manny Gamburyan by knockout in the second round at WEC 51.
7. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): After being pegged early on in his career as a one-dimensional wrestler, Evans dropped down to his appropriate weight class of light heavyweight. Upon his arrival to the division, Evans quickly proved that he could hang with the elite amongst the UFC and in the process, showed the world that his hands are equivalent to shotgun blasts. Evans has beaten tough competition as of late such as Stephan Bonnar, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Thiago Silva and most recently Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Evans is expected to challenge for the UFC lightweight title against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
8. Jake Shields (26-4-1): The 31-year-old California native, Shields, stakes his claim at the number nine spot on our pound-for-pound list by not only by winning his last 14 fights (having not lost since December of 2004), but also by winning the fights that he was not supposed to win. In his eleven years in the sport, Shields has beaten Hayato Sakurai, , Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Dan Henderson, and most recently Martin Kampmann.
9. Cain Velasquez (9-0): Cain Velasquez has quickly become one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts today. His fast rise to the top saw him come out victorious over some of the biggest names in the division including IFL veteran Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and a recent dismantling of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
10. Frankie Edgar (13-1): Frankie Edgar did what few thought he could do: Defeat B.J. Penn. When many chalked the win up to a fluke, Edgar went back and beat Penn once again at UFC 118 -- this time more decisively. "The Answer" also holds notable wins over Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher, Tyson Griffin, and Hermes Franca.
Heavyweight:
2. Brock Lesnar (5-2): Coming out of the gates facing (and defeating) opponents such as Frank Mir, Randy Couture, Heath Herring, Lesnar was sidelined for most of 2010 due to a bout with diverticulitis. Lesnar made his return at UFC 116 where he weathered a shaky first round only to come back and submit Shane Carwin by arm triangle. Unfortunately for Lesnar, he would not be so lucky when he met Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, where he was defeated by TKO in the first round.
3. Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1): In 69 seconds of the very first round at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum", Werdum solidified his career in the record books as the first man to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. In the process, Werdum has propelled himself to the number 2 heavyweight spot on our list with career wins over Fedor, current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Aleksander Emelianeko, Antonio Silva, Brandon Vera, and Gabriel Gonzaga.
4. Feder Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC): Finally beaten after a decade long, 28-fight winning streak, Fedor Emelianenko has been knocked out of his position as the world's number one heavyweight after falling victim to a triangle choke at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum". Although the loss wasn't a major setback in Fedor's decorated career, it was a loss that few saw coming and ultimately a loss that has finally dethroned "the Last Emperor".
5. Junior Dos Santos (13-1): Undefeated in his six UFC fights thus far, the Nogeuira protege came on the scene with a bang by upsetting Fabricio Werdum by first round knockout before going on to defeat Stefan Struve, Mirko Crocop, Gilbert Yvel, and Gabriel Gonzaga. Dos Santos then went on to defeat Roy Nelson by unanimous decision, earning himself a future title shot against new UFC heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez.
8. Alistair Overeem (33-11): After losing three consecutive fights at the light heavyweight division, Overeem revitalized his career by moving up to the heavyweight division. Since the move in 2007, the Dutch kickboxer has packed on nearly 50 lbs. to his 6'5 frame and gone on to win nine of his next ten fights including capturing and defending the Strikeforce heavyweight crown. After a dominating win over Brett Rogers at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, Overeem has yet to return to Strikeforce, having taken time off to compete in the K-1 2010 Grand Prix tournament.
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1): The Pride legend Nogeuira has had his share of ups and downs since joining the UFC. After defeating Heath Herring and capturing the interim heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia, Nogeuira dropped the belt to Frank Mir at UFC 92. After a win over the legendary Randy Couture in a match that turned out to be a classic in the making, Nogeuira was defeated by the up-and-coming Cain Velasquez. One thing's for sure, Nogueira takes no easy fights!
10. Antonio Silva (14-2): Ever since he ran over heavyweights in Europe back in 2005, onlookers expected heavyweight greatness from Silva. On May 15, “Bigfoot” finally took a step toward those expectations, soundly outboxing Andrei Arlovski to a unanimous decision and recording the most important win of his career. Silva is now scheduled to face Valentijn Overeem -- the older brother of Dutch striker, Alistair Overeem -- on December 4th.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-4): Although the former Pride grand-prix winner had a slow start transitioning to the octagon, Rua went on to make short work of UFC legend Chuck Liddell earning him a shot at Lyoto Machida's light heavyweight. After a implimenting a solid gameplan of body shots and leg kicks, Rua eventually lost the fight by unanimous decision in what many considered an error in judging. At UFC 113, Rua did not let his rematch with Machida make it to the hands of the judges this time around as he put on exclamation point on the win knocking the former champion out at the 3:35 mark of the opening round, capturing the UFC light heavyweight title. Although Rua is sidelined until 2011, he is slated to defend his title against former champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans.
