Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

There’s no turning back for Jon Jones.

August is a month bursting at the seams with MMA, and ‘Bones’ got it started in a major way on the first day of the month in San Diego. Most expected Jones to deal with tough veteran Vladimir Matyushenko, but few people expected the easy, furious beating the 23-year-old future star dished out in less than two minutes. The victory vaults Jones into a position in the 205-pound division, where he will now face elite opposition on a fight-in, fight-out basis.

However, the biggest happening so far in the month of August actually kept these rankings in tact.

At UFC 117 in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 7, Chael Sonnen was two minutes away from taking his place atop the middleweight division, until Anderson Silva struck with a triangle armbar that saved his reign in thrilling fashion and added a signature win to the resume of “The Spider.” Even in defeat, there can be little dispute that Sonnen is truly one of the world’s best middleweights.

Elsewhere at UFC 117, Jon Fitch solidified himself as the second-best welterweight in the world with a one-sided decision over Thiago Alves. Meanwhile, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos battered a tough Roy Nelson for 15 minutes to cement himself as one of the premier heavyweights in the world and the next challenger for October’s heavyweight title clash between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez.