As with my heavyweight rankings, I'm not going to offer reasoning where I don't feel it's needed. This is one of the more complex divisions, as it's been pretty well mixed together since the integration of the UFC and Pride as 205, but I think my rankings are pretty solid, even given the craziness that exists within this division.
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Lyoto Machida
People will definitely feel as though I have to justify this ranking, but let me start by saying that I think having Keith Jardine ranked as #3 is ridiculous. I am equally upset by the fact that Dean Lister, Houston Alexander (who beat Jardine badly) and Thiago Silva are not ranked, despite having performed much better than the list Sherdog offers. As for ranking Machida at 3 when sherdog doesn't seem to think he's even top 5 material. I'll say that I think his undefeated record is very impressive, while I may not be totally impressed by his win over BJ Penn (something I've talked about before). I see some of his opponents as being serious top guys, especially Sokoudjou and Nakamura, and I feel that he shouldn't be underestimated, as he is one of the most formidable fighters in the division, and far and away the most versatile.
4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Sokoudjou is a warrior. He has stopped two fighters who are the best in the world at what they do and while his loss to Machida has shaken out some of his mystery, I still think he's one of the most interesting fighters. He has serious athleticism and powerful explosiveness. I know people will dispute this ranking, say that a guy who has been finished recently cannot be this high in the rankings. CroCop didn't drop from the top five after his loss to Gonzaga. Barnett didn't drop after his loss to CroCop. That statement is untrue in regards to the world ranking. It's about losing to a respected opponent, and I feel that Machida is both respected and respectable, as is clear in my ranking of him.
5. Thiago Silva
6. Houston Alexander
This is my greatest problem with Sherdog, and it's one that is perpetual, not just because of this one ranking. They do not respect the up and comers. They need to see it far too often before they acknowledge it as a fighting style and not a fluke (as they did before Sokoudjou's fight with Ricardo Arona, and as they have done with dozens of fighters over the last few years), either that or they fall into a trap of believing it is a fighting style when it's an act of fight-specific planning (as they did with CroCop and Gonzaga going into the Couture fight, thinking Gonzaga's striking would be overwhelming). Alexander has been proven. Jardine is now considered a legitimate fighter (and is ranked 3 by Sherdog), but Alexander destroyed him. Alexander is an explosive fighter, as is Silva. These are not guys who bring one solid performance. I am severely disappointed that Thiago Silva is not the next 205 pound contender, but when he is (I don't personally see it as a matter of "if") he will get the opportunity to prove that his viceral style of striking is the real deal, and not just some fluke. Alexander will continue to do the same.
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Keith Jardine
It's clear that I don't care that much that Jardine beat Liddell. The fact is, Jardine has won two fights, and that is the basis most people see to put him in the top 5. That is stupid. He beat Liddell by split decision (meaning one judge gave the other fight to Liddell), but Liddell has a history in this division and has finished more than one opponent, unlike Jardine. I think it's a great disrespect to Liddell to have him ranked so much lower, or even lower at all, that Jardine, given the clear differences in their record and the fact that Jardine barely won that fight. While I think Jardine is higher on the lightheavyweight ladder within the UFC, I think that Liddell deserves a higher ranking.
9. Forrest Griffin
10. Mauricio Rua
I am not sure that I really want Rua to be ranked 10, and I almost put Wanderlei Silva in that spot instead, but I am taking into account the fact that, not long ago, Rua was ranked one. If he can wean himself off of his dependence on the Pride rules, he will be fine, otherwise, he will be in trouble, and may be dropped from the rankings altogether.
Showing posts with label Rankings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rankings. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Rankings: Just Another Problem I Have With Sherdog
I have lots of issues with the site, and have no problem listing them at length, but their ranking process always confuses me, because so often they seem illogical. I don't agree that a fighter should be removed for inactivity in his weight class, though general inactivity I can understand. It's really just an opinional difference, but it seems strange that Matt Lindland, the best 185 pound fighters in the world, is removed from their rankings because he has had to go up weight classes to look for competition.
Here are my heavyweight rankings (I'll add more as this week goes on). I've offered clarification where I feel its necessary, though there are things (like putting Fedor at #1 among the big men) that I figure you probably have a good handle on.
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
My logic in ranking Nogueira at 2 and Couture at three is based primarily on their performances against Tim Sylvia. Nogueira finished him and Couture, however, I feel it's also important to note that Nogueira has fought a much greater volume of top ten opponents and has done much better against them.