2. Lyoto Machida (16-1): While often critized for his defensive fighting style, Machida's unorthodox striking posed a threat for Thiago Silva and then-champion Rashad Evans, winning both bouts by knockout. Machida then went on to defeat the man who many considered the number two light heavyweight in the world, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a hotly debated decision last October. Unfortunately for Machida, his undefeated streak was put to an end after losing in the first round to "Shogun" Rua in their rematch at UFC 113.
3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): Starting his career off with a gameplans that relied heavily on his wrestling base, Evans' striking has blossomed by volumes in the course of his last two fights, shown most notably with his highlight knockout of UFC legend Chuck Liddell. After capturing the light heavyweight title from Forrest Griffin, Evans was knocked out by Lyoto Machida in his first title defense. After a convincing win over Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans went on to score a unanimous decision win over his longtime rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The win earned Evans a title shot against champ "Shogun" Rua upon his return in 2011.
4. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8): Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion will make his return to the octagon at UFC 114 to face his rival Rashad Evans after an almost year long layoff. Jackson left the UFC to film a role as B.A. Barakus in the upcoming A-Team movie and after a series of public disputes with president Dana White, Rampage has made amends with his boss, signing a six-fight contract extension.
5. Forrest Griffin (17-6): After dropping the UFC light heavyweight title to Rashad Evans and suffering an embarssing knockout loss at the hands of Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin returned last November to win a decision victory over UFC legend Tito Ortiz. Griffin is scheduled to make his return in February at UFC 126 against fellow veteran, Rich Franklin.
6. Ryan Bader (12-0): Ryan Bader -- one of the biggest standouts in the last few seasons of The Ultimate Fighter -- is quickly cementing himself as part of the new wave of UFC light heavyweight contenders. Bader won his UFC with a first round knockout of Vinny Magalhaes and has since gone on to defeat Keith Jardine and most recently, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119. The recent one puts Bader one step closer to a title shot as he will now face fellow prospect, Jon Jones, at UFC 126 in February.
7. Rich Franklin (28-5): Franklin has stated that he plans to make the 205 lb. division his home after a series of catch weight bouts against Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. The former UFC middleweight champion has been hot and cold lately, dropping a pair of matches to Anderson Silva and a knockout loss to Vitor Belfort, but has bounced back with a win over Wanderlei Silva and a first round knockout of Chuck Liddell.
8. Jon Jones (12-1): With his only loss coming at the hands of Matt Hamill by disqualification due to an illegal elbow, Jones has won five of his six UFC fights thus far. The 23-year-old Jones took a step up in competition when he dismantled Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC On Versus 2. Shortly after Jones' win, UFC president Dana White assured the MMA world that elite competition is on the way for "Bones". That competition will come in the form of undefeated light heavyweight prospect, Ryan Bader, at UFC 126 in February.
9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4): After a series of impressive victories for the new-defunt Affliction promotion, Nogeuira made a huge splash in his UFC debut by knocking out up-and-coming prospect Luiz Cane in the first round. Nogueira recently scored a split decision victory over Jason Brilz before dropping a unanimous decision to undefeated Ryan Bader at UFC 119.
10. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1): King Mo earned himself a shot at the Strikeforce light heavyweight title by making quick work of journyman Mike Whitehead, going on to defeat the highly regarded champion Gegard Mousasi in what turned out to be a wrestling clinic and adding another notch to his impressive record. Lawal lost his Strikeforce light heavyweight title in his first defense against Rafael "Faijao" at "Strikeforce: Houston", via TKO in round three.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva (27-4): The middleweight king, Silva, has turned out to be a nightmare for any challenger to his crown after twelve consecutive wins in the UFC, unbeaten in his three years in the octagon. Silva's most recent win came over outspoken challenger Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 where he won by triangle choke in the fifth round. After suffering a rib injury going into the fight, the champ is expected to be out of action until early 2011.
