Analysis by Richard Wade
Following his destruction at the hands of Alistair Overeem and his subsequent retirement announcement, Brock Lesnar has tumbled down the rankings list.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior dos Santos | 400 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Cain Velasquez | 376 | UFC | 2 |
| 2 | Alistair Overeem | 376 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Frank Mir | 330 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 323 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Shane Carwin | 291 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Daniel Cormier | 289 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 8 | Josh Barnett | 279 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 274 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Antonio Silva | 214 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Fedor Emelianenko | 169 | M-1 Global | 12 |
| 12 | Cheick Kongo | 164 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Brendan Schaub | 142 | UFC | 15 |
| 14 | Roy Nelson | 133 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Brock Lesnar | 130 | UFC | 4 |
| 16 | Sergei Kharitonov | 101 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 17 | Travis Browne | 100 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Mike Russow | 90 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 89 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 71 | UFC | 26 |
| 21 | Matt Mitrione | 70 | UFC | 20 |
| 22 | Stefan Struve | 67 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Mark Hunt | 64 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Dan Henderson | 57 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Dave Herman | 55 | UFC | 25 |
Following his destruction at the hands of Alistair Overeem and his subsequent retirement announcement, Brock Lesnar has tumbled down the rankings list.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior dos Santos | 425 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Cain Velasquez | 406 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 387 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 354 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Mir | 337 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Fabricio Werdum | 336 | UFC | 5 |
| 7 | Shane Carwin | 303 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Daniel Cormier | 294 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 9 | Josh Barnett | 284 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 260 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Antonio Silva | 202 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Fedor Emelianenko | 176 | M-1 Global | 12 |
| 13 | Cheick Kongo | 146 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Roy Nelson | 135 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Brendan Schaub | 134 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Sergei Kharitonov | 107 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 17 | Travis Browne | 104 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Mike Russow | 99 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 89 | Bellator | 19 |
| 20 | Matt Mitrione | 76 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Stefan Struve | 72 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Mark Hunt | 71 | UFC | 22 |
| 23 | Pat Barry | 59 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Dan Henderson | 59 | UFC | 24 |
| 25 | Dave Herman | 57 | UFC | 26 |
Tomorrow night, #3 Alistair Overeem and #4 Brock Lesnar are set to do battle for the right to face #1 Junior dos Santos.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior dos Santos | 400 | UFC | 2 |
| 2 | Cain Velasquez | 382 | UFC | 1 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 364 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 330 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 325 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 6 | Frank Mir | 304 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Shane Carwin | 287 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Daniel Cormier | 276 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Josh Barnett | 265 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 248 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Antonio Silva | 186 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Fedor Emelianenko | 166 | M-1 Global | 12 |
| 13 | Cheick Kongo | 132 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Brendan Schaub | 122 | UFC | 14 |
| 14 | Roy Nelson | 122 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Sergei Kharitonov | 105 | Strikeforce | 17 |
| 17 | Travis Browne | 102 | UFC | 16 |
| 18 | Mike Russow | 97 | UFC | 19 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 87 | Bellator | 20 |
| 20 | Matt Mitrione | 74 | UFC | 18 |
| 21 | Stefan Struve | 70 | UFC | 22 |
| 22 | Mark Hunt | 69 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Pat Barry | 57 | UFC | 25 |
| 24 | Dan Henderson | 56 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 55 | Reality Fighting | 23 |
Following his 64 second destruction of former #1 Cain Velasquez on the UFC's debut on Fox, Junior dos Santos is the undisputed #1 heavyweight in the world as well as UFC Heavyweight Champion.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 86 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 79 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Frank Mir | 74 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Shane Carwin | 73 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Josh Barnett | 68 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 9 | Daniel Cormier | 67 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 64 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Antonio Silva | 49 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 12 | Fedor Emelianenko | 38 | M-1 Global | 12 |
