| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Dan Henderson | 94 | Free Agent | 3 |
| 4 | Demian Maia | 79 | UFC | 5 |
| 5 | Vitor Belfort | 79 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Chael Sonnen | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 61 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 8 | Jorge Santiago | 58 | WVR | 4 |
| 9 | Yushin Okami | 57 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 52 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Robbie Lawler | 44 | Strikeforce | 9 |
| 12 | Kazuo Misaki | 30 | WVR | 11 |
| 13 | Mamed Khalidov | 30 | WVR | NR |
| 14 | Paulo Filho | 29 | DREAM | 14 |
| 15 | Nick Diaz | 23 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 16 | Michael Bisping | 22 | UFC | 13 |
| 17 | Ronaldo Souza | 21 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Nate Quarry | 21 | UFC | 17 |
| 19 | Alessio Sakara | 20 | UFC | 15 |
| 20 | Thales Leites | 18 | MFC | 22 |
| 20 | Alan Belcher | 18 | UFC | 20 |
| 20 | Ricardo Almeida | 18 | UFC | 23 |
| 23 | Wilson Gouveia | 17 | UFC | 24 |
| 24 | Gegard Mousasi | 16 | Strikeforce | 27 |
| 25 | Rich Franklin | 16 | UFC | NR |
Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.
Fans are used to #1 Anderson Silva toying with opponents, but in recent months we've been treated to the spectacle of seeing Silva and his manager Ed Soares toy with the UFC. First he wants to fight #5 Vitor Belfort and will be ready for UFC 108. But snap, he's having elbow surgery. No wait, no surgery, he'll be ready. Then he doesn't think Belfort is worthy of a title shot. And the surgery is on again. Now they're on the verge of signing that fight for UFC 109. We'll see.
Meanwhile, #2 Nate Marquardt will be facing #6 Chael Sonnen at UFC 110, while #3 Dan Henderson twists in the wind. A Marquardt win will surely earn him a second bite at the Anderson Silva apple.
Not quite as sure that Sonnen will get to try for gold with a win, but surely the Zuffa brass are full of gratitude toward Sonnen since he banished the specter of a #9 Yushin Okami title shot.
#4 Demian Maia is rumored to be facing Dan Miller at UFC 109. A win against the tough Miller should put Maia back in the title hunt.
#7 Jake Shields solidified his unlikely status as a top middleweight by beating Jason "Mayhem" Miller at Strikforce: Fedor vs Rogers and taking the Strikeforce middleweight belt. Strikeforce boss Scott Coker has stated that Shields could return to welterweight now that they've beefed up that division a bit more. Shields is talking about becoming a two division champ. Time will tell.
#8 Jorge Santiago dropped four slots after being upset by (the previously unranked) #13 Mamed Khalidov at Sengoku XI. This is a disaster for Santiago who at one point was scheduled to face Belfort at Affliction's final show. Two years of momentum building in Strikeforce and Sengoku have suddenly evaporated.
#10 Yoshihiro Akiyama is expected to headline UFC 110 against legend Wanderlei Silva. This fight, at the UFC's Australian debut will also air during prime-time in Japan and South Korea. Akiyama was a crucial acquisition for the UFC, a true star in Asia, who has shown the ability to hang in the UFC. He will be sorely tested against the former PRIDE champion.
Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings. Show more "
We compile the top MMA rankings from each of our sources and award 25 points for a first place ranking, 16 for a 10th place ranking, 1 for a 25th place ranking. A formula is used to "normalize" the data so all fighters are awarded points from those lists that do not include a full 25 fighters. This formula ensures that each ranking site awards the same number of total points regardless of how many fighters they choose to rank. Each fighter’s total is divided by the number of possible points to determine their standing in the Consensus Rankings.