One minute you can be on top, the next you are at the very bottom.

Such is the case for heavyweight Alistair Overeem. His fight last night at UFC Fight Night 26 was almost a perfect example of how quickly a career can change.

Needing a win over respectable contender Travis Browne, Overeem seemed like the “Demoltion Man” early on, hammering Browne with big fists. He looked like a heavyweight contender once again.

However, just moments later Overeem ate a picture-perfect front kick that led to a surprising KO loss.

Now Overeem finds himself having lost two straight fights and, when you mix in a suspension that cancelled a title fight in 2012, he could be on the chopping block. It’s been a meteoric fall for Overeem, but he’s not the only one that has been in similar position. Here’s a few other notable quick collapses.

Chuck Liddell – The Iceman seemed unbeatable when he was the UFC Light Heavyweight champion in the mid-2000s, but that all changed with a Quinton “Rampage Jackson” hook. One big punch from Jackson ended Liddell’s title reign and set the course for his surprising demise in the UFC. Liddell went on to go 1-5 over the next three years, losing four times by KO. He was forced to retire in 2010 after being blasted by Rich Franklin.

Brock Lesnar – Lesnar seemed too good to be true, and he was. The physically imposing heavyweight broke onto the UFC scene in 2008 and was champion within a year. However, once Lesnar started to meet up with heavyweights that could match his strength and wrestling ability, he quickly turned into a softy. Though he beat Shane Carwin by submission, he was pummeled in the first round and that seemed to destroy his mystique. From there Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem ran right through him and Lesnar decided to retire from the sport.

B.J. Penn – Though Penn is still considered by many to be the greatest lightweight in MMA history, he didn’t go out on a high point in the UFC. He seemed to be a human wrecking ball at 155 pounds after dominating the likes of Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk and Diego Sanchez, but a pair of decision losses to Frankie Edgar seemed to put his career on the wrong track. While he did pick up a quick KO of Matt Hughes after, he looked sluggish in a draw against Jon Fitch and was thoroughly picked apart by Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald before taking time away. The fear Penn used to put into his opponents is long gone.

Rich Franklin once again defeated Wanderlei Silva by decision in another exciting fight to headline UFC 147 in Brazil on Saturday, but this fight went five rounds instead of three.

Each fighter had their moment in the contest, with Silva nearly finishing Franklin to end the second round following a flurry, but “Ace” survived and went on to dictate the rest of the fight with his crisp, technical striking.

The win was impressive for the former middleweight champion, as he took this bout on short notice and fought in Silva’s raucous home country.

Now, the question is, what is next for both men?

Franklin is still one of the best, but he isn’t quite enough any more to challenge for a title. Silva is clearly far from what he was in the PRIDE days, but still entertaining. He has become somewhat of a gate keeper in the middleweight division.

In the co-main event of Saturday’s card, Fabricio Werdum improved to 2-0 in his return to the octagon, as he ran through Mike Russow.

Werdum continued to show his improved striking, as he quickly overwhelmed the inexperienced Russow with an array of strikes. Once Werdum rocked Russow, he quickly finished up on the ground and earned the TKO stoppage midway through the first.

Werdum is making a strong case to be considered a top 5 UFC heavyweight with his two impressive showings since coming back to the UFC. Perhaps a battle with the likes of Frank Mir could be next in the cards.

For complete results from UFC 147, check out the jump

UFC 147 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)

Saturday, June 24, 2012 – Brazil

190 lbs.: Rich Franklin def. Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Cezar Ferreira def. Sergio Moraesvia unanimous decision (TUF middleweight final)

145 lbs.: Rony Mariano Bezerra def. Godofredo Pepey via unanimous decision (TUF featherweight final)

265 lbs.: Fabricio Werdum def. Mike Russow via TKO at 2:28 of round one

145 lbs.: Hacran Dias def. Yuri Alcantara via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Rodrigo Damm def. Medeiros Anistavio via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:12 of round one

185 lbs.: Francisco Drinaldo def. Delson Heleno via TKO at 4:21 of round one

145 lbs.: Hugo Viana def. John Teixeira via split decision

185 lbs.: Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo def. Leonardo Mafra Teixeira via TKO at 0:41 of round three

145 lbs.: Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini def. Wagner Campos via TKO at 1:04 of round three

145 lbs.: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira goes to a split draw

Part of the reason you may not realize this is because the UFC isn’t really going overboard trying to promote it.