| 13 | Cheick Kongo | 32 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Brendan Schaub | 31 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Roy Nelson | 27 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Travis Browne | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 17 | Sergei Kharitonov | 24 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 18 | Matt Mitrione | 23 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Mike Russow | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Cole Konrad | 21 | Bellator | 20 |
| 21 | Mark Hunt | 19 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Stefan Struve | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Mirko Filipovic | 13 | UFC | 25 |
| 23 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 13 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Pat Barry | 13 | UFC | 22 |
UFC on Fox features a #1 Cain Velasquez vs. #2 Junior dos Santos in a heavyweight championship bout.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 86 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 79 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 6 | Frank Mir | 74 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Shane Carwin | 73 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Josh Barnett | 68 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 9 | Daniel Cormier | 67 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 64 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Antonio Silva | 46 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 12 | Fedor Emelianenko | 39 | M-1 | 12 |
| 13 | Cheick Kongo | 33 | UFC | 15 |
| 14 | Brendan Schaub | 31 | UFC | 10 |
| 15 | Roy Nelson | 28 | UFC | 14 |
| 16 | Sergei Kharitonov | 25 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 16 | Travis Browne | 25 | UFC | 16 |
| 18 | Matt Mitrione | 23 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Mike Russow | 22 | UFC | 18 |
| 20 | Cole Konrad | 22 | Bellator | 19 |
| 21 | Mark Hunt | 16 | UFC | NR |
| 22 | Pat Barry | 14 | UFC | 25 |
| 23 | Stefan Struve | 14 | UFC | 24 |
| 23 | Shane del Rosario | 14 | Strikeforce | 27 |
| 25 | Mirko Filipovic | 13 | UFC | 27 |
#1 Cain Velasquez will defend his belt against #2 Junior dos Santos as they headline the UFC's first ever appearance on network television.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 90 | Strikeforce | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 86 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Antonio Silva | 80 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 6 | Fabricio Werdum | 80 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 7 | Frank Mir | 75 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Shane Carwin | 73 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Josh Barnett | 60 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 10 | Brendan Schaub | 46 | UFC | 12 |
| 11 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 43 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Fedor Emelianenko | 42 | M-1 Global / Strikeforce | 9 |
| 13 | Sergei Kharitonov | 35 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Roy Nelson | 32 | UFC | 13 |
| 15 | Cheick Kongo | 31 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Travis Browne | 26 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Matt Mitrione | 24 | UFC | 19 |
| 18 | Mike Russow | 24 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 22 | Bellator | 17 |
| 20 | Daniel Cormier | 21 | Strikeforce | 20 |
| 21 | Brett Rogers | 20 | Strikeforce | 22 |
| 22 | Ben Rothwell | 18 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Pedro Rizzo | 16 | Impact Fighting Championships | 25 |
| 24 | Stefan Struve | 15 | UFC | 23 |
| 25 | Pat Barry | 15 | UFC | 24 |
With the only high level heavyweight fight contested since last month's rankings involving Dan Henderson, the only movement has been Fedor tumbling ever further down the list.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 95 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 89 | Strikeforce | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 87 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 81 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 6 | Antonio Silva | 80 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 7 | Frank Mir | 74 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Shane Carwin | 72 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Fedor Emelianenko | 68 | M-1 Global / Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Josh Barnett | 55 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 11 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 43 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Brendan Schaub | 39 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Roy Nelson | 36 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Sergei Kharitonov | 33 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 15 | Cheick Kongo | 30 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Travis Browne | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 17 | Mike Russow | 24 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Cole Konrad | 24 | Bellator | 19 |
| 19 | Matt Mitrione | 23 | UFC | 23 |