2. Vitor Belfort (19-8): The Phenom was slated to take on Anderson Silva after an impressive first round knockout over Rich Franklin in his return to the UFC. A shoulder injury sidelined Belfort for the first part of 2010 but all accounts point to Belfort already back to training after a successful surgery.
3. Nate Marquardt (30-9-2): Many expected Marquardt to trump Chael Sonnen in his last trip to the octagon to earn himself a rematch with the champ, Anderson Silva. The fight did not go as planned and Marquardt ended up dropping a decision to Sonnen. Marquardt will now get a chance to get back to his winning ways when he faces off against Rousimar Palhares at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 22 in September.
4. Chael Sonnen (24-11-1): The often outspoken Sonnen finally earned his long-awaited shot at the middleweight king, Anderson Silva, after a series of impressive victories over Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt. You would be hard pressed to find a better talker in the game which makes for an interesting lead up to this fight, claiming that he will not back down from Silva's trademark taunting and will take the fight to him.
5. Dan Henderson (25-8): Although the former Pride champion dropped his debut Strikeforce bout to Jake Shields earlier this month, Henderson remains one of the most fierce opponents in the game today. Henderson, the owner of many highlight reel knockouts has many interesting matches left for him in the Strikeforce promotion despite being on the downside of his long tenured career.
6. Yushin Okami (25-5): Okami continued to get back into the UFC middleweight title hunt on Aug. 1at UFC On Versus 2 where he scored a unanimous decision victory of prospect Mark Munoz. Winning nine of his last eleven fights in the UFC, Okami is on the fast track to a middleweight title shot.
7. Demian Maia (13-2): Although Maia has dropped his last two fights to Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva respectively, the young jiu jitsu prodigy will most likely have many more opportunities to redeem himself in his early career. After Maia's originally scheduled opponent, Alan Belcher, pulled out of there proposed bout, Maia will now face Mario Miranda at UFC 118 in Boston.
8. Michael Bisping (20-3): After dropping down to the UFC middleweight division, Bisping has won five of his last seven fights in the octagon with his only losses coming at the hands of Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson. Bisping holds notable wins over Chris Leben, Matt Hamill, Denis Kang, Dan Miller, and most recently Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120.
9. Chris Leben (25-6): "The Crippler" looks to be at his all-time best at this point in his career, having recently defeated Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama within 13 days of each. Leben also holds notable victories over Mike Swick and Jorge Santiago. "The Crippler" is scheduled to take on Brian Stann at UFC 125 in January.
10. Ronaldo Souza (13-2): Looking impressive since joining the Strikeforce roster, Ronaldo Souza has beaten Matt Lindland and Joey Villasenor to earn himself a shot at the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title. "Jacare" would eventually go on to capture the title with his unanimous decision win over Tim Kennedy.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre (20-2): Although many critics point to the fact that St. Pierre has chosen to "play it safe" since his shocking knockout upset at the hands of Matt Serra, the UFC welterweight king's wrestling is simply unmatched in his division making it close to impossible to keep the fight on the feet. After his stint on the Ultimate Fighter Season 12, St. Pierre will go on to face rival coach, Josh Koscheck, at UFC 124 in December.
2. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC): Fitch has put together five consecutive unanimous decision victories since his loss to Georges St. Pierre, albeit not the most exciting fights as of late. Fitch's most recent win came by unanimous decision over Thiago Alves at UFC 117 - his 21st win in his last 22 fights.
3. Jake Shields (26-4-1): After winning thirteen fights straight and going unbeaten in five years, many thought the Strikeforce champ's reign would end when he squared off against UFC and Pride veteran Dan Handerson earlier this month. To many's surprise, Shields out-wrestled the former Olympic wrestler that is Henderson earning himself a unanimous decision. Shields most recently won a split decision victory over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut at UFC 121, earning himself a welterweight title shot in the future.
4. Josh Koscheck (15-4): After an upset knockout loss to Paulo Thiago, Koscheck has gone on to win his last three fights including a unanimous decision win over Paul Daley at UFC 113. Koscheck will now get a crack at Georges St. Pierre's UFC welterweight title when the two Ultimate Fighter Season 12 coaches clash at UFC 124 in December.
5. Thiago Alves (17-7): After a succesful angiogram and and clean MRI pending, Alves made his return against Jon Fitch in the co-main event of UFC 117. Alves had previously lost to Fitch by TKO in 2006 and again, Alves was able to secure the win as he went on to lose a unanimous decision at UFC 117.
