UFC Rankings for Each Weight Division Following UFC on Fox 10

On Saturday, Benson Henderson turned in another controversial decision victory when he met Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 10.

In three of his past five outings, Henderson has picked up split-decision wins. According to MMADecisions.com, a majority of the MMA media felt "Smooth" should have lost at least two of those bouts, with the weekend's matchup against Thomson being one of them. 

Is a win always a win in MMA, or was Henderson penalized in the rankings for his debatable victory over Thomson? 

With UFC on Fox 10 in the books and UFC 169 ahead, here are the latest official UFC rankings.

Pound-for-Pound

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Despite beating Thomson at UFC on Fox 10, Henderson didn't seem to move any closer to a rematch with lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

Because he's lost to "Showtime" twice over recent years, Henderson will need to give the UFC a real reason to match him up with the 155-pound king. Squeaking by Thomson on the scorecards wasn't nearly reason enough.

Until Henderson puts himself in that position to challenge for UFC gold again, he's going to be held back from advancing in the pound-for-pound rankings.

Official UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Jon Jones 
2. Jose Aldo 
3. Cain Velasquez 
4. Demetrious Johnson 
5. Chris Weidman  
6. Renan Barao 
7. Anderson Silva 
8. Anthony Pettis 
9. Ronda Rousey (+1)
10. Johny Hendricks (+1)
11. Vitor Belfort (+1) 
12. Benson Henderson (-3)
13. Urijah Faber 
14. Gilbert Melendez 
15. Dominick Cruz 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

While they aren't recent UFC champions like Henderson is, Johny Hendricks and Vitor Belfort are also clear top contenders in their respective divisions. Considering Hendricks nearly defeated one of the best ever in his most recent outing and taking into account Belfort's impressive winning streak, Henderson deserved to slide a bit in the pound-for-pound rankings. 

Bad Call

One change was made to the pound-for-pound rankings, and it was a good call.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 12 Benson Henderson defeated Josh Thomson by split decision.

UFC 169 Pound-for-Pound Fights

• No. 2 Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas
• No. 6 Renan Barao vs. No. 13 Urijah Faber

Heavyweight

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Stipe Miocic continues to inch closer to the top of the heavyweight division.

At UFC on Fox 10, he rode his conditioning to a decision win over Gabriel Gonzaga. While he ate some leg kicks early and got taken down in the first round, Miocic was able to take advantage of an exhausted Gonzaga in the later rounds.

With his mix of wrestling and boxing skill, he is a legitimate contender in the heavyweight class. He will need to shore up his striking defense in order to become a legitimate threat to champion Cain Velasquez, though.

Official UFC Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Cain Velasquez

1. Junior dos Santos 
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Travis Browne 
4. Daniel Cormier   
5. Josh Barnett 
6. Antonio Silva  
7. Stipe Miocic (+1) 
8. Mark Hunt (-1)
9. Alistair Overeem    
10. Frank Mir 
11. Roy Nelson 
12. Gabriel Gonzaga 
13. Minotauro Nogueira 
14. Stefan Struve 
15. Brendan Schaub 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

One change was made to the heavyweight rankings, and it was a bad call.

Bad Call

He may be riding more momentum, but Miocic shouldn't have surpassed Mark Hunt in the rankings.

Hunt has only lost to elite heavyweight Junior dos Santos and fought to a draw with Antonio Silva since beating Stefan Struve. Miocic is two fights removed from a loss to Struve, and since that loss, he defeated a Roy Nelson who competed on short notice and an unconditioned Gonzaga who didn't appear deserving of his spot above Struve in the rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Heavyweight Fights

• No. 7 Stipe Miocic defeated No. 12 Gabriel Gonzaga by unanimous decision.
• Nikita Krylov defeated Walt Harris by (T)KO in the first round.

UFC 169 Heavyweight Fights

• No. 9 Alistair Overeem vs. No. 10 Frank Mir

Light Heavyweight

Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Spor

The light heavyweight division is in the midst of a break in action.

