He hasn't let his broken hand stop his media appearances.

#1 Brian Bowles still sits atop the bantamweight division after upsetting previous bantamweight king # 2 Miguel Torres at WEC 42. Bowles is still nursing a hand injury, but has been making the media rounds. As we stated previously, Torres has linked up with noted trainer Mark Dellagrotte and helped out WEC rising star Mackens Semerzier before his upset of Wagnney Fabiano.

Shooto's "Featherweight" king #3 Masakatsu Ueda is still undefeated and and still holding at three - all over again - after a unanimous decision rout of #14 Eduardo Dantas at "Revolutionary Exchanges". According to Sherdog.com's Jordan Breen, there is no word on who Ueda fights next or even when.

#4 Takeya Mizugaki is holds steady at the fourth position as he prepares to talk on #9 Damacio Page as the main event of WEC 45.

#5 Dominick Cruz holds steady at five with his WEC 42 win over Team Alpha Male's #7 Joseph Benavidez. As we stated previously, Cruz is likely one fight away from a title shot. No word yet on who the Team Alliance standout is set to face.

#6 Akitoshi Tamura doesn't move in the rankings as he stays in the sixth position. Originally Tamura was set to face #9 Damacio Page at WEC 43, but pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Will Campuzano.

Submission king #8 Rani Yahya was back to old form at WEC 42 choking out Josh Hosman with a vicious North-South choke.

#10 Manny "The Mangler" Tapia regrettably earns his third lose in a row, dropping a unanimous decision to #13 Eddie Wineland.

Notably, DC native #18 Mike Easton cracks the top twenty with a controversial win over now #22 Chase Beebe at UWC 7. The win places Easton within the top twenty for the first time ever. It's also the first time Chase Beebe falls out of the top twenty since first being included in it.

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Somebody's gotta live like this, indeed.

American Top Team's #1 Mike Thomas Brown continues to be the top-ranked fighter in MMA's featherweight division. He is set to defend his title against #3 Jose Aldo at WEC 44 on November 18th in Las Vegas. As many have suggested, no one has truly pushed the Novia Uniao black belt, so it's not clear what can really be expected of the talented prospect. There is the rumor Aldo could drop to bantamweight in order to avoid facing Wagnney Fabiano, but with his loss at WEC 43 such a move many not be in the cards.

Small word on #2 Urijah Faber: he's been cleared to resume training. The former WEC champion has resumed both boxing, bag hitting and wrestling at his Team Alpha Male headquarters and is set to take on #6 Rafael Assuncao at WEC 46.

"The Iron Broomstick" in #4 Hatsu Hioki is still hanging around the top five and could see a return at Sengoku's New Year's Eve event. But first Hioki and Omigawa will fight at Sengoku's November 7th show, with the winner likely challenging #17 Masanori Kanehara for the title on New Year's Eve.

Making a leap into the top team for the first time is DREAM's Featherweight Grand Prix winner #6 Bibiano Fernandes who bested Joe Warren and #12 Hiroyuki Takaya at DREAM's October 6th show.

After besting #19 Jameel Massouh at WEC 42, Greg Jackson-product #7 Leonard Garcia drops one spot but hangs on to top-10 placing for the time being. He takes on recent featherweight convert Manny Gamburyan at WEC 44.

Taking a monster hit and drop in the rankings is formerly number three and now #8 Wagnney Fabiano. After a shocking triangle choke loss to now #10 Mackens Semerzier at WEC 43, the Novia Unaio product was expected to contend for a title in 2010, but now looks merely to rebound after the major upset. As for Semerzier, no word yet on when he'll get back in the WEC cage, but expect him to be used soon as he sustained little damage during his bout with Fabiano.

