http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/2/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-15631
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1, 1 NC)
If there has been one criticism of MMA’s premier heavyweight, it’s that Emelianenko has not met the best of his contemporaries over the last three years. He responded with a 36-second thrashing of Tim Sylvia in July, and he will look to further prove his supremacy over the division on Jan. 24 when he takes on another former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, in the Affliction “Day of Reckoning” headliner.
2. Andrei Arlovski (14-5)
This year offered Arlovski a great opportunity to rebuild himself, and he did so brilliantly. With his knockouts of Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, he has earned himself the biggest fight of his career -- a meeting with the sport’s finest heavyweight, Emelianenko, in the main event of Affliction’s sophomore effort on Jan. 24.
3. Josh Barnett (23-5)
Gilbert Yvel will be next for Barnett at Affliction “Day of Reckoning,” should the California State Athletic Commission choose to forgive the dirty Dutchman’s past indiscretions. The real prize for catch wrestling’s proudest proponent, provided Barnett wins, would be a showdown with the winner of the Emelianenko-Arlovski bout.
4. Frank Mir (12-3)
In a fight that he was almost universally counted out of, the former UFC champion turned in the best performance of his career, technically trumping Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira en route to becoming the first man to ever stop “Minotauro.” Now, sometime in 2009, Mir will have to duplicate his February win over Brock Lesnar to become the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight king.
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1, 1 NC)
Nogueira, the early favorite in the UFC’s ad hoc heavyweight tournament, turned in a woeful performance against Mir, who completely took apart the former Pride heavyweight champion before finishing him off with punches in the second round. He’s still a top heavyweight, but Nogueira has a long way to go to erase memories of such a lopsided loss.
6. Brock Lesnar (3-1)
With the first legs of the UFC’s heavyweight tournament over, Lesnar will have the chance to make an enormous statement in just his fifth professional bout. He will take on Mir -- the man who handed him his first career loss at UFC 81 -- in a UFC heavyweight title unification match.
7. Randy Couture (16-9)
Couture’s post-retirement run came to a screeching halt in his first post-resignation bout, as he returned to the Octagon for the first time in 15 months and was knocked out by Lesnar in the second round at UFC 91. The defeat left questions about what “The Natural” has left in the tank.
8. Tim Sylvia (24-5)
There’s no clear next step for Sylvia. The two-time UFC champion’s looking to drum up interest from Japanese promoters, as well as chasing a potentially lamentable bout with elder statesman Ken Shamrock, who would hardly offer Sylvia real competition.
9. Ben Rothwell (29-6)
A bout with Pedro Rizzo at Affliction’s Jan. 24 show did not materialize. Instead, Rothwell got in a tidy tune-up bout, bashing an overmatched Chris Guillen at Adrenaline MMA’s second event on Dec. 11.
10. Alistair Overeem (29-11, 1 NC)
Despite his outstanding trash talking efforts, Overeem was unable to secure a rematch with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at K-1 “Premium 2008 Dynamite” on New Year’s Eve. Instead, Overeem will get a K-1 rules bout with K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up and resident Bad Boy Badr Hari.
Funny how Fedor fought Arlovski when he was #2 in the world according to the MMA experts. Let's hear the TUF fanboy tell us how he knows more than the Sherdog experts. 
Current sherdog HW rankings..........
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko (31-1, 1 NC)
It seemed fairly straightforward that Emelianenko would stake his heavyweight supremacy against Brazilian Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce’s second CBS offering on April 17. Now, a contract squabble between Strikeforce and M-1, which represents Emelianenko, means early summer is the likely time for the bout.
2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)
While we do not know exactly how Lesnar will look in his return to the cage after his bout with diverticulitis, we do know his foe. Come July 3, he will take on Shane Carwin to unify both halves of the UFC heavyweight mantle in what should be a blockbuster bout for the promotion.
3. Cain Velasquez (8-0)
Whether one wants to call it a passing of the torch or a coming-out party, Velasquez’s performance against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110 was short and brutal. In less than half a round, Velasquez destroyed one of MMA’s most historically outstanding heavyweights in easily his most impressive performance to date.
4. Shane Carwin (12-0)
It took almost four minutes -- an eternity by his usual standards -- but at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J., Carwin blew off Frank Mir’s doors in the first round to claim the UFC interim heavyweight title. However, the real championship will be contested July 3, when Carwin meets Brock Lesnar.
5. Frank Mir (13-5)
Mir entered his March 27 bout with Shane Carwin as a slight betting favorite. However, he looked none the part in the cage, as Carwin bashed him with left hands in the clinch and decimated the former UFC champion to take the promotion’s interim title. With it, he took Mir’s chance for a rubber match with Brock Lesnar.
6. Junior dos Santos (11-1)
Dos Santos’ March 21 bout with Gabriel Gonzaga was supposed to be a sterner test for the hot Brazilian prospect. However, it was business as usual for “Cigano,” who used his boxing ability to turn out the lights on “Napao” and firmly entrench himself in the UFC heavyweight title race.
7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1, 1 NC)
“Minotauro” had an army of backers who felt the former Pride and UFC heavyweight champion would put on a vintage performance against Cain Velasquez at UFC 110. However, post-fight discussion centered on whether or not Nogueira still has the physical tools to hang with young, elite heavyweights after Velasquez polished him off in a little more than two minutes.
8. Brett Rogers (10-1)
Despite the fact that Rogers was taken out by Fedor Emelianenko in November, “The Grim” will get the chance to vie for the Strikeforce heavyweight crown on May 15 in St. Louis. Rogers will take on champion Alistair Overeem, who makes his long-awaited return to the promotion after capturing its heavyweight title in November 2007.
9. Andrei Arlovski (15-7)
The former UFC champion has not seen action since June, when he lasted just 22 seconds against Brett Rogers. However, Arlovski has inked a deal with Strikeforce that will get him back into the cage soon. “The Pitbull” will take on Antonio Silva on May 15 in St. Louis.
10. Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1)
Werdum will have to wait another couple of months to fight for MMA’s heavyweight mantle. He expected to meet heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko in April, but Emelianenko’s contract dispute with Strikeforce means that “Vai Cavalo” will have to sit pretty until the early summer.
Other contenders: Josh Barnett, Roy Nelson, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Antonio Silva.
6 of the top 10 HW in one org......that would be an indication of that org having the best HW division, right?
BTW, notice Overeem didn't even get top ten, he got an honorable mention.........how does an orgs champ not get ranked, but a guy that doesn't hold the title in the same org is #1?
