MMA rankings: Ronda Rousey remains atop the women’s list

Travis Browne took another step on his path to elite heavyweight contender status with an upset win over respected veteran Josh Barnett at the end of last year. Browne knocked out Barnett with elbows, the third straight opponent he has rendered unconscious.

Heavyweight

1. Cain Velasquez

2. Junior Dos Santos

3. Daniel Cormier

4. Fabricio Werdum

5. Travis Browne

6. Antonio Silva

7. Josh Barnett

8. Alistair Overeem

9. Frank Mir

10. Stipe Miocic

Browne will now likely face Fabricio Werdum, with the winner squaring off with champion Cain Velasquez in the fall. At UFC 169 on February 1, submission wizard Frank Mir and ace striker Alistair Overeem will fight in a crucial bout for both men. The loser will likely be out of the UFC, despite their popularity and success in the sport.

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones

2. Alexander Gustafsson

3. Rashad Evans

4. Phil Davis

5. Glover Teixeira

6. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

7. Ryan Bader

8. Gegard Mousasi

9. Dan Henderson

10. Chael Sonnen

The UFC’s first trip to Baltimore will take place April 26, headlined by a light heavyweight title contest between champion Jon Jones and challenger Glover Teixeira. Teixeira hasn’t lost since 2005.

Middleweight

1. Chris Weidman

2. Anderson Silva

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Lyoto Machida

5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

6. Luke Rockhold

7. Yushin Okami

8. Tim Kennedy

9. Mark Munoz

10. Michael Bisping

Chris Weidman defeated Anderson Silva for a second time at UFC 168, via a ghastly injury when Weidman checked a leg kick and broke Silva’s leg. It was a shocking and sad conclusion to the fight, both because it left continued doubt about a very worthy champion in Weidman and because it caused such pain and devastation to one of the sport’s all time legends in Silva. Next up for Weidman is Vitor Belfort, who has experienced a remarkable uptick in physique and knockout power in his late 30s. Luke Rockhold picked up an impressive win this month as well, stopping Costas Philippou with kicks to the body in the first round.

Welterweight

1. Johny Hendricks

2. Carlos Condit

3. Ben Askren

4. Jake Ellenberger

5. Jake Shields

6. Demian Maia

7. Robbie Lawler

8. Rory MacDonald

9. Nick Diaz

10. Martin Kampmann

Tarec Saffiedine was the winner in the main event of UFC’s first internet “Fight Pass” card, defeating a gutsy Hyun Gyu Lim by doing great damage to Lim’s legs throughout the bout. Saffiedine will almost certainly get a high profile opponent next time out.

Lightweight

1. Anthony Pettis

2. Gilbert Melendez

3. Ben Henderson

4. T.J. Grant

5. Eddie Alvarez

6. Michael Chandler

7. Khabib Nurmagomedov

8. Josh Thomson

9. Nate Diaz

10. Rafael Dos Anjos

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reputation has surged in the past month, with rumors of numerous top fighters not wanting to face him. The 21-0 takedown machine is having trouble finding the right opponents to increase his fan appeal as he solidifies his status as one of the world’s best lightweight fighters.

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo

2. Chad Mendes

3. Ricardo Lamas

4. Cub Swanson

5. Frank Edgar

6. Daniel Straus

7. “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung

8. Dustin Poirier

9. Pat Curran

10. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire

Diego Brandao missed weight against Dustin Poirier by over five pounds, but it proved no obstacle to Poirier’s success. Poirier overwhelmed Brandao with strikes late in the first round and remains one of the top featherweight contenders. Jose Aldo and Ricardo Lamas battle for the title on pay-per-view February 1, with Cub Swanson and Chad Mendes next in line after that.

Bantamweight

1. Renan Barao

2. Dominick Cruz

3. Urijah Faber

4. Michael McDonald

5. Eddie Wineland

6. Bibiano Fernandes

7. Raphael Assuncao

8. Brad Pickett

9. Eduardo Dantas

10. Takeya Mizugaki

Dominick Cruz, out of action since 2011, suffered another injury setback and was forced to pull out of his title unification bout with Renan Barao. Now, Barao will fight Urijah Faber to crown a UFC undisputed bantamweight champion. Barao won his first fight with Faber but Faber has looked tremendous since then and will be gunning for revenge.

Flyweight

1. Demetrious Johnson

2. Joseph Benavidez

3. John Dodson

4. Ian McCall

5. John Moraga

Women’s Bantamweight

1. Ronda Rousey

2. Cat Zingano

3. Jessica Eye

4. Alexis Davis

5. Sara McMann