1. Anderson Silva (33-4) – Silva is still the pound-for-pound king due to his dominance in the middleweight division and his ability to finish his opponents.

2. Jon Jones (18-1) – I put Jones ahead of GSP because Jones really hasn’t lost yet. His one loss was a DQ where he essentially finished his opponent. Jones has shown well-rounded skills, winning with strikers, submissions and wrestling. He has truly dominated a division that was stacked a few years ago, the 205-pound division.

3. Georges St. Pierre (24-2) – St. Pierre has been on top of the 170-pound division for five years now, but his inability to finish opponents has gotten tiresome. St. Pierre has great wrestling and striking, but he doesn’t have the finishing ability of the top two on this list.

4. Jose Aldo (22-1) – Aldo can start making an argument to move up this list if he beats Anthony Pettis later this year. A win there may earn him a lightweight title fight. Aldo has tremendous striking, but he has shown the ability to fatigue over 25 minutes. That could be a problem as he starts fighting elite-level fighters.

5. Cain Velasquez (11-1) – The heavyweight champion is very light on his feet and he pushes a pace that can’t be matched in the division. He may not be the top striker, but that didn’t matter against Junior Dos Santos, as he constantly forced JDS to use energy. Velasquez never tired, but JDS did quickly.

6. Benson Henderson (19-2) – Henderson has some great skills, but he also isn’t overwhelmingly winning his recent fights. He isn’t losing them either, but his razor-thin decisions hurt his ranking on this list.

7. Renan Barao (30-1) – Barao doesn’t get a lot of credit for being as impressive as he has been. He is arguably the bantamweight champion, since Dominick Cruz has been out for so long. Sure the 135-pound division isn’t filled with a lot of big-name talent, but Barao has dominated all of the would-be contenders, including Urijah Faber. Barao hasn’t lost since 2005 and has 20 finishes since that time.

8. Demetrious Johnson (17-2-1) – Johnson is the fastest fighter in the UFC and he has great wrestling and conditioning. The 125-pound division doesn’t have a lot of superstars yet, but Johnson is the king of that hill and has looked impressive on top.

9. Gilbert Melendez (21-3) – Melendez gave a good accounting for himself in his UFC debut, nearly beating Henderson for the lightweight title. After a lengthy run as champion in Strikeforce’s lightweight division, Melendez looks to be a real force in the UFC’s 155-pound division.

10. Johny Hendricks (15-1) – Hendricks doesn’t have the look of a dominant MMA star, but he keeps beating the big names that get thrown before him. A great wrestler already, Hendricks has developed the most powerful hands in the welterweight division and he has now cleared out the division, leaving himself and St. Pierre on top. The two will meet later this year and that should be an epic fight.

Even I have been caught up in his hype, as I have him listed as one of my top 5 lightweights in the world.

However, I am growing tired of reports like this, where it says Aoki will take on Rob McCullough at Dream 17 in September. (MMAJunkie.com)

That will make Aoki’s last two opponents Rich Clementi and Rob McCullough.

McCullough used to be a champion in the WEC, but he still lost his way out of the company and was knocked out by Patricky Freire in his only Bellator appearance. He doesn’t strike me as a real tough lightweight opponent.

Clementi has been out of the UFC for a couple of years and has now lost three of his last four.

While I am impressed with Aoki’s submission ability, I haven’t forgotten that his last great test was against Gilbert Melendez last year in Strikeforce, and he failed miserably.

He put up little fight and was dominated by a legit lightweight contender for 25 minutes.

I like what Aoki can do, but I would like to see him fight in the states and consistently compete against the best in the world. Anyone can look like a beast against cupcake opponents, it is another thing to do it against the best.

The top 10 list features a number of different styles and contenders, but each fighter could arguably beat everyone else on the list.

Still, here are my updated top 10 lightweight rankings.

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar holds on to the top spot as he still is the UFC champion. An injury kept him from facing Gray Maynard in their long-awaited trilogy fight, but those two should collide soon and be able to settle the score as to who deserves to be the champion.