Lastly, #9 Takeshi Inoue falls one spot, but remains in the top 10 after beating the Rumina Sato in Shooto back in May. He takes on Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira at the return of Vale Tudo Japan.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

The lightweight division continues to be the biggest rankings dilemma in MMA. There are essentially two major pools of competitors virtually no cross-pollination in the last three years. Since taking the UFC lightweight title, #1 B.J. Penn has made a strong case for being the best in the world at 155 lbs. Until #2 Shinya Aoki beat #9 Joachim Hansen at DREAM.11 to take the DREAM title, the Japanese contingent had produced more of a muddle than a clear champion.

Both Penn and Aoki have furthered muddied the waters by making repeated unsuccessful attempts to move up in weight and fight top welterweights. The outcomes have been as unforunate for the lightweight champs as they were predictable.

#1 B.J. Penn will defend his title against #7 Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. This is one of those instances where rankings just fail to capture the degree to which Sanchez is the biggest threat Penn has faced since winning his title.

That's because rankings capture what a fighter has done rather than how formidable he is. Diego Sanchez, for all his accomplishments in the Octagon just hasn't done that much to impress in his two decision wins at 155lbs.

 #3 Eddie Alvarez pulled out a submission win in a squeaker against the unranked Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM.12. Kikuno is a fast rising prospect who will likely rise in the rankings off a loss since he gave Alvarez such a stiff challenge. It will be interesting to see how Kikuno fares against the likes of #26 Mitsuhiro Ishida. It's not clear yet if Alvarez will fight in Japan again before defending his Bellator belt in the spring.

#4 Kenny Florian will face #19 Clay Guida at UFC 107 in a fight that will either cement Florian's position in the top tier of the UFC lightweight division or propel Guida into the upper ranks at long last.

#6 Gray Maynard will fight  #21 Nate Diaz at Ultimate Fight Night 20 in January. Maynard will likely get a title shot against the winner of Penn/Sanchez if he can avenge his TUF exhibition bout loss to Diaz.

#8 Tatsuya Kawajiri got a squash match win at DREAM.11 over Melchor Manibusan. He's agitating for a New Year's Eve title fight against Shinya Aoki. It's hard to believe the two have never met. Beating Kawajiri would cement Aoki's status as Japan's top lightweight. But the tough boxing/wrestling style of Kawajiri seems tailor made to beat the champ.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

The MMA world waits to hear when #1 Georges St Pierre will be recovered from the groin injury suffered in his UFC 100 title defense. We're also waiting to see if an even semi-credible challenger will emerge. It appears that #5 Mike Swick will get the shot if he beats #13 Dan Hardy at UFC 105. It's less clear whether or not Hardy will be in line for a title shot if he beats Swick.

Of course that title shot was supposed to have been decided by Swick vs #10 Martin Kampmann at UFC 103. But Swick pulled up injured and Kampmann got KTFO'd by late substitute #11 Paul "Semtex" Daley. Daley, who has a recent loss to #7 Jake Shields, is going to have to beat #8 Carlos Condit at UFC 108 and probably another top fighter before the UFC will let him get anywhere near a title shot. The memory of Daley getting snuggled by Strikeforce's Shields is something Dana White will want to expunge before they let the always dangerous Daley in the cage with GSP.

The one very bright spot of promised clarity to look forward to in the division is the UFC 107 rematch between #2 Jon Fitch and #3 Thiago Alves. Fitch mauled Alves back in 2006 at UFN 5, but the rematch promises to be a very different affair. A dramatic win by either fighter will immediately propel the winner back into title contention. I'm glad to see the UFC taking this tack. They usually keep title contenders on parallel tracks so as not to mess up a potential title fight. Both Fitch and Alves have had their shot at GSP and lost so there is little to risk and much to gain in the form of a rehabilitated challenger.

#4 Josh Koscheck is feeling frisky coming off his annihilation of #34 Frank Trigg at UFC 103 and called out champ GSP while tweeting that he would be fighting #25 Mike Pierce at UFN 20.  But he's gone 4-2 since facing GSP in a non-title fight back in 2007, so I think he'll have to clear some pretty high hurdles to get a shot anytime soon.

