This month saw five major championships on the line (counting the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship that Cris Cyborg won), which means that even with only a handful of big events, there’s plenty to talk about. Some champions did what they were expected to do (Michael Chandler, Ben Askren, Demetrious Johnson), and others (Anderson Silva), well…
As always, these rankings are subjective. To read a rather extensive explanation of my methodology, check out the rankings manifesto.
FLYWEIGHT DIVISION (125 LBS.)
1. Demetrious Johnson
2. Joseph Benavidez
3. John Dodson
4. Ian McCall
5. Jussier da Silva
6. Darrell Montague
7. John Lineker
8. Louis Gaudinot
9. John Moraga
10. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Johnson successfully defended his title against Moraga at UFC on Fox 8, with an impressive win that displayed not only Johnson’s all-around game, but ended with a submission. Joseph Benavidez is a good bet to be his next opponent if he can defeat Jussier da Silva in September. I won’t drop Moraga in the rankings for his gutsy performance. At UFC 163, McCall will make his return to the Octagon, facing Iliarde Santos. The same night, Jose Maria Tome will take on Lineker.
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION (135 LBS.)
1. Dominick Cruz
2. Renan Barao
3. Urijah Faber
4. Eddie Wineland
5. Michael McDonald
6. Brad Pickett
7. Scott Jorgensen
8. Bibiano Fernandes
9. Raphael Assuncao
10. Eduardo Dantas
Barao and Wineland will fight at UFC 165, after their initial bout was delayed due to injury. Faber faces Iuri Alcantara next at UFC on Fox Sports 1 in August. That same night, McDonald will fight Pickett in a great matchup.
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 LBS.)
1. Jose Aldo
2. Pat Curran
3. Chad Mendes
4. Frankie Edgar
5. Cub Swanson (8)
6. Ricardo Lamas
7. Chan Sung Jung
8. Dennis Siver (5)
9. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire
10. Dustin Poirier
We saw a great fight between two top featherweights as Swanson defeated Siver this month. Edgar retains his spot with a quality win over the talented young Charles Oliveira at UFC 162. Things will continue to pick up in this division soon, as Aldo and fan favorite Chan Sung Jung will face off at UFC 163 on August 3rd. Mendes and Clay Guida face off at August 31′s UFC 164. Hatsu Hioki faces Darren Elkins in late August in another important bout.
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (155 LBS.)
1. Benson Henderson
2. Anthony Pettis
3. Michael Chandler (4)
4. Gilbert Melendez (3)
5. Gray Maynard
6. Josh Thomson
7. Eddie Alvarez
8. Nate Diaz
9. Donald Cerrone
10. TJ Grant
Chandler destroyed yet another challenger, David Rickels in Bellator. The bummer about his being in Bellator is that we will likely never see how he matches up with these other guys, including the one he just passed up, Gilbert Melendez. What’s next in the UFC lightweight division? Well, Pettis gets a shot at Henderson at UFC 164 since Grant withdrew due to injury. Melendez will face Diego Sanchez at UFC 166, which should be a fun fight. Cerrone takes on Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox Sports 1.
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170 LBS.)
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Johny Hendricks
3. Carlos Condit
4. Nick Diaz
5. Rory MacDonald
6. Demian Maia
7. Ben Askren (10)
8. Martin Kampmann
9. Josh Burkman (NR)
10. Jake Ellenberger (9)
Dropped out: Nate Marquardt (changed divisions)
Ben Askren, Bellator Welterweight Champion, moves up two spots after another dull, but undeniably effective, title defense. You don’t have to enjoy watching him, I guess. Meanwhile, Ellenberger drops after a disappointing effort against MacDonald, who didn’t look amazing either and stays at #5 despite the win. Maia has unfortunately been forced out of his scheduled bout with Josh Koscheck in August. St. Pierre’s title clash with Hendricks will take place at UFC 167 this fall. Condit will rematch Kampmann on August 28. Marquardt exits the welterweight rankings as he is moving back to middleweight to take on Hector Lombard next, so Josh Burkman comes in, not long after his quick win over Jon Fitch.
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185 LBS.)
1. Chris Weidman (2)
2. Anderson Silva (1)
3. Vitor Belfort
4. Yushin Okami
5. Mark Munoz
6. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
7. Michael Bisping
8. Luke Rockhold
9. Constantinos Philippou (10)
10. Nate Marquardt (NR)
Dropped out: Brian Stann (8; retirement)
After some thinking, Weidman takes the number one spot even though I wouldn’t be surprised if Silva won the rematch. Sure, Silva goofed off for too long, but he wasn’t goofing off when Weidman took him down and beat on him early in the fight, was he? Munoz had a nice victory over Tim Boetsch, but he stays put. A fight between Okami and Jacare has been set for September. Brian Stann retired and exits the top ten after a quality career, which makes room for Marquardt, who is returning to 185 pounds to take on Hector Lombard.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205 LBS.)
1. Jon Jones
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Rashad Evans
4. Alexander Gustafsson
5. Dan Henderson
6. Phil Davis
7. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
8. Glover Teixeira
9. Chael Sonnen
10. Gegard Mousasi
Gustafsson will face Jon Jones at UFC 165 in Toronto. Machida meets Phil Davis at UFC 163 early next month. Finally, Chael Sonnen will fight against Shogun in mid-August. We’ve also got Teixeira taking on Ryan Bader in early September.
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (265 LBS.)
1. Cain Velasquez
2. Junior dos Santos
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Daniel Cormier
5. Josh Barnett
6. Antonio Silva
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Frank Mir
9. Stipe Miocic
10. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Mir will face the returning Josh Barnett in the Octagon on August 31. Overeem’s next fight will be on August 17 against Travis Browne on Fox Sports 1. JDS will rematch Velasquez for the belt at UFC 166, and Cormier will fight at least one more time at heavyweight while he makes the big cut to 205 pounds.
POUND-FOR-POUND (No Limit)
1. Jon Jones (2)
2. Georges St. Pierre (3)
3. Anderson Silva (1)
4. Jose Aldo
5. Dominick Cruz
6. Demetrious Johnson
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Benson Henderson
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Lyoto Machida
Had to drop Silva a couple of spots, even though I didn’t want to. With such great names at the top of the list, it’s easy to forget how dominant St. Pierre has been, so he moves up, as well as Jones. I expect Silva to climb back up a bit in the future, but for now, on the outside looking in when it comes to the #1 P4P discussion.
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