Power Ranking the Top 10 Light Heavyweights in MMA

With the latest Strikeforce card in the books, their light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson has established himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time with a TKO victory over “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko.

At 40 years old, where does Hendo stand amongst a competitive 205 pound division?

Is a super fight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones realistic?

Or would a fight with someone like Forrest Griffin or Mauricio Rua seem more likely?

Since retirement seems unlikely for the former Olympic silver medalist, a number of opponents seem possible for the Team Quest founder.

Another intriguing fight to keep your eye on is the main event of UFC 133, where Tito Ortiz faces off against Rashad Evans. 

A win for Evans solidifies him a title shot, while at worst, a win for Ortiz locks him in as a top 10 fighter.

Let’s take a look inside and see how the 205 pound division stacks up right now.  

10. Rafael Cavalcante (10-3)

The hard hitting Brazilian fighter has won all 10 of his professional fights via strikes (one opponent tapped out to punches), an impressive feat indeed.

Cavalcante won the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt from Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal via fourth round TKO in August of 2010, but came up short against Dan Henderson in his first title defense in March of this year. 

“Feijão” appears to have plenty of gas left in the tank at 30 years old and hopes to rebound against another former Olympic level wrestler in Yoel Romero at Strikeforce 36 next month. 

9. Thiago Silva (14-2(1))

Another heavy handed Brazilian brawler makes the list, and while he has been inactive since January 1, it’s tough to deny that Silva is in the mix at the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Silva started his MMA career off on a tear with 13 consecutive wins, also boasting 12 finishes.

Since then, Silva has lost to two top contenders in Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, and has also knocked out the always unpredictable Keith Jardine.

Silva served out a suspension for a falsified urine sample that came back after his fight with Brandon Vera, which eventually let to Silva admitting he used performance enhancing drugs prior to his January 1 bout with Vera.

Assuming Silva can get his training back on track, he should remain a reasonable threat for anyone in the UFC’s 205 pound weight class.

8. Phil Davis (9-0)

A four-time Division I All-American wrestler at Penn State University, “Mr. Wonderful” has quickly become one of the sports top prospects at 26 years old.

The former collegiate wrestling stand out also has a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and brings a very versatile grappling game with him every time he enters the cage.

Davis was hoping to make himself a consensus top five pick in the division by taking out Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but the Alliance MMA fighter had to withdraw in mid-July due to a knee injury. 

No word on who Davis will face once he is 100 percent again, but many swear that the freakish athlete is a top candidate to dethrone reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

7. Forrest Griffin (18-6)

The inaugural winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” wants to prove that he still has a championship run left in him coming off of a pair of quality wins over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin.

The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt has another tough test ahead against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, a man he defeated via rear naked choke back at UFC 76.

The biggest question heading into this fight, though, is which version of Griffin will show up, as he is just 2-2 in his last four fights. 

6. Dan Henderson (28-8)

The reigning Strikeforce light heavyweight champion comes in at No. 6, as he still looks like a real force to be reckoned with, even at the latter stage of his career.

Many had written Henderson off due to his age, but the 40-year-old has actually won five of his past six, and has not lost at light heavyweight since 2007. 

Henderson has also won his past three fights by way of knockout, including what he calls the biggest of his career when he bumped up to heavyweight to take out Fedor Emelianenko. 

Hendo’s next career move remains a serious mystery, but it seems to be a no brainer that fans would love to see him competing in the UFC one last time. 

5. Lyoto Machida (17-2)

“The Dragon” started off his career 14-0 prior to winning the UFC light heavyweight title from Rashad Evans at UFC 98, and fans thought the elusive karate-based striker was untouchable.

However, after winning a controversial decision over Mauricio Rua at UFC 104, Machida dropped the rematch to his fellow Brazilian foe at UFC 113. 

In a fight once again surrounded in controversy, Machida then dropped a split decision to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in November of 2010.

Fans then wondered if Machida’s days of an elite contender were over, and while all questions have not been answered, he effectively retired MMA legend Randy Couture at UFC 129 this past April.

After a rumored bout with Chael Sonnen was scrapped and a rematch with Rashad Evans was declined, Machida sits on the sidelines waiting for his next opponent.

Forrest Griffin, Mauricio Rua, Dan Henderson,or even a rematch Tito Ortiz could be legitimate possibilities before 2011 comes to a close. 

4. Mauricio Rua (19-5)

An almost nine year veteran in MMA, Rua has an awfully impressive resume at this juncture.

“Shogun” has defeated the likes of Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Alistair Overeem (twice), Mark Coleman, Lyoto Machida and Chuck Liddell.

The injury prone Rua lost the UFC light heavyweight title to Jon “Bones” Jones in March of this year, where he looked completely helpless and outclassed.

Rua looks to bounce back by avenging a 2007 loss to Forrest Griffin.  His shot at redemption comes at UFC 134.

3. Quinton Jackson (32-8)

Rampage, one of the most notorious personalities in the sport, has publicly went on record saying that he will not be in the fight game for much longer.

Nevertheless, he has made it clear that he wants to beat Jon Jones for the title at UFC 135 and prove he is still one of the fight game’s elite at 205 pounds.

In recent memory, Jackson has won four of his last five, beating Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill in the past year.

His sole loss since 2008 was when he dropped a decision to Rashad Evans in May of last year. 

If Rampage can come at Jon Jones with the intensity and cardio that he had during his Pride days, it would be a foolish mistake to write him off.

2. Rashad Evans (15-1-1)

The former Michigan State Spartan has brought a unique blend of wrestling blend of striking and wrestling to the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

That culminated in him winning the title in December of 2008, and while he lost the belt to Lyoto Machida about six months later, he remains a top threat in the 205 pound division.

A string of bad luck involving injuries has kept Evans from getting a title shot over the past year, but if he can defeat Tito Ortiz in a rematch of a 2007 bout that ended in a draw, it looks like it will finally be “Suga’s” time to vie for the gold once again.  

1. Jon Jones (13-1)

“Bones”, the youngest champion in UFC history at 23 years old, showed many of his critics that the hype is real when he soundly defeated Mauricio Rua for the belt at UFC 128.

Jones was on the shelf for a couple months due to a nagging hand injury, but he will still be ready to go in September when he has his first title defense against Quinton Jackson.

The Jackson MMA fighter’s unique blend of Greco-Roman wrestling, Judo and Muay Thai makes his vicious throws and unorthodox striking nearly impossible for opponents to plan for.

The New York native has impressed some fans and analysts so much that they aren’t asking if he can clean out the light heavyweight division, but instead when, as it's just a matter of time.