#6 Matt Hughes appears determined to make the most of his elder statesman status and is only looking to take fights against established names that will make him good money. He refuses to be a stepping stone for the likes of Fitch, Swick or Koscheck. Not sure who will tickle Hughes' fancy, but its clear he won't be a factor in the title picture going forward.

#9 Paulo Thiago dodged a bullet with the reshuffling that resulted in Fitch/Alves 2, as he was booked to fight Thiago Alves at UFC 107 and now will instead face undefeated UFC newcomer Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106. Volkmann might very well be a very tough challenge, but he's not the #3 welterweight in the world. Thiago has already survived the equivalent of a hazing by Joe Silva and the UFC brass, being given #2 Jon Fitch and #4 Josh Koscheck in his first two UFC fights. Miraculously he emerged with a 1-1 UFC record having KO'd Koscheck and taken Jon Fitch to a decision in a loss.

#12 Marius Zaromskis continues to rise, picking up yet another dramatic head kick KO win over Myeon Ho Bae at DREAM.12. Keep an eye out for Zaromskis in Strikeforce. He would be an excellent solution to their welterweight title fight dilemma. #15 Jay Hieron is on ice since #14 Nick Diaz has rendered himself unbookable by CBS and maybe even Showtime with his last drug test related antics. A Hieron-Zaromskis title fight would get the hardcore fans buzzing and make a nice 2nd fight on a Showtime card.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

This division has gone from being a chaotic mess less than two years ago to being a division enduring a reign of terror by undisputed #1 Anderson Silva and his manager Ed Soares. Anderson has taken to toying with the UFC's booking plans the way he toy with opponents. He is expected to defend his UFC title against #6 Vitor Belfort but he has been such a headache that it's not clear when, or if, that fight will happen.

UFC 108 has been a heavily rumored possibility, but now that Brock Lesnar will be defending his heavyweight belt on that card, it seems likely that the UFC will move Silva's next defense to another card.

Meanwhile, #2 Nate Marquardt waits in limbo. At one point it seemed he had earned a title shot by KTFO'ing #5 Demian Maia at UFC 102. Then it looked like he would have to go through #3 Dan Henderson in a #1 contender match. But with Henderson's ongoing contract drama with the UFC showing no sign of resolution, Nate the Great waits.

#8 Yushin Okami plummeted in the rankings after being thoroughly dominated by #7 Chael Sonnen at UFC 104. No word on what's next for the UFC's least favorite red-headed step-child. Sonnen seems set to reap the rewards of beating a fighter that the UFC wanted no where near a title shot.

#4 Jorge Santiago will fight the unranked Mamed Khalidov in a non-title bout at Sengoku XI on November 7. World Victory Road is going to have their work cut out for them to keep Santiago under contract when Strikeforce could certainly use a top middleweight.

#9 Robbie Lawler is rumored to be in line for a rematch with #19 Nick Diaz in December. No idea if that fight will be at middleweight or a catchweight.

#10 Yoshihiro Akiyama will be headlining the UFC's Australian debut at UFC against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110. The winner of that fight will be fast-tracked into contention for the UFC title as they are both sorely needed draws in a division with no surplus of fan favorites.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

Well #1 Lyoto Machida broke the string of UFC Light Heavyweight champions who failed to make a single title defense. But after his UFC 104 bout with #4 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, we're not hearing much talk of the "Machida Era."  The two appear set for an immediate rematch with date TBD.

#2 Rashad Evans will face #7 Thiago Silva at UFC 108. This is in lieu of headlining UFC 107 against #3 Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a battle of the TUF season 10 coaches. Rampage, of course, has decided to focus on his movie career.

#5 Forrest Griffin will now headline UFC 106 against #21 Tito Ortiz. This is truly one of those fights where the commercial realities of the fight business are utterly overshadowing the sporting aspects.