The injury bug played a role in this card as the original main event was set to be Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva. The event is taking place in Brazil and these two coached the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.”

While that fight lacks star power in the U.S., it was still a major fight in Brazil and had some meaning as Belfort was working his way back to a title shot.

However, Belfort broke his hand, and now the main event is Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva 2, a rematch of their UFC 99 main event back in June of 2009.

While the fight itself could be very entertaining, it could be one of the worst main events in UFC history in regards to what the fight actually means.

Neither fighter is anywhere near a title shot and both are on the tail end of their careers. Their UFC 99 main event was somewhat of a stretch as it was, and it has even less meaning now.

Again, I want to state that when I say “worst main event” I am not referring to the actual entertainment value of the fight. To me, main events should be left for title fights or elite top contender matchups. This main event at UFC 147 is neither.

Sure, there have been some shaky main events before like Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz or Yushin Okami vs. Nate Marquardt, but those took place in events that aired on live television. This is actually a PPV that costs $45 to watch ($55 if you want HD).

You could even compare it to the likes of UFC 119, which had Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop as the main event, but Frank Mir was much closer to a title fight then than Franklin or Silva are now.

Really the closest fight by comparison is the main event at UFC 115 when Franklin faced Chuck Liddell. But, even that featured Liddell in a “retirement fight” that garnered some extra interest.

Hopefully the fight is explosive and gives people a reason to watch that pay their money. But, given the talented roster the UFC has these days, these types of main events should be closer and closer to extinction.

Griffin is now 2-3 in his last five fights, with all three losses coming by knockout.

Griffin didn’t look good at all in the fight, as he attempted some ugly high kicks that were very slow in delivery. His boxing has always been a strength for him, but it didn’t do him any good against Shogun.

Rua was able to tear right through him and leave us with another image of Griffin out of the cage before hands were raised.

Shogun is now back in the light heavyweight title picture while we are left to wonder what is next for the original Ultimate Fighter winner.

In the last few years, Griffin has now lost convincingly to two of the top light heavyweights and the middleweight champion.

His two wins were close decisions over the likes of Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin, who are also lost in the light heavyweight shuffle.

While a third match with Ortiz or a rematch with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may make sense in terms of dollars, it seems pretty clear that Griffin will never contend for a championship again.

Rashad Evans did as I expected and beat Tito Ortiz, but his performance was very impressive and it made me consider putting him on top of the list.

You have to consider the quality of opponents that Evans has over Jones. Granted, Jones has been unphased in any fight. But, he also hasn’t fought the best of the best throughout his career.

Still, I left Jones on top for now, but No. 2 is a lot closer than he was a few months ago.

1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones will defend his UFC championship next month against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in his biggest fight to date. Jones has yet to face any adversity, but a win over Jackson would prove that he can handle almost anyone in MMA. Wrestling will likely be the key in this one, as I don’t think Jones will want to slug it out with Rampage.

2. Rashad Evans (16-1-1): Evans bulked up in his time away from fighting and he looks like a determined fighter. He seems angry based on what happened with Greg Jackson and Jones, and it seems to have improved his skills as opposed to hurt them. Evans is next in line for a title shot. Only time will tell if he and Jones will finally square off.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-8): Rampage has had some issues away from the cage, having his trainer decided to leave camp over “creative differences.” Still, Rampage says he is ready to go. He will face a fighter unlike anything he has really seen. It will be interesting to see how Rampage plans to attack Jones at UFC 135.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Shogun looks to avenge his loss to Forrest Griffin later this month at UFC 134. If he does, he may be right back in line for a title shot. The key to Rua’s UFC career has been his cardio, as he has not looked sharp when pushed into a fast pace.

