UFC Rankings and upcoming fights

by dpk875 on Jan 16, 2012 9:34 PM EST

Here are my UFC rankings along with my analysis, and the upcoming matches they have planned. WW seems like the best place to start this time.

This is going to be the last time I post these rankings here. I know there are a handful of people who like looking at them, but there is so much movement in UFC these days that they are out of date with-in 2-3 days, so here is the link to where you will be able to find them. I am going to be keeping them updated every day or two as fights are announced, and fighters are signed, and released.

http://danonsports-dpk.blogspot.com/

Heavyweight: I’ve added all of the Strikeforce HWs, even Cormier, and Barnett because their fight in Strikeforce is a UFC just under a different name.

If Gabe Gonzaga remembers that he is an elite grappler and just a good striker he could get back into the top 10. In many ways the highlight reel KO of Cro Cop was the worst thing that happened to Gabe, as he started to spend too much time on his feet, and not looking to take fights to the ground. Now he gets a fresh start before it is too late in his career. I don’t think he will ever win a title but he could come pretty close to the top 10.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Barry v Morecraft – Two guys fighting for their UFC life. Barry has lost 3 of 4, and is a top level striker, but seem to let guys hang around sometimes, and continues to prove that his grappling is not catching up. Morecraft comes in off a loss to Barry’s training partner Matt Mitrione, and desperately needs a win, so this one should be fun while it last

Fights I’d make:

Carwin v Kharitonov – Both of these guys need a win in a bad way. The style should favor Carwin as long as he uses his wrestling, but the other thing to keep in mind is that Carwin’s tank may be approaching “E”. He is 36, coming off a brutal loss, major surgery, and hasn’t won a fight since March 2010. Kharitonov is enough of a veteran that Carwin would have to bring his entire game to win.

Del Rosario v Broughton – The only reason I’d make this fight is to make sure Del Rosario hasn’t lost the edge since his serious injuries that he suffered in a car accident last year.

Mitrione v Cole – Cole is a solid veteran, who would make sure that Mitrione learned some lessons from his fight with Cheick Kongo.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Junior Dos Santos	2	Alistar Overeem	w/ Cain Velasquez, 12 Nov
2	Alistair Overeem	1	Junior Dos Santos	w/ Brock Lesnar, 30 Dec
3	Cain Velasquez	11	Antonio Silva, 21 Apr	l/ Junior Dos Santos, 12 Nov
4	Frank Mir		TBD	w/ Antonio Nogueira, 10 Dec
5	Josh Barnett	6	Daniel Cormier, 3 Mar	w/ Sergei Kharitonov
6	Daniel Cormier	5	Josh Barnett, 3 Mar	w/ Antonio Silva
7	Fabricio Werdum	9	Roy Nelson, 4 Feb	l/ Alistair Overeen, 18 Jun
8	Antonio Nogueira		TBD	l/ Frank Mir, 10 Dec
9	Roy Nelson	7	Fabricio Werdum, 4 Feb	w/ Cro Cop, 29 Oct
10	Shane Carwin		TBD	l/ Junior Dos Santos, 11 Jun
11	Antonio Silva	3	Cain Velasquez, 21 Apr	l/ Daniel Cormier
12	Brendan Schaub	28	Ben Rothwell, 24 Mar	l/ Antonio Nogueira, 27 Aug
13	Gabe Gonzaga		TBD	w/ Ednaldo Oliveira, 14 Jan
14	Travis Browne	26	Chad Griggs, 24 Mar	w/ Rob Broughton, 24 Sep
15	Cheick Kongo	22	Mark Hunt, 26 Feb	w/ Matt Mitrione, 29 Oct
16	Mike Russow	31	Jon Olav Einemo, 28 Jan	w/ Jon Madsen, 26 Mar
17	Sergei Kharitonov		TBD	l/ Josh Barnett
18	Shane del Rosario		TBD	w/ Lavar Johnson
19	Matt Mitrione		TBD	l/ Cheick Kongo, 29 Oct
20	Stefan Struve	21	Dave Herman, 15 Feb	w/ Pat Barry, 1 Oct
21	Dave Herman	20	Stefan Struve, 15 Feb	w/ Jon Olav Einemo, 11 Jun
22	Mark Hunt	15	Cheick Kongo, 26 Feb	w/ Ben Rothwell, 24 Sep
23	Stipe Miocic	24	Philip De Fries, 15 Feb	w/ Joey Beltran, 8 Oct
24	Philip De Fries	23	Stipe Miocic, 15 Feb	w/ Rob Broughton, 5 Nov
25	Pat Barry	29	Christian Morecraft, 20 Jan	l/ Stefan Struve, 1 Oct
26	Chad Griggs	14	Travis Browne, 24 Mar	w/ Valentin Overeem, 18 Jun
27	Joey Beltran	36	Lavar Johnson, 28 Jan	l/ Stipe Miocic, 8 Oct
28	Ben Rothwell	12	Brendan Schaub, 24 Mar	l/ Mark Hunt, 24 Sep
29	Christian Morecraft	25	Pat Barry, 20 Jan	l/ Matt Mitrione, 26 Jun
30	Rob Broughton		TBD	l/ Philip De Fries, 5 Nov
31	Jon Olav Einemo	16	Mike Russow, 28 Jan	l/ Dave Herman, 11 Jun
32	Devin Cole		TBD	w/ Gabriel Salinas-Jones, 17 Dec
33	Shawn Jordan	34	Oli Thompson, 3 Mar	w/ Lavar Johnson, 23 Sep
34	Oli Thompson	33	Shawn Jordan, 3 Mar	w/ Mark Potter
35	Ednaldo Oliveira		TBD	l/ Gabe Gonzaga, 14 Jan
36	Lavar Johnson	27	Joey Beltran, 28 Jan	l/ Shawn Jordan, 23 Sep
37	Gabriel Salinas-Jones		TBD	l/ Devin Cole, 17 Dec

LHW: Jon Jones is done with his vacation and looking for his next fight. Now it is all on Rashad Evans, and if he can win and stay healthy enough to fight in April or May. I don’t expect any movement on this until after the 28th

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

No fights on Deck

Matches I’d make

Shogun v Bonnar – I think this is the best version of Bonnar that we have ever seen, and now is the best time pit him against a top flight guy. Shoguns last two fights have been brutal beatings that probably took some years off his career, and maybe his life, this would be a good test to see how he responds.

Franklin v Ortiz – Two former champs nearing the end of their careers who have never crossed paths. Could be the last fight for both guys.

Nedkov v Pokrajac – Pokrajac is on a 2 fight win streak, and Nedkov is looking to follow up on his UFC debut. The winner would likely jump into the top 15, and be in position to fight some of the “name” guys in the division.

Silva v Vera – Vera wants to get beaten down again, and is calling out Silva, why not welcome Silva back from his suspension with another shot at Vera. Vera is hanging on to a UFC roster spot by a slim margin, so this would be a good fight.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Jon Jones		TBD	w/ Lyoto Machida, 10 Dec
2	Rashad Evans	7	Phil Davis, 28 Jan	w/ Tito Ortiz, 6 Aug
3	Dan Henderson		TBD	w/ Shogun Rua, 19 Nov
4	Shogun Rua		TBD	l/ Dan Henderson, 19 Nov
5	Rampage Jackson	14	Ryan Bader, 26 Feb	l/ Jon Jones, 24 Sep
6	Lyoto Machida		TBD	l/ Jon Jones, 10 Dec
7	Phil Davis	2	Rashad Evans, 28 Jan	w/ Antonio Nogueria, 26 Mar
8	Alexander Gustafsson	9	Antonio Nogueria, 14 Apr	w/ Vladimir Matyushenko, 30 Dec
9	Antonio Nogueria	8	Alexander Gustafsson, 14 Apr	w/ Tito Ortiz, 10 Dec
10	Forrest Griffin		TBD	l/ Shogun Rua, 27 Aug
11	Rich Franklin		TBD	l/ Forrest Griffin, 5 Feb
12	Stephan Bonnar		TBD	w/ Kyle Kingsbury, 19 Nov
13	Tito Ortiz		TBD	l/ Antonio Nogueria, 10 Dec
14	Ryan Bader	5	Rampage Jackson, 26 Feb	w/ Jason Brilz, 19 Nov
15	Thiago Silva		TBD	NC/ Brandon Vera, 1 Jan
16	Vladimir Matyushenko		TBD	l/ Alexander Gustafsson, 30 Dec
17	Kyle Kingsbury		TBD	l/ Stephan Bonnar, 19 Nov
18	Stanislav Nedkov		TBD	w/ Luis Cane, 27 Aug
19	Igor Pokrajac		TBD	w/ Krzysztof Soszynski, 10 Dec
20	Anthony Perosh	31	Nick Penner, 3 Mar	w/ Cyrille Diabate, 5 Nov
21	Brandon Vera		TBD	w/ Eliot Marshall, 29 Oct
22	Krzysztof Soszynski		TBD	l/ Igor Pokrajac, 10 Dec
23	James Te Huna	27	Aaron Rosa, 3 Mar	w/ Ricardo Romero, 24 Sep
24	Cyrille Diabate	32	Jorgen Kruth, 14 Apr	l/ Anthony Perosh, 5 Nov
25	Luis Cane		TBD	l/ Stanislav Nedkov, 27 Aug
26	Fabio Maldonado		TBD	l/ Kyle Kingsbury, 4 Jun
27	Aaron Rosa	23	James Te Huna, 3 Mar	w/ Matt Lucas, 12 Nov
28	Karlos Vemola		TBD	l/ Ronny Markes, 14 Aug
29	Ryan Jimmo		TBD	w/ Rameau Sokoudjou
30	Caio Magalhaes		TBD	w/ Ismael de Jesus
31	Nick Penner	20	Anthony Perosh, 3 Mar	w/ Tim Chemelli
32	Jorgen Kruth	24	Cyrille Diabate, 14 Apr	w/ Yusuke Kawaguchi

MW: The UFC on Fox 2 card at the end of January will settle a lot for this division. What remains to be seen is when Anderson Silva will be healthy enough to start training again, and will he be able to get into a fight with the Sonnen/Munoz winner healthy.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Schafer v Rivera – Not a very relevant fight to the division, and one of these guys will probably go after this. As far as the fight goes a pretty classic Striker v Grappler, Schafer will look to take it to the ground, while Rivera hopes to stay vertical so he can stand and bang.

Fights I’d make.

Belcher v Palhares - Two guys on the cusp of being serious title contenders. Palhares is working with a sports psychologist to work out the issues that have plagued his career to this point, and needs a step up in competition.

Weidman v Catone – Weidman is a stud, and needs to start stepping up his level of competition. Catone is on a 2 fight win streak, and should be able to provide another test for Weidman as he attempts to move up the rankings.