It appears it will be some time before #6 Anderson Silva fights at Light Heavyweight again, at least long enough for him to defend his middleweight title once. But I wouldn't be surprised if Shogun Rua takes the belt to see Anderson suddenly make a serious run at the 205lb title.

#8 Gegard Mousasi is expected to have a non-title fight against #22 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers in November.

#9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and #10 Luiz Cane will meet at UFC 106. Cane is a pretty grim welcome wagon to face in your UFC debut, but Little Nog has faced the best in his day.

#16 Brandon Vera will welcome #9 heavyweight Randy Couture back to the light heavyweight division at UFC 105. This is Vera's big chance to establish himself as a popular attraction and emerge as a contender in the division. The legendary Couture, of course, will be fast tracked to a title shot if he manages to beat Vera.

*Please note that these rankings were compiled BEFORE UFC 104.

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Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

November is the big month for heavyweights. Ok, well it's not quite as big as it was going to be until yesterday, but it's still big. #1 Fedor Emelianeko will be fighting #8 Brett Rogers on Strikeforce's November 7 CBS debut. A number of things will be decided at that fight. Most of them have more to do with determining the economic viability of the enigmatic Russian star as a headliner on an American network TV broadcast. If Rogers does the unthinkable and upsets Fedor...it won't just be Strikeforce's business model that will be in tatters -- the heavyweight rankings themselves might implode!

#2 Brock Lesnar was going to face #6 Shane Carwin at UFC 106 on November 21. Instead they'll meet at UFC 108 in January. It's kind of a drag that we only get to see Lesnar fight one time in 2009, but hopefully he'll fight twice or even three times in 2010. A Carwin upset won't be the shattering blow to the UFC's fortunes that a Fedor loss will be to Strikeforce, but it certainly will have business implications and will impact the rankings.

#3 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira staked his claim on yet another career revival by thoroughly dominating #9 Randy Couture at UFC 102. It's unclear what will be next for Big Nog. He wants a title shot, but it seems clear that he'll have to win at least one if not two more fights to earn his chance at gold.

#4 Frank Mir will face #16 Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 in December. This is a crucial test for Mir. He has a chance to confirm his re-emergence as a top tier heavyweight, but he could just as easily slip back into irrelevance in the decision.

Speaking of irrelevance, #5 Josh Barnett apparently won't be able to reapply for a license to fight in the USA for at least a year due to his continued troubles with the CSAC. There is a definite shortage of top heavyweights plying their trade in Japan these days so it's not apparent how Barnett can remain relevant in exile.

#7 Junior Dos Santos seems to be cruising towards a title shot after three straight wins in the UFC. He'll be facing #15 Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108 in January, but presumably is in line behind #11 Cain Velasquez for the title shot even if he wins. Expect Velasquez to rise in the rankings next month as his UFC 104 win over #17 Ben Rothwell was not accounted for in these rankings.

No word on what's next for #10 Andrei Arlovski beyond a recent jaunt to New Mexico to train with Team Greg Jackson.

#11 Alistair Overeem picked up a couple of tuneup wins in the last month. Including a win over the (very) unranked James Thompson at DREAM.12. He's now talking about wanting to fight Fedor in April. Both DREAM and Strikeforce are possible promoters (er co-promoters) for that bout. But Alistair might have to wait in line for his shot at Fedor.

#13 Fabricio Werdum will be taking on #22 Antonio Silva on the Strikeforce Fedor vs Rogers card on November 7. That bout is clearly designed to establish the winner as the next opponent for Fedor. Expect the winner to take a jump in the rankings.

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Will Yushin Okami fall below the man who vanquished him? Can Shogun Rua rise in the ranks off a loss? What about Cain Velasquez? Will Rampage Jackson's decision to skip out on his fight with Rashad cost him with the rankers? The answers to these questions and many more are in the October USA TODAY/Sports Blog Nation MMA Consensus Rankings