UFC 139 Results: The Top 10 Light Heavyweights in the UFC

On Saturday night, Dan Henderson proved that he still has gas in the tank—at least as far as his career is concerned—as he defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by unanimous decision.

Hendo showed that age is only a number, and at 41 years of age, Henderson defeated a 29-year-old who should be at his physical peak.

Henderson has now basically earned any fight he wants, as he can get a title shot at middleweight Anderson Silva or a shot at light heavyweight Jon Jones.

For now, let's just take a look at how the division is shaping up after this major fight.

No. 10: Tito Ortiz

Coming in at No. 10 is the former light heavyweight champion of the world, Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz had a dreadful stretch where he went 0-4-1, and then, with his career on the line, he submitted Ryan Bader and got to stick around.

Then he lost to Rashad Evans on short notice, but he still isn't done.

At UFC 140, he'll face off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

No. 9: Alexander Gustafsson

Next up is Alexander Gustafsson, who has been on a tear through the UFC as of late.

Gustafsson is 4-1 in the UFC—with four finishes—and his only loss has come at the hands of Phil Davis, who is considered by many to be a future title challenger.

Gustafsson was last seen sending Matt Hamill into retirement at UFC 133 and will next face Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141.

No. 8: Phil Davis

Phil Davis comes in next on this list and I'm sure there will be many people who are upset about his placement this low.

However, if you really look at it, his biggest win was an uninspired performance over Rogerio Nogueira, who has been underwhelming thus far in his UFC tenure.

Davis will likely face someone like Rashad Evans in his next fight, as the UFC is intent on fast-tracking him to the top.

No. 7: Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin is slowly on a decline, but he is still one of the best light heavyweights in the world today.

Griffin is a former light heavyweight champion, a title he won after defeating Rampage Jackson via unanimous decision. Before that, Griffin submitted Shogun Rua.

Forrest has a nice resume, but as of late, he doesn't have all that many big victories.

Unfortunately for Griffin, he may be nothing more than a gatekeeper these days.

No. 6: Lyoto Machida

When was the last time someone ranked this low was next in line to fight for the title?

Machida earned his shot due to injuries to both Rashad Evans and Jon Jones and Lyoto was the next to get the shot.

Machida is 1-2 in his last three fights, however that one win was huge, as it was a flying front kick knockout over Randy Couture at UFC 129.

At UFC 140 he'll get another shot at the light heavyweight title.

No. 5: Rampage Jackson

Rampage Jackson is a former light heavyweight champion, and most recent victim of Jon Jones.

Jackson lost via fourth round submission to Jones at UFC 135.

Jackson is now looking to fight in the UFC's return to Japan—tentatively titled UFC 144—and it could potentially be a rematch with Shogun Rua from their Pride days.

No. 4: Mauricio Rua

He may have lost on Saturday night, but he has wins over Rampage, Machida and Griffin, so he stays at the number four spot in the light heavyweight division.

Shogun has been wildly inconsistent in his UFC career and has gone 4-4 in eight fights.

Last night, he took an absolute beating in the first three rounds, but came back to win the last two.

After the fight against Jon Jones, some people were talking about Shogun potentially moving down to middleweight.

Perhaps now is the time.

No. 3: Rashad Evans

Inactivity has absolutely killed Rashad, as he now loses his spot as the No. 2 light heavyweight in the world.

Rashad has victories over Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin and others and was considered the No. 2 light heavyweight for a long time.

However, now that he has only had one fight in the past 15 months, a case can be made for him not being the second best light heavyweight.

Rashad is still considered the No. 1 contender by Dana White, so should he win his next fight, he may finally get a second shot at the light heavyweight belt.

No. 2: Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson is for real!

I wanted Henderson to get the win on Saturday night, but realistically, I did not think he would. I thought that he was winning over subpar competition in Strikeforce and he would get beaten by Shogun.

However, Henderson proved me, along with all the other doubters wrong, as he beat Shogun via unanimous decision.

Henderson now has a plethora of fights he could take next, but we just have to wait and see what's in store for Hendo.

No. 1: Jon Jones

No real shocker here having the champ at No. 1.

Not only is Jones the champ, but he is the first light heavyweight champ to uncontroversially defend his belt since Rampage Jackson.

Jones is viewed by many as the future of MMA and the light heavyweight division, and he'll get his chance to take the next step to greatness at UFC 140 where he will face off against Lyoto Machida.