UFC Rankings After UFC 103

After a big week of fighting action from the UFC with Ultimate Fight Night on Wednesday and UFC 103 last night, the rankings for each division has changed. Some fighters have cemented their place in the top five, others dropped out of title contention in a flash.

Let's take a look at each division's current top five challengers.

Lightweights

Champion: BJ Penn

1. Diego Sanchez

Since dropping down to the lightweight division, Sanchez has looked impressive. Although he wasn't able to finish Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida, he cemented himself a place as the current No. 1 contender and will fight BJ Penn for the title at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

2. Frankie Edgar

It's safe to say that Edgar was a sleeper in the division before his dominating win over former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. With that win, I think it's time for him to meet the winner of Sanchez vs Penn. His fight against Pellegrino might just be to cement his place as the next challenger while BJ and Diego battle it out. 

3. Tyson Griffin

With his recent win over Hermes Franca, Tyson Griffin became the only fighter in UFC history to finish Franca in a fight. Having won seven of his nine UFC fights, Griffin has cemented his place as one of the top fighters in the division. Tyson should get another high profile fight soon and he'll be good for a title fight.

4. Gray Maynard

Gray Maynard is still undefeated in the UFC and his last win over top contender Roger Huerta may have opened the eyes of the UFC. For some reason, the UFC don't seem to give Maynard a shot, as if they're keeping him back. There is no holding him back anymore, one more fight against a top five fighter and he gets his shot.

5. Kenny Florian

Florian suffered a set-back with his loss to BJ Penn at UFC 101, but Kenny stays one of the top fighters in his division and he'll have a chance to prove that against Clay Guida. I would imagine that if Kenny can beat Clay and then defeat a fighter like Edgar or Maynard, he would get another title shot.

The thing with the lightweight division is that BJ looks unstoppable and it doesn't seem anybody can beat him at 155. Diego has the best chance and if he can't do it, chances are BJ will continue to dominate for as long as he wants.

Welterweights

Champion: Georges St-Pierre

1. Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch is a top contender in the division there's no doubt about that. His only loss is to current champion Georges St-Pierre and since the loss, he has dominated all opponents. Fitch also expressed interest in a rematch for the title. A win against Ricardo Almeida in his next fight would surely get him the title shot he wants.

2. Mike Swick

It's too bad Swick got injured before his fight against Kampmann at UFC 103 because I really think he would have won. Swick has dominated all opponents since dropping down to welterweight and has suffered only one loss in his 10 UFC fights. When he returns, he should get a fight against any top contender and expect him to fight GSP in the future.

3. Thiago Alves

Even in defeat, Alves put on a good show against St-Pierre at UFC 100. Alves is still very dangerous and expect him to get a couple more wins soon. With the lack of top contenders in the division, it's safe to say that Alves will most likely get another shot at the gold down the road.

4. Josh Koscheck

Koscheck suffered a couple of set-backs but his place as one of the top fighters in his division is cemented. After his dominating win over veteran Frank Trigg, Koscheck is back in the win column and closer to a title shot. He said he wanted to fight Matt Hughes next; a win there could finally get him a title shot.

5. Carlos Condit

Condit came in the UFC with a very close split decision loss to Martin Kampmann that is questionable. He's still young and has a long way to go, but as former WEC welterweight champion, Condit is getting closer to a title shot. He defeated a tough fighter in Jake Ellenberger and expect Condit to shine in the near future.

I don't know if anybody in the division is much of a threat for St-Pierre right now, but there are a couple of contenders for his title and more will come with time. I think that the top five fighters right now all have a decent shot at becoming champion with a little more time.

Middleweights

Champion: Anderson Silva

1. Nate Marquardt

Nate has been doing great since coming to the UFC. His only losses were to Anderson Silva and a very controversial split decision loss to Thales Leites. Other than that, he's been winning some impressive fights. His recent win over Demian Maia made him an immediate contender for Silva's gold.

2. Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson proved he was still a force to be reckoned with at UFC 100 with a brutal KO over Michael Bisping. He wanted a rematch against Silva as soon as the fight against Bisping ended. Now it's hard to argue as to who the No. 1 contender for the title is, but it seems Henderson and Marquardt will have to fight to find out.