Jason Miller v Dan Miller – Both these guys have similar skill sets, but are polar opposites when it comes to personality. I think it would be a great fight, with both guys fighting with a sense of desperation.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Anderson Silva		TBD	w/ Yushin Okami, 27 Aug
2	Chael Sonnen	2	Mark Munoz, 28 Jan	w/ Brian Stann, 8 Oct
3	Mark Munoz	3	Chael Sonnen, 28 Jan	w/ Chris Leben, 5 Nov
4	Yushin Okami	11	Tim Boetsch, 26 Feb	l/ Anderson Silva, 27 Aug
5	Vitor Belfort	13	Wanderlei Silva	w/ Anthony Johnson, 14 Jan
6	Michael Bisping	7	Demian Maia, 28 Jan	w/ Jason Miller, 3 Dec
7	Demian Maia	6	Michael Bisping, 28 Jan	w/ Jorge Santiago, 8 Oct
8	Rousimar Palhares		TBD	w/ Mike Massenzio, 14 Jan
9	Brian Stann	29	Alessio Sakara, 14 Apr	l/ Chael Sonnen, 8 Oct
10	Alan Belcher		TBD	w/ Jason MacDonald, 17 Sep
11	Tim Boetsch	4	Yushin Okami, 26 Feb	w/ Nick Ring, 24 Sep
12	Chris Leben		Suspended Until Nov 2012	l/ Mark Munoz, 5 Nov
13	Wanderlei Silva	5	Vitor Belfort	w/ Cung Le, 19 Nov
14	Chris Weidman		TBD	w/ Tom Lawlor, 19 Nov
15	Aaron Simpson	21	Ronny Markes, 15 Feb	w/ Eric Schafer, 8 Oct
16	Ed Herman	36	Clifford Starks, 4 Feb	w/ Kyle Noke, 14 Aug
17	Court McGee	20	Costantinos Philippou, 3 Mar	w/ Dongi Yang, 17 Sep
18	Jason Miller		TBD	l/ Michael Bisping, 3 Dec
19	Nick Catone		TBD	w/ Costantinos Phillippou, 19 Mar
20	Costantinos Phillippou	17	Court McGee, 3 Mar	w/ Jared Hamman, 10 Dec
21	Ronny Markes	15	Aaron Simpson, 15 Feb	w/ Karlos Vemola, 14 Aug
22	Nick Ring		TBD	l/ Tim Boetsch, 24 Sep
23	Dan Miller		TBD	l/ Rousimar Palhares, 27 Aug
24	Jared Hamman	25	Kyle Noke, 3 Mar	l/ Costantinos Philippou, 10 Dec
25	Kyle Noke	24	Jared Hamman, 3 Mar	l/ Ed Herman, 14 Aug
26	CB Dollaway		TBD	l/ Jared Hamman, 14 Aug
27	Tom Lawlor		TBD	l/ Chris Weidman, 19 Nov
28	Eric Schafer	30	Jorge Rivera, 20 Jan	l/ Aaron Simpson, 8 Oct
29	Alessio Sakara	9	Brian Stann, 14 Mar	l/ Chris Weidman, 3 Mar
30	Jorge Rivera	28	Eric Schafer, 20 Jan	l/ Costantinos Phillippou, 6 Aug
31	Brad Tavares		TBD	l/ Aaron Simpson, 2 Jul
32	Tim Credeur		TBD	l/ Ed Herman, 4 Jun
33	Jason MacDonald		TBD	l/ Alan Belcher, 17 Sep
34	Francis Carmont	44	Magnus Cedenblad, 14 Apr	w/ Chris Camozzi, 29 Oct
35	Mike Massenzio		TBD	l/ Rousimar Palhares, 14 Jan
36	Clifford Starks	16	Ed Herman, 4 Feb	w/ Dustin Jacoby, 29 Oct
37	Rafael Natal	43	Michael Kulper, 4 Feb	w/ Paul Bradley, 6 Aug
38	Chris Camozzi	42	Dustin Jacoby, 28 Jan	l/ Francis Carmont, 29 Oct
39	Dongi Yang		TBD	l/ Court McGee, 17 Sep
40	Steve Cantwell	41	Riki Fukuda, 26 Feb	l/ Mike Massenzio, 8 Oct
41	Riki Fukuda	40	Steve Cantwell, 26 Feb	l/ Nick Ring, 27 Feb
42	Dustin Jacoby	38	Chris Camozzi, 28 Jan	l/ Clifford Starks, 29 Oct
43	Michael Kulper	37	Rafael Natal, 4 Feb	w/ Morris Cliffoni
44	Magnus Cedenblad	34	Francis Carmont, 14 Apr	w/ Dan Edwards
45	Buddy Roberts	46	Sean Loeffler, 15 Feb	w/ Tony Lopez
46	Sean Loeffler	45	Buddy Roberts, 15 Feb	w/ Marquis McKnight

WW: Not only will the Diaz/Condit winner be the champ, but they will likely have to defend the title at least once before GSP can return at the end of the year. I love it because no other fighter in this division has the “unbeatable” aura that GSP has built over his career, and everyone is back in the mix for a title shot.

I think Jake Ellenberger is first in line as long as he beat Sanchez in his next fight, but I also wonder if Dana White had a “beat Jon Fitch get a title shot” bounty out there, that could be cashed in by Johny Hendricks.

UFC should get Erick Silva back in the cage soon so that they can get past the DQ controvery. In the end this loss will be regarded in the same way that Matt Hamill beat Jon Jones, or Okami beat Anderson Silva… any real fan will know what happened, and it won’t hold the “loser” back.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Brenneman v Roberts – Charlie Brenneman needs to get back on track after being destroyed by Anthony Johnson his last time out. He should be able to do it against Daniel Roberts who has shown solid grappling, but a very average overall game. Brenneman flirted with being elite after beating Rick Story, and can’t afford another loss here if he wants to return to that category of fighter.

Ludwig v Neer – Two veterans who want to return to being relevant in the UFC. Neer has a more well rounded game, but if he doesn’t get the fight to the floor this one might not last long.

Here are a few fights I would make.

Kim v Ebersole - Ebersole keeps winning, but I still have trouble seeing him beat anyone in the top 10. Despite the loss to Carlos Condit, Dong Hyun Kim is still a solid fighter, who could make his way into the top 10. A fight between these two just seems to make sense right now.

