UFC Title Rankings After January 2011

January offered quite a few notable fights in rankings, once again with the lighter-weight fighters among the majority. Find out where your favorite fighters stand among the top 10.

Remember, this is just one man's opinion. Please chime in with your opinions, but please read the title.

These are UFC title rankings, not power rankings. They are my view on where these respected fighters stand in their title aspirations.

Bantamweight Division

January's Key Fights

None

February's Key Fights

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos

The once-dominant bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres, looks to start a win streak after suffering two straight defeats.

Although he is already a well-rounded fighter, Torres continues to evolve the weaker areas of his arsenal, especially since he moved his camp out to the Tristar Gym with Firas Zihabi.

Although never considered to be a front-runner among the bantamweight division, one thing is for certain: when it comes to Antonio Banuelos, you know you're going to see a dog fight.

No matter the punishment, Banuelos stays in the fight looking for the finish, making him a dangerous opponent for Torres.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Norifumi Yamamoto

After derailing Damacio Page, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will look to do the same and steal the thunder away from the Japanese MMA faithful.

Fighting at his natural weight, Johnson will likely try to use his wrestling skills to take out the highly-touted acquisition and emphatically march into the top ten.

However, the man known around the world as "Kid" has wrestling credentials of his own, and even competed in Freestyle Wrestling in the 2008 Olympics.

Fighting at his preferred weight, "Kid" Yamamoto's dangerous striking and grappling credentials could cause a needed spark to the bantamweight division.

Rankings

Noteworthy- Demetrious Johnson (8-1), Norifumi Yamamoto (18-3-0-1) & Antonio Banuelos (19-6)

10- Wagnney Fabiano (14-3)

9- Charlie Valencia (12-6)

8- Takeya Mizugaki (13-5-3)

7- Scott Jorgensen (11-4)

6- Eddie Wineland (18-6-1)

5- Urijah Faber (24-4)

4- Miguel Torres (37-3)

3- Brian Bowles (8-1)

2- Joseph Benavidez (13-2)

1- Brad Pickett (20-5)

Champion- Dominic Cruz (17-1)

Featherweight Division

January's Key Fights

Mike Brown vs. Diego Nunes & Rani Yahya

After a roller coaster stretch in his career, Mike Brown was looking to get on track towards a rematch with Jose Aldo, but standing in his way was Aldo's training partner, Diego Nunes. In a back & forth affair, Brown swelled up Nunes' eye but ultimately fell short in two of the three judges' eyes.

Hoping to bounce back on with a short-notice fight, Brown accepted to fill the role left vacant by Chan Sung Jung, who was scheduled to face Rani Yahya.

Clearly, Brown had the striking advantage, but the crafty, deceptively strong Jiu Jitsu ace was able to shut Brown down and control the rhythm of the fight.

For the second fight in a row, Brown lost by decision and now finds himself outside of the top ten, looking in.

Dustin Poirier vs. Josh Grispi

Originally scheduled to fight for the featherweight championship against Jose Aldo, Josh Grispi decided to still fight once the champion was forced from the card from a lingering injury.

A big chance that gains lots of respect, but can severely hurt their run should they lose, which is exactly what happened to Grispi.

Dustin Poirier left the UFC jitters outside of the cage and systematically outworked Grispi in every aspect of the fight.

Even when Grispi found himself in top control, it didn't last long. In the end, Poirier earned his top ten spot with a clear-cut decision victory.

Mark Hominick vs. George Roop

Knowing what was at stake in a title shot against a dominant champion, Mark Hominick shined and put on a striking clinic against the lanky featherweight George Roop. Starting early, Hominick had Roop on the bicycle early with short, crisp punches with deadly accuracy.

Punches were landing left and right, eventually flooring the wobbled Roop for a final time, giving Hominick the TKO victory in the first round.

Up next for Hominick is the Brazilian wrecking machine, Jose Aldo. Many are already throwing Hominick's chances out the window, but with how he shined in a fight to earn the No. 1 contender slot, it's hard to doubt the Canadian, especially in his homeland.