6. Matt Hughes (45-7): Although many overeager MMA critics counted Hughes out after back-to-back losses at the hands of Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves, Hughes has bounced back and won his last three bouts in the octagon. After defeating Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie in prior months, Hughes went on to submit jiu-jitsu black belt Ricardo Almeida in the first round at UFC 117 earning him submission of the night honors. Hughes will go on to face B.J. Penn once again at UFC 123, looking to even the score.
7. Carlos Condit (26-5): Since joining the UFC -- after an undefeated run in WEC -- Condit has won three of his four fights in the promotion. After dropping a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut, Condit went on to defeat Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, before viciously knocking out former welterweight contender, Dan Hardy, at UFC 120.
8. Martin Kampmann (17-4: Perhaps due to the one-sided nature of his September loss to Paul Daley, Kampmann was seen by some as an easy stepping stone for Paulo Thiago and his push for a welterweight title shot. However, at UFC 115, Kampmann put on perhaps his finest Octagon performance to date, besting Thiago in every phase of the game to earn a unanimous decision and hoping to work his way closer to a title shot. Those hopes were cut short at UFC 121 as Kampmann lost a split decision to former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Jake Shields.
9. Nick Diaz (23-7-1): The always controversial Diaz is riding an eight-fight winning streak, competing under both the Strikeforce and DREAM banners. Among those wins are victories over Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, Marius Zaromskis, Hayato Sakarai, and most recently, K.J. Noons.
10. Dan Hardy (23-8, 1 NC): Hardy gained many fans in defeat in his March loss to Georges St. Pierre by withstanding a series of hard-to-watch armbars and kimuras. The British striker showed a tremendous amount of heart but couldn't translate his efforts into any kind of offence for the entire duration of five rounds. Hardy recently lost via first round knockout to Carlos Condit in the co-main event of UFC 120.
Lightweight:
1. Frankie Edgar (13-1): Although the decision was a controversial one, Edgar walked out of UFC 112 with a unanimous decision victory over B.J. Penn and the UFC lightweight title, then went on to do it all over again at UFC 118 -- this time more decisively. Prior to the back-to-back, Edgar had earner victories over some of the division's toughest competitors like Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, and Tyson Griffin landing him at the top of our list. Edgar will now have the chance to avenge his only loss as he takes on Gray Maynard in the main event of UFC 125 this January.
2. B.J. Penn (15-7-1): After all but clearing out the division and defending his title against the who's who of lightweights, Penn was upset by the his underdog challenger Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 and again at UFC 118. Penn will now go on to face Matt Hughes at UFC 123 in a rubber match to settle their score, once and for all.
3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2): The Strikeforce lightweight champion notched the biggest win of his career in Nashville, Tenn., as he dominated Dream titleholder Shinya Aoki for all 25 minutes of their bout on network television and entrenched himself as one of the sport’s elite at 155 pounds.
4. Gray Maynard (10-0, 1 NC): Interestingly, Maynard has served UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar his only loss, though has never had a chance to challenge for the title until now. With his win over Kenny Florian at UFC 118, Maynard will get his first UFC lightweight title shot when he takes on Frankie Edgar at UFC 125 in January.
5. Sean Sherk (36-4-1): Sherk is one of the most experienced fighters in his current division, having dropped down in weight from welterweight, where he found a good amount of success. Sherk's four career losses have come at the hands of the sports biggest names including B.J. Penn, Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, and Frankie Edgar. Sherk returned from a long layoff at UFC 119 with a split decision victory over lightweight prospect, Evan Dunham.
6. Shinya Aoki (26-5, 1 NC): Dream’s lightweight king said that if he failed to defeat Gilbert Melendez in the Strikeforce cage on April 17, Japanese MMA would become “a colony of the USA.” In that case, consider it annexed. Aoki had no answer for “El Nino” and was dominated from bell-to-bell in their 25-minute affair. The Japanese star recently bounced back with three straight victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Marcus Aurelio, and Yokthai Sithoar.
7. Eddie Alvarez (21-2): The Bellator standout, Alvarez, recently proved his status as one of the fastest rising stars of the division with a dominating submission victory over UFC veteran Josh Neer and most recently, a one-sided beating of former UFC lightweight, Roger Huerta, which saw Huerta unable to continue after the second round bell.
8. Kenny Florian (14-5): Although Florian fell short in his last two UFC lightweight title shots, he returned with a dominating victory over one-time division king Takanori Gomi. Unfortunately for Florian, he wasn't able to keep the streak going as he dropped a unanimous decision to Gray Maynard at UFC 118.