4. Josh Barnett
I'll be honest, I think that the fact that Barnett is not on Sherdog's rankings is fucking ridiculous. Usually I'd put it more eloquently than that, but I think there's really no other way to word my frustration. I respect Barnett as a fighter and don't hold him on a pedestal in the least, and I'm just as frustrated as anyone that he hasn't fought since the buyout, and his imminent return on the Sengoku card will really dictate where I think he falls in the new, scattered heavyweight division. that said, I refuse to rank guys who have much less experience and credibility higher than Barnett, because doing that is ridiculous.
5. Andrei Arlovski
6. Fabricio Werdum
7. Tim Sylvia
My reasoning for ranking Arlovski and Werdum ahead of Sylvia is simple. Werdum has been impressive recently, as has Arlovski, though not in his last fight. Sylvia gets ranked very highly because he beats opponents he should beat, but that's not enough for me to call him a top 5 heavyweight. If Sylvia had really shown up in past fights and I had reason to regard the fight with Nogueira as an anomaly, I would do that, but Sylvia doesn't finish people, and he doesn't even really impress when he sends the fight to the judges. The fact that he is ranked so high by groups like Sherdog really just emphasizes how much crap we are willing to put up with from the former champ before we start questioning his work ethic.
8. Cheick Kongo
9. Gabriel Gonzaga
There are those who are going to wonder why Gonzaga is ranked lower than Kongo, given that Gonzaga finished CroCop and the Frenchman did not. The fact is, Gonzaga has been absolutely destroyed in his last two fights. While there has been alot of talk about the quality of his win over Mirko, it is clear that he is not capable of creating a similarly brilliant performance unless it is fed to him on a one-dimensional platter similar to the Croatian, or a less famous fight like it was in his initial wins over Fabiano Scherner and Carmello Marerro. Kongo may be one dimensional, but he has shown that he can beat a far more diverse level of opponent and, at the very least, has shown growth in his skill set over his last few fights. This is something I have not seen from Gonzaga and, until I do, I will consider Kongo higher, not only in the UFC ladder, but in the world rankings as well
10. Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
In case there is any question of why I included Mirko instead of Ben Rothwell, I will say that I think it's impossible to call Rothwell a top ten fighter when he can't finish Ricco Rodriguez. While I will not dispute the dominance that Rodriguez once had as a fighter, and as one of the greatest groundnpounders the sport has ever seen, I will say that he is not the same fighter, and the fact that Rothwell cannot finish him is disappointing, given that Rodriguez has the cardio of a sumo wrestler (and the physique to match). CroCop may have two painful losses, but I will keep him on the rankings for the same reason I keep Gonzaga on, because he has done incredible things recently and needs only to get back on track. Rothwell still needs to figure out where the track is. As for Rothwell's other wins, people seem to believe that they are extraordinarily impressive, and that's not true. His record is a veritable "Who's that?" of modern MMA, but what can you expect from an IFL division that doesn't really have the finances to get him an awesome opponent.
Those are my thoughts on the current heavyweight divison. I will mention, because I think it's important, that I think both Jeff Monson and Mark Hunt could be on this list, and I considered putting them both ahead of Gonzaga and CroCop. I will probably go back and forth on the issue, but I'd like to see if Hunt is continuing to improve, as he has been over the last few years, and I want to see if Monson has a strong showing against Fedor (as I think that Monson is probably the toughest matchup, stylistically, for Fedor), I don't think he will win, but I think he has the potential to make that a very, very interesting fight, and if he does I will consider him a top ten heavyweight, perhaps even more so than most of the UFC's current top contenders.
Here are my heavyweight rankings (I'll add more as this week goes on). I've offered clarification where I feel its necessary, though there are things (like putting Fedor at #1 among the big men) that I figure you probably have a good handle on.
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
My logic in ranking Nogueira at 2 and Couture at three is based primarily on their performances against Tim Sylvia. Nogueira finished him and Couture, however, I feel it's also important to note that Nogueira has fought a much greater volume of top ten opponents and has done much better against them.
4. Josh Barnett
I'll be honest, I think that the fact that Barnett is not on Sherdog's rankings is fucking ridiculous. Usually I'd put it more eloquently than that, but I think there's really no other way to word my frustration. I respect Barnett as a fighter and don't hold him on a pedestal in the least, and I'm just as frustrated as anyone that he hasn't fought since the buyout, and his imminent return on the Sengoku card will really dictate where I think he falls in the new, scattered heavyweight division. that said, I refuse to rank guys who have much less experience and credibility higher than Barnett, because doing that is ridiculous.