| 20 | Daniel Cormier | 22 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 21 | Ben Rothwell | 21 | UFC | 20 |
| 22 | Brett Rogers | 20 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 23 | Stefan Struve | 16 | UFC | 24 |
| 24 | Pat Barry | 15 | UFC | 27 |
| 25 | Pedro Rizzo | 15 | Impact Fighting Championship | 22 |
#1 Cain Velasquez will defend his title against #2 Junior dos Santos at UFC 138 in one of those clear cut 1 vs. 2 matchups we're always clamoring for.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 99 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 95 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Alistair Overeem | 90 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 86 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Fabricio Werdum | 81 | Strikeforce | 2 |
| 6 | Antonio Silva | 80 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 7 | Frank Mir | 74 | UFC | 8 |
| 8 | Shane Carwin | 72 | UFC | 6 |
| 9 | Fedor Emelianenko | 68 | M-1 Global / Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Josh Barnett | 48 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 11 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 47 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Brendan Schaub | 43 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Roy Nelson | 33 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Sergei Kharitonov | 31 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 15 | Cheick Kongo | 29 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Mike Russow | 26 | UFC | 20 |
| 17 | Travis Browne | 25 | UFC | 23 |
| 18 | Brett Rogers | 25 | Strikeforce | 15 |
| 19 | Cole Konrad | 24 | Bellator | 18 |
| 20 | Ben Rothwell | 24 | UFC | 16 |
| 21 | Daniel Cormier | 22 | Strikeforce | 33 |
| 22 | Pedro Rizzo | 19 | Impact FC | 19 |
| 23 | Matt Mitrione | 19 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Stefan Struve | 19 | UFC | 21 |
| 25 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 17 | MMAX | 24 |
#2 Junior dos Santos became the #1 contender after taking a dominant unanimous decision over #8 Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 131.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 99 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Junior dos Santos | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Fabricio Werdum | 90 | Strikeforce | 2 |
| 3 | Brock Lesnar | 90 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Shane Carwin | 81 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Antonio Silva | 79 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 7 | Alistair Overeem | 75 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 8 | Frank Mir | 75 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Fedor Emelianenko | 70 | M-1 Global / Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 52 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Brendan Schaub | 39 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Roy Nelson | 38 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Sergei Kharitonov | 34 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Josh Barnett | 34 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 15 | Brett Rogers | 31 | Strikeforce | 15 |
| 16 | Cheick Kongo | 26 | UFC | 17 |
| 17 | Pedro Rizzo | 24 | Impact Fighting Championship | 18 |
| 18 | Cole Konrad | 24 | Bellator | 18 |
| 19 | Mike Russow | 23 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Ben Rothwell | 22 | UFC | 16 |
| 21 | Stefan Struve | 20 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Travis Browne | 19 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Matt Mitrione | 18 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 16 | UFC | 23 |
| 24 | Shane del Rosario | 16 | Strikeforce | 28 |
With #3 Brock Lesnar out due to illness, #2 Junior dos Santos will instead face #5 Shane Carwin at UFC 131 for a shot at #1 Cain Velasquez' title.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cain Velasquez | 98 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Fabricio Werdum | 91 | Strikeforce | 2 |
| 3 | Junior dos Santos | 90 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Brock Lesnar | 89 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Antonio Silva | 81 | Strikeforce | 5 |
| 6 | Shane Carwin | 80 | UFC | 6 |
| 7 | Alistair Overeem | 75 | Strikeforce | 7 |
| 8 | Frank Mir | 74 | UFC | 7 |
| 9 | Fedor Emelianenko | 71 | M-1 / Strikeforce | 9 |
| 10 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 53 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Brendan Schaub | 34 | UFC | 12 |
| 12 | Roy Nelson | 33 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Josh Barnett | 32 | Strikeforce | 15 |
| 14 | Sergei Kharitonov | 31 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 15 | Brett Rogers | 28 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 16 | Ben Rothwell | 26 | UFC | 17 |
| 17 | Cheick Kongo | 24 | UFC | 16 |
| 18 | Cole Konrad | 24 | Bellator | 18 |
| 18 | Pedro Rizzo | 24 | Impact FC | 19 |
| 20 | Mike Russow | 21 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Stefan Struve | 20 | UFC | 23 |
| 22 | Matt Mitrione | 18 | UFC | 26 |
| 23 | Travis Browne | 18 | UFC | 21 |
| 23 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 18 | UFC | 22 |
| 25 | Jeff Monson | 18 | Free Agent | 25 |
#1 Cain Velasquez is still on the shelf following shoulder surgery, but is expected to be ready to return this Fall. His most likely opponent will be the winner of UFC 131’s #3 Junior dos Santos vs. #4 Brock Lesnar.
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