February's Key Fights

Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Alpha Male prodigy Chad Mendes is looking to put his name in the bag of potential contenders with a victory over the UFC's other highly touted acquisition. Mendes will undoubtedly be receiving his toughest test to date as his brute wrestling matches up against the Judo of Michihiro Omigawa.

The past has shown that Judo usually loses that fight, but Omigawa has been one of the very few to take his Judo and modify it to better suit MMA.

Since finding his home at featherweight, Omigawa has been on a tear, taking out guys such as Marlon Sandro, Hatsu Hioki and LC Davis.

Rankings

Noteworthy- Raphael Assuncao (15-3), Mike Brown (24-8), Leonard Garcia (15-6-1), Nam Phan (16-8)

10- Rani Yahya (16-6)

9- Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1)

8- Urijah Faber (24-4)

7- Josh Grispi (14-2)

6- Dustin Poirier (9-1)

5- Manny Gamburyan (11-5)

4- Erik Koch (11-1)

3- Chad Mendes (9-0)

2- Diego Nunes (16-1)

1- Mark Hominick (20-8)

Champion- Jose Aldo Jr. (18-1)

Lightweight Division

January's Key Fights

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

After taking a bruising throughout the entire first round, Frankie Edgar showed the guts and determination of a champion and found his rhythm and range for the rest of the fight. As the rounds expired, Edgar thrived with his cardio while Gray Maynard began to wilt.

Many believed that Edgar held the advantage in rounds won, 3-2. At the same time, many believed that the beating he took in the first was worthy of a score of 10-8. In the end, the judges were unable to agree on the result, as one scored the bout for Edgar, one for Maynard, and one calling it a draw.

With no climax to this entertaining series, the UFC has booked a rematch between the two at UFC 130.

Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida

Clay Guida knew if he wanted to solidify himself as a front-runner in the log-jammed division, he would need to get a big win over an established fighter, and Takanori Gomi fit that bill perfectly.

Coming in with wildly bizarre head movement, Guida was able to frustrate Gomi and keep him guessing throughout the fight.

After stifling Gomi on the feet, Guida found his way onto the striker's back late in the second round, where he eventually forced the tap due to rear-naked choke.

Up next for Guida is rising star Anthony Pettis, in what will likely be a No. 1 contenders bout.

Evan Dunham vs. Melvin Guillard

After two strong performances against Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk, Dunham was hoping to raise his stock more with a victory over Kenny Florian; however, an injury forced Florian from the fight. In comes Melvin Guillard on short notice.

Again, in a log-jammed division, you need to beat somebody to be somebody, and Guillard knew this. Using his lightning-quick hands, Guillard shocked Dunham early and forced him into predictable takedown attempts.

After hurting him again, Guillard ended the fight with some nasty knees and catapulted himself into the title picture.

February's Key Fights

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver

George Sotiropoulos will look to keep his name amongst the title contender talk while dangerous German striker Dennis Siver plans on beating the Aussie to get his name thrown into the hat as well.

A good old-fashioned striker-vs.-grappler bout. Neither fighter is stupid enough to play the other's game, and both will have a good strategy to deal with their strengths. Who will be able implement their attack more effectively?

Rankings

Noteworthy-  Nick Lentz (20-3), Tyson Griffin (14-5), Takanori Gomi (32-7-0-1), Matt Wiman (13-5), Ben Henderson (12-2)

10- Evan Dunham (11-2)

9- Melvin Guillard (27-8-2-1)

8- Kenny Florian (13-5)

7- Sean Sherk (34-4-1)

6- B.J. Penn (16-7-1)

5- Clay Guida (28-11)

4- George Sotiropoulos (14-2)

3- Jim Miller (19-2)

2- Anthony Pettis (12-1)

1- Gray Maynard (10-0-1-1)
 
Champion- Frankie Edgar (13-1-1)

Welterweight Division

January's Key Fights

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Undefeated Judo expert Dong Hyun Kim is usually able to take his opponents into his grappling world en route to victory. Nathan Diaz was supposed to be able to challenge Kim in grappling and every other area of the fight.