Hardy v Sadollah – This would be a great stand up battle between two guys who have very little interest in going to the ground, and limited potential for moving up the rankings.

Baczynski v Hathaway – Baczynski has shown improvement in his return to UFC after getting cut. Hathaway is solid, but not spectacular, and this would be a good test of his game.

Silva v Pyle – Mike Pyle doesn’t lose to average fighters. He has been curb stomped by Rory MacDonald, and Jake Ellenberger, but he has handled every other prospect, or veteran in his way. Neither of Silva’s first 2 UFC fights has made it out of the first minute, I think it is time to see if he is an elite prospect, or just a flash in the pan.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Georges St. Pierre		TBD	w/ Jake Shields, 30 Apr
2	Nick Diaz	3	Carlos Condit, 4 Feb	w/ BJ Penn, 29 Oct
3	Carlos Condit	2	Nick Diaz, 4 Feb	w/ Dong Hyun Kim, 2 Jul
4	Jake Ellenberger	11	Diego Sanchez, 15 Feb	w/ Jake Shields, 17 Sep
5	Johny Hendricks		TBD	w/ Jon Fitch, 30 Dec
6	Josh Koscheck	19	Mike Pierce, 4 Feb	w/ Matt Hughes, 24 Sep
7	Jon Fitch		TBD	l/ Johny Hendricks, 30 Dec
8	Jake Shields	31	Yoshihiro Akiyama, 26 Feb	l/ Jake Ellenberger, 17 Sep
9	Thiago Alves	10	Martin Kampmann, 3 Mar	w/ Papy Abedi, 5 Nov
10	Martin Kampmann	9	Thiago Alves, 3 Mar	w/ Rick Story, 19 Nov
11	Diego Sanchez	4	Jake Ellenberger, 15 Feb	w/ Martin Kampmann, 3 Mar
12	Rory MacDonald	37	Che Mills, 24 Mar	w/ Mike Pyle, 6 Aug
13	Charlie Brenneman	33	Daniel Roberts, 20 Jan	l/ Anthony Johnson, 1 Oct
14	Rick Story		TBD	l/ Martin Kampmann, 19 Nov
15	Brian Ebersole		TBD	w/ Claude Patrick, 10 Dec
16	Dong Hyun Kim		TBD	w/ Sean Pierson, 30 Dec
17	Mike Pyle		TBD	w/ Ricardo Funch, 14 Jan
18	Paulo Thiago	29	Siyar Bahadurzada, 14 Apr	w/ David Mitchell, 27 Aug
19	Mike Pierce	6	Josh Koscheck, 4 Feb	w/ Paul Bradley, 12 Nov
20	John Hathaway		TBD	w/ Kris McCray, 26 Mar
21	Erick Silva		TBD	l/ Carlo Prater, 14 Jan (DQ)
22	Claude Patrick		TBD	l/ Brian Ebersole, 10 Dec
23	Carlos Rocha		TBD	l/ Jake Ellenberger, 5 Feb
24	Duane Ludwig	30	Josh Neer, 20 Jan	w/ Amir Sadollah, 14 Aug
25	Seth Baczynski		TBD	w/ Matt Brown, 19 Nov
26	Jake Hecht	27	TJ Waldburger, 3 Mar	w/ Rich Attonito, 10 Dec
27	TJ Waldburger	26	Jake Hecht, 3 Mar	w/ Mike Stumpf, 17 Sep
28	Rich Attonito		TBD	l/ Jake Hecht, 10 Dec
29	Siyar Bahadurzada	18	Paulo Thiago, 14 Apr	w/ Tommy Depret
30	Josh Neer	24	Duane Ludwig, 20 Jan	w/ Keith Wisniewski, 1 Oct
31	Yoshihiro Akiyama	8	Jake Shields, 26 Feb	l/ Vitor Belfort, 6 Aug
32	Dan Hardy		TBD	l/ Chris Lytle, 14 Aug
33	Daniel Roberts	13	Charlie Brenneman, 20 Jan	l/ Rich Attonito, 26 Jun
34	Sean Pierson		TBD	l/ Dong Hyun Kim, 30 Dec
35	Amir Sadollah		TBD	l/ Duane Ludwig, 14 Aug
36	DaMarques Johnson	39	John Maguire, 14 Apr	w/ Clay Harvison, 12 Nov
37	Che Mills	12	Rory MacDonald, 24 Mar	w/ Chris Cope, 5 Nov
38	Lance Benoist		TBD	w/ Matt Riddle, 17 Sep
39	John Maguire	36	Damarques Johnson, 14 Apr	w/ Justin Edwards, 5 Nov
40	Matt Brown	46	Chris Cope, 4 Feb	l/ Seth Baczynski, 19 Nov
41	Justin Edwards	60	Stephen Thompson, 4 Feb	l/ John Maguire, 5 Nov
42	James Wilks		TBD	l/ Claude Patrick, 16 Oct
43	Pascal Krauss		TBD	w/ Mark Scanlon, 13 Nov
44	Matt Riddle	52	Jorge Lopez, 4 Feb	l/ Lance Benoist, 17 Sep
45	Mike Swick		TBD	l/ Paulo Thiago
46	Chris Cope	40	Matt Brown, 4 Feb	l/ Che Mills, 5 Nov
47	James Head	50	Papy Abedi, 14 Apr	l/ Nick Ring, 11 Jun
48	Mark Scanlon		TBD	l/ Pascal Krauss, 13 Nov
49	Keith Wisniewski	59	Chris Clements, 24 Mar	l/ Josh Neer, 1 Oct
50	Papy Abedi	47	James Head, 14 Apr	l/ Thiago Alves, 5 Nov
51	David Mitchell		TBD	l/ Paulo Thiago, 27 Aug
52	Jorge Lopez	44	Matt Riddle, 4 Feb	l/ Justin Edwards, 17 Sep
53	Mike Stumpf		TBD	l/ TJ Waldburger, 17 Sep
54	Ricardo Funch		TBD	l/ Mike Pyle, 14 Jan
55	Luis Ramos		TBD	l/ Erick Silva, 27 Aug
56	Carlo Prater		TBD	w/ Erick Silva, 14 Jan (DQ)
57	Besam Yousef	58	Simeon Thoresen, 14 Apr	w/ Jason Ponet
58	Simeon Thoresen	57	Besam Yousef, 14 Apr	w/ Manuel Garcia
59	Chris Clements	49	Keith Wisniewski, 24 Mar	w/ Rich Clementi
60	Stephen Thompson	41	Justin Edwards, 4 Feb	w/ Patrik Mandio

