FanHouse RampageJackson

The UFC has probably done more to market itself on YouTube than any other sports organization, and since it's a slow news day, I thought it would be fun to take a stroll back through memory lane to January 26, 2007, when the UFC first launched its YouTube channel. Above is the preview video posted that day for UFC 67, with a main event of Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter, and below are a couple videos promoting the UFC debuts of Rampage Jackson and Mirko Cro Cop, both of whom were making their Octagon debuts at UFC 67.

After his victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99, Rich Franklin is now on my list of the Top 10 light heavyweights in mixed martial arts -- and Silva is off it. But what's next for Franklin? I'd love to see him get a Top 10 opponent, but most of the rest of the Top 10 are already committed to other fights: Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva, Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva.

I think the best option is to match up Franklin with Luiz Cane, and I think a dark horse possibility is Franklin vs. Tito Ortiz, if Ortiz returns to the Octagon. In any event, my list of the top 10 light heavyweights in MMA is below.

In a span of just 15 days, mixed martial arts fans were treated to the sight of two different fights involving one Top 10 pound-for-pound fighter taking on another: Lyoto Machida beat Rashad Evans at UFC 98 on May 23, and Mike Brown beat Urijah Faber at WEC 41 on June 7. That means it's time to revise our MMA rankings.

My latest list of the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Fighters in MMA is below.

Day 2 of Dana White's WEC 41 video blog features UFC fighters making their predictions on the Mike Brown-Urijah Faber featherweight title fight. Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans all pick Faber, while Gray Maynard picks Brown. But the most interesting comments come from Tyson Griffin.

Now that Lyoto Machida has won the UFC light heavyweight title, there's a growing sense that we're headed into -- in the words of Joe Rogan -- a Machida Era: A time when Machida simply dominates the light heavyweight division and defends the belt several times in a row.

But as great as Machida is, everyone can be beaten. So which fighters would have a chance of beating Machida at 205 pounds? My list is below.

The light heavyweight division is the most talented weight class in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but after watching Lyoto Machida dominate Rashad Evans for the title Saturday night at UFC 98, I'm having a very hard time seeing how anyone is going to beat him any time soon.

That might sound like a crazy thing to say, because upsets happen all the time in mixed martial arts, and the light heavyweight title has changed hands four times in the last two years. But the fundamental way to win a fight is to hurt your opponent without getting hurt yourself, and there's no one better at that than Machida.

---

---

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Rampage Jackson is not only one of the greatest UFC fighters ever, he is also one of the greatest personalities in professional sports. So it's no surprise that when THQ introduced its new video game, "UFC 2009 Undisputed" (in stores May 19), it was Rampage who was there to share his thoughts about the game. The results are priceless. Rampage shows us what happens to fans who choose his character and lose, and he also talks smack like no one else.

Check out the video after the jump.

UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans was originally slated to defend his title against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 98, but when Jackson said he wouldn't be ready, Lyoto Machida stepped in to challenge Evans.

Some fans were disappointed that the Evans vs. Jackson match-up was replaced by Evans vs. Machida. But the champion says that he thinks Machida is a more worthy challenger than Jackson.

"I thought Lyoto was more deserving than Rampage anyway," Evans told me Wednesday. "He's better."

Anderson Silva's lackluster win over Thales Leites at UFC 97 has dropped him one spot on my latest rankings of the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA.

I still consider Affliction heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko the best mixed martial artist in the world, but I've now moved UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre into second place, ahead of Silva, who drops down to third. Silva has an impressive 9-0 UFC record, but his two most recent fights have been his two least impressive fights in the Octagon, and I no longer view him as the UFC's best fighter.

My full Top 10 is below.