#UFC 301 #UFC on ESPN 56 #UFC 300 #UFC 302 #UFC on ABC 6 #UFC 303 #UFC 299 #UFC on ESPN 57 #June 15 #Justin Gaethje #Alexandre Pantoja #Steve Erceg #Max Holloway #UFC Fight Night 241 #Jose Aldo #UFC on ESPN 55 #UFC 295 #UFC 304 #UFC 298 #Michel Pereira

Rankings: Cain Velasquez jumps back in the mix after big heavyweight win over Junior dos Santos (Yahoo! Sports)


Cain Velasquez's five-round demolition of Junior dos Santos on Dec. 29 won him the UFC heavyweight title and earned him a return trip into the Yahoo! Sports Top 10.

Velasquez checked into the poll at No. 6 in the January rankings after his impressive victory over dos Santos.

Demetrious Johnson was the beneficiary of a high-profile win, jumping up two spots from No. 9 to No. 7 after defeating John Dodson in an exciting flyweight title fight on Fox.

Lightweight champion Benson Henderson jumped up a spot from No. 6 to No. 5, replacing dos Santos, who fell out of the Top 10. Frankie Edgar slipped from No. 7 to No. 8 and Gilbert Melendez dropped from No. 8 to No. 9 to accommodate Johnson's move upward.

With that, let's take a look at the current rankings:

 1. Anderson Silva

  Points: 208 (19 of 21 first-place votes)
  Affiliation: UFC (middleweight champion)
  Weight class: Middleweight
  Record: 31-4
  Last outing: TKO1 Stephan Bonnar, Oct. 13
  Previous ranking: 1
  Up next: Nothing scheduled

 2. Jon Jones

  Points: 185 (2 of 21 first-place votes)
  Affiliation: UFC (light heavyweight champion)
  Weight class: Light heavyweight
  Record: 17-1
  Last outing: SUB4 Vitor Belfort, Sept. 22
  Previous ranking: 2
  Next: Title fight vs. Chael Sonnen

 3. Georges St-Pierre

  Points: 173
  Affiliation: UFC (welterweight champion)
  Weight class: Welterweight
  Record: 23-2
  Last outing: W5 Carlos Condit on Nov. 17
  Previous ranking: 3
  Next: Title fight vs. Nick Diaz

 4. Jose Aldo

  Points: 141
  Affiliation: UFC (featherweight champion)
  Weight class: Featherweight
  Record: 21-1
  Last outing: TKO1 Chad Mendes, Jan. 14, 2012
  Previous ranking: 4
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 8 Frankie Edgar

 5. Benson Henderson

  Points: 121
  Affiliation: UFC (lightweight champion)
  Weight class: Lightweight
  Record: 17-2
  Last outing: W5 Nate Diaz, Dec. 8
  Previous ranking: 6
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 9 Gilbert Melendez

 6. Cain Velasquez

  Points: 81
  Affiliation: UFC (heavyweight champion)
  Weight class: Heavyweight
  Record: 11-1
  Last outing: W5 Junior dos Santos, Dec. 29
  Previous ranking: NR
  Next: Nothing scheduled

 7. Demetrious Johnson

  Points: 69
  Affiliation: UFC (flyweight champion)
  Weight class: Flyweight
  Record: 17-2-1
  Last outing: W5 John Dodson, Jan. 26
  Previous ranking: 9
  Next: Nothing scheduled

 8. Frankie Edgar

  Points: 62
  Affiliation: UFC
  Weight class: Featherweight
  Record: 14-4-1
  Last outing: L5 Benson Henderson, Aug. 11
  Previous ranking: 7
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 4 Jose Aldo

 9. Gilbert Melendez

  Points: 51
  Affiliation: UFC
  Weight class: Lightweight
  Record: 21-2
  Last outing: W5 Josh Thomson, May 19
  Previous ranking: 8
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 5 Benson Henderson

 10. Renan Barao

  Points: 20
  Affiliation: UFC (interim bantamweight champion)
  Weight class: Bantamweight
  Record: 29-1
  Last outing: W5 Urijah Faber, July 21
  Previous ranking: 10
  Next: Title fight vs. Michael McDonald
Others receiving votes: Junior dos Santos, 10; Ronda Rousey, 8; Carlos Condit, 7; Rashad Evans, 6; Daniel Cormier, 4; Johny Hendricks, 4; Gray Maynard, 4; Anthony Pettis, 2. Ineligible: Nick Diaz (serving marijuana suspension); Alistair Overeem (serving PED suspension); Dominick Cruz (inactive more than 12 months); Dan Henderson (inactive more than 12 months).

Voting panel: Elias Cepeda, Cage Potato; Steve Cofield, ESPN Radio 1100, Las Vegas; Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press; Dave Deibert, Post Media; Dave Doyle, MMA Fighting/SI.com; Matt Erickson, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Josh Gross, ESPN.com; Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting; Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun; Steven Marrocco, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Todd Martin, freelance; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com; Dave Meltzer, The Wrestling Observer/MMA Fighting; John Morgan, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Brett Okamoto, ESPN.com; Ken Pishna, MMA Weekly; Greg Savage, Sherdog; Dann Stupp, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Jeff Wagenheim, SI.com.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
Yankees want to void A-Rod's $114 million contract
Is Alabama's 2012 BCS national title tainted?
Hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo professes love for Manti Te'o on 'Dr. Phil'
Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd ending marriage

view original article >>
Report here if this news is invalid.

Comments

Show Comments

Search for:

Related Videos