B/R MMA Official Pound-for-Pound Rankings for December

We here at B/R have something new for all of you readers. We will be introducing official rankings as voted on by some of the top writers in the MMA section.

These rankings will be published once a month, and will rank fighters all across MMA.

In the most recent major MMA event, Michael Bisping was able to defeat Jason "Mayhem" Miller in Miller's return to the UFC via third round TKO.

You aren't likely to find Mayhem or Bisping on this list, but be sure to check out all the other rankings to see where everyone stands. 

These rankings are the combined effort of some of Bleacher Report MMA's best writers, as we continue to try and provide you with the best content on the web.

No. 25: Hatsu Hioki

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 25-4-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated George Roop at UFC 137

Weight Class: Featherweight

Hatsu Hioki is considered by many to be the No. 3 featherweight in the world today and holds two victories over fellow top five featherweight, Mark Hominick.

Hioki is known as a submission expert, and has 12 of his 25 career victories coming by submission.

Hioki will face off against Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144 in February in Japan.

No. 24: Carlos Condit

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 27-5

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132

Weight Class: Welterweight

Carlos Condit is a consensus top five welterweight in the world, and is considered to be one of the most dangerous fighters to Georges St-Pierre's title.

Condit was going to fight for the belt at UFC 137, but after an injury to St-Pierre, he lost his title shot, which was instead given to Nick Diaz.

Condit will now face Josh Koscheck at UFC 143.

No. 23: Kenny Florian

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 14-6

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Jose Aldo at UFC 136

Weight Class: Featherweight (moving back up to lightweight)

Kenny Florian is known as a top contender in both the lightweight and featherweight divisions, but he is also known as the only man to fight in four different weight classes in the UFC.

Florian started off as a middleweight, then moved down to welterweight, then to lightweight, where he has called home for most of his career.

He recently made a venture down to featherweight in an attempt at the title, but after a loss, he has decided to move back up to the 155-pound division.

No. 22: Brock Lesnar

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 5-2

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Brock Lesnar was last seen at UFC 121, where he showed his poor striking defense, as Cain Velasquez battered him en route to a first-round TKO.

Lesnar ended up coaching on the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter against Junior dos Santos, but was then forced to pull out of the fight due to a recurrence of diverticulitis.

Lesnar will now headline UFC 141 when he stands opposite the cage from former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem, in a No. 1 contender matchup.

No. 21: Mauricio Rua

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 20-6

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Dan Henderson at UFC 139

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is coming off a loss, but it was arguably the greatest fight in UFC history.

However, with the loss, Rua now drops to 4-4 in the UFC and a title shot would certainly appear to be out of his grasp for the time being.

Nobody is really sure what could be next for Shogun, as some have speculated on a move to middleweight, but others declare that notion is outlandish.

No. 20: Chad Mendes

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 11-0

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Rani Yahya at UFC 133

Weight Class: Featherweight

Chad Mendes is considered by many to be the No. 2 featherweight in the world, and his 11-0 record will back that up.

Mendes has wins over top 10 featherweight, Erik Koch, as well as Rani Yahya, Michihiro Omigawa and Cub Swanson. That's not a bad resume.

Mendes is next in line for a title shot and he'll get a shot at Jose Aldo at UFC 142 in the first UFC card that Aldo will headline.

No. 19: Lyoto Machida

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 17-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Randy Couture at UFC 129

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Lyoto Machida is a former light heavyweight champion, and he wants that belt back.

Machida was last seen knocking out Randy Couture in highlight-reel fashion with a front kick.

Machida was going to step in and fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but he ended up screwing himself over when he asked for Anderson Silva money.

However, in the long run, it worked out, as Machida now gets the next title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 140 this Saturday.

No. 18: Benson Henderson

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 15-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 1

Weight Class: Lightweight

Benson Henderson is arguably the No. 2 lightweight in the world today, but is a consensus top five lightweight.

At UFC on Versus 5, Henderson was able to easily handle Jim Miller, who many considered the top contender to the lightweight title after Gray Maynard.

With that win, Henderson moved himself into contender position, and then beat Clay Guida in a No. 1 contender's match.