5. Andrei Arlovski
6. Fabricio Werdum
7. Tim Sylvia
My reasoning for ranking Arlovski and Werdum ahead of Sylvia is simple. Werdum has been impressive recently, as has Arlovski, though not in his last fight. Sylvia gets ranked very highly because he beats opponents he should beat, but that's not enough for me to call him a top 5 heavyweight. If Sylvia had really shown up in past fights and I had reason to regard the fight with Nogueira as an anomaly, I would do that, but Sylvia doesn't finish people, and he doesn't even really impress when he sends the fight to the judges. The fact that he is ranked so high by groups like Sherdog really just emphasizes how much crap we are willing to put up with from the former champ before we start questioning his work ethic.
8. Cheick Kongo
9. Gabriel Gonzaga
There are those who are going to wonder why Gonzaga is ranked lower than Kongo, given that Gonzaga finished CroCop and the Frenchman did not. The fact is, Gonzaga has been absolutely destroyed in his last two fights. While there has been alot of talk about the quality of his win over Mirko, it is clear that he is not capable of creating a similarly brilliant performance unless it is fed to him on a one-dimensional platter similar to the Croatian, or a less famous fight like it was in his initial wins over Fabiano Scherner and Carmello Marerro. Kongo may be one dimensional, but he has shown that he can beat a far more diverse level of opponent and, at the very least, has shown growth in his skill set over his last few fights. This is something I have not seen from Gonzaga and, until I do, I will consider Kongo higher, not only in the UFC ladder, but in the world rankings as well
10. Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
In case there is any question of why I included Mirko instead of Ben Rothwell, I will say that I think it's impossible to call Rothwell a top ten fighter when he can't finish Ricco Rodriguez. While I will not dispute the dominance that Rodriguez once had as a fighter, and as one of the greatest groundnpounders the sport has ever seen, I will say that he is not the same fighter, and the fact that Rothwell cannot finish him is disappointing, given that Rodriguez has the cardio of a sumo wrestler (and the physique to match). CroCop may have two painful losses, but I will keep him on the rankings for the same reason I keep Gonzaga on, because he has done incredible things recently and needs only to get back on track. Rothwell still needs to figure out where the track is. As for Rothwell's other wins, people seem to believe that they are extraordinarily impressive, and that's not true. His record is a veritable "Who's that?" of modern MMA, but what can you expect from an IFL division that doesn't really have the finances to get him an awesome opponent.
Those are my thoughts on the current heavyweight divison. I will mention, because I think it's important, that I think both Jeff Monson and Mark Hunt could be on this list, and I considered putting them both ahead of Gonzaga and CroCop. I will probably go back and forth on the issue, but I'd like to see if Hunt is continuing to improve, as he has been over the last few years, and I want to see if Monson has a strong showing against Fedor (as I think that Monson is probably the toughest matchup, stylistically, for Fedor), I don't think he will win, but I think he has the potential to make that a very, very interesting fight, and if he does I will consider him a top ten heavyweight, perhaps even more so than most of the UFC's current top contenders.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Dominance: A Look at the Top Fighters of their Day
Every generation has top fighters, and so this is my tribute to those guys, giving a brief look at their period of dominance in their weightclass and the sport at large.
Royce Gracie: November, 1993 to January 1995 (loss to Kazushi Sakuraba)
While competing in the United States, Royce Gracie ruled the Ultimate Fighting Championship, dominating martial arts stylists from all over the world and of all sizes. His early fights set the standard for submission fighting in American MMA, but as soon as Royce went to the upcoming PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, he lost to up-and-comer Kazushi Sakuraba, who would acquire the monoquer of "the Gracie Hunter."
Rickson Gracie: November, 1980 to April, 2000 (retirement)
Over the course of his professional vale tudo/MMA career, Rickson went 11-0-0 in high profile matchups, though there is alot of speculation about how many wins he compiled all together. Over his 20 year career, he strung together one of the most dominant displays in any sport, beating opponents bigger than him on a regular basis and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission grappling competitions with the same level of dominance.
Frank Shamrock: October, 1997 to March, 2006 (contreversial DQ loss to Renzo Gracie)
While Shamrock has been in and out of retirement over the last few years, he has dominated his opponents like no one else. He is the longest defending title holder to leave the UFC without losing (he won 5 UFC fights total, including a win over fellow 6 time champion Tito Ortiz). His list of wins includes Phil Baroni, Jeremy Horn, Elvis Sinosic and Cesar Gracie.
Mark Kerr: January, 1997 to January 2000
Kerr earned the monoquer of "the smashing machine" destroying his opponents with his world class wrestling skills and freakish strength. While other facets of his game were lacking, his ability to control opponents on the ground was unrivaled, as was his ability to get them there, and his dominance in both the UFC and PRIDE FC set the standard for pure wrestlers.
Wanderlei Silva: August, 2000 to December 2004 (loss to Mark Hunt)
They don't call him "the Axe-Murderer" for no reason. His brutal knees and open range standup led him to be undefeated in PRIDE Fighting Championships for 4 years until losing to K-1 veteran Mark Hunt. Silva held the PRIDE title at 2005 from it's forming after the grand prix until losing to Dan Henderson in February of this year. Wanderlei is still one of the most feared strikers in the sport, but has announced that he is nearing his retirement.
Matt Hughes: March, 2001 to January, 2004 and June, 2004 to November, 2006
Hughes is my own lower weight class fighter on this list, and is really the only one I consider dominant in the short existence of lighter weight class fighting. Hughes has more title fights than any other fighter except Randy Couture and will be fighting for the 170 pound title again soon. His dominant power and ability to slam his way out of submissions and control opponents on the ground has made him an exciting and impressive force in his weight class for a long time.
Fedor Emelianenko: April, 2001 to Present
There is no dispute about any of Fedor's losses. His dominance as both a grappler and a striker has left many opponents at a loss for a way to attack him, and even when they land an attack, it doesn't seem to phase him. While contractual troubles embroil him off of the mat, in competition Fedor has beaten more top 10 heavyweights than any other fighter ever and has won 23 consecutive fights.
Royce Gracie: November, 1993 to January 1995 (loss to Kazushi Sakuraba)
While competing in the United States, Royce Gracie ruled the Ultimate Fighting Championship, dominating martial arts stylists from all over the world and of all sizes. His early fights set the standard for submission fighting in American MMA, but as soon as Royce went to the upcoming PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, he lost to up-and-comer Kazushi Sakuraba, who would acquire the monoquer of "the Gracie Hunter."
Rickson Gracie: November, 1980 to April, 2000 (retirement)
Over the course of his professional vale tudo/MMA career, Rickson went 11-0-0 in high profile matchups, though there is alot of speculation about how many wins he compiled all together. Over his 20 year career, he strung together one of the most dominant displays in any sport, beating opponents bigger than him on a regular basis and competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission grappling competitions with the same level of dominance.
Frank Shamrock: October, 1997 to March, 2006 (contreversial DQ loss to Renzo Gracie)
While Shamrock has been in and out of retirement over the last few years, he has dominated his opponents like no one else. He is the longest defending title holder to leave the UFC without losing (he won 5 UFC fights total, including a win over fellow 6 time champion Tito Ortiz). His list of wins includes Phil Baroni, Jeremy Horn, Elvis Sinosic and Cesar Gracie.
Mark Kerr: January, 1997 to January 2000
Kerr earned the monoquer of "the smashing machine" destroying his opponents with his world class wrestling skills and freakish strength. While other facets of his game were lacking, his ability to control opponents on the ground was unrivaled, as was his ability to get them there, and his dominance in both the UFC and PRIDE FC set the standard for pure wrestlers.
Wanderlei Silva: August, 2000 to December 2004 (loss to Mark Hunt)
They don't call him "the Axe-Murderer" for no reason. His brutal knees and open range standup led him to be undefeated in PRIDE Fighting Championships for 4 years until losing to K-1 veteran Mark Hunt. Silva held the PRIDE title at 2005 from it's forming after the grand prix until losing to Dan Henderson in February of this year. Wanderlei is still one of the most feared strikers in the sport, but has announced that he is nearing his retirement.
Matt Hughes: March, 2001 to January, 2004 and June, 2004 to November, 2006
Hughes is my own lower weight class fighter on this list, and is really the only one I consider dominant in the short existence of lighter weight class fighting. Hughes has more title fights than any other fighter except Randy Couture and will be fighting for the 170 pound title again soon. His dominant power and ability to slam his way out of submissions and control opponents on the ground has made him an exciting and impressive force in his weight class for a long time.
Fedor Emelianenko: April, 2001 to Present
There is no dispute about any of Fedor's losses. His dominance as both a grappler and a striker has left many opponents at a loss for a way to attack him, and even when they land an attack, it doesn't seem to phase him. While contractual troubles embroil him off of the mat, in competition Fedor has beaten more top 10 heavyweights than any other fighter ever and has won 23 consecutive fights.
