2. Georges St-Pierre – At this stage of his career, the constantly improving UFC welterweight champion is one or two marquee wins away from being considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA. After avenging his only two losses in dominating fashion, St-Pierre will likely have his way with British prospect Dan Hardy later this month, which will create possibilities for superfights against fellow UFC torchbearers Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn.

3. B.J. Penn – The UFC lightweight king put on one of the most immaculate performances in MMA history, masterfully dissecting Diego Sanchez last December to retain his championship. If he defeats Frankie Edgar in April, Penn could return to welterweight to face a top-10 fighter in that division. Ultimately, Penn is aiming for a rematch against St-Pierre.

4. Anderson Silva – With original opponent Vitor Belfort now sidelined, “The Spider” will defend his middleweight title against Demian Maia this April. With Maia, Belfort and Chael Sonnen all gunning for his crown, Silva will need to maintain his reign of dominance on the 185-pound division to make his case for being the No. 1 fighter in the sport.

5. Lyoto Machida - Prior to facing “Shogun” last year, Machida was considered by many to be untouchable at 205 pounds. However, given the controversy coming out of that victory, “The Dragon” will now get another chance at silencing his critics when he faces the former Pride Grand Prix champion in a rematch this May.

6. Mauricio Rua – “Shogun” had a storied career in Japan, which contributes to his worthiness in the pound-for-pound debate. With career wins over Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Quinton Jackson, Rua was justifiably considered the consensus best light heavyweight in the sport. He gets his chance at reclaiming that title when he goes toe-to-toe with Machida in the year’s most anticipated rematch.

7. Quinton Jackson - “Rampage,” who is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva, has not seen action since last March. Prior to a contentious loss to Forrest Griffin in 2008, Jackson had been on a wrecking spree as he defeated Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Matt Lindland, Murilo Rua, Ricardo Arona, Kevin Randleman and Igor Vovchanchyn. The Wolfslair Academy standout finally gets to settle the score with Rashad Evans this May, although his professional fighting career could be halted if he pursues his acting aspirations.

8. Dan Henderson - Now on a three-fight winning streak, the founder of Team Quest brutally knocked out Michael Bisping at UFC 100 last July. Having recently left the UFC to sign with Strikeforce, Henderson faces BJJ wizard Jake Shields for the promotion’s middleweight crown this April on CBS. Although only time can tell, Henderson could become a major force in both Strikeforce’s middleweight and light heavyweight weight categories.

9. Jose Aldo - Anchored at Nova Uniao, Aldo has devastated recent opponents en route to capturing the WEC featherweight title. The Brazilian will make his pay-per-view debut against Urijah Faber this April. If he emerges victorious, Aldo will move further up the pound-for-pound ladder.

10. Shinya Aoki – Japan’s best fighter will make his North American debut this April on CBS against Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez. Aoki, who schooled Sengoku king Mizuto Hirota with a hammerlock this past December, has amassed wins over fellow top lightweights Vitor Ribeiro, Joachim Hansen, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno and Gesias Cavalcante. His clash with Melendez could be one of the year’s most eventful battles.

Honorable Mention:

Dominick Cruz, Gegard Mousasi, Rashad Evans, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Joseph Benavidez, Mike Thomas Brown, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira