By Michael Ford 
These UFC Contender Rankings are intended to indicate where UFC fighters in each division rank in relation to one another. Taking into account wins, losses, quality of opposition, nature of wins/losses, and the recency of those wins/losses, it is meant to illustrate who fits where in each division, and which fighters’ stocks are rising and falling. Note that these are not the official MMA Ratings Divisional Fighter Rankings.
Heavyweight
The dust has settled on UFC 146‘s all-heavyweight main card and UFC 147‘s heavyweight tilt, and Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum, have emerged as the next two fighters to contend for Junior Dos Santos‘ championship. Mike Russow and Lavar Johnson‘s winning streaks have dissipated, and Stipe Miocic, Stefan Struve, and Travis Browne now possess the longest winning streaks among the divisional contenders. The first two meet each other in late September, in the main event of the UFC on Fuel card from Nottingham, England, while Browne looks to extend his streak against Ben Rothwell at UFC on Fox 4 in August. July looks to be a light month for heavyweight action, as the injury to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has turned a fascinating matchup with Cheick Kongo into a breakthrough fight for the unheralded Shawn Jordan. However, it remains to be seen whether Jordan will secure that win. Gatekeepers gonna gatekeep, yo.
Light Heavyweight
The Light Heavyweight division is Jon Jones‘ World, and we just live in it. The list of men in the Top 10 that he hasn’t defeated grows shorter and shorter, and the prospect of facing the champion seems more like a punishment than an opportunity. Phil Davis was able to stave off that fate by losing to Rashad Evans, but Alexander Gustaffson, who is possession of a five-fight winning streak, might not be so lucky. If Forrest Griffin gets past Tito Ortiz at UFC 148, perhaps he can attempt to make history and defy the odds, and perhaps the UFC can convince fans that he can pull off yet another upset win over the top lightweight in the world, even if he will more than likely been unceremoniously destroyed like so many other Jones opponents. And in terms of prospects, Anthony Perosh, Igor Pokrajac, and James Te Huna haven’t broken through, and Glover Texeira is far off from being considered as a possible Jon Jones victim. Of course, Dan Henderson has the potential to upend everything, and put everyone back into play if he can upset Jones at UFC 151. Evans, “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida, Ryan Bader, “Rampage” Jackson, Stephan Bonnar, and even Brandon Vera will most likely be rooting for Hendo on September 1st.
Middleweight
While it would appear that the story of the middleweight division in July begins and ends with the much-anticipated showdown between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 148, if you dig deeper, you’ll find that the next title contender will likely be crowned as well, as the Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman matchup four days later, and the Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch showdown ten days after that, will feature the #2 and #3 contenders trying to hold their spots against worthy opposition. The injuries to Michael Bisping, Brian Stann, Vitor Belfort, and Alan Belcher took a few of the summer’s other big middleweight fights off the board, but their returns may portend an even bigger slate of fights in the fall. The returns of Rich Franklin and Jake Shields to middleweight have bolstered the division’s star power, which could create opportunities for guys like Ronny Markes and Constantinos Phillippou to make their respective names known against well-established opposition, or for two of the division’s better-known guys to be featured on the late-year Fox cards. Bisping-Franklin in particular sounds promising. Regardless of what happens with Silva and Sonnen, there are interesting fights to be made at 185, and there’s still room for the division to be shaken up yet again.
Welterweight
Halfway through the layoff of Georges St. Pierre, the slow but steady coming together of the welterweight title picture has yielded an interesting result: Carlos Condit waits in the wings, and the only man to defeat him in the Octagon, Martin Kampmann, has surged into the highest tier of contendership, along with Johny Hendricks. With his win over Jake Ellenberger, Kampmann acquired much of the momentum of “The Juggernaut,” and is now one win away from a showdown with the best welterweight in the world. A tier below them, Erick Silva announced his presence as a serious contender by dismantling Charlie Brenneman, while Mike Pyle continued his late-career surge with a devastating knockout win over Josh Neer. Though an injury to Thiago Alves has made the next step for Siyar Bahadurzada less appealing, he still remains a fighter to watch at welterweight. If Brian Ebersole remains at 170, either he or Pyle could find himself paired up with the man who wears the “Hairrow” before long. Former middleweight standouts Demian Maia and Aaron Simpson debut at welterweight this month, and while neither will vault himself into the title with a win, strong showings could put them in high-profile matchups with established veteran names. And if Kampmann has taught us anything, it’s that a few well-placed wins could get you into the proverbial “mix” very quickly.
