MMA's musical chairs: who sits where in the latest rankings?

Undefeated Paulo Thiago (right) debuts at No. 7 in his class, thanks to his KO of Josh Koscheck at UFC 95. Courtesy of Zuffa MMA Rankings Click on the divisions to view the rankings Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight Pound-for-Pound

Ranking mixed martial artists is, to be fair, an inexact science. Rules across the sport are dissimilar, weight classes don't always conform and fighters have been known to jump from division to division. And all such factors played into SI.com's latest MMA rankings.

Though there was little movement from heavyweight through lightweight in comparison to last month's list, featherweight and bantamweight registered several notable changes.

With the start of Sengoku's featherweight tournament this Friday in Japan, WEC 40's bantamweight-heavy lineup coming April 5, and Bellator Fighting Championship's debut next month, don't expect the 145- or 135-pound divisions to remain stable, save for the top, where Mike Thomas Brown and Miguel Torres firmly hold the No. 1 spot in their respective classes.

Some notable updates:

• Nate Marquardt moves up a couple spots at 185 after soundly defeating Wilson Gouveia.

• Undefeated Paulo Thiago debuts at welterweight at No. 7, thanks to his KO of previously top-five ranked Josh Koscheck.

• Nick Thompson revolves back in at 170, replacing Matt Serra, whose win over Georges St. Pierre feels long forgotten.

• Gray Maynard moves up one spot at lightweight, as he continued an increasingly impressive run with a dominant decision over Jim Miller.

And so, without further ado, here is the latest mix-up in SI.com's MMA rankings.

Heavyweight

1. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia)
2. Josh Barnett (U.S.)
3. Frank Mir (U.S.)
4. Andrei Arlovski (Belarus/U.S.)
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil)
6. Brock Lesnar (U.S.)
7. Randy Couture (U.S.)
8. Tim Sylvia (U.S.)
9. Sergei Kharitonov (Russia)
10. Alistair Overeem (Holland)

Others receiving consideration: Shane Carwin, Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Mirko Filipovic, Junior dos Santos

Light Heavyweight

1. Rashad Evans (U.S.)
2. Quinton Jackson (U.S.)
3. Lyoto Machida (Brazil)
4. Forrest Griffin (U.S.)
5. Dan Henderson (U.S.)
6. Chuck Liddell (U.S.)
7. Wanderlei Silva (Brazil)
8. Keith Jardine (U.S.)
9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil)
10. Renato Sobral (Brazil)

Others receiving consideration: Luis Arthur Cane, Tito Ortiz, Mauricio Rua, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva (Brazil)
2. Yushin Okami (Japan)
3. Robbie Lawler (U.S.)
4. Nate Marquardt (U.S.)
5. Gegard Mousasi (Holland)
6. Thales Leites (Brazil)
7. Dan Henderson (U.S.)
8. Jorge Santiago (Brazil)
9. Frank Trigg (U.S.)
10. Vitor Belfort (Brazil)

Others receiving consideration: Rich Franklin, Demian Maia, Chael Sonnen, Yoshiro Akiyama, Paulo Filho

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre (Canada)
2. Jon Fitch (U.S.)
3. Thiago Alves (Brazil)
4. Jake Shields (U.S.)
5. Matt Hughes (U.S.)
6. Carlos Condit (U.S.)
7. Paulo Thiago (Brazil)
8. Josh Koscheck (U.S.)
9. Karo Parisyan (Armenia/U.S.)
10. Nick Thompson (U.S.)

Others receiving consideration: Matt Serra, Dustin Hazelett, Jay Hieron, Mike Swick, Dan Hardy

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn (U.S.)
2. Shinya Aoki (Japan)
3. Sean Sherk (U.S.)
4. Joachim Hansen (Norway)
5. Kenny Florian (U.S.)
6. Eddie Alvarez (U.S.)
7. Gesias Cavalcante (Brazil)
8. Josh Thomson (U.S.)
9. Gray Maynard (U.S.)
10. Satoru Kitaoka (Japan)

Others receiving consideration: Frank Edgar, Tyson Griffin, Gilbert Melendez, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri

Featherweight

1. Mike Thomas Brown (U.S.)
2. Urijah Faber (U.S.)
3. Wagnney Fabiano (Brazil)
4. Hatsu Hioki (Japan)
5. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Japan)
6. Masakazu Imanari (Japan)
7. Takeshi Inoue (Japan)
8. Leonard Garcia (U.S.)
9. Jose Aldo (Brazil)
10. Wilson Reis (Brazil)

Others receiving consideration: Marlon Sandro, Josh Grispi, LC Davis, Rafael Assuncao, Abel Cullum

Bantamweight

1. Miguel Torres (U.S.)
2. Brian Bowles (U.S.)
3. Masakatsu Ueda (Japan)
4. Atsushi Yamamoto (Japan)
5. Takeya Mizugaki (Japan)
6. Will Ribeiro (Brazil)
7. Damacio Page (U.S.)
8. Marcos Galvao (Brazil)
9. Rany Yahya (Brazil)
10. Dominic Cruz (U.S.)

Others receiving consideration: Chase Beebe, Yoshiro Maeda, Eduardo Dantas, Manny Tapia, Joseph Benavidez

Pound-for-pound

1. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia)
2. Georges St. Pierre (Canada)
3. Anderson Silva (Brazil)
4. Miguel Torres (U.S.)
5. Rashad Evans (U.S.)
6. Quinton Jackson (U.S.)
7. B.J. Penn (U.S.)
8. Shinya Aoki (Japan)
9. Mike Thomas Brown (U.S.)
10. Urijah Faber (U.S.)