UFC 135 Results: Ranking Jon Jones and the Top 10 Light Heavyweights in the UFC

Saturday night's UFC 135 turned out to be an amazing night of fights featuring a light-heavyweight bout champion Jon Jones and former champion Rampage Jackson.

For four rounds, Jones was able to control Jackson in the stand-up despite being unable to take the fight to the mat initially.  Once Jackson was hurt, Jones easily took advantage of him on the ground and was able to secure the rear naked choke for the win.

Retaining his title as the UFC Light-Heavyweight division, Jones will face Rashad Evans next as the stacked 205 lb. division dukes it out for the next contender spot.

With news of Dan Henderson returning to the UFC, the division continues to grow.

Here are the top 10 light-heavyweights in the UFC following last night's event.

Honorable Mention: Dan Henderson

I hesitated to include Dan Henderson because technically he is not in the UFC right now but will return to face Shogun Rua at UFC 139.

When he does return, expect to see "Hendo" shoot up the ranks as the current Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight champion looks to continue his winning ways in the UFC.

10. Rich Franklin

The former UFC Middleweight champion has been inconsistent of late while competing in the light-heavyweight division.

Recently, Franklin lost a hard-fought decision to Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 in February, his third loss in his last five fights.

Franklin was supposed to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133, but an injury to Nogueira forced the bout to be scrapped.  Franklin will also miss a couple months due to a torn labrum suffered in practice.

Still a top 10 light-heavyweight, a good showing in his next fight should keep him among the elite in the division.

9. Tito Ortiz

Tito Ortiz has made an impressive comeback on his resurgence into MMA relevancy.

Tapping out highly touted prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz re-entered the Octagon only a month later to face top contender Rashad Evans, replacing an injured Phil Davis.

Although Ortiz took the defeat, he looked good against Evans in a bout that took Fight of the Night honors.

He is set to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 140 in December.

Who knows how much he has left in the tank, but Tito Ortiz is back and hopefully here to stay. 

8. Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson, the 12-1 Swedish fighter, has entered the rankings after a string of impressive performances over tough veterans.  

Only 24 years old, Gustafsson has been impressing fans with his solid stand-up and an improving ground game.

Since losing in his second UFC fight to top prospect Phil Davis, Gustafsson has taken out three straight top veterans, including James Te-Huna and Cyrille Diabate before retiring Matt Hamill at UFC 133.

Now set to face the surging light-heavyweight Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141, another win will set Gustafsson up as the next big prospect of the division. 

7. Forrest Griffin

Former champion Forrest Griffin took a dive in the rankings after losing his rematch against Shogun Rua.

Griffin took on Rua at UFC 134 in Brazil in what ended up being a quick night for both fighters, as Rua knocked Griffin out in just under two minutes into the first round.

Earlier this year, Griffin defeated Rich Franklin in an exciting matchup of former champions. 

Griffin does not have another opponent lined up at this time, but Rampage Jackson has stated that he'd like to rematch the man who took his belt away.

6. Phil Davis

Rising prospect Phil Davis has been causing a stir in the light-heavyweight division.

With a 9-0 record, Davis has been rolling through opponents, owning wins over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, and most recently Antônio Rogério Nogueira.

Davis was expected to face Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but a knee injury forced the former NCAA wrestling champion off the card.

A time table has yet to be announced for his return, but expect this exciting prospect to bring it the next time he enters the Octagon.

5. Lyoto Machida

The former champion and karate master has had a rocky road since losing the belt to Shogun Rua at UFC 113, but his recent win over Randy Couture may have him back on track.

Machida suffered his first loss in 2010, getting knocked out for the first time by Shogun.  In his first match after the loss, Machida dropped a controversial split decision to Rampage Jackson in 2011.

On the slide and on the verge of the precarious third loss, Machida rebounded emphatically by knocking out Randy Couture with a jumping front kick at UFC 129.

Also lacking an opponent at the moment, another win may put Machida back in line for the belt.

4. Rampage Jackson

Despite losing to Jon Jones at Saturday night's UFC 135, Rampage Jackson actually impressed viewers with much improved wrestling and solid head movement.

The former champion and huge MMA personality looked lean and mean coming in to face Jones, but fell short, tapping out in the fourth round.

This is Rampage's third straight good showing, previous defeating both Matt Hamill and Lyoto Machida before entering last night's fight.

Eyeing a 2012 return, possibly on the Japan card, Rampage remains a force to be reckoned with in the light-heavyweight division.

3. Rashad Evans

The top contender of the light-heavyweight division, former champion Rashad Evans hasn't fought consistently since losing the belt because injuries to both him and his opponents have been a roadblock on his way back to the belt.

Riding a three-fight win streak since losing the belt to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98, Evans finished Tito Ortiz at UFC 133 in a Fight of the Night performance that solidified his spot as the top contender for Jon Jones' belt.

With major bad blood between him and the champion, look for Evans to come out with a vengeance when these two exciting fighters face off.

2. Shogun Rua

The former Pride and UFC champion came back from his title loss rearing to go at UFC 134.

Taking on Forrest Griffin in a rematch of their 2007 bout, Shogun made sure that he did not repeat his submission loss.

Shogun destroyed Griffin on the feet and took out the former champion in less than two minutes.

Now set to welcome Dan Henderson back at UFC 139, a win over the current Strikeforce champion will solidify his spot as the next contender against Jon Jones.

1. Jon Jones

Another dominating performance has kept the belt around Jon Jones' waist.

The young reigning light-heavyweight champion remains atop the division and proved last night that he might be too far ahead for anyone else to catch up.

Jones dominated Rampage Jackson for four rounds and ended the fight by submitting the former champion.

Set to face Rashad Evans next, defeating his former teammate may not only make him the best 205er, but it also would make the case for him to be the best in the entire sport.