MMA Rankings: October 2012 (Men’s Division)

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MMA Rankings Update: October 2012
Men’s Division

Heavyweight

1. Junior Dos Santos [UFC] (15-1)
2. Cain Velasquez [UFC] (10-1)
3. Alistair Overeem [UFC] (36-11-0-1)
4. Fabricio Werdum [UFC] (16-5-1)
5. Daniel Cormier [Strikeforce] (10-0)
6. Frank Mir [UFC] (16-6)
7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira [UFC] (33-7-1)
8. Josh Barnett [Strikeforce] (31-6)
9. Antonio Silva [UFC] (16-4)
10. Mark Hunt [UFC] (8-7)

Analysis: Stefan Struve looked good against Stipe Miocic, but he hasn’t cracked this list yet. Most of the elite heavyweights currently don’t have any fights scheduled, either. Unless Big Nog loses to Dave Herman this month, there won’t be any big shifts.

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones [UFC] (17-1)
2. Dan Henderson [UFC] (29-8)
3. Rashad Evans [UFC] (22-2-1)
4. Lyoto Machida [UFC] (18-3)
5. Shogun Rua [UFC] (21-6)
6. Ryan Bader [UFC] (14-3)
7. Forrest Griffin [UFC] (19-7)
8. Quinton Jackson [UFC] (32-10)
9. Alexander Gustafsson [UFC] (14-1)
10. Gegard Mousasi [Strikeforce] (32-3-2)

Analysis: Even though I want to give Vitor Belfort a spot in these rankings, his fight record just doesn’t warrant it. He’ll need to beat a legitimate top 10 light heavyweight if he stays in this weight class. ‘Not much movement will be seen here until December.

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva [UFC] (32-4)
2. Chael Sonnen [UFC] (27-12-1)
3. Tim Boetsch [UFC] (16-4)
4. Chris Weidman [UFC] (9-0)
5. Vitor Belfort [UFC] (21-10)
6. Michael Bisping [UFC] (23-4)
7. Luke Rockhold [Strikeforce] (10-1)
8. Jake Shields [UFC] (28-6-1)
9. Rich Franklin [UFC] (29-6)
10. Hector Lombard [UFC] (31-3-1)

Analysis: Most of the elite middleweights won’t be fighting until December, so this is how things will sit for awhile. In hindsight, I’m a little surprised at how high Tim Boetsch has climbed on the list. Then again, beating Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard does that.

Welterweight

1. Carlos Condit [UFC] (28-5)
2. Martin Kampmann [UFC] (20-5)
3. Nate Marquardt [Strikeforce] (32-10-2)
4. Johny Hendricks [UFC] (13-1)
5. Nick Diaz [UFC] (26-8-0-1)
6. Jake Ellenberger [UFC] (27-6)
7. Josh Koscheck [UFC] (17-6)
8. Ben Askren [Bellator] (10-0)
9. Demian Maia [UFC] (16-4)
10. Diego Sanchez [UFC] (23-5)

Analysis: Lots of action is going on in this weight division during October. Jake Ellenberger, Jay Hieron, Demian Maia, Rick Story, Jon Fitch, and Erick Silva all fight in a matter of weeks. Expect two to three fighters to drop from the top 10 soon.

Lightweight

1. Ben Henderson [UFC] (17-2)
2. Gilbert Melendez [Strikeforce] (21-2)
3. Frankie Edgar [UFC] (14-3-1)
4. Nate Diaz [UFC] (16-7)
5. Gray Maynard [UFC] (11-1-1)
6. Donald Cerrone [UFC] (19-4)
7. Anthony Pettis [UFC] (15-2)
8. Michael Chandler [Bellator] (10-0)
9. Eddie Alvarez [Bellator] (23-3)
10. Clay Guida [UFC] (29-13)

Analysis: Pettis had better figure out if he’s fighting soon, because he’s on the verge of getting dropped from the list. As it stands, there’s a lot of lightweights clawing at the door to the elite ranks. My money for the next big mover is on Joe Lauzon, who fights Gray Maynard at the end of the year.

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo [UFC] (21-1)
2. Pat Curran [Bellator] (17-4)
3. Tatsuya Kawajiri [ONE FC] (31-7-2)
4. Ricardo Lamas [UFC] (12-2)
5. Chad Mendes [UFC] (12-1)
6. Cub Swanson [UFC] (18-5)
7. Hatsu Hioki [UFC] (26-4-2)
8. Dennis Siver [UFC] (20-8)
9. Daniel Strauss [Bellator] (20-4)
10. Chan Sung Jung [UFC] (13-3)

Analysis: Unless matchmaker Joe Silva hurries up with an interim featherweight title fight, we’ll be looking at an oddity next month—a weight division that doesn’t have a UFC fighter at the top. Huh. Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas seems like a good idea.

Bantamweight

1. Renan Barao [UFC] (29-1-0-1)
2. Bibiano Fernandes [ONE FC] (12-3)
3. Tyson Nam [SHOOTO] (12-4)
4. Urijah Faber [UFC] (26-6)
5. Michael McDonald [UFC] (15-1)
6. Eduardo Dantas [SHOOTO] (14-3)
7. Zach Makovsky [Bellator] (14-3)
8. Brad Pickett [UFC] (22-6)
9. Eddie Wineland [UFC] (19-8-1)
10. Brian Bowles [UFC] (10-2)

Analysis: Now that Dominick Cruz has been sidelined for over a year, Barao takes over the top spot in the division until the linear champion returns. Brian Bowles and his brittle hands won’t be around much longer, either. Expect lots of inactivity here until 2013.

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson [UFC] (16-2-1)
2. Joseph Benavidez [UFC] (16-3)
3. Ian McCall [UFC] (11-3-1)
4. Jussier da Silva [SHOOTO] (14-1)
5. Chris Cariaso [UFC] (14-4)
6. Jon Dodson [UFC] (13-5)
7. Joshua Sampo [Legacy FC] (8-2)
8. Yasuhiro Urushitani [UFC] (19-5-6)
9. Louis Gaudinot [UFC] (6-2)
10. Antonio Banuelos [Legacy FC] (20-9)

Analysis: Flyweight is probably the toughest division to rank, especially with so many top fighters beating unranked opponents. Still, the most intrigue in this weight division will come from Dodson vs. “Formiga” this month. No matter who wins, they’ll rocket up the list.

[Fighter rankings are weighed by recent events and quality of opponents. If a fighter has not competed in a year or more, they are removed from the rankings until they're active. Fighters are ranked in the division they last competed in, except for special circumstances. Fight results are not rated differently depending on "closeness" or any subjective quantity—a win is a win, and a loss is a loss. Rankings compiled and edited by McKinley Noble.]

Tags: Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva, Ben Henderson, Carlos Condit, Chris Weidman, Cub Swanson, Daniel Cormier, Demetrious Johnson, Demian Maia, Diego Sanchez, Donald Cerrone, Erick Silva, Gray Maynard, Hatsu Hioki, Jake Ellenberger, Jon Jones, Jose Also, Junior Dos Santos, Martin Kampmann, Renan Barao, Ricardo Lamas, Stefan Struve, Strikeforce, UFC, Vitor Belfort