Dear Machida: Welcome to the pound-for-pound rankings

With his title win over Rashad Evans at UFC 98, Lyoto Machida (right) joins the top pound-for-pound list. Al Bello/Zuffa LLC MMA Rankings Click on the divisions to view the rankings Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight Pound-for-Pound

With newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida supplanting Rashad Evans atop the deep division, volatility is once again the story of SI.com's monthly mixed martial arts rankings.

Notable changes include the talented Gegard Mousasi (previously placed fifth at middleweight) going unranked after pushing into a heavier class and abdicating the Dream 185-pound title; Masakazu Imanari shedding his ranking at featherweight after a lackluster effort; Tatsuya Kawajiri re-entering the lightweight fray as Gesias Calvancante exits; and Jon Fitch leaving the pound-for-pound list to make room for Machida, who appears there for the first time.

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. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
10. Shane Carwin (U.S.)

Others receiving consideration: Jeff Monson, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Mirko Filipovic, Junior dos Santos

Light Heavyweight

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

Others receiving consideration: Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Jon Jones

Middleweight

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

Others receiving consideration: Chael Sonnen, Yoshiro Akiyama, Paulo Filho, Michael Bisping, Ronaldo Souza

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. Paulo Thiago (Brazil
7. Josh Koscheck (U.S.)
8. Martin Kampmann (Denmark)
9. Carlos Condit (U.S.)
10. Nick Thompson (U.S.)

Others receiving consideration: Hayato Sakurai, Dustin Hazelett, Jay Hieron, Brock Larson, Matt Serra

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn (U.S.)
2. Shinya Aoki (Japan)
3. Joachim Hansen (Norway)
4. Kenny Florian (U.S.)
5. Eddie Alvarez (U.S.)
6. Josh Thomson (U.S.)
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri (Japan)
8. Gray Maynard (U.S.)
9. Frank Edgar (U.S.)
10. Sean Sherk (U.S.)

Others receiving consideration: Gesias Calvancante, Satoru Kitaoka, Takanori Gomi, Tyson Griffin, Gilbert Melendez

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. Takeshi Inoue (Japan)
7. Jose Aldo (Brazil)
8. Leonard Garcia (U.S.)
9. Rafael Assuncao (Brazil/U.S.)
10. Marlon Sandro (Brazil)

Others receiving consideration: Warren, Joe Soto, Josh Grispi, Bibiano Fernandes, Norifumi Yamamoto

Bantamweight

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

Others receiving consideration: Yoshiro Maeda, Manny Tapia, Eduardo Dantas, Chase Beebe, Noah Thomas

Pound-for-pound

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