The two fighters participating in the most talked about MMA bout of the month shot to the top of the light heavyweight division buzz rankings for October. With his razor-thin decision victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto Machida once again became the top buzz-generating light heavyweight fighter in the sport. Machida had been in this position following his UFC 98 victory over Rashad Evans in May, and his return to the top is a strong indication of his growing status as a pay per view draw. Following directly behind him in 2nd is Rua, the former Pride champion who appears to have fully regained his form from his days in Japan.
Getting pushed from the perch was former champion and Ultimate Fighter season 10 coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson rose to the top of the divisional rankings in September as buzz surrounding the Kimbo-infused Spike TV show reached a fever pitch. With Jackson in a dispute with the UFC and no upcoming fights in sight, fans have been losing interest, pushing the Memphis native down to fifth in the rankings behind fellow TV show coach Rashad Evans.
The light heavyweight divisional picture has otherwise held fairly stable. Big names such as Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, and Wanderlei Silva have more or less stayed put. Randy Couture, making yet another move to the light heavyweight division, is currently generating the 8th most fan buzz among fighters in the weight class.
| October Rank |
Light Heavyweight Fighter |
September to October Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyoto Machida | Up 1 |
| 2 | Mauricio “Shogun” Rua | Up 6 |
| 3 | Chuck Liddell | No Change |
| 4 | Rashad Evans | Up 1 |
| 5 | Quinton “Rampage” Jackson | Down 4 |
| 6 | Tito Ortiz | Up 1 |
| 7 | Forrest Griffin | Up 2 |
| 8 | Randy Couture | Down 2 |
| 9 | Wanderlei Silva | Up 1 |
| 10 | Thiago Silva | Up 2 |
| 11 | Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou | Up 9 |
| 12 | Keith Jardine | Down 1 |
| 13 | Brandon Vera | Up 4 |
| 14 | Gegard Mousasi | Up 4 |
| 15 | Rich Franklin | Down 11 |
| 16 | Mark Coleman | Down 1 |
| 17 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | Down 4 |
| 18 | Ryan Bader | Up 7 |
| 19 | Kevin Randleman | Up 2 |
| 20 | Ricardo Arona | Down 6 |
Dropped out of Light Heavyweight Top 20:
Renato “Babalu” Sobral (#21), Stephan Bonnar (#23)
[...] 20 Light Heavyweight Buzz Rankings for recent months: – October 2009 (#1 Rank: Lyoto Machida) – September 2009 (#1 Rank: Quinton [...]