Due to inactivity Anthony Pettis, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos are ineligible. Previous rankings (10/6/14) in parenthesis:
1) Jon Jones (1)
Jon Jones is set to face upcoming opponent Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 on January 3rd in order to finally settle the score once and for all. Jones is without a doubt a spectacular athlete, however as mentioned before Cormier has been known to pull upsets on many occasions.
2) Demetrious Johnson (2)
One can say that Demetrious Johnson is getting a well deserved holiday season off after a productive 2014, recently against Chris Cariaso. At this point it’s hard to tell who Johnson’s next contender will be considering the only man with a win over him lost recently.
3) Jose Aldo (3)
Jose Aldo had to legitimately defend his title in his rematch with Chad Mendes. His next challenger has yet to be determined at this time.
4) Chris Weidman (5)
While his many injuries have delayed the fight with Vitor Belfort, Chris Weidman is on track to defend his title at UFC 184 on February 28th. Another note is that Belfort passed a recent random drug test by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to make sure he’s clean.
5) Ronda Rousey (6)
Ronda Rousey is looking forward to defending her title against the skilled and improving Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on February 28th.
6) Johny Hendricks (7)
With his bicep healed, a healthy Johny Hendricks is now set to defend his title in a rematch against Robbie Lawler at UFC 181 on December 6th. As has been brought up before it’s a question of whether Lawler can duplicate his performance or if Hendricks will excel.
7) T.J. Dillashaw (8)
T.J. Dillashaw is expected to defend his title against former champion Dominick Cruz, though a date and venue has not been announced.
8) Renan Barao (9)
To prove that he can both cut weight in a healthy manner and face a normal person, Renan Barao faces Mitch Gagnon on December 20th.
9) Anderson Silva (N/A)
Anderson Silva will basically be given a tuneup match against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on January 31st, assuming his leg is back to normal. However, Diaz’s aggressive boxing attack could pose a problem for Silva. Then again Silva has spectacular head movement.
10) Fabricio Werdum (N/A)
It was a surprise to see Fabricio Werdum defeat Mark Hunt by a flying knee but it happened. He also survived a rocky first round by which he was taken down and took a few shots. He has now guaranteed a title shot against the injured Cain Velasquez sometime in March.