While Diaz did get the better of the striking, he had no answer for Kim's superior ground game, which is saying a lot considering how dangerous Diaz is off of his back.

Three rounds were completed with Kim controlling most of the action, and in the end, the judges agreed and gave him the unanimous decision.

With the welterweight division as stacked as it is, Kim still finds himself on the verge of the top ten.

February's Key Fights

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Carlos Eduardo Rocha splashed onto the scene with a quick first-round submission over former Ultimate Fighter Kris McCray. Undefeated in nine fights, with only one fight making it into the second round,

Rocha's Jiu Jitsu has been proven to be very dangerous. If Rocha makes it past his opponent at UFC 126, he could find himself one or two fights out of the top ten.

However, Rocha has never faced the type of intensity that Jake Ellenberger brings. The dangerous ground striker has only lost once in the last two years, and it was a debatable loss to Carlos Condit at that.

If Ellenberger scores a quick and convincing victory, he will find himself sitting pretty in a very deep division, but he has to be wary of the submissions.

Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle

Carlos Condit has solidified his title run with a knockout victory over former contender Dan Hardy, and will look to further cement his status as a top contender at UFC 127.

In typical Condit fashion, expect his technique to be improved in every facet of the game, which will be accompanied by a specifically tailored Greg Jackson game plan.

Game plans will likely be the key to victory in this fight, as Chris Lytle as just as dangerous in every area of the fight.

Lytle's love of striking makes fans often forget about his dangerous Jiu Jitsu. Winner of his last four, Lytle plans to slow Condit's run and launch himself into the top ten.

B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch

After B.J. Penn ended the Matt Hughes rubber match very abruptly, he was quickly signed into a bout with consensus No. 2 welterweight Jon Fitch. If Penn hopes to stay at welterweight, this is the perfect bout to see if it will be worth it. Penn's striking is undoubtedly better, but he has shown that he has trouble with infinite gas tanks.

On the other hand, Jon Fitch needs to win just to keep his name in the potential contenders list, despite winning five straight since giving up a loss to Georges St. Pierre.

A finish would help his case out, but Penn is one that isn't finished easily. With a victory over Penn, Fitch will have a decent case in claiming another title shot.

Rankings

Noteworthy- Matt Hughes (45-8), Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1-1), Anthony Johnson (8-3), Jake Ellenberger (23-5)

10- Paulo Thiago (13-3)

9- Diego Sanchez (22-4)

8- B.J. Penn (16-7-1)

7- Josh Koscheck (15-5)

6- Dan Hardy (23-8)

5- Thiago Alves (17-7)

4- Martin Kampmann (17-4)

3- Carlos Condit (26-5)

2- Jake Shields (26-4-1)

1- Jon Fitch (23-3)

Champion- Georges St. Pierre (21-2)

Middleweight Division

January's Key Fights

Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann

While Chris Leben wanted a bigger fight, he didn't hesitate in taking a fight with the brute marine Brian Stann. Many people began blasting Joe Silva and his match-making for this fight, but in the end, those fans were made to be fools.

Stann rocked Leben halfway through the first and brought relentless pressure, which ultimately sent Leben crumbling towards the canvas.

In typical middleweight fashion, the big winner proceeded to call out Wanderlei Silva, but unlike the others, Stann got the fight he dreamed of.

February's Key Fights

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (Championship Bout)

After fighting in the toughest fight of his career against Chael Sonnen, it seems like there isn't any area of MMA that Anderson can't find a way to win.

It seems like he's been tested everywhere, but in the fight game, there is always a worthy challenger waiting in the wings, and that challenger is Vitor Belfort.

While Silva has faced some skilled strikers in the past, he has never faced anyone with the speed of Belfort. Truthfully though, that is more than likely the only advantage that Belfort holds over Silva, but the old adage says that speed kills.

