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Best MMA Fighters Pound-for-Pound
by T.O. Whenham - 1/22/2010
It has been five months since I last updated the MMA pound-for-pound rankings, so it is certainly time to do it again. I should have done it sooner, but the MMA world, and the UFC in particular, seems to be in a bit of a slump right now. It's been a while since we have had a truly exciting MMA card - most of what we have seen recently has been fine, but it's been a long time since we have had an event that you couldn't stand to miss. Regardless, here's how I see the Top 10 right now:
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1. Georges St. Pierre (1) - St. Pierre hasn't fought since July, so he obviously hasn't done anything to deserve to drop down. He only fought twice last year, so we’ll be desperate to see him by the time he enters the ring against Dan Hardy at the end of March. Though he hasn't fought in so long, I haven't forgotten how impressive his last win over Thiago Alves was given that he fought most of the match with an injured groin. St. Pierre is the untouchable king of his weight class, and the best fighter in the world in my eyes - and that's not just because he and I are both Canadians.
2. Anderson Silva (2) - Silva also hasn't fought since the last rankings, either, but that dominant win over Forrest Griffin was certainly eye-opening. Silva has struggled with an elbow injury that has postponed his fight against Vitor Belfort, but it seems destined to happen in the first half of this year. Silva needs to prove himself next time out to prove that he is still capable of the effort he gave against Griffin instead of the two lame efforts he gave before that. It will also be interesting to watch him this year - he turns 35 in April, and has been saying he wants to retire at 35.
3. Fedor Emelianenko (4) - Fedor is probably the scariest fighter on the planet, and he showed it again when he dismantled Brett Rogers last time out. I still refuse to move Emelianenko ahead of St. Pierre and Silva as long as they are winning, and as long as Fedor refuses to face the best fighters in the world in the highest profile organization in the sport. With all due respect to Strikeforce, he's a long way from the pinnacle of the sport right now.
4. Lyoto Machida (3) - Machida has to be this high because he is undefeated, but he really shouldn't be. Machida got a unanimous decision or Mauricio Rua in October that was, to say the least, mystifying. He's due to get back in the ring for a rematch in May that may turn out differently, but for now he has the win, so he gets the spot.
5. B.J. Penn (5) - Penn proved that he is the unquestioned king of the lightweights yet again in December when he dismantled Diego Sanchez in a fight that was never close. He's as dominant in his weight class as St. Pierre and Silva are in theirs. The problem, though, is that there just isn't the talent among the lightweights that there is in higher groupings. Barring an infusion of new talent from outside, Penn could keep winning for a few years without really proving anything because he'd never be seriously challenged.
6. Jose Aldo (unranked) - The featherweight division in WEC may be the most competitive exciting group on all of MMA right now, and Aldo has certainly put his stamp on it. He has won nine in a row, including all six in WEC. His last fight, a title shot against Mike Brown, was an awe-inspiring win over an incredibly talented fighter. The scary thing is that Aldo is only 23, so he's not even in his prime yet.
7. Mauricio Rua (unranked) - Rua has only fought once since the last rankings and he lost, so it's a bit of a surprise to see him climb in here. He clearly beat Machida in my mind, though, so I can't penalize him for whatever it was that the judges were watching.
8. Jon Fitch (9) - Fitch doesn't get the respect in the welterweight division that some do. He's clearly the second best fighter behind St. Pierre, though. He proved that by beating Mike Pierce at UFC 107 in a feisty, entertaining match. Fitch is now 11-1 in UFC, and the only loss came to St. Pierre, so there is no shame in that.
9. Brian Bowles (8) - Bowles shocked the world last time outing by beating the heavily favored Miguel Torres to win the WEC bantamweight championship. That was way back in early August, though, and light fighters don't usually sit out this long, so we really need to see Bowles back in the ring to defend that title and prove that he really is a star. That defense is tentatively set for March 6.
10. Brock Lesnar (10) - Lesnar hasn't fought since July, and he has been fighting some scary health problems, but he hasn't done anything to deserve getting dropped out of the standings - especially with the news that he has his health back and is preparing to return to action. Lesnar has quickly established himself as the class of the heavyweight division in the UFC, and is still young enough that he could put together a special career before it's all over for him.
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