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1
- Frankie Edgar
- "The Answer"
- 24-11-1
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Frankie was in deep trouble during the first round of his recent title defense against Gray Maynard. Edgar survived however, and befitting his championship status, came back and managed a draw to retain his belt and spot atop this list.
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2
- Gray Maynard
- "The Bully"
- 13-7-1, 1 NC
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If Edgar is the best Lightweight fighter in the world, then Maynard is the clear #2 after nearly finishing the champ in the first round and taking him five rounds to a draw. Hopefully their coming rematch will settle the score.
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3
- Gilbert Melendez
- "El Nino"
- 22-8-0
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4
- Eddie Alvarez
- "The Underground King"
- 30-8-0, 2 NC
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5
- Kenny Florian
- "KenFlo"
- 14-6-0
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6
- Shinya Aoki
- "Tobikan Judan"
- 48-11-0, 1 NC
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7
- Anthony Pettis
- "Showtime"
- 25-14-0
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8
- Benson Henderson
- "Smooth"
- 30-12-0
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9
- Donald Cerrone
- "Cowboy"
- 36-17-0, 2 NC
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Cerrone returned to form at UFC 126 with a rear naked choke of Paul Kelly. Unfortunately, it's not enough to bump him up this list.
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10
- Jim Miller
- "A-10"
- 37-18-0, 1 NC
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Miller has won his last seven fights in the octagon and four of those have been by stoppage. He breaks into the top ten with his most recent win over Kamal Shalorus and deserves a top-ten opponent next time out.
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11
- Melvin Guillard
- "The Young Assassin" | 32-22-2, 3 NC
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Guillard's impressive dismantling of Evan Dunham wasn't quite enough to land him in the top 10, but he should get a very tough test for his next outing.
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12
- Dennis Siver
- 23-11-0, 1 NC
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13
- George Sotiropoulos
- 14-7-0, 1 NC
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G-Sot falls out of the top-ten after his decision loss to Dennis Siver.
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14
- Evan Dunham
- 18-9-1
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While a win would have put Dunham very close to title contention, his recent first round loss against Melvin Guillard has placed Dunham in an unfamiliar position: badly needing a win.