UFC 143 Results: The Top 25 Pound-for-Pound Fighters in the UFC

Tim McTiernanFeb 5, 2012

At UFC 143 on Saturday night, Carlos Condit proved to the world that he is the real deal in the welterweight division, as he earned the unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz, and won the interim welterweight title.

With the win, Condit takes a huge jump up the pound-for-pound rankings, and Nick Diaz falls off because he announced his retirement.

With Diaz' retirement, a new spot opened up on the pound-for-pound rankings.

Let's see how far Condit moved up, and who filled in the spot that Diaz left behind.

No. 25: Vitor Belfort

1 of 25

Age: 34

Weight Class: Middleweight

Record: 21-9

Last Fight: Submission victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 142

Next Fight: Wanderlei Silva at TBA

With Nick Diaz announcing his retirement, the door opened to a new face, and that face was Vitor Belfort.

Belfort is the former UFC light heavyweight champion and the former UFC heavyweight tournament champion.

These days, Belfort is a top-five middleweight who has won seven of his last eight fights.

No. 24: Josh Koscheck

2 of 25

Age: 34

Weight Class: Welterweight

Record: 17-5

Last Fight: Split decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 143

Next Fight: TBA

Koscheck is now the No. 3 welterweight in the world, and defeated Mike Pierce via split decision on Saturday night.

It was a close, grueling fight, but Kos was able to pull out the win and stay near the top of the division.

It's unclear if he'll get a shot at the interim welterweight title.

No. 23: Lyoto Machida

3 of 25

Age: 33

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 17-3

Last Fight: Submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 140

Next Fight: TBA

Lyoto Machida is a former light heavyweight champion, and he wants that belt back. Unfortunately, he isn't likely to get it anytime soon.

At UFC 140, Machida was submitted in the second round by Jon Jones and has now lost three of his last four fights.

Machida likely will look to come back better than ever, and he will be sure to put in a lot of work between now and then.

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No. 22: Frank Mir

4 of 25

Age: 32

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Record: 16-5

Last Fight: Submission victory over Minotauro Nogueira at UFC 140

Next Fight: TBA

Next up is the former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir.

Mir has quietly earned himself a three-fight winning streak, including wins over two top-10 opponents (Roy Nelson and Minotauro Nogueira), with the third win being a knockout of Mirko Cro Cop.

Mir is now likely to earn a No. 1 contender's match or at least a fight with a top contender.

No. 21: Yushin Okami

5 of 25

Age: 30

Weight Class: Middleweight

Record: 26-6

Last Fight: TKO loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 134

Next Fight: Tim Boetsch at UFC 144

Next up is the one-time UFC title challenger, Yushin "Thunder" Okami.

Okami is the clear No. 3 middleweight in the world, and he holds victories over Alan Belcher, Evan Tanner, Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz.

He will make his return to the Octagon at UFC 144, playing the gatekeeper role against Tim Boetsch.

No. 20: Hatsu Hioki

6 of 25

Age: 28

Weight Class: Featherweight

Record: 25-4-2

Last Fight: Split-decision victory over George Roop at UFC 137

Next Fight: Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144

For those that only know Hatsu Hioki from his one UFC fight, you'll be surprised to see him here, but it certainly is justified.

Hioki is the No. 2 featherweight in the UFC today and holds two victories over fellow top-10 featherweight Mark Hominick.

Hioki will face off against Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144 in February in Japan.

No. 19: Urijah Faber

7 of 25

Age: 32

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Record: 25-5

Last Fight: Submission victory over Brian Bowles at UFC 139

Next Fight: Dominick Cruz at TBA

Urijah Faber is the former WEC featherweight champion, but is 0-3 in his past three title fights, including his loss of the title and losses while challenging for two more.

At UFC 139, Faber earned another shot at the bantamweight title when he defeated Brian Bowles via second-round submission.

He will now coach season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter against Dominick Cruz.

No. 18: Gray Maynard

8 of 25

Age: 32

Weight Class: Lightweight

Record: 10-1-1 [1 NC]

Last Fight: TKO loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 136

Next Fight: TBA

Had the fight gods done this a little differently, Gray Maynard could have been the UFC lightweight champion.

Maynard holds a win over the current champ, Frankie Edgar. In their rematch, they fought to a split draw, and in the third fight of the trilogy, Maynard lost to Edgar in the fourth round via TKO.

Maynard will look to rebound and start his climb back up the ladder, hopefully when someone else is champion, as Dana White said a fourth fight between Edgar and Maynard will not happen.

No. 17: Rampage Jackson

9 of 25

Age: 33

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 32-9

Last Fight: Submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 135

Next Fight: Ryan Bader at UFC 144

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was finished by Jon Jones in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke.

Jackson may have been finished in the Octagon for the first time in his career, but against Jones, he looked better than many expected he would.

After a battle to fight on the Japan card, Rampage will now face Ryan Bader at UFC 144.

No. 16: Cain Velasquez

10 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Record: 9-1

Last Fight: TKO loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1

Next Fight: TBA

Cain Velasquez is the former UFC heavyweight champion, and he lost the title at UFC on Fox 1, when he was TKO'd by Junior dos Santos.

Velasquez is the complete package in the heavyweight division. He's a great wrestler who Brock Lesnar couldn't keep down.

He has endless cardio, which is sure to help if he ever has to go all five rounds. He also has great striking to complement all that.

Unfortunately, it may now be revealed that he has a suspect chin. But we'll have to wait and see on that.

No. 15: Alistair Overeem

11 of 25

Age: 31

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Record: 36-11 [1 NC]

Last Fight: TKO victory over Brock Lesnar at UFC 141

Next Fight: Junior dos Santos at TBA

Alistair Overeem proved his doubters wrong at UFC 141, as he defeated Brock Lesnar by first-round TKO.

Coming into this fight, the biggest knock on Overeem was the fact that he had never truly faced a top opponent since moving to heavyweight.

He faced a top heavyweight at UFC 141 and showed everyone that he is the real deal.

JDS is going to have a lot on his plate.

No. 14: Benson Henderson

12 of 25

Age: 27

Weight Class: Lightweight

Record: 15-2

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 1

Next Fight: Frankie Edgar at UFC 144

Benson Henderson is the real deal.

At UFC on Versus 5, Henderson was easily able to handle the man who many considered the top contender to the lightweight title after Gray Maynard.

With that win, Henderson moved himself into contender position, and then he handled Clay Guida and earned his shot at the UFC lightweight title.

No. 13: Mauricio Rua

13 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 20-6

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 139

Next Fight: TBA

Shogun may have lost at UFC 139, but in such a close fight, there really is no loser.

Rua and Dan Henderson had an epic battle for the ages, which easily could have gone either way—or could have been a draw.

However, Rua now drops to 4-4 in the UFC, and a title shot seems out of reach for now.

Perhaps a move to middleweight is in his future.

No. 12: Joseph Benavidez

14 of 25

Age: 27

Weight Class: Flyweight

Record: 15-2

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Eddie Wineland at UFC on Versus 5

Next Fight: Yasuhiro Urushitani at UFC on FX 2

Joseph Benavidez is the No. 3 bantamweight in the world, and his only two losses have come to the current champion in the division, Dominick Cruz.

Benavidez's last fight saw him win a unanimous decision over the former champ, Eddie Wineland, at UFC on Versus 5.

However, with the introduction of the UFC's flyweight division, Benavidez will now face off with Yasuhiro Urushitani as part of a four-man tournament to declare the UFC's first flyweight champion.

No. 11: Carlos Condit

15 of 25

Age: 27

Weight Class: Welterweight

Record: 28-5

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Nick Diaz at UFC 143

Next Fight: TBA

On Saturday night, Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz by unanimous decision to become the interim UFC welterweight champion.

Condit is 5-1 in the UFC and has impressive victories over Nick Diaz, Dong Hyun Kim, Dan Hardy, Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.

The win over Diaz proved that Condit is one of the best in the world, and the welterweight division just got a bit more interesting.

No. 10: Chael Sonnen

16 of 25

Age: 34

Weight Class: Middleweight

Record: 27-11-1

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC on Fox 2

Next Fight: Anderson Silva at TBA

After being out for 14 months, Chael Sonnen came back and submitted Brian Stann in the second round of their fight.