2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard is still unbeaten but missed out on his opportunity to win the championship when he had Edgar beaten at UFC 125. Now, he will have to wait for a third shot at Edgar this fall where he can perhaps prove to the world that he is the top lightweight in the world.

3. Gilbert Melendez (19-2) – Melendez could legitimately compete for the UFC title, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to do so. Now that the UFC is tapping into Strikeforce, perhaps a champion vs. champion bout is in the near future. Until then, Melendez looks as if he will continue to tear up Strikeforce competition.

4. Jim Miller (20-2) – Miller appears to be the No. 1 contender in the UFC due to Clay Guida beating Anthony Pettis this month. Miller has done nothing but win and now he gets a chance to showcase his talents on live TV when he faces Ben Henderson at UFC Live 5 in August. A win for Miller should certainly put him in line for a title shot.

5. Shinya Aoki (28-5, 1 NC) – Aoki is the top submission fighter in the lightweight division and he has won three straight by submission. A lackluster showing against Melendez forced Aoki to mature as a fighter and he is putting himself in line to be a force in the United States if he has the desire to compete in Strikeforce or the UFC.

6. Eddie Alvarez (22-2) – Alvarez, the Bellator champion, is a very polished fighter and the top fighter in all of the organization, in my opinion. There aren’t many challenges left for Alvarez, so hopefully he gets an opportunity soon to compete against the best Zuffa has to offer.

7. Clay Guida (29-11) – Guida had an impressive win over Anthony Pettis this month, as he scored takedowns to neutralize Pettis’ striking. Still one of the best the UFC has, Guida is looking to finally break through and earn a title shot. A few more wins may put him in line for just that.

8. Melvin Guillard (28-8-2) – Guillard appears to have his head on straight and is trying to become a complete fighter. He has won four straight and will face Shane Roller on Saturday, which will be a real test to see if he has learned from his past mistakes against submission specialists. A win for Guillard puts him in line to a get a top-5 contender in his next bout.

9. Dennis Siver (18-7) – Siver is also on a nice roll, winning his last three fights, including a decision over George Sotiropoulos, who was considered one of the top UFC lightweights coming into that contest. The kickboxer has good takedown defense and some powerful strikes. He will face off with Matt Wiman this Saturday.

10. Anthony Pettis (13-2) – Pettis suffered a decision loss to Guida, but even in a loss, he showed a very active guard and nearly found a way to pull out a win. Pettis really has the raw tools to be great, but fighting off his back won’t get him any victories. He is going to need to continue to improve on his grappling and find a way to keep fights standing, where he will have a striking edge on everyone he faces.

Apparently White was able to tear up Diaz’ old contract and sign him to a new one that basically allowed White to make any matches involving Diaz that he pleased in either organization.

If White can do it once, he can do it as many times as he would like.

How about Gilbert Melendez?

The Strikeforce lightweight champion has been campaigning for a unification bout with the UFC champion and now, the planned order of contenders in the UFC seems to be shifting.

It appears that Anthony Pettis, who was the No. 1 contender after winning the WEC title, will now have to win two fights before getting a crack at the UFC strap, according to Fighters Only Magazine.

“That kid’s in a bad position. He’s supposed to be the next in line. All this craziness happens. [Edgar and Maynard] both get hurt, and it gets pushed back again. The first one is a draw, then they get hurt, and it gets pushed back again. But this is one of those things that happens in a sport like this,” says UFC president Dana White.

“I respect [Pettis] for stepping up and taking on a tough guy like Guida, and he’ll probably have to fight again before he gets a shot at one of those guys. Sucks for him. It’s a shi–y position for him to be in.”

If Pettis is fighting Guida before Edgar-Maynard III even takes place, why would he have to fight again? This tells me that White has someone else in mind as the next challenger for the UFC belt.

I don’t see it being Jim Miller, as he is already booked for the fall against Benson Henderson.