No 205-pound bouts were contested at UFC on Fox 10, and none are scheduled for UFC 169.

At UFC 170, Rashad Evans will bring the light heavyweight class back into focus when he welcomes Daniel Cormier to the division. The winner of that matchup could be a leader in the race to earn a shot at the winner of an April title fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira. 

Official UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings

Champion: Jon Jones

1. Alexander Gustafsson 
2. Glover Teixeira 
3. Rashad Evans 
4. Phil Davis 
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira  
6. Mauricio Rua (+1)
7. Dan Henderson (-1)
8. Chael Sonnen 
9. Gegard Mousasi 
10. Ryan Bader 
11. Jimi Manuwa 
12. Thiago Silva 
13. Vitor Belfort 
14. Lyoto Machida 
15. James Te Huna 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

One change was made to the light heavyweight rankings, and it was a bad call.

Bad Call

Dan Henderson has lost three fights in a row. However, two of those fights ended in split decisions with highly ranked fighters Evans and Lyoto Machida, while a third came against a possessed Vitor Belfort in Brazil.

Mauricio Rua has beaten James Te Huna and Brandon Vera since losing to "Hendo" at UFC 139. "Shogun" was expected to beat those opponents and didn't look great in victory against Vera.

While Henderson has been struggling lately, Rua hasn't proved he's closed the gap between himself and the American. Luckily, the pair will meet in March to bring some clarity to the situation.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

UFC 169 Light Heavyweight Fights

• None

Middleweight

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The middleweight division is in a calm after the storm that was Chris Weidman's second victory over the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 168.

No 185-pounders competed at UFC on Fox 10, but a few will appear on the UFC 169 fight card. 

Nick Catone will return to the middleweight class following a loss to TJ Waldburger. "The Jersey Devil" will be welcomed back by Tom Watson, who was defeated by Thales Leites in his latest outing. 

Also, The Ultimate Fighter veteran Clint Hester will meet UFC newcomer Andy Enz on the preliminary card.

Official UFC Middleweight Rankings

Champion: Chris Weidman

1. Anderson Silva 
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Ronaldo Souza  
4. Lyoto Machida 
5. Michael Bisping 
6. Luke Rockhold 
7. Mark Munoz 
8. Francis Carmont  
9. Tim Kennedy 
10. Costas Philippou 
11. Tim Boetsch 
12. Alan Belcher
13. Brad Tavares 
14. Yoel Romero 
15. Chael Sonnen (NR) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

One change was made to the middleweight rankings, and it was a bad call.

Bad Call

I thought we had finally eliminated Chael Sonnen from the middleweight rankings. 

Apparently, I was wrong. The outspoken 205-pounder has returned to the 185-pound rankings, bouncing Leites from the division's Top 15.

Sonnen has not competed at 185 pounds since July 2012. If he's going to be ranked in the weight class, he should be a Top 10 middleweight and possibly still even Top Five in the division. Since he's been competing at light heavyweight for so long, though, an even better solution would be to remove him from the 185-pound rankings completely.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Middleweight Fights

• None

UFC 169 Middleweight Fights

• Nick Catone vs. Tom Watson
• Clint Hester vs. Andy Enz

Welterweight

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

UFC debutants George Sullivan and Mike Rhodes were the only welterweights to compete at UFC on Fox 10.

Sullivan edged Rhodes on the scorecards to pick up his first UFC victory. The 32-year-old obviously has a long way to go before he's given consideration for a Top 15 ranking, but earning a win on Saturday was a start and will give him a chance to build his name in the welterweight division.

At UFC 169, another welterweight newcomer, Gasan Umalatov, will kick off his UFC career against Neil Magny.

Official UFC Welterweight Rankings

Champion: N/A

1. Johny Hendricks
2. Carlos Condit
3. Robbie Lawler 
4. Rory MacDonald    
5. Jake Ellenberger 
6. Demian Maia       
7. Jake Shields 
8. Matt Brown  
9. Tarec Saffiedine 
10. Tyron Woodley 
11. Dong Hyun Kim
12. Hector Lombard
13. Rick Story 
14. Josh Koscheck 
15. Mike Pyle 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the welterweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Welterweight Fights

• George Sullivan defeated Mike Rhodes by unanimous decision.