LW: I had a thought the other day that Nate Diaz is the reason that Dana White was willing to sacrifice Gilbert Melendez back to Strikeforce. Diaz looked great back in September, and I wonder if there was a conversation between Ceasar Gracie and Joe Silva, that summed up that Nate had turned a corner, and was now ready to be elite. After his win over Cerrone, Nate could realistically be 1 fight away from a title shot, and if Pettis or Lauzon fails to impress in their next win it could be sooner.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Miller v Guillard – Fighters rebounding from a loss is a theme of UFC on FX 1, and here are the headliners of the card. Did Lauzon expose a fatal flaw in Guillard’s game, or will Melvin fix his defense. Miller has a sneaky stand-up game that he was able to rock Ludwig with back when they fought, and before he got beat down he landed some nice shots on Ben Henderson, but we all know that standing with Guillard for too long is playing with fire.

Shalorus v Nurmagomedov – Shalorus is coming off a 10 month layoff against a new comer to UFC. Will Shalorus be able to impose his wrestling on the new guy, or does UFC have a serious new prospect.

Camoes v Hayden – Camoes looks to take advantage of his second chance, against a short notice prospect

Fights I’d make:

Maynard v Sherk – Sherk is looking at coming back this spring, and this would be a great fight to see what he has left. Maynard also needs to rebound from his two wars with Edgar, and testing himself against a former champ would be great.

Volkmann v Tibau – Volkmann is on a 5 fight winning streak, and Tibau has won 5 of 6, with 3 in a row. Tibau’s strength, strong grappling, and superior striking should be enough to overcome Volkmann’s strong wrestling

Grant v Hallman – Two top notch grapplers who have moved down from 170, looking to move into the top 20. Both of these guys could be a factor in the division, but just need to get active and move their way up the rankings.

Cerrone v Stephens – Which one of these guys will rebound from their recent loss? Cerrone isn’t in too many boring fightings, and Stephens will usually join right into a good slug fest.

Ferguson v Barboza – To me this is the perfect fight to see which guy is going to be a serious contender. The best part of a fight like this is that the loser would not be completely derail, just facing a speed bump on the way to better things.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Frankie Edgar	2	Ben Henderson, 26 Feb	w/ Gray Maynard, 8 Oct
2	Ben Henderson	1	Frankie Edgar, 26 Feb	w/ Clay Guida, 12 Nov
3	Gray Maynard		TBD	l/ Frankie Edgar, 8 Oct
4	Clay Guida		TBD	l/ Ben Henderson, 12 Nov
5	Nate Diaz		TBD	w/ Donald Cerrone, 30 Dec
6	Jim Miller	12	Melvin Guillard, 20 Jan	l/ Ben Henderson, 14 Aug
7	Anthony Pettis	8	Joe Lauzon, 26 Feb	w/ Jeremy Stephens, 8 Oct
8	Joe Lauzon	7	Anthony Pettis, 26 Feb	w/ Melvin Guillard, 8 Oct
9	Donald Cerrone		TBD	l/ Nate Diaz, 30 Dec
10	Gleison Tibau		TBD	w/ Rafael Dos Anjos, 19 Nov
11	Kenny Florian		TBD	l/ Jose Aldo, 8 Oct
12	Melvin Guillard	6	Jim Miller, 20 Jan	l/ Joe Lauzon, 8 Oct
13	Evan Dunham	26	Nik Lentz, 28 Jan	w/ Shamar Bailey, 17 Sep
14	Matt Wiman	21	Mark Bocek, 24 Mar	w/ Mac Danzig, 1 Oct
15	Jacob Volkmann		TBD	w/ Efrain Escudero, 30 Dec
16	Edson Barboza		TBD	w/ Terry Etim, 14 Jan
17	Sean Sherk		TBD	w/ Evan Dunham, 25 Sep
18	Thiago Tavares		TBD	w/ Sam Stout, 14 Jan
19	Jeremy Stephens		TBD	l/ Anthony Pettis, 8 Oct
20	Rafael Dos Anjos		TBD	l/ Gleison Tibau, 19 Nov
21	Mark Bocek	14	Matt Wiman, 24 Mar	w/ Nik Lentz, 10 Dec
22	TJ Grant		TBD	w/ Shane Roller, 1 Oct
23	Danny Castillo		TBD	w/ Anthony Njokuani, 30 Dec
24	Sam Stout		TBD	l/ Thiago Tavares, 14 Jan
25	George Sotiropoulos	32	Takanori Gomi, 26 Feb	l/ Rafael Dos Anjos, 2 Jul
26	Nik Lentz	13	Evan Dunham, 28 Jan	l/ Mark Bocek, 10 Dec
27	Dennis Hallman		TBD	w/ John Makdessi, 10 Dec
28	Tony Ferguson		TBD	w/ Yves Edwards, 3 Dec
29	Mac Danzig	36	Efrain Escodero, 24 Mar	l/ Matt Wiman, 1 Oct
30	Paul Sass		TBD	w/ Michael Johnson, 1 Oct
31	Terry Etim		TBD	l/ Edson Barboza, 14 Jan
32	Takanori Gomi	25	George Sotiropoulos, 26 Feb	l/ Nate Diaz, 24 Sep
33	Shane Roller	44	Michael Johnson, 28 Jan	l/ TJ Grant, 1 Oct
34	Kamal Shalorus	49	Khabib Nurmagomedov, 20 Jan	l/ Jim Miller, 19 Mar
35	Fabricio Camoes	54	Tommy Hayden, 20 Jan	w/ Efrain Escudero
36	Efrain Escodero	29	Mac Danzig, 24 Mar	l/ Jacob Volkmann, 30 Dec
37	John Makdessi	41	Anthony Njokuani, 24 Mar	l/ Dennis Hallman, 10 Dec
38	Yves Edwards		TBD	l/ Tony Ferguson, 3 Dec
39	Spencer Fisher		TBD	l/ Thiago Tavares, 27 Aug
40	Paul Taylor		TBD	w/ Gabe Ruediger, 5 Feb
41	Anthony Njokuani	37	John Makdessi, 24 Mar	l/ Danny Castillo, 30 Dec
42	Ramsey Nijem		TBD	w/ Danny Downes, 29 Oct
43	John Cholish		TBD	w/ Mitch Clarke, 10 Dec
44	Michael Johnson	33	Shane Roller, 28 Jan	l/ Paul Sass, 1 Oct
45	Aaron Riley		TBD	l/ Tony Ferguson, 24 Sep
46	Cody McKenzie		TBD	l/ Vagner Rocha, 17 Sep
47	Rafaello Oliveira		TBD	l/ Yves Edwards, 1 Oct
48	Mitch Clarke		TBD	l/ John Cholish, 10 Dec
49	Khabib Nurmagomedov	34	Kamal Shalorus, 20 Jan	w/ Arimarcal Santos
50	Reza Madadi		TBD	w/ Junie Browning
51	C.J. Keith		TBD	w/ John Reedy
52	Yoislandy Izquierdo	53	Bernardo Magalhaes, 15 Feb	w/ Patrick Cenoble
53	Bernardo Magalhaes	52	Yoislandy Izquierdo, 15 Feb	w/ Robert Lisita
54	Tommy Hayden	35	Fabricio Camoes, 20 Jan	w/ Harry Johnson
55	Anton Kulvanen	56	Justin Salas, 15 Feb	w/ Thiago Meller
56	Justin Salas	55	Anton Kulvanen, 15 Feb	w/ Joe Ellenberger