5. Lyoto Machida (17-2): Machida declined to take on Evans on short notice for UFC 133, and that may have hurt his standing with Dana White. His impressive win over Randy Couture at UFC 129 seemed to put him at No. 2 in the title contender’s list, but perhaps Machida will have to win another fight or two to get back in the title picture.

6. Phil Davis (9-0): We didn’t get to see Davis contend with Evans, and that is probably a good thing for “Mr. Wonderful.” Davis needs to slowly build on his career, as he can’t try to take on too much too soon. He still needs to improve on his striking and not be a one dimensional fighter.

7. Forrest Griffin (18-6): Griffin has a chance to prove his win over Shogun back at UFC 76 was not a fluke. An ever improving ground game and a annoying style of striking makes Griffin a tough opponent for many. Shogun struggled with the fast pace of the fight, and I suspect that Griffin will have to push a similar pace in order to win. The more he allows Shogun to set his feet, the more likely he is to be KO’d.

8. Dan Henderson (28-8): Henderson showed he still has a lot to offer in MMA as he stopped Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight contest. The UFC seems set to bring him back into the octagon with his Strikeforce contract running out. Henderson will still have a big climb to get to the UFC title, but his hands and wrestling combination make him a dangerous opponent.

9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5): Lil’ Nog was set to take on Rich Franklin at UFC 133, but an injury forced him off the card. Nogueira is somewhat stuck in a funk after a loss to Phil Davis in his last contest. He still is an exciting fighter with a lot of talent, but fighting off his back has proven to become costly for him. He needs a decisive win in his next bout.

10. Rich Franklin (28-6): Like Nogueira, Franklin is in a bit of a standstill in his career. He isn’t near the top contender spot in the division, but he is still a draw and an elite-level fighter. He has traded wins and losses in his last six fights, but hasn’t been easily defeated by anyone outside of Anderson Silva. Franklin-Henderson II could be an interesting bout for the UFC to put on since the first fight was so close. Franklin can’t really afford another loss, or his career may be up.

The middleweight champion of nearly five years, Anderson Silva, quickly established himself as a game changer when he made his debut with the promotion back on June 28, 2006.

His opponent was current middleweight contender, Chris Leben. The fight didn’t last long as Silva seemingly landed every punch and kick he threw, knocking Leben out in just 49 seconds.

From there, Silva stamped his credibility by running through UFC champion, Rich Franklin, in just three minutes.

Since then, Silva has continued to be a dominant force in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

His striking was something unlike anything we’d ever seen. Chuck Liddell was considered a striker back then, but Silva was on another wavelength.

Silva uses all four of his appendages in a beautiful mix of strikes. His fists, feet, and knees are all deadly.

Since his arrival in the UFC, only Chael Sonnen has put up a fight against the champion, but that still wasn’t enough. Silva used his jiu-jitsu black belt to submit Sonnen and retain his title.

His highlight reel KO’s are stuff of legend as he has made Franklin, Leben, Vitor Belfort, and Forrest Griffin look like amateurs in the cage.

What also makes Silva so special is that you could see him being successful 10 years from now, even as MMA continues to evolve.

There may never be another Anderson Silva again.

The most notable fight will take place at UFC 133 in August from Philadelphia where light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will collide.

Both fighters are coming off decision losses in their last fight. Franklin was beaten by Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 while Nogeuira was beaten by Phil Davis at UFC Fight Night 24 by decision.

This fight will be important for both men as each is struggling to stay relevant in the always-growing light heavyweight division. It should be a kickboxing contest, as both men are known for their striking.

Another fight that has been made is newly-signed Jason “Mayhem” Miller taking on Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 on July 2 from Las Vegas.

Miller has won his last two fights, but not been in action since September 25 of last year. Simpson is coming off a decision win over Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. That win ended a two-fight losing streak for Simpson. The bout should be a classic striker vs. grappler showdown and will be a good litmus test for where Miller fits in the UFC middleweight division.