UFC 169 Welterweight Fights

• Neil Magny vs. Gasan Umalatov

Lightweight

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The controversy that was the decision between Henderson and Thomson overshadowed another strong performance in the lightweight division.

Looking to return to title contention, Donald Cerrone blasted Adriano Martins with a head kick to earn Knockout of the Night honors at UFC on Fox 10. With back-to-back finishes, "Cowboy" may be ready to return to Top 10 competition.

One fighter who may not be available as an opponent is Thomson. Visibly frustrated following his loss to Henderson, "The Punk" hinted at retirement during the UFC on Fox 10 post-fight press conference.

Official UFC Lightweight Rankings

Champion: Anthony Pettis

1. Benson Henderson 
2. Gilbert Melendez 
3. TJ Grant 
4. Josh Thomson 
5. Nate Diaz  
6. Rafael dos Anjos
7. Khabib Nurmagomedov   
8. Donald Cerrone 
9. Jim Miller 
10. Gray Maynard 
11. Edson Barboza 
12. Bobby Green 
13. Michael Johnson 
14. Diego Sanchez 
15. Rustam Khabilov 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the lightweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the lightweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Lightweight Fights

• No. 1 Benson Henderson defeated No. 4 Josh Thomson by split decision.
• No. 8 Donald Cerrone defeated Adriano Martins by (T)KO in the first round.
• Daron Cruickshank defeated Mike Rio by (T)KO in the second round.

UFC 169 Lightweight Fights

• Jamie Varner vs. Abel Trujillo
• John Makdessi vs. Alan Patrick
• Al Iaquinta vs. Kevin Lee
• Tony Martin vs. Rashid Magomedov

Featherweight

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Stephens is officially a contender in the featherweight division.

At UFC on Fox 10, the former lightweight shut down Darren Elkins' wrestling en route to a clear decision victory. In doing so, "Lil' Heathen" has established himself as a serious threat to Jose Aldo and the best 145-pounders in the world.

Even at 155 pounds, Stephens carried some the most devastating power in the class. Featherweights have to be even more wary of the knockout power carried by Stephens, who already stopped Rony Jason since dropping down.

Official UFC Featherweight Rankings

Champion: Jose Aldo

1. Chad Mendes
2. Ricardo Lamas
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Cub Swanson 
5. Chan Sung Jung 
6. Dustin Poirier 
7. Dennis Siver 
8. Nik Lentz 
9. Clay Guida 
10. Jeremy Stephens (NR)
11. Darren Elkins 
12. Erik Koch  
13. Conor McGregor 
14. Dennis Bermudez 
15. Tatsuya Kawajiri   

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

It was an easy decision, but the rankings panel acted swiftly in moving Stephens into the Top 10.

With some division-altering outcomes, the voters have been slow to vault the winner in the rankings. However, MMA rankings are not like college football rankings and such. Fighters compete only a few times per year, so decisive victories need to move competitors ahead of the opponents they defeated.

Bad Call

One change was made to the featherweight rankings, and it was a good call.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Featherweight Fights

• No. 10 Jeremy Stephens defeated No. 11 Darren Elkins by unanimous decision.

UFC 169 Featherweight Fights

• (C) Jose Aldo vs. No. 2 Ricardo Lamas

Bantamweight

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Eddie Wineland took a sizeable step down in competition after his loss to bantamweight champion Renan Barao, but it didn't take the former WEC champion long to prove he should still be fighting elite 135-pounders.

Yves Jabouin provided Wineland with an interesting striking matchup, but he was unable to handle the recent title challenger's power. In the second round, the Canadian was dropped and stopped with Wineland's ground-and-pound.

Now, Wineland will keep an eye on Saturday's title fight between Barao and Faber. It may not be long before he earns a rematch with one of the elite bantamweights.