Melendez is without a fight scheduled, so this may mean more big title vs. title fights to come.

It could also open up the door for a big heavyweight clash in the future once the Strikeforce Grand Prix has been weeded out.

It is an exciting time for fight fans and it is hard to argue that the UFC isn’t putting on the best fights possible.

It appears that both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar, the main event fighters for UFC 130, are both injured and had to pull out of the schedule lightweight title fight on May 28.

The highly-anticipated third bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and number one contender Gray Maynard will have to wait a little longer, as it was announced today that both fighters have suffered injuries in training camp that will take them out of the UFC 130 main event on May 28th.

Stepping up into the UFC 130 main event slot is the bout between former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, and moving to the Pay-Per-View card will be the Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story welterweight showdown.

In Spike TV prelim action, Tim Boetsch’s middleweight debut against Kendall Grove will join the bantamweight fight between Miguel Angel Torres and Demetrious Johnson.

This news only messes up an already messed up situation in the UFC lightweight division. The draw between these two at UFC 125 threw off plans for a title fight for Anthony Pettis and now fighters like Jim Miller and Gilbert Melendez are clamoring for a title shot as well.

UFC 130 is still a pretty solid card from top to bottom, but Rampage vs. Hamill is not an ideal main event these days.

That isn’t the case for my lightweight rankings.

Of any division in MMA, the lightweights are the toughest to sort through. The group is very top-heavy and even the distant contenders are hard to decipher.

Nonetheless, here is my top 10 list for the lightweights. Feel free to add your take on who should be in the top spots.

(If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, or welterweight rankings, click on the links)

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar is the UFC Lightweight Champion and the lone lightweight in the world to clearly dominate the great B.J. Penn. Edgar will get his chance to put his stamp on the top spot when he faces Gray Maynard for the third time on May 28, but the fact that Edgar pulled out a draw at UFC 125 after that brutal first round is a testament to his abilities. Edgar’s speed, hands, and wrestling are a very impressive combination, especially for a man that could arguably fight at featherweight.

2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard has yet to lose and if he didn’t put everything he had into knocking Edgar out in the first round of their UFC 125 bout, he would be the champion today. Maynard was once just a wrestler, but is now showing strong striking ability. If he can put forth a full 25 minutes in May, he will become the champion and take over the top spot in my rankings.

3. Gilbert Melendez (19-2) – Melendez deserves some real consideration for this top spot and in my opinion, he is the top fighter in all of Strikeforce. Melendez genuinely competes against some of the top fighters around the world that fans aren’t that familiar with. Still, Gilbert needs to prove it on the biggest stage of them all, the octagon, to get my top spot.

4. Jim Miller (20-2) – Miller has just two losses in his career, and that is to the pair on top of this list. Both losses came by decision, and since that time, Miller has gone on to win seven-straight fights. Miller has a great style and aggressive attitude and his will may be greater than his talent, which makes him a dangerous opponent.

5. Anthony Pettis (13-1) – I am a fan of Pettis, and it isn’t just because of his “Showtime Kick” on Ben Henderson. Pettis is a very dynamic striker, but his ground game keeps getting better. He submitted a ground specialist in Shane Roller and he out-wrestled Ben Henderson to become the final WEC Lightweight Champion. Given the success WEC fighters have had in the UFC thus far, I see no reason that Pettis won’t be a problem for anyone in the UFC.

6. Shinya Aoki (27-5, 1 NC) – Aoki is the Dream Lightweight Champion. He is one of the best submission fighters in the world. The man has 17 submission wins in his career and his skills are so diverse that many of his opponents don’t know how to handle him. Still, in his chance to really shine against Melendez in April of 2010, he put on a terrible performance that is hard for me to forget about. His recent win over Lyle Beerbohm helped erase that, but I need to see him beat a real notable opponent in the states to take him seriously as a top-5 contender.

