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Y! Sports rankings: Calm before the storm

dave doyle

Editor's note, 11/16: Updated rankings will be posted at the end of next week.

No top-10 fighters were in action for the second consecutive polling period.

Consider it the calm before the storm.

Between now and the end of 2008, at least six of the top 10 will fight, beginning with No. 1 Anderson Silva's Oct. 25 UFC middleweight title defense against Patrick Cote.

November features WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber's title defense against the underrated Mike Brown. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Miguel Torres and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira all make appearances in December.

That doesn't even count No. 2 Fedor Emelianenko, who could fight in Japan on New Year's Eve (yes, Affliction recently claimed it has Emelianenko under exclusive contract, but Affliction has claimed a lot of things that haven't come to pass); or Randy Couture, who was dropped from the top 10 only because of the poll's one-year inactivity rule. Couture fights Brock Lesnar on Nov. 15.

Then there are the fighters just on the outside looking in: Philadelphia's Eddie Alvarez faces Nick Diaz in his highest-profile American fight on Nov. 8, and Rashad Evans challenges Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight championship Dec. 27.

So while this month's rankings are almost identical to last month's (the only change: Nogueira passed Torres for No. 5), things could look very different by the end of the year.

For info on the Y! Sports MMA Top 10 panel, go here.

10. Lyoto Machida

Points: 13

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight

Hometown: Belem, Brazil

Record: 13-0

Last month's ranking: 10

Most recent results: def. Tito Ortiz, unanimous decision, May 24

Analysis: In a holding pattern after his fight with Thiago Silva fell out; Jan. 31 is the currently targeted reschedule date.

9. Quinton Jackson

Points: 21

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight

Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

Record: 28-7 (lost last one)

Last month's ranking: 9

Most recent result: lost to Forrest Griffin, unanimous decision, July 5

Analysis: Seeks redemption on several fronts when he faces Wanderlei Silva on Dec. 27 – for his light heavyweight title loss, his legal trouble and his previous defeats to Silva.

8. Forrest Griffin

Points: 53

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC light heavyweight champion)

Hometown: Las Vegas

Record: 16-4 (won past two)

Last month's ranking: 8

Most recent result: def. Quinton Jackson, unanimous decision, July 5

Analysis: Beginning his hardcore training for his title defense against Rashad Evans.

7. Miguel Angel Torres

Points: 64

Affiliation: WEC

Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)

Hometown: E. Chicago, Ind.

Record: 34-1 (won past 15)

Last month's ranking: 6

Most recent result: def. Yoshiro Maeda, TKO R3, June 1

Analysis: They've managed to find an interesting challenge for Torres, as he'll face unbeaten Manny Tapia (10-0-1) on Dec. 3.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Points: 67

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)

Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil

Record: 31-4-1 (won last 3)

Last month's ranking: 7

Recent results: def. Tim Sylvia, R3 submission, Feb. 2

Analysis: In Mir, Nogueira will face a rare heavyweight who can potentially match him move-for-move on the ground.

5. Urijah Faber

Points: 94

Affiliation: WEC

Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)

Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

Record: 21-1 (won last 13)

Last month's ranking: 5

2007 results: def. Jens Pulver, unanimous decision, June 1

Analysis:Keeping his focus despite the two-month delay in his title defense against Mike Brown.

4. B.J. Penn

Points: 114

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii

Record: 13-4-1 (won past three)

Last month's ranking: 4

Most recent result: def. Sean Sherk, R3 TKO, May 24

Analysis:Finally getting the rematch with St. Pierre he has been demanding for more than two years.

3. Georges St. Pierre

Points: 132

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)

Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec

Record: 17-2 (won past four)

Last month's ranking: 3

Most recent result: def. Jon Fitch, unanimous decision, Aug. 9

Analysis: Back from a well-deserved break, is getting serious about his preparation for Penn.

2. Fedor Emelianenko

Points: 139 (5 first-place votes)

Affiliation: Affliction/M-1 (WAMMA heavyweight champion)

Weight class: Heavyweight

Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia

Record: 28-1, 1 no-contest (won last nine)

Last month's ranking: 2

Most recent result: def. Tim Sylvia, R1 submission, July 19.

Analysis: Expected to fight Andrei Arlovski in Affliction on Jan. 24. Except the match hasn't been signed. And the card hasn't been officially announced. And so on.

1. Anderson Silva

Points: 153 (11 first-place votes)

Affiliation: UFC

Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)

Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil

Record: 22-4 (won last eight)

Last month's ranking: 1

Most recent result: def. James Irvin, R1 TKO, July 19

Analysis: Patrick Cote's trainer, Mark DellaGrotte, has a rep for getting more out of his fighters than most think possible, so perhaps Silva should talk less about retirement and more about his upcoming fight.

More

• Votes for others: Shinya Aoki 7; Narofumi Yamamato 4; Rashad Evans, Takanori Gomi 3; Dan Henderson, Eddie Alvarez 2; Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, Alistair Overeem 1.

• Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 1 Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote, Oct. 25; No. 6 Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown, Nov. 5.

• Last month's rankings