A big question here though is with the extended time out of the UFC cage, will Belfort still hold that advantage come fight night?

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera

Michael Bisping had originally wanted a top five opponent, but when Jorge Rivera began running his mouth, Bisping gladly accepted the fight. As per usual, Bisping will look to use his quick combinations to frustrate his opponent.

While a win wouldn't get Bisping the title shot he's been looking for, it would definitely push him closer than he's ever been before.

Although the technical advantage goes to Bisping, the raw power of Rivera evens out the stand-up comparisons. Add in the gritty heart and determination that Rivera brings, and that makes this a who-knows fight.

Rivera's late resurgence in his career could receive a huge boost if he can pull out a victory over Bisping.

Rankings

Noteworthy- Chris Leben (21-7), Maiquel Falcao (26-3), Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-3), Alessio Sakara (15-7-1), C.B. Dolloway (11-2)

10- Mark Munoz (9-2)

9- Brian Stann (10-3)

8- Alan Belcher (16-6)

7- Demian Maia (13-2)

6- Michael Bisping (20-3)

5- Nate Marquardt (30-10-2)

4- Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1-1)

3- Chael Sonnen (24-11-1)

2- Yushin Okami (26-5)

1- Vitor Belfort (19-8)

Champion- Anderson Silva (27-4)

Light-Heavyweight Division

January's Key Fights

Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera

Without any more injuries lingering his abilities, Thiago Silva used his UFC 125 fight with Brandon Vera to make an emphatic statement in the light-heavyweight division.

Not only did Silva find the mark more often than his opponent, he easily got the fight to the ground on several occasions, where it was no contest.

Not only did Silva control Vera with ease, he even decided to disrespect him by slapping him while in back control.

How that flies with the fans is another story, but the fact that Silva was able to dominate Vera the way he did proves that there may be more contenders in the division than meet the eye.

February's Key Fights

Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin

Two former champions with a gritty back-and-forth style.

Two lovable fighters who are nearly impossible to root against.

Two great guys that were bound to fight each other are now finally set to do battle. Both are likely still a decent amount of fights out of a title shot, but a victory would be a great addition in their hopeful title runs.

Again, it's hard to root for anybody in this fight, so just root for a good fight!

Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader

Jon Jones has been labeled heavily as the future of multiple divisions and the prototype of future MMA fighters.

While all of that is great, Jones still finds himself in the role of prospect trying to score the big win that gets him recognized as a top five fighter.

His dynamic and unpredictable style continues to be his bread and butter that no one has been able to stop.

If there is one person who can stop it though, it would have to come from another fast-rising prospect who can dictate where the fight happens, which is Ryan Bader to the tee.

His strong wrestling background will test Jones like he's never been tested before, but he has to get past the monstrous range first.

Rankings

Noteworthy: Randy Couture (19-10) and Matt Hamill (10-2)

10- Rich Franklin (27-5-0-1)

9- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-4)

8- Ryan Bader (12-0)

7- Forrest Griffin (17-6)

6- Anderson Silva (27-4)

5- Thiago Silva (15-2)

4- Jon Jones (11-1)

3- Lyoto Machida (16-2)

2- Quinton Jackson (30-7)

1- Rashad Evans (19-1-1)

Champion- Mauricio Rua (19-4)

Heavyweight Division

January's Key Fights

None

February's Key Fights

None

Rankings

Noteworthy: Ben Rothwell (31-7) and Travis Browne (10-0-1)

10- Brendan Schaub (7-1)

9- Mirko Filipovic (27-8-2)

8- Stefan Struve (21-4)

7- Cheick Kongo (15-6-2)

6- Roy Nelson (15-5)

5- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1)

4- Frank Mir (14-5)

3- Shane Carwin (12-1)

2- Brock Lesnar (5-2)

1- Junior dos Santos (12-1)

Champion- Cain Velasquez (9-0)