7. Eddie Alvarez (22-2) – Alvarez is the Bellator Lightweight Champion and probably the best single fighter in the whole organization. His last lost came against Aoki in 2008, but he still holds wins over former UFC fighters like Roger Huerta and Josh Neer. Alvarez has quick hands and some strong grappling. Only time will tell if he will ever fight on the big stage of the UFC.

8. Clay Guida (28-11) – Guida doesn’t get a lot of respect as a top-ranked lightweight, but to me, Guida is right there. His losses have come against some of the best in the division. He was beaten by Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, both who contended for the title in the recent past. Guida has now won three straight and gets a crack at Pettis in June. He may be limited because of his size and stature, but he brings the fight and will never back down.

9. Melvin Guillard (27-8-2) – Since being submitted by every legit contender in the UFC, Guillard seems to have gotten his career on track. Now a winner of four straight, Guillard is emerging as a top contender in the division after his TKO of Evan Dunham last January. As long as Guillard can stay off his back, he can beat anyone. That will be the test for him when he takes on Roller at UFC 132 in July.

10. Dennis Siver (17-8) – Siver emerged with his decision win over George Sotiropoulos at UFC 127 and he has now won seven of his last eight. The compact kick boxer posses problems for wrestlers because of his strength and size and he also poses problems for strikers because of his devastating kicks and punches. Siver is on the fast track in the UFC right now, but he must keep up the momentum when he takes on Matt Wiman at UFC 132.

The lightweight division in the UFC may be the most stacked of any and it is starting to get crowded at the top.

Pettis was originally scheduled to get a crack at the title following Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard’s title fight at UFC 125, but a draw left the whole division wondering what was next.

White scheduled a third bout between Edgar and Maynard, which takes place at UFC 130 on May 28. Following that contest, Pettis will be the new No. 1 contender according to MMAWeekly.com, who spoke with White.

“It’s Pettis,” UFC President Dana White confirmed when asked who would be getting the next crack at the championship.

The confirmation obviously gives Pettis extra motivation going into the June fight with Clay Guida. A win guarantees a title shot, likely towards the end of 2011.

Pettis won’t focus on the title shot at this time though because the business at hand is beating Guida. Without that, White’s declaration of his title shot doesn’t even matter.

Pettis meets Guida at the Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale on Saturday, June 4. It will be Pettis’ toughest test to date and his first bout in nearly six months.

Since Pettis landed his infamous “Showtime kick” on Ben Henderson in the final WEC event in the organization’s history, UFC lightweight Jim Miller and Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez have all stated their desire to get the next UFC title fight.

Miller is 20-2 in his career and on a 7-fight win streak. Miller’s lone losses were decisions to Edgar and Maynard.

Milendez is 19-2 and has won 5-straight fights and is the Strikeforce champion. Now with Zuffa controlling Strikeforce, a unification bout is more possible.

Pettis is 13-1 with his lone loss being a split decision to Bart Palaszewski. Since that loss, Pettis has won 4-straight fights, with three coming by stoppage.

Who do you think deserves the next title fight, and if Clay Guida beats Pettis, does he deserve some consideration?

At 19-2, he has a case to argue.

Following his first round TKO win over Tatsuya Kawajiri last Saturday, the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion stated “I think it’s time to unify some titles. I’m the No. 1 lightweight in the world. Let’s get it done.”

Melendez has looked better with each fight, but the question for him is competition. His two losses have been decisions to Josh Thomson and Mitsuhiro Ishida, but he avenged both defeats later in his career.

Melendez shows great striking skills and underrated grappling ability and he has been pushed for 25 minutes on more than one occasion.

While Melendez believes he has accomplished more than top UFC lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, I have to disagree.

Edgar defeated B.J. Penn twice, something only Georges St. Pierre has accomplished. Maynard has been around for a shorter period of time, but is undefeated and beaten top opponents like Kenny Florian, Edgar, Jim Miller, and Melendez’ teammate Nate Diaz.

