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Rankings: Cain Velasquez jumps back in the mix after big heavyweight win over Junior dos Santos

Yahoo Sports

Cain Velasquez's five-round demolition of Junior dos Santos on Dec. 29 won him the UFC heavyweight title and earned him a return trip into the Yahoo! Sports Top 10.

Velasquez checked into the poll at No. 6 in the January rankings after his impressive victory over dos Santos.

Demetrious Johnson was the beneficiary of a high-profile win, jumping up two spots from No. 9 to No. 7 after defeating John Dodson in an exciting flyweight title fight on Fox.

Lightweight champion Benson Henderson jumped up a spot from No. 6 to No. 5, replacing dos Santos, who fell out of the Top 10. Frankie Edgar slipped from No. 7 to No. 8 and Gilbert Melendez dropped from No. 8 to No. 9 to accommodate Johnson's move upward.

With that, let's take a look at the current rankings:

1. Anderson Silva

Points: 208 (19 of 21 first-place votes)
  Affiliation: UFC (middleweight champion)
  Weight class: Middleweight
  Record: 31-4
  Last outing: TKO1 Stephan Bonnar, Oct. 13
  Previous ranking: 1
  Up next: Nothing scheduled

2. Jon Jones

Points: 185 (2 of 21 first-place votes)
  Affiliation: UFC (light heavyweight champion)
  Weight class: Light heavyweight
  Record: 17-1
  Last outing: SUB4 Vitor Belfort, Sept. 22
  Previous ranking: 2
  Next: Title fight vs. Chael Sonnen

3. Georges St-Pierre

Points: 173
  Affiliation: UFC (welterweight champion)
  Weight class: Welterweight
  Record: 23-2
  Last outing: W5 Carlos Condit on Nov. 17
  Previous ranking: 3
  Next: Title fight vs. Nick Diaz

4. Jose Aldo

Points: 141
  Affiliation: UFC (featherweight champion)
  Weight class: Featherweight
  Record: 21-1
  Last outing: TKO1 Chad Mendes, Jan. 14, 2012
  Previous ranking: 4
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 8 Frankie Edgar

5. Benson Henderson

Points: 121
  Affiliation: UFC (lightweight champion)
  Weight class: Lightweight
  Record: 17-2
  Last outing: W5 Nate Diaz, Dec. 8
  Previous ranking: 6
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 9 Gilbert Melendez

6. Cain Velasquez

Points: 81
  Affiliation: UFC (heavyweight champion)
  Weight class: Heavyweight
  Record: 11-1
  Last outing: W5 Junior dos Santos, Dec. 29
  Previous ranking: NR
  Next: Nothing scheduled

7. Demetrious Johnson

Points: 69
  Affiliation: UFC (flyweight champion)
  Weight class: Flyweight
  Record: 17-2-1
  Last outing: W5 John Dodson, Jan. 26
  Previous ranking: 9
  Next: Nothing scheduled

8. Frankie Edgar

Points: 62
  Affiliation: UFC
  Weight class: Featherweight
  Record: 14-4-1
  Last outing: L5 Benson Henderson, Aug. 11
  Previous ranking: 7
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 4 Jose Aldo

9. Gilbert Melendez

  Points: 51
  Affiliation: UFC
  Weight class: Lightweight
  Record: 21-2
  Last outing: W5 Josh Thomson, May 19
  Previous ranking: 8
  Next: Title fight vs. No. 5 Benson Henderson

10. Renan Barao

Points: 20
  Affiliation: UFC (interim bantamweight champion)
  Weight class: Bantamweight
  Record: 29-1
  Last outing: W5 Urijah Faber, July 21
  Previous ranking: 10
  Next: Title fight vs. Michael McDonald

Others receiving votes: Junior dos Santos, 10; Ronda Rousey, 8; Carlos Condit, 7; Rashad Evans, 6; Daniel Cormier, 4; Johny Hendricks, 4; Gray Maynard, 4; Anthony Pettis, 2.

Ineligible: Nick Diaz (serving marijuana suspension); Alistair Overeem (serving PED suspension); Dominick Cruz (inactive more than 12 months); Dan Henderson (inactive more than 12 months).

Voting panel: Elias Cepeda, Cage Potato; Steve Cofield, ESPN Radio 1100, Las Vegas; Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press; Dave Deibert, Post Media; Dave Doyle, MMA Fighting/SI.com; Matt Erickson, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Josh Gross, ESPN.com; Ariel Helwani, MMA Fighting; Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun; Steven Marrocco, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Todd Martin, freelance; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com; Dave Meltzer, The Wrestling Observer/MMA Fighting; John Morgan, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Brett Okamoto, ESPN.com; Ken Pishna, MMA Weekly; Greg Savage, Sherdog; Dann Stupp, MMA Junkie/USA Today; Jeff Wagenheim, SI.com.

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