Not only did Sonnen submit Stann, but he did it while easily controlling Stann on the ground and was never in any danger.

Then, at UFC on Fox 2, Sonnen earned the unanimous decision over Michael Bisping and put himself in line for a second shot at Anderson Silva.

No. 9: Dan Henderson

17 of 25

Age: 41

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 29-8

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139

Next Fight: TBA

"Dangerous" Dan Henderson is the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and No. 10 on the list.

After Hendo's impressive win over Shogun at UFC 139, he jumps way up the pound-for-pound list, as he has now proven that age is nothing but a number.

If you think Hendo is ranked too high, look at it this way—Henderson is 5-1 in his last six fights, including knockouts at middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

No. 8: Rashad Evans

18 of 25

Age: 31

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 17-1-1

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2

Next Fight: Jon Jones at TBA

Rashad Evans is the former light heavyweight champion and is probably the unluckiest fighter on the entire UFC roster.

He beat Rampage Jackson for the No. 1 contender spot at UFC 114 and decided to wait for the title shot. Since that time, Rashad has waited, been injured, beaten Tito Ortiz and gotten injured again.

Then, on Saturday, he defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision and earned his long-awaited shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.

No. 7: Junior Dos Santos

19 of 25

Age: 26

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Record: 14-1

Last Fight: First-round TKO over Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1.

Next Fight: Alistair Overeem at TBA

Junior dos Santos is the heavyweight champion of the world. He seems like the first person to take a fight, risk losing a title shot and still earn the shot.

Dos Santos spent 15 minutes beating down Shane Carwin and kept his shot at the title.

Then, he beat down Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds and won the title.

JDS is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and has Overeem coming for him.

No. 6: Dominick Cruz

20 of 25

Age: 25

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Record: 19-1

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus 6

Next Fight: Urijah Faber at TBA

Dominick Cruz is the former WEC bantamweight champion and the current UFC bantamweight champion.

Cruz is one of the best young fighters in the sport and has only one loss on his record, which he has since avenged.

In his last fight, he was able to defeat another top contender, as he won all five rounds (on two judges' scorecards) and defeated Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision.

Cruz will now coach on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter against Urijah Faber.

No. 5: Jon Jones

21 of 25

Age: 24

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Record: 15-1

Last Fight: Submission victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 140

Next Fight: Rashad Evans at TBA

Jon Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and has all the tools to become one of the greatest of all time.

In defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, Jones has completed the single greatest year in MMA history, as he went 4-0 with four finishes over three former UFC champions.

Jones will now face Rashad Evans for his next fight.

No. 4: Jose Aldo

22 of 25

Age: 24

Weight Class: Featherweight

Record: 21-1

Last Fight: KO victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 142

Next Fight: TBA

At UFC 142, Jose Aldo proved to everyone that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the featherweight division.

With his first-round KO of Chad Mendes, Aldo jumped right back into contention as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

After Mendes, there are still several challenges left for Aldo at featherweight, including Dustin Poirier, Erik Koch and Hatsu Hioki.

Perhaps then he ventures to the lightweight division.

No. 3: Frankie Edgar

23 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: Lightweight

Record: 14-1-1

Last Fight: TKO victory over Gray Maynard at UFC 136

Next Fight: Benson Henderson at UFC 144

Frankie Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion and a great young fighter.

Edgar is possibly the smallest fighter in his division, and he cuts very little weight to make the 155-pound limit for the lightweight division.

He has long been considered a natural featherweight fighting at lightweight. Fighting a weight class up? That's something that defines pound-for-pound.

No. 2: Georges St-Pierre

24 of 25

Age: 30

Weight Class: Welterweight

Record: 22-2

Last Fight: Unanimous-decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129

Next Fight: TBA

Ah, yes. Let the debate begin. Who really is No. 1? Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva?

Until one of them loses—or they fight one another—this question cannot be answered.

Georges St-Pierre is the current welterweight champion and was last seen winning a unanimous decision over Jake Shields at the largest MMA event in North American history.

Now he's injured again and will be out for a minimum of 10 months.