YAHOO! SPORTS POUND-FOR-POUND TOP 10

1. Anderson Silva

Points: 131 (nine first-place votes)

Status: UFC middleweight champion

Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil

Record: 20-4

2007 results: def. Travis Lutter, submission, elbows, 2:11, Round 2; def. Nate Marquardt, TKO, strikes, 4:50, Round 1; def. Rich Franklin, TKO, strikes, 1:07, Round 2.

Up next: He will make his third title defense against PRIDE 183-pound champion Dan Henderson at UFC 82 on March 1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Points: 118 (two first-place votes)

Status: Interim UFC welterweight champion

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Record: 15-2

2007 results: lost to Matt Serra, TKO, punches, 3:25, Round 1; def. Josh Koscheck, 3-round una. dec.; def. Matt Hughes, verbal submission, armbar, 4:54, Round 2.

Up next: He will face Serra for the undisputed title when Serra's injure dback heals.

3. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Points: 105 (one first-place vote)

Status: UFC light-heavyweight champion

Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Record: 29-6

2007 results: def. Marvin Eastman, KO, punches, 3:49, Round 2; def. Chuck Liddell, TKO, punches, 1:53, Round 1; def. Dan Henderson, 5-round una. dec.

Up next: Jackson and Forrest Griffin will be opposing coaches on Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter 7," then Jackson will defend his title against Griffin in the summer.

4. Fedor Emelianenko

Points: 102 (two first-place votes)

Status: M-1 Global heavyweight

Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia

Record: 27-1

2007 results: def. Matt Lindland, submission, armbar, 2:58, Round 1; def. Hong Man Choi, submission, armbar, 1:54, Round 1.

Up next: Fresh off his first-round submission of Hong Man Choi at the Yarennoka! New Year's Eve card, Emelianenko is expected to make his U.S. debut this spring.

5. Randy Couture

Points: 64

Status: Resigned as UFC heavyweight champion

Hometown: Corvallis, Ore.

Record: 16-8

2007 results: def. Tim Sylvia, 5-round una. dec.; def. Gabriel Gonzaga, TKO, strikes, 1:37, Round 3.

Up next: He plans to sit out the remainder of his contract with the UFC, then take on Emelianenko later this year.

6. Dan Henderson

Points: 62

Status: PRIDE 183-pound champion

Hometown: Temecula, Calif.

Record: 22-6

2007 results: def. Wanderlei Silva, KO, punches, 2:08, Round 3; lost to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, 5-round una. dec.

Up next: He faces UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a unification fight at UFC 82 on March 1.

7. B.J. Penn

Points: 52

Status: UFC lightweight

Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii

Record: 11-4-1

2007 results: def. Jens Pulver, submission, rear-naked choke, 3:12, Round 2

Up next: He takes on Joe "Daddy" Stevenson for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 80 on Jan. 19 at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England.

8. Urijah Faber

Points: 38

Status: WEC featherweight champion

Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

Record: 20-1

2007 results: def. Joe Pearson, submission, strikes, 2:31, Round 1; def. Dominic Cruz, submission, guillotine choke, 1:38, Round 1; def. Chance Farrar, submission, rear-naked choke, 3:19, Round 1; def. Jeff Curran, submission, guillotine choke, 4:34, Round 2.

Up next: Nothing has been officially announced, but it looks like Faber will take on former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver in his next title defense.

9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Points: 33

Status: UFC heavyweight

Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Record: 30-4-1

2007 results: def. Heath Herring, 3-round una. dec.

Up next: He takes on Tim Sylvia for the vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 81 on Feb. 2 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

10. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Points: 9

Status: UFC light-heavyweight

Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil

Record: 16-3

2007 results: def. Alistair Overeem, KO, punches, 3:37, Round 1; lost to Forrest Griffin, submission, rear-naked choke, 4:45, Round 3

Up next: It looks like Rua is set to make his return to the octagon at UFC 83 in April, but no opponent has been announced.

Others receiving votes: Forrest Griffin (UFC light-heavyweight) 7; Chuck Liddell (UFC light-heavyweight) 7; Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto  (K-1 HERO'S featherweight) 6; Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti (K-1 HERO's 2006-07 lightweight tournament champion) 6; Lyoto Machida (UFC light-heavyweight) 5; Jon Fitch (UFC welterweight) 5; Paulo Filho 9WEC middleweight champion) 5; Takanori Gomi (free agent lightweight) 4; Matt Serra (UFC welterweight champion) 2; Wanderlei Silva (UFC light-heavyweight) 2; Gilbert Melendez 9Strikeforce lightweight champion) 1; and Robbie Lawler (EliteXC/Icon Sport middleweight champion) 1.

MMA top-10 panel: Carlos Arias/O.C. Register; Mike Chiappetta/NBCSports.com; Neil Davidson/Canadian Press; Dave Doyle/Yahoo! Sports; Josh Gross/Sherdog.com; Loretta Hunt/The Fight Network; Kevin Iole/Yahoo! Sports; Todd Martin/CBSSports.com; Franklin McNeil/Newark Star-Ledger; Dave Meltzer/Wrestling Observer; Pramit Mohapatra/The Baltimore Sun; Ken Pishna/MMAWeekly.com; and Steve Sievert/The Houston Chronicle.

O.C. Register top 10: 1. Anderson Silva; 2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; 3. Fedor Emelianenko; 4. Georges St. Pierre; 5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira; 6. Randy Couture; 7. Dan Henderson; 8. B.J. Penn; 9. Matt Serra; and 10. Paulo Filho.

CARLOS ARIAS/The Register

carias@ocregister.com

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