Melendez’ argument is similar to that of Eddie Alvarez, the Bellator Lightweight Champion. Alvarez has been on a nice run, but because he doesn’t fight in the UFC, he arguably doesn’t get as much respect nationally as he deserves.

Melendez has more of a case as he has fought tougher opponents, but until he steps into the UFC octagon, there will always be that doubt that he can contend at the highest level.

Diaz beat hard-hitting Paul Daley to defend his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in the night’s main event.

The two had a slug fest as each man was rocked at some point in the first round. Diaz landed more strikes, his punches didn’t seem to do the same damage as his opponent’s. Daley managed to sneak in a few powerful hooks that put Diaz on the ground. Diaz recovered, however, and eventually went on to pepper Daley with punches to the head and body. Daley eventually stumbled to the ground and Diaz followed up with a barrage of punches that forced a stoppage with just seconds remaining in the opening round.

In the co-main event, Diaz’ teammate, Gilbert Melendez had the top performance of the night, running through Tatsuya Kawajiri in 3:14 to defend his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. Melendez was very accurate with his punches, landing clean shots to the jaw of Kawajiri. After a few minutes of that, Kawajiri hit the floor and Melendez jumped on him, landing a slew of vicious elbows that put an end to the fight and gave Melendez his fifth-straight win.

Saturday’s wins were a big statement for the Cesar Gracie team, which includes Nate Diaz and Jake Shields. Shields will contend for the UFC Welterweight Championship later this month and if he is able to upset Georges St. Pierre, that would give this camp three world champions. Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has quietly become one of the top fight camps in all of MMA.

Aside from the two title fights, Saturday’s Strikeforce card also saw lightweight Shinya Aoki put on his best U.S. performance, submitting Lyle Beerbohm in 93 seconds. Beerbohm shot in for a takedown early and Aoki turned that to his favor, gaining top position and then slowly working to Beerbohm’s back before sinking in a neck-crank choke to force a tap.

In a light heavyweight clash, former UFC contender Keith Jardine picked up a miraculous draw with Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi appeared to control all three rounds in my eyes, but a 1-point deduction in the first round for an illegal up-kick set the stage for another judging disaster. One judge saw the fight 29-27 for Mousasi, having him win all three rounds aside from the deduction, while two judges felt Jardine won the first round, making for the majority draw.

While Jardine did score some takedowns throughout the fight, he did nothing with those takedowns. No strikes, no advancing, no submission attempts. Nothing! Mousasi always got up quickly and controlled the stand-up aspects of the fight, but judges felt those takedowns were the difference in the fight. It is clear that judges put too much emphasis on takedowns without looking at what happens with the takedown. Hopefully this will get cleaned up soon.

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz (24-7-1) vs. Paul Daley (27-9-2) – I like Diaz to retain his title in this bout as I think he has the better all-around skills. Daley has great punching power but is one dimensional. Once the fight hits the ground, Diaz will easily be in control and score a submission. Don’t sleep on Diaz’ striking either, as his jab has been able to cause problems for other strikers in the past.

Strikeforce Lightweight Championship: Gilbert Melendez (19-2) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2) – Melendez should be able to handle Kawajiri, who is making his first jump into the U.S. Kawajiri didn’t bother to train in a cage for this fight, which I think will be a problem. I like Melendez to work his striking and mix in some takedowns to earn another decision victory.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (30-3-1) vs. Keith Jardine (17-9-1) – Jardine is a late replacement for Mike Kyle, but I think he is a tougher opponent. Jardine has some big-fight experience, but has been on a bit of a downslide in his career. This should be a striker’s fight, and Mousasi has the faster hands and more power to work with. I look for him to land a clean punch on Jardine and earn a TKO finish in the second round.

Strikeforce Lightweight Bout: Shinya Aoki (26-5-1) vs. Lyle Beerbohm (16-1): Beerbohm is a game fighter but I think this bout will ultimately go to the ground, and that is where Aoki should be able to take over. His slick and crafty submissions should be too much for Beerbohm to defend. I like Aoki to score a submission victory in the opening round.