Monday, August 13, 2007
My Updated MMA Rankings
There are alot of different sets of rankings, alot of different sets of criteria. My personal views are based on the numbers, to a certain extent, but I also look at things like who each fighter has fought and the quality of that performance. For me, belts are secondary, what's most important is that the fighter has fought top tier competition with some success and displayed multiple impressive performances in the upper echelon of MMA.
Heavyweight (265 - 206 pounds)
1) Fedor Emelianenko (26-1-0)
2) Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic (22-5-2)
3) Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (30-4-1)
4) Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett (20-5-0)
5) Mark Hunt (5-3-0)
6) Randy "The Natural" Couture (15-8-0)
7) Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (11-5-0)
8) Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (8-1-0)
9) Aleksander Emelianenko (11-3-0)
10) Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (23-3-0)
Lightheavyweight (205 186 pounds)
1) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-2-0)
2) "Dangerous" Dan Henderson (22-5-0)
3) Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (31-7-1)
4) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (27-6-0)
5) Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (20-4-0)
6) Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou (4-1-0)
7) Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (12-3-0)
8) Ricardo Arona (13-5-0)
9) Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-6-0)
10) Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida (10-0-0)
Middleweight (185 - 171 pounds)
1) Matt "The Law" Lindland (20-5-0)
2) "Dangerous" Dan Henderson (22-5-0)
3) Paulo Filho (15-0-0)
4) Denis Kang (27-8-1)
5) "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (14-4-0)
6) Kazuo "The Grabaka Hitman" Misaki (18-8-2)
7) Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg (15-6-0)
8) Anderson "The Spider" Silva (19-4-0)
9) Murilo "Ninja" Rua (14-7-1)
10) Frank Shamrock (22-8-1)
Welterweight (170 - 156 pounds)
1) Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (13-2-0)
2) Matt Hughes (41-5-0)
3) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn (11-4-1)
4) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (32-2-1)
5) Matt "The Terra" Serra (9-4-0)
6) Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (17-4-0)
7) Jon Fitch (14-2-0)
8) Josh "Kos" Koscheck (9-1-0)
9) Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez (17-1-0)
10) Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (30-7-2)
Lightweight (155 pounds and below)
1) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn (11-4-1)
2) Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi (27-3-0)
3) Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen (15-5-1)
4) Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto (15-1-0)
5) Genki "The Noe-Samurai" Sudo (15-5-1)
6) Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (30-7-2)
7) Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki (11-2-0)
8) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (32-2-1)
9) Hermes Franca (18-6-0)
10) Nick Diaz (14-6-0)
Heavyweight (265 - 206 pounds)
1) Fedor Emelianenko (26-1-0)
2) Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic (22-5-2)
3) Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (30-4-1)
4) Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett (20-5-0)
5) Mark Hunt (5-3-0)
6) Randy "The Natural" Couture (15-8-0)
7) Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (11-5-0)
8) Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (8-1-0)
9) Aleksander Emelianenko (11-3-0)
10) Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (23-3-0)
Lightheavyweight (205 186 pounds)
1) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-2-0)
2) "Dangerous" Dan Henderson (22-5-0)
3) Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva (31-7-1)
4) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (27-6-0)
5) Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (20-4-0)
6) Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou (4-1-0)
7) Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira (12-3-0)
8) Ricardo Arona (13-5-0)
9) Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-6-0)
10) Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida (10-0-0)
Middleweight (185 - 171 pounds)
1) Matt "The Law" Lindland (20-5-0)
2) "Dangerous" Dan Henderson (22-5-0)
3) Paulo Filho (15-0-0)
4) Denis Kang (27-8-1)
5) "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (14-4-0)
6) Kazuo "The Grabaka Hitman" Misaki (18-8-2)
7) Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg (15-6-0)
8) Anderson "The Spider" Silva (19-4-0)
9) Murilo "Ninja" Rua (14-7-1)
10) Frank Shamrock (22-8-1)
Welterweight (170 - 156 pounds)
1) Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (13-2-0)
2) Matt Hughes (41-5-0)
3) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn (11-4-1)
4) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (32-2-1)
5) Matt "The Terra" Serra (9-4-0)
6) Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (17-4-0)
7) Jon Fitch (14-2-0)
8) Josh "Kos" Koscheck (9-1-0)
9) Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez (17-1-0)
10) Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (30-7-2)
Lightweight (155 pounds and below)
1) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn (11-4-1)
2) Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi (27-3-0)
3) Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen (15-5-1)
4) Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto (15-1-0)
5) Genki "The Noe-Samurai" Sudo (15-5-1)
6) Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (30-7-2)
7) Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki (11-2-0)
8) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (32-2-1)
9) Hermes Franca (18-6-0)
10) Nick Diaz (14-6-0)
Friday, June 15, 2007
A Look At the Weight Classes
When I talk about the weight classes in MMA people get really confused, because there are alot of them and it's very easy for people to confuse fighters across the weight classes, as well as confuse alot of rankings in the weightclass. As the UFC has, for the most part, a monopoly on the sport, I'll just outline the UFC weight classes really fast.