He will now fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.

No. 17: Gilbert Melendez

Promotion: Strikeforce

MMA Record: 19-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley

Weight Class: Lightweight

Gilbert Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion and another fighter who is arguably the No. 2 lightweight.

Melendez was last seen beating Tatsuya Kawajiri in the first round of their fight for Melendez's title.

Next up will be a fight with Jorge Masvidal on December 17. Should Melendez win, he will likely make the jump to the UFC.

No. 16: Joseph Benavidez

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 15-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Eddie Wineland at UFC on Versus 5

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Joseph Benavidez is one of the top bantamweights in the world and his only two losses have come to the current champion in the division, Dominick Cruz.

Benavidez's last fight saw him win a unanimous decision over the former champ, Eddie Wineland, at UFC on Versus 5.

Benavidez will likely be looking for a No. 1 contender match and because he won't fight Urijah Faber because they are teammates, he will likely have to wait.

No. 15: Cain Velasquez

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 9-1

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Cain Velasquez is the former UFC heavyweight champion who lost the belt at UFC on Fox 1, when he was TKO'd by Junior dos Santos.

Velasquez is the complete package in the heavyweight division. He's a great wrestler, with outstanding cardio and some great boxing.

Unfortunately, it may now be revealed that he has a suspect chin. But we'll have to wait and see more on that.

No. 14: Gray Maynard

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 10-1-1 [1 NC]

Most Recent Fight: Lost to Frankie Edgar at UFC 136

Weight Class: Lightweight

Had the fight gods done this a little differently, Gray Maynard could have been the UFC lightweight champion.

Maynard holds a win over the current champ, Frankie Edgar. In their rematch, they fought to a split draw and in the third fight of the trilogy, Maynard lost to Edgar in the fourth round via TKO.

Maynard will look to rebound and start his climb back up the ladder, hopefully when someone else is champion, as Dana White said a fourth fight between Edgar and Maynard will not happen.

No. 13: Jon Fitch

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 23-3-1 [1 NC]

Most Recent Fight: Drew with B.J. Penn at UFC 127

Weight Class: Welterweight

Jon Fitch is easily one of the best fighters in MMA today.

Fitch's only loss in the UFC came to GSP, and he has been on a tear since then.

He has been lobbying for a second shot at GSP, and if he gets one more big win, it can no longer be denied by Dana White that he deserves it.

Unfortunately for Fitch, he got stuck with a fringe top 20 welterweight for his next fight as he takes on Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.

No. 12: Urijah Faber

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 26-5

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Brian Bowles at UFC 139

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Urijah Faber is the former WEC featherweight champion, but is 0-3 in his past three title fights, including his loss of the title, and losing while challenging for two more.

In his fight at UFC 139, Faber earned another shot at the bantamweight title when he defeated Brian Bowles via second round submission.

He will now take on Dominick Cruz sometime in 2012.

No. 11: Dan Henderson

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 29-8

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

"Dangerous" Dan Henderson is the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and No. 11 on the list.

After Hendo's impressive win over Shogun on Saturday night, he jumps way up the pound-for-pound list, as he has now proven that age is nothing but a number.

If you think Hendo is ranked too high, look at it this way: Henderson is 5-1 in his last six fights, including knockouts at middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

If that doesn't define "pound-for-pound," then I'm not sure what does.

No. 10: Rashad Evans

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 16-1-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Tito Ortiz at UFC 133

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Rashad Evans is the former light heavyweight champion and is probably the unluckiest fighter on the entire UFC roster.

He beat Rampage Jackson for the No. 1 contender spot and decided to wait for the title shot, and once it was all set, he got hurt and lost his chance.

Then the timetable was off for a shot against Jon Jones. He was going to fight Phil Davis, but after injuries caused some changes, he agreed to take on Tito Ortiz, who he defeated by a second-round TKO.

Then, Evans got injured and wouldn't be ready in time to take the fight against Jones.

Now he's scheduled once again to fight Phil Davis, at UFC on Fox 2 in January.

