January 2009 Light Heavyweight Rankings

1. Rashad Evans. 

With the amazing knockout of Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans gave Mixed Martial Arts fans the hit of the year that surpassed anything the formerly invincible "Iceman" had ever received. Rashad continued to validate his former performances with the vicious ground and pound TKO of light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin.

2. Forrest Griffin

The former UFC Champion, just after his 5 round decision victory over light heavyweight king "Rampage" Jackson, looked good for the first round of his title defense until he came crashing down in a ground and pound smashing from Rashad Evans. The next opponent for Griffin is not clear. 

3. Quinton Jackson

Jackson, after a decision loss to former champion Forrest Griffin, crashed Wanderlei Silva in a brutal 1st round Knockout. This was the third meeting of the two fighters, but Jackson's first win of the series. Although many expected a title fight from "Rampage", his next opponent is set as Keith Jardine at UFC 96.

4. Lyoto Machida

The undefeated Lyoto Machida has showed us impressive wins throughout his career including B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin, and Tito Ortiz. However, injuries have prevented any recent bouts for this Brazilian native. Not for long, as his next fight is assigned to Thiago Silva at UFC 94.

5. Chuck Liddell

After the vicious fall to Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, Chuck's career seemed to come to a vicious halt. However, some promise has come to his future with a main event Toronto bout with "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97.

6. Thiago Silva

Silva, whose recent fights have been postponed to to injuries, will be entering the Octagon against Lyoto Machida during Superbowl weekend. It is most likely that a win will put Thiago in title contention against Rashad "Sugar" Evans.

7. Wanderlei Silva

After a brutal knockout from former champion Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei's position in the division takes a hard fall. We sincerely hope Silva's career can make a turn, with two straight losses stamped to his recent resume.

8. Keith Jardine

The 205 pound contender came from a decision victory against Brandon Vera. He will now be expected to fight Quinton Jackson at UFC 96, putting "the Dean of Mean" in obvious spot for a title shot. 

9. Luiz Arthur Cane

Luiz Arthur Cane looked viscous in his victory over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou last October, taking the fast fast and brutal strikes and tossing them aside. No clear opponent is given for Cane, but we expect to see nothing but good things from this tank in the future.

10. Mauricio Rua

"Shogun" had been struggling with back injuries keeping him from competition for over a year. Although fans expected him to come back refreshed and ready to his UFC 94 rematch of Mark Coleman, his performance fell far short of stellar, with his obvious lack of cardio training showing heavy in the third round. Nevertheless, Rua managed to put his opponent away with a series of unanswered punches, giving him a $40,000 bonus. Chuck Liddell serves as Rua's next opponent during UFC 97.