Heavyweight: 206-265
Lightheavyweight: 186-206
Middleweight: 171-185
Welterweight: 156-170
Lightweight: 140-155
There is also a superheavyweight weightclass in other organizations for fighters +265 and the superlightweight, bantamweight and flyweight classes for the guys -140.
There is also alot of confusion about who fights in what weight class. So let me just outline my personal look at the world's top ten ranked fighters in each weight class.
Heavyweight
1) Fedor Emelianenko
2) Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
3) Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
4) Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett
5) Randy "The Natural" Couture
6) Gabriel "Napau" Gonzaga
7) Mark Hunt
8) Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski
9) Fabricio Werdum
10) Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia
Lightheavyweight
1) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
2) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
3) Dan "Hollywood" Henderson
4) Wanderlei "The Axe-Murderer" Silva
5) Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
6) Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou
7) Ricardo Arona
8) Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira
9) Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem
10) Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz
Middleweight
1) Matt "The Law" Lindland
2) Dan "Hollywood" Henderson
3) Paulo Filho
4) Denis Kang
5) Anderson "The Spider" Silva
6) Rich "Ace" Franklin
7) Nate "The Great" Marquardt
8) Robbie Lawler
9) Yushin Okami
10) Kazuo Misaki
Welterweight
1) Shinya Aoki
2) Matt "The Terra" Serra
3) Matt Hughes
4) Georges "Rush" St. Pierre
5) John Fitch
6) Josh Koscheck
7) Hayato Sakurai
8) Karo Parysian
9) Diego Sanchez
10) Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman
Lightweight
1) Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi
2) Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen
3) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn
4) Gilbert Melendez
5) Tatsuya Kawajiri
6) Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto
7) Genki "Neo-Samurai" Sudo
8) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk
9) Hermes Franca
10) Frank "The Truth" Edgar
There is alot of dispute over rankings, these are just my opinions about the ladder right now and the guys that are at the top of it.
Heavyweight: 206-265
Lightheavyweight: 186-206
Middleweight: 171-185
Welterweight: 156-170
Lightweight: 140-155
There is also a superheavyweight weightclass in other organizations for fighters +265 and the superlightweight, bantamweight and flyweight classes for the guys -140.
There is also alot of confusion about who fights in what weight class. So let me just outline my personal look at the world's top ten ranked fighters in each weight class.
Heavyweight
1) Fedor Emelianenko
2) Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
3) Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
4) Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett
5) Randy "The Natural" Couture
6) Gabriel "Napau" Gonzaga
7) Mark Hunt
8) Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski
9) Fabricio Werdum
10) Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia
Lightheavyweight
1) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
2) Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
3) Dan "Hollywood" Henderson
4) Wanderlei "The Axe-Murderer" Silva
5) Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
6) Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou
7) Ricardo Arona
8) Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira
9) Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem
10) Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz
Middleweight
1) Matt "The Law" Lindland
2) Dan "Hollywood" Henderson
3) Paulo Filho
4) Denis Kang
5) Anderson "The Spider" Silva
6) Rich "Ace" Franklin
7) Nate "The Great" Marquardt
8) Robbie Lawler
9) Yushin Okami
10) Kazuo Misaki
Welterweight
1) Shinya Aoki
2) Matt "The Terra" Serra
3) Matt Hughes
4) Georges "Rush" St. Pierre
5) John Fitch
6) Josh Koscheck
7) Hayato Sakurai
8) Karo Parysian
9) Diego Sanchez
10) Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman
Lightweight
1) Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi
2) Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen
3) B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn
4) Gilbert Melendez
5) Tatsuya Kawajiri
6) Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto
7) Genki "Neo-Samurai" Sudo
8) Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk
9) Hermes Franca
10) Frank "The Truth" Edgar
There is alot of dispute over rankings, these are just my opinions about the ladder right now and the guys that are at the top of it.
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