FW: Will Aldo stay or go? I’d like Aldo to stay at Featherweight right now because the division is far from cleaned out, and there are still interesting fights. Hioki, Poirier, Koch, Palaszewski, Jung, Nunes, Alcantara, Siver, Lamas, Oliverira, and Cole Miller are all guys who could provide Aldo with an interesting contender over the next 12-18 months.

If Dustin Poirier could get an opponent to stay healthy it would really help his cause for a title shot. That being said he still needs to take care of business against newcomer Max Holloway, to stay on the radar of Jose Aldo.

Denis Siver has announced he is going to drop down, and could be a major player in this division. Siver was on a 4 fight win streak at LW before losing to Donald Cerrone, and his 5’7 frame looks like it can handle the cut.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Pineda v Schilling – A fight I’m interested to see, because I don’t know too much about either guy

Other fights I’d make:

Hettes v Brown – I think UFC should take their time with Hettes, and at this point a fight with former Champ Brown fits that mold. Brown has lost 2 of 3, and had a very competitive fight with Nam Phan last time out, it would be interesting to see how Hettes matched up with Brown’s wrestling based skill set.

Jung v Nunes – The Korean Zombie is on the rise, and so is Nunes, who is a close decision to Kenny Florian from being in line for his own title shot. The winner comes out as a clear cut contender.

Lamas v Elkins – Two guys looking to jump into the top 10. An interesting match-up that should be very competitive

Gamburyan v Phan – It’s time to face it, Nam Phan is not as good as most people seem to want him to be. He would be a good next fight for Gamburyan who is looking to get back on the right track himself.

	Name		Next fight	Last fight
1	Jose Aldo		TBD	w/ Chad Mendes, 14 Jan
2	Hatsu Hioki	6	Bart Palaszewski, 26 Feb	w/ George Roop, 29 Oct
3	Chad Mendes		TBD	l/ Jose Aldo, 14 Jan
4	Dustin Poirier	52	Max Holloway, 4 Feb	w/ Pablo Garza, 12 Nov
5	Erik Koch		TBD	w/ Jonathan Brookins, 17 Sep
6	Bart Palaszewski	2	Hatsu Hioki, 26 Feb	w/ Tyson Griffin, 29 Oct
7	Chan Sung Jung		TBD	w/ Mark Hominick, 10 Dec
8	Diego Nunes		TBD	w/ Manny Gamuryan, 30 Dec
9	Yuri Alcantara		TBD	w/ Michihiro Omigawa, 14 Jan
10	Mark Hominick	41	Eddie Yagin, 24 Mar	l/ Chan Sung Jung, 10 Dec
11	Denis Siver		TBD	l/ Donald Cerrone, 29 Oct
12	Tyson Griffin		TBD	l/ Bart Palaszewski, 29 Oct
13	Manny Gamburyan		TBD	l/ Diego Nunes, 30 Dec
14	Javier Vazquez		TBD	w/ Joe Stevenson, 26 Jun
15	Darren Elkins		TBD	w/ Tie quan Zhang, 8 Oct
16	Ricardo Lamas		TBD	w/ Cub Swanson, 12 Nov
17	Ross Pearson		TBD	w/ Junior Assuncao, 30 Dec
18	George Roop	24	Cub Swanson, 28 Jan	l/ Hatsu Hioki, 29 Oct
19	Michihiro Omigawa		TBD	l/ Yuri Alcantara, 14 Jan
20	Rani Yahya		TBD	l/ Chad Mendes, 6 Aug
21	Junior Assuncao		TBD	l/ Ross Pearson, 30 Dec
22	Mike Brown		TBD	w/ Nam Phan, 6 Aug
23	Robert Peralta	32	Mackens Semerzier, 3 Mar	NC/ Mackens Semerzier, 12 Nov
24	Cub Swanson	18	George Roop, 28 Jan	l/ Ricardo Lamas, 12 Nov
25	Charles Oliveira	51	Eric Wisely, 28 Jan	l/ Donald Cerrone, 14 Aug
26	Cole Miller	38	Steven Siler, 3 Mar	w/ TJ O'Brien, 14 Aug
27	Jim Hettes		TBD	w/ Nam Phan, 30 Dec
28	Jonathan Brookins	33	Vagner Rocha, 15 Feb	l/ Erik Koch, 17 Sep
29	Josh Grispi		TBD	l/ George Roop, 4 Jun
30	Tie quan Zhang	43	Leonard Garcia, 26 Feb	l/ Darren Elkins, 8 Oct
31	Pablo Garza		TBD	l/ Dustin Poirier, 12 Nov
32	Mackens Semerzier	23	Robert Peralta, 3 Mar	NC/ Robert Peralta, 12 Nov
33	Vagner Rocha	28	Jonathan Brookins, 15 Feb	w/ Cody McKenzie, 17 Sep
34	Nam Phan		TBD	l/ Jim Hettes, 30 Dec
35	Diego Brandao		TBD	w/ Dennis Bermudez, 3 Dec
36	Dennis Bermudez		TBD	l/ Diego Brandao, 3 Dec
37	Bryan Caraway		TBD	w/ Dustin Neace, 3 Dec
38	Steven Siler	26	Cole Miller, 3 Mar	w/ Josh Clopton, 3 Dec
39	Marcus Brimage		TBD	w/ Stephan Bass, 3 Dec
40	Felipe Arantes		TBD	w/ Antonio Carvalho, 14 Jan
41	Eddie Yagin	10	Mark Hominick, 24 Mar	l/ Junior Assuncao, 24 Sep
42	Matt Grice		TBD	l/ Ricardo Lamas, 26 Jun
43	Leonard Garcia	30	Tie Quan Zhang, 26 Feb	l/ Nam Phan, 8 Oct
44	Jason Young	55	Akira Corassani, 14 Apr	l/ Michihiro Omigawa, 5 Nov
45	John Franchi		TBD	w/ Matt McCook
46	Antonio Carvalho		TBD	l/ Felipe Arantes, 14 Jan
47	Maximo Blanco		TBD	l/ Pat Healy
48	Stephan Bass		TBD	l/ Marcus Brimage, 3 Dec
49	Josh Clopton		TBD	l/ Steven Siler, 3 Dec
50	Dustin Neace		TBD	l/ Bryan Caraway, 3 Dec
51	Eric Wisely	25	Charles Oliveira, 28 Jan	w/ Brandon Girtz
52	Max Holloway	4	Dustin Poirier, 4 Feb	w/ Eddie Rincon
53	Daniel Pineda	54	Pat Schilling, 20 Jan	w/ Gilbert Jimenez
54	Pat Schilling	53	Daniel Pineda, 20 Jan	w/ Cody Larson
55	Akira Corassani	44	Jason Young, 14 Apr	l/ Paul Reed

BW: And then Miguel Torres returned… This isn’t too big of a deal, but it can lead to some more interesting fights. It would be interesting to see Torres matched with McDonald, or Barao as they try to climb towards a title.

Fights on Deck: UFC on FX 1 – 20 Jan

Easton v Papazian – Another short notice fight. Easton needs to spend less time dancing like his training partner Dominick Cruz, and more time being the Beast that he is. He is a power house at this weight, and needs to focus on getting overmatch opponents out of there.

Sandoval v Denis – Sandoval looks to rebound from his UFC debut loss, and Denis tries to start his UFC career on the right track.

Other fights I’d make:

Bowles v Curran – Would Bowles’ heavy hands and wrestling be enough to keep Curran’s grappling at bay?

Jabouin v Wineland – Two guys who want to stand and bang, it would be a good fight between some solid veterans.

Uyenoyama v Hougland – Both had solid debuts, and now they need to prove they can move up into relevant fights.