9. Takanori Gomi (32-6): With a recent impressive first round knockout victory of Tyson Griffin, Gomi has thrown his name into the UFC lightweight title mix. Gomi's well documented lack of motivation in the recent years may have been the cause of his UFC debut loss to Kenny Florian. Despite the fact, "the Fireball Kid" looked to be back on track becoming the first to ever finish Tyson Griffin. Gomi will now go on to face Clay Guida at UFC 125 in January.
10. Evan Dunham (11-1): The young lightweight prospect, Dunham, recently experienced his first professional loss at the hands of Sean Sherk at UFC 119 via split decision. Before the loss, Dunham was riding an 11 fight winning streak including victories over Marcus Aurelio, Efrain Escudero, and Tyson Griffin.
Featherweight:
1. Jose Aldo (19-1): Aldo's first title defense against Urijah Faber was supposed to be a test of the well-rounded skills of the young Brazilian dynamo. It wound up being a test of his humanity instead, as he brutally crushed "The California Kid" with low kicks for the duration of their 25-minute bout. After his dominant performance to cap the promotion's biggest event, Aldo followed up with a second round knockout of Manny Gamburyan at WEC 51.
2. Urijah Faber (23-4): In front of his hometown Sacramento faithful and in the main event of the biggest WEC card to date, "The California Kid" was dominated from bell to bell by Jose Aldo en route to losing a lopsided five-round decision. Now, Faber will go on to make his 135 lb. debut against Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52.
3. Mike Thomas Brown (24-6): After two consecutive wins over one-time featherweight king, Urijah Faber, Brown has dropped his last two fights to Jose Aldo and most recently, Manny Gamburyan. Although Brown was the heavy favorite in the bout, Gamburyan proved that upsets are becoming a common part of MMA by knocking the former champ out in the first round at WEC 48. Brown recently bounced back with a first round TKO victory over Cole Province at WEC 51.
4. Manny Gamburyan (11-5): After two bouts at 145 pounds -- assumed to be his more natural weight class -- Gamburyan had not set the world on fire, despite winning both. However, in his WEC 48 bout with former divisional king Mike Thomas Brown, the native Armenian had his coming-out party as a featherweight. He clobbered Brown in the first round, earning a shot at Jose Aldo's crown in the process. Unfortunately for Gamburyan, he was knocked out in the second round for his efforts.
5. Marlon Sandro (17-1): The dominance of Sandro’s teammate, Jose Aldo, has been so extreme that many fans have taken to downheartedly dreaming of what it would be like if the two Nova Uniao studs could square off. However, Sandro still might have a high-stakes affair in Japan, should Sengoku line up a defense of his featherweight title against Hatsu Hioki.
6. Bibiano Fernandes (8-2): In the first defense of the Dream featherweight title he captured last October, Fernandes did enough to earn a split decision victory over former Dream lightweight champion Joachim Hansen. He kept his title and notched easily the biggest win of his blossoming career.
7. Josh Grispi (14-1): Grispi hopes he can be the man to thwart WEC champion Jose Aldo. In order to get a crack at the Brazilian, Grispi -- who does not turn 22 until Oct. 14 -- will need to deal with tough, underrated scrapper Erik Koch at WEC 52 on Nov. 11.
8. Joe Warren (6-1): Warren claiming to be “the baddest man on the planet” seems a tad dubious. However, the former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion showed in his Sept. 2 bout with Joe Soto that he was otherworldly tough, with some power to spare. He came back from a hellacious beating in the fight’s opening round to stop Soto and take Bellator’s featherweight title 33 seconds into round two.
9. Raphael Assuncao (15-3): In his first elite-level test, Assuncao was game but outmatched against former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber at WEC 46, eventually succumbing to “The California Kid” late in the third frame. It was just the second loss of Assuncao’s career, following his highly controversial majority decision defeat to Jeff Curran in November 2006. Looking to redeem himself at WEC 49, Assuncao fell short when he dropped a split decision to Diego Nunes.
10. Hatsu Hioki (20-4-2): From his professional debut as a 19-year-old, Hioki was always tabbed as a future Shooto world champion. On May 30, the Nagoya, Japan, native will get his chance when he squares off with Shooto’s 143-pound ace “Lion Takeshi” Takeshi Inoue at “The Way of Shooto 3,” with the title on the line.







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