No. 9: Chael Sonnen

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 26-11-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Brian Stann at UFC 136

Weight Class: Middleweight

After being out for 14 months, Chael Sonnen came back and submitted Brian Stann in the second round of their fight.

Not only did Sonnen submit Stann, but he did it while easily controlling Stann on the ground and was never in any danger.

Sonnen made a huge statement in his post-fight interview too, as he called out Anderson Silva and made it clear that he wants another fight.

Unfortunately, an injury will keep Silva out until around June, so Sonnen will instead fight Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2.

No. 8: Nick Diaz

Promotion: UFC and Strikeforce

MMA Record: 26-7 [1 NC]

Most Recent Fight: Defeated B.J. Penn at UFC 137

Weight Class: Welterweight

Honestly, who expected Nick Diaz to handle BJ Penn as easily as he did?

Diaz laid a three-round smackdown on Penn and afterwards, Diaz took the microphone and called out GSP, who was in attendance.

After doing that, GSP was livid and "flipped out." Diaz will now get the next title shot against St-Pierre and it will likely take place on Super Bowl weekend, at UFC 143.

No. 7: Junior Dos Santos

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 14-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Junior dos Santos is the heavyweight champion of the world. He seems like the first person to take a fight, risk losing a title shot and still earn the shot.

Dos Santos spent 15 minutes beating down Shane Carwin and kept his shot at the title.

Then, he beat down Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds and won the title.

JDS is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and has Lesnar and Overeem coming for him.

No. 6: Dominick Cruz

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 19-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus 6

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Dominick Cruz is the former WEC bantamweight champion and the current UFC bantamweight champion.

Cruz is one of the best young fighters in the sport and has only one loss on his record, which he has since avenged.

In his last fight, he was able to defeat another top contender, as he won all five rounds (on two judges' scorecards) and defeated Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision.

In his next fight, he will face off with Urijah Faber in the third fight of their trilogy.

No. 5: Jon Jones

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 14-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 135

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Jon Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and has all the tools to become one of the greatest of all time.

He has certainly taken his first step after defeating Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 by submission.

Jones can take the next step to MMA greatness if he is able to defeat Lyoto Machida in his next fight at UFC 140.

No. 4: Jose Aldo

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 20-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Kenny Florian at UFC 136

Weight Class: Featherweight

Jose Aldo is one of the most explosive fighters in MMA, but you wouldn't know it from watching his last two fights.

In Aldo's fight against Kenny Florian, many expected a brutal knockout from Aldo, but Florian hung around and gave Aldo a good fight.

Aldo's next fight will be against Chad Mendes at UFC 142.

No. 3: Frankie Edgar

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 14-1-1

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136

Weight Class: Lightweight

Frankie Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion and a great young fighter.

Dana White summed it up very well at the UFC 136 post-fight press conference when he said that Edgar was a 145-pounder who was winning at 155.

Edgar and Dan Henderson epitomize the definition of pound-for-pound.

No. 2: Georges St-Pierre

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 22-2

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Jake Shields at UFC 129

Weight Class: Welterweight

Ah, yes. Let the debate begin. Who really is No. 1? Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva?

Until one of them loses—or they fight one another—this question cannot be answered.

Georges St-Pierre is the current welterweight champion and was last seen winning a unanimous decision over Jake Shields at the largest MMA event in North American history, UFC 129.

His next fight is set to be against Nick Diaz and this one will hopefully end in a finish—one way or another.

No. 1: Anderson Silva

Promotion: UFC

MMA Record: 31-4

Most Recent Fight: Defeated Yushin Okami at UFC 134

Weight Class: Middleweight

Anderson Silva is the man!

Silva is the current UFC middleweight champion and gets the nod as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Silva's last fight saw him knock out the last man to defeat him in Yushin Okami. He was able to drop Okami with a jab—twice.

Silva has a shoulder injury which will keep him out until around June, but he will likely face the winner of the upcoming Chael Sonnen-Mark Munoz matchup.

View all Bleacher Report MMA Rankings for December 2011

Bantamweights | Featherweights | Lightweights | Welterweights | Middleweights | Light Heavyweights |Heavyweights