	Name		Next fight	Last Fight
1	Dominick Cruz	2	Urijah Faber	w/ Demetrious Johnson, 1 Oct
2	Urijah Faber	1	Dominick Cruz	w/ Brian Bowles, 19 Nov
3	Renan "Barao" Pegado	5	Scott Jorgensen, 4 Feb	w/ Brad Pickett, 5 Nov
4	Brian Bowles		TBD	l/ Urijah Faber, 19 Nov
5	Scott Jorgensen	3	Renan Barao, 4 Feb	w/ Jeff Curran, 29 Oct
6	Miguel Torres		TBD	w/ Nick Pace, 19 Nov
7	Michael McDonald		TBD	w/ Alex Soto, 19 Nov
8	Eddie Wineland		TBD	l/ Joseph Benavidez, 14 Aug
9	Takeya Mizugaki	11	Chris Cariaso, 26 Feb	w/ Cole Escovedo, 24 Sep
10	Raphael Assuncao		TBD	w/ Johnny Eduardo, 27 Aug
11	Chris Cariaso	9	Takeya Mizugaki, 26 Feb	w/ Vaughan Lee, 5 Nov
12	Brad Pickett	14	Damacio Page, 14 Apr	l/ Renan "Banao" Pegado, 5 Nov
13	Yves Jabouin		TBD	w/ Walel Watson, 10 Dec
14	Damacio Page	12	Brad Pickett, 14 Apr	l/ Brian Bowles, 3 Mar
15	Ivan Menjivar	29	John Albert, 15 Feb	w/ Nick Pace, 6 Aug
16	Reuben Duran		TBD	w/ Francisco Rivera, 4 Jun
17	Edwin Figueroa	24	Alex Caceres, 4 Feb	w/ Jason Reinhardt, 14 Aug
18	Walel Watson	27	TJ Dillasaw, 15 Feb	l/ Yves Jabouin, 10 Dec
19	Mike Easton	39	Jared Papazian, 20 Jan	w/ Byron Bloodworth, 1 Oct
20	Darren Uyenoyama		TBD	w/ Norifumi Yamamoto, 12 Nov
21	Jeff Hougland		TBD	w/ Donny Walker, 2 Jul
22	Ken Stone		TBD	w/ Donny Walker, 17 Sep
23	Jeff Curran		TBD	l/ Scott Jorgensen, 29 Oct
24	Alex Caceres	17	Edwin Figueroa, 4 Feb	w/ Cole Escovedo, 12 Nov
25	Norifumi Yamamoto	31	Vaughan Lee, 26 Feb	l/ Darren Uyenoyama, 12 Nov
26	Nick Pace		TBD	l/ Miguel Torres, 19 Nov
27	TJ Dillashaw	18	Walel Watson, 15 Feb	l/ John Dodson, 3 Dec
28	Johnny Bedford	38	Mitch Gagnon, 28 Jan	w/ Louis Gaudinot, 3 Dec
29	John Albert	15	Ivan Menjivar, 15 Feb	w/ Dustin Pague, 3 Dec
30	Roland Delorme		TBD	w/ Josh Ferguson, 3 Dec
31	Vaughan Lee	25	Norifumi Yamamoto, 26 Feb	l/ Chris Cariaso, 5 Nov
32	Johnny Eduardo		TBD	l/ Raphael Assuncao, 27 Aug
33	Joseph Sandoval	37	Nick Denis, 20 Jan	l/ Walel Watson, 1 Oct
34	Byron Bloodworth		TBD	l/ Mike Easton, 1 Oct
35	Alex Soto		TBD	l/ Michael McDonald, 19 Nov
36	Dustin Pague		TBD	l/ John Albert, 3 Dec
37	Nick Denis	33	Joseph Sandoval, 20 Jan	w/ Nick Mamalis
38	Mitch Gagnon	28	Johnny Bedford, 28 Jan	w/ David Harris
39	Jared Papazian	19	Mike Easton, 20 Jan	w/ Marvin Garcia

FLW: Here is the initial look at the Flyweight division, don’t read too much into the rankings at this point I’m really just trying to build the roster. I’m surprised that UFC hasn’t locked down a few more guys yet, but they should be coming soon.

There will be a lot of movement, and changes early on. There are top FLWs in Japan, and Tachi but they haven’t been fighting each other. We will probably find out that some fighters we thought were top 10 guys really are not that good. We will also see guys drop down from 135 (some with so-so records because they have been fighting above their natural weight), and change the dynamic of the division. Just stand by, and enjoy the fights and a year from now we will have a much better view of this division.

Dodson, and Gaudinot are world ranked at FLW, and they mentioned on the finale that Ferguson was better suited for 125 so I’ve moved them here assuming they will drop down.

	Name		Next fight	Last Fight
1	Joseph Benavidez	4	Yasuhiro Urushitani, 3 Mar	w/ Eddie Wineland, 14 Aug
2	Demetrious Johnson	3	Ian McCall, 3 Mar	l/ Dominick Cruz, 1 Oct
3	Ian McCall	2	Demetrious Johnson, 3 Mar	w/ Darrell Montague, 5 Aug
4	Yasuhiro Urushitani	1	Joseph Benavidez, 3 Mar	w/ Yuki Shojo, 18 Jul
5	John Dodson		TBD	w/ TJ Dillashaw, 3 Dec
6	Louis Gaudinot		TBD	l/ Johnny Bedford, 3 Dec
7	Josh Ferguson		TBD	l/ Roland Delorme, 3 Dec
8	John Lineker		TBD	w/ Iliarde dos Santos, 10 Sep

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Comments

Good matchups

I’d match: HW- Gonzaga vs Mitrione, Carwin vs Kharitonov. LHW- Shogun vs Franklin, Machida vs Bonnar, Ortiz vs Griffin, Silva vs bader/rampage loser, Vera vs Nedkov. MW- Maia vs Palhares, Weidman vs D.Miller, Mayhem vs Lawlor, Belcher vs Catone. WW- Fitch vs Pyle, Hendricks vs Ebersole, Kim vs Patrick, Story vs Hathaway, Silva vs Rocha, Sadollah vs Hardy. LW- Diaz (title shot), Sherk vs Florian, Volkmann vs Barboza, Stephens vs Ferguson, Guida vs Cerrone, Maynard vs Guillard/Miller winner, dos Anjos vs Tavares. FW- Aldo vs Jung, Koch vs Nunes, Mendes vs Brown, Alcantara vs Pearson, Siver vs Griffin, Gamburyan vs Assuncao, Vasquez vs Lamas, Omigawa vs Grispi, Elkins vs Hettes. BW- Torres vs MacDonald, Bowles vs Assuncao, Curran vs Jaboiun.

by Mr.Italiano on Jan 17, 2012 8:58 PM EST reply actions