Official UFC Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Renan Barao

1. Urijah Faber 
2. Michael McDonald  
3. Raphael Assuncao 
4. Eddie Wineland 
5. TJ Dillashaw 
6. Brad Pickett  
7. Takeya Mizugaki 
8. Mike Easton 
9. Iuri Alcantara 
10. Dominick Cruz (+2)
11. Francisco Rivera (-1) 
12. Erik Perez (-1)
13. Bryan Caraway
14. Ivan Menjivar 
15. Alex Caceres (NR) 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

None of the changes made to the bantamweight rankings were good calls.

Bad Call

Alex Caceres is on a nice little run, but he should not have bounced Wilson Reis from the bantamweight rankings. 

Reis is coming off a win over Ivan Menjivar, who is still ranked No. 13 in the 135-pound division. If Caceres had to eliminate somebody from the Top 15, it should have been Dominick Cruz, who is still ranked despite being inactive for more than two years.

More than likely, Cruz will return as a top-notch bantamweight, but he should be non-ranked until he comes back and proves his injuries haven't diminished his skills drastically.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Bantamweight Fights

• No. 4 Eddie Wineland defeated Yves Jabouin by (T)KO in the second round.
• No. 15 Alex Caceres defeated Sergio Pettis by submission in the third round.
• Chico Camus defeated Yaotzin Meza by unanimous decision.
• Hugo Viana defeated Junior Hernandez by unanimous decision.

UFC 169 Bantamweight Fights

• (C) Renan Barao vs. No. 1 Urijah Faber

Flyweight

Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

At UFC 169, John Lineker will battle two opponents.

First, the Brazilian will need to face the scale and avoid missing weight for a third consecutive occasion. With four straight wins, Lineker's poor weight cutting has probably cost him a shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship, but he'll have a chance to earn back the trust of the UFC brass at Friday's weigh-in.

Inside the Octagon, Russian Ali Bagautinov will stand between Lineker and another step toward the title shot he seeks. A winner of his first two UFC bouts, Bagautinov will try to steal Lineker's momentum. 

Official UFC Flyweight Rankings

Champion: Demetrious Johnson

1. John Dodson 
2. Joseph Benavidez 
3. Ian McCall
4. John Moraga
5. John Lineker 
6. Jussier Formiga 
7. Ali Bagautinov 
8. Tim Elliott 
9. Chris Cariaso 
10. Zach Makovsky 
11. Louis Gaudinot 
12. Scott Jorgensen  
13. Dustin Ortiz 
14. Darrell Montague 
15. Darren Uyenoyama  

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the flyweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the flyweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Flyweight Fights

• None

UFC 169 Flyweight Fights

• No. 5 John Lineker vs. No. 7 Ali Bagautinov
• No. 9 Chris Cariaso vs. Danny Martinez

Women's Bantamweight

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor

Although she just competed at UFC 168, Ronda Rousey is making a quick turnaround and will be one of the next female fighters to step into the Octagon.

No ladies competed at UFC on Fox 10, and none will appear at UFC 169.

Headlined by Rousey and Sara McMann, UFC 170 will be the next fight card to feature women's bantamweight bouts. Alexis Davis and Jessica Eye will also compete at the event in a matchup that could possibly determine the next title challenger.

Official UFC Women's Bantamweight Rankings

Champion: Ronda Rousey

1. Cat Zingano 
2. Miesha Tate 
3. Alexis Davis
4. Sara McMann
5. Jessica Eye 
6. Sarah Kaufman 
7. Liz Carmouche 
8. Amanda Nunes 
9. Jessica Andrade 
10. Julianna Pena 
11. Germaine de Randamie 
12. Bethe Correia 
13. Raquel Pennington 
14. Jessamyn Duke 
15. Jessica Rakoczy 

Rankings Analysis

Good Call

No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.

Bad Call

No changes were made to the women's bantamweight rankings.

Results and Upcoming Fights

UFC on Fox 10 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None

UFC 169 Women's Bantamweight Fights

• None