Lightweight
The plot thickens in the lightweight division, and in many ways, Frankie Edgar is the key to it. Nathan Diaz has been named as the next contender, but if “The Answer” can wrest the title from Benson Henderson in a closely-contested affair that leaves the fans wanting more, will UFC brass deny them their trilogy? Gray Maynard, who came out on the wrong side of his own trilogy with Edgar, is probably rooting for Henderson to vanquish the former champion, as is Anthony Pettis, who can continue to hold his Showtime Kick-fueled win over the current champion’s head. In a perfect world, we’d see Diaz, Maynard and Pettis remain active, with some combination of two of them squaring off against one another, but because of Edgar-Henderson, the situation remains muddy. Donald Cerrone might have stumbled in his bid for a perfect 2011, but now that he’s back on the winning ways, he may find himself taking on Melvin Guillard or Gleison Tibau next, provided they get past their respective opponents at UFC 148. And Jamie Varner, Cerrone’s longtime rival, fresh off a huge upset win over Edson Barboza, takes on Joe Lauzon next; with a win, he’d put himself into the title discussion. Add in Danny Castillo, who seeks his fourth straight win at UFC 151, and this fall, the lightweight title mix could have a very distinct WEC flavor.
Featherweight
If you used the word “shakeup” to describe what happened at featherweight in the month of June, that would be a major understatement. Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson, Hacran Dias, and Steven Siler made their presences felt, jumping into the Top 15, as Hatsu Hioki, Yuri Alcantara, and Ross Pearson stumble. With all that upheaval, Chan Sung Jung has now emerged as the most intriguing contender in the division, with three straight finishes, a cool nickname in “The Korean Zombie,” and galvanized fans. With a Jose Aldo injury delaying his title defense against Erik Koch a few months, the clamor for a substitute challenger continues to grow. The introduction of new talent via TUF: Brazil and UFC 147 could yield interesting matchups and future contenders in short order, particularly as the UFC plans another Brazilian event in the fall, and up to eight events in 2013. With all this activity in the contendership ranks, hopefully the talk about Aldo “cleaning out the division” will die down for a while.
Bantamweight
With Dominick Cruz potentially out for an extended period, the bantamweight division is wide open. Former WEC poster boy Urijah Faber could become the next UFC superstar with an interim title win, and make the weight class less of an afterthought in the eyes of fans. If Renan Barao wins the title, I suspect that the UFC brass will change promotional gears, and put him into the rotation of highly-visible Brazilian champions that they feature on Brazilian TV. Needless to say, with the UFC suffering from a shortage of highly marketable stars, that having “The California Kid” sitting in press conferences with the title belt in front of him is a tremendously more enticing scenario. As for who stands next in line, Michael McDonald, who sports a five-fight winning streak, seems the most likely, but Ivan Menjivar could very well open a few fans’ eyes if he can impress against Mike Easton at UFC 148. Elsewhere in the division, Eddie Wineland knocked Scott Jorgenson out of the “mix” in devastating fashion, but he still needs a couple of wins to get into it himself. And in a Do or Die matchup, “Bruce Leeroy” Alex Caceres and Damacio Page square off on UFC on Fuel 4. It’s not exactly “Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves,” but the Thunderdome spirit will likely be present with regard to Zuffa contract releases.
Flyweight
It’s a slow month at Flyweight, but Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall settled their tournament business, and Mighty Mouse has now punched his ticket to the finals against Joseph Benavidez. The UFC will likely look to add fighters to the division in the coming months, but for now, John Dodson and Louis Gaudinot seem like the only contenders, and should be squaring off fairly soon for a chance to face the Johnson-Benavidez winner. This division is still under construction, but hopefully by the fall, it’ll be rocking and rolling.
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