3. Vitor Belfort

Dana White said before UFC 103 that if Vitor Belfort would beat Rich Franklin, he would put himself in top contention against Anderson Silva. With Marquardt and Henderson fighting for the top spot, it's safe to say that Belfort is sitting tightly at No.3, waiting for things to clear up.

4. Yushin Okami

Having suffered only one loss in his UFC career, Yushin Okami is a contender that the UFC seem to keep as far away as possible from the No. 1 contender spot. With wins over some top competiton in the division, Okami should of gotten his shot at Silva a while back. Okami would only need a win over any top five fighter to get his shot.

5. Demian Maia

When talking about BJJ experts, look no further then Demian Maia. Maia lost his last fight against Marquardt but he's still very dangerous on the ground and a big win would put him right back in title contention. With improved stand-up skills, Maia could get right back in the running and seriously challenge some of the top fighters.

With Vitor winning over Franklin, the middleweight division got interested again. The problem stays that Anderson can't be challenged at this weight division. It will be interesting what happens with the Hendo/Marquardt dilemma.

Light-Heavyweights

Champion: Lyoto Machida

1. Quinton Jackson

Jackson is a former champion and he wants his title back. His loss to Forrest Griffin sent him on a rampage (no pun intended). He came back and looked great against Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine. If he can beat Rashad Evans, he will challenge for the title.

2. Rashad Evans

When Rashad fought Machida, he got dominated. Machida made him look like an amateur. Now, it's time for him to get back up and move forward. His next fight will be against "Rampage" Jackson and a win there would easily put him back in the title hunt and a rematch against Lyoto.

3. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

It's highly questionable that Rua gets the title shot against Machida, but with Evans and Rampage as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC turned to Rua for a title shot. I don't think he's a top contender yet, I would of loved to see him fight better competition then Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell.

4. Thiago Silva

Thiago Silva was highly criticized for his loss to Lyoto Machida, which is his only loss, by the way. Lyoto made Silva look bad, but then again, Machida makes everybody look bad. Thiago got a nice victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 102 and that put him right back in the title picture. Silva should get a top fighter next and that would surely put him back on top to get a rematch.

5. Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin has suffered two tough losses against Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva but the fact remains that he defeated both "Shogun" and "Rampage." He's still a very talented fighter that would easily get right back in the title run with a win over a top fighter. I see Forrest fighting Thiago Silva in the near future, a potential No. 1 contender's fight.

Who knows how long it will take for Rashad and Rampage to settle their score. For now Rua is stepping in as top contender but I see Forrest or Thiago getting their shot pretty soon too. If Rua pulls out the upset of beating Machida, then Anderson Silva becomes an interesting challenger at 205.

Heavyweights

Champion: Brock Lesnar

1. Shane Carwin

When you think about impressive, you think about Shane Carwin. He has 11 fights that all ended with a win in the first round. Since coming to the UFC, Carwin has skyrocketed to the top of the division and will now challenge Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight championship at UFC 106.

He could possibly be the man that tests Lesnar's chin the most and we'll see how Brock does against that.

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

He's a former UFC interim heavyweight champion and his recent win over hall of famer Randy Couture could get him another crack at the title. With the heavyweight championship fight at UFC 106, Nogueira could possibly be waiting for the winner of that fight just to get his shot.

3. Junior Dos Santos

Dos Santos made an immediate impact in the UFC with wins over Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve. But it was at UFC 103 that he shined the most with a dominating performance against the legend that is Mirko Cro Cop. Junior Dos Santos still needs a big win before getting the title shot, but he has proved to be a fierce competitor.

4. Cain Valasquez

The undefeated Cain Valasquez was supposed to fight Shane Carwin at UFC 104 in a No. 1 contender's fight. Instead, he'll be fighting Ben Rothwell in hopes of a title shot. With a win against Rothwell, Valasquez could mix it up with a fighter like Gonzaga, Dos Santos, or Mir for his opportunity.

5. Frank Mir

Since his fight against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74, Mir has looked impressive. He was dominated against UFC champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 and he'll try to get back in title contention at UFC 107. Frank could get another title shot if he can get through the top fighters in the division right now.

Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin will headline UFC 106 and whoever leaves champion better keep his eyes open. With Dos Santos and Valasquez ready to make their mark, we could be seeing some very interesting fights for the heavyweight championship in the near future.