UFC 130 Results: Ranking the Top 10 Light Heavyweights in the UFC

The expectations were high for Quinton Jackson heading into UFC 130. Although Jackson wasn't able to deliver a finish, he still put on a dominant performance against Matt Hamill.

In defeat, Hamill proved to be a level below the true light heavyweight contenders, but he showed heart and a solid chin by going the distance with Jackson.

Once again in the mix for a title shot, let's take a look at where "Rampage" stacks up with the top 10 light heavyweights in the UFC.

10. Ryan Bader

MMA Record: 12-1

After climbing his way up the light heavyweight rankings, Ryan Bader hit a road block against Jon Jones at UFC 126. Despite the loss, Bader's stock in the division didn't take much of a hit due to the level of dominance Jones has realized in recent fights.

Bader will attempt to get back on track in his next fight at UFC 132 against Tito Ortiz, who originally turned away Bader's request for the two to fight.

9. Phil Davis

MMA Record: 9-0

Phil Davis didn't dominate Antonio Rogerio Nogueira like some thought he should have in his last fight, but Davis still did enough to come away with the victory. After the fight, Davis hinted that he would like to take some time off to improve his game through training.

So much for that.

Davis recently accepted a fight with Rashad Evans, who had originally been expected to fight for the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones. Jones was forced out of that bout due to injury, though, and Davis will attempt to make the most of the opportunity he has been given to become one of the top contenders in the division.

8. Rich Franklin

MMA Record: 28-6, 1 NC

Rich Franklin's spot above younger fighters such as Ryan Bader and Phil Davis is not likely to last much longer. Likely the only reason he is currently ranked higher than Bader and Davis is due to the level of competition has has been given the opportunity to defeat.

However, Franklin will have the opportunity to prolong the inevitable if he can perform well against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, whom Bader and Davis both had some trouble against.

On the other hand, a loss to Nogueira would be a second in a row for Franklin and could potentially knock the former middleweight champion out of relevancy for good.

7. Thiago Silva

MMA Record: 14-2, 1 NC

A one year suspension was the last thing Thiago Silva needed after missing a year prior to his last fight with Brandon Vera. However, that is exactly what Silva got after it was discovered that he attempted to cheat on his pre-fight drug test by providing a urine sample that was not his.

In addition to the suspension, Silva's dominant win over Vera was overturned to a no contest.

An extremely talented fighter, Silva is capable of accomplishing great things in MMA, but he will need to stay healthy and remain clean from here on out.

6. Forrest Griffin

MMA Record: 18-6

After losing his light heavyweight title to Rashad Evans and then following that up with an embarrassing loss to Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin has now won two consecutive fights against former UFC champions in Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin.

Now, Griffin will face Mauricio Rua in a rematch of the fight that gave Griffin his shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to begin with. It is quite possible that Griffin could repeat history if he earns a dominant win over Rua in their rematch.

5. Lyoto Machida

MMA Record: 17-2

After suffering the only two losses of his career in back-to-back fights, Lyoto Machida has re-emerged as a contender with his flying front kick knockout of Randy Couture.

Since the win over Couture, UFC President Dana White has said that Machida could be the next fighter to meet UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones if Quinton Jackson is unable to make a quick turnaround due to a hand injury.

4. Quinton Jackson

MMA Record: 32-8

Quinton Jackson has now earned two wins since his disappointing loss to Rashad Evans in May 2010. Surprisingly, Jackson has seemingly surpassed Evans in line for a title shot in the eyes of Dana White, who said after UFC 130 that Jackson will be the top contender if his hand will not prevent him from challenging Jon Jones in the near future.

Jackson showed excellent takedown defense against Matt Hamill, something that plagued him in the fight with Evans and an aspect that he will need to continue to perfect if he wants to defeat Jones.

3. Rashad Evans

MMA Record: 15-1-1

Rashad Evans has not fought since his unanimous decision victory over Quinton Jackson, which took place exactly one year ago. Since then, Evans has decided to wait for title shots and has been forced out of title shots due to injury.

It seems that Evans is cursed, but the matter could be made even worse if he loses to Phil Davis in his next fight at UFC 133. Evans had been expected to fight UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones at the event, but Jones was forced out of that bout due to injury.

2. Mauricio Rua

MMA Record: 19-5

Many predicted that Mauricio Rua would lose his title to Jon Jones at UFC 128, but few could have foreseen the beatdown that ended up taking place. Rua was never in the fight and will now have to work his way back toward another shot at the title he was unable to defend once.

Rua's first fight after losing his belt will come against Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. The fight will be a rematch of a bout Rua lost in his UFC debut.

1. Jon Jones

MMA Record: 13-1

Jon Jones proved to everyone that the hype was justified by destroying Mauricio Rua to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Jones was then scheduled to meet Rashad Evans in his first title defense, but was forced to back out of the fight due to a hand injury.

Now, Jones will likely meet Quinton Jackson or Lyoto Machida later in the year.

UFC 130: Fight Card, News, Predictions, Results, and More!

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @seansmithMMA.