MMA Pound for Pound Rankings

The events of the last year have certainly caused some changes to any MMA pound for pound rankings.  A perennial stalwart in those rankings, Fedor Emelianenko, not lonely suffered the first loss of his career but has now lost consecutive bouts after taking a brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Silva.  Other then that significant change, the top 5 really hasn’t seen much change but the bottom half of the top ten can be endlessly debated between a pool of at least 15 fighters.  Sparking that kind of debate is truly what any pound for pound rankings are designed to accomplish.  They are after all only a subjective ranking with the fighters at the top of the discussion rarely if ever actually getting into the ring against one another, although that could change if the mega fight between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva does in fact materialize later this year.  I know people tend to get a little bent out of shape with rankings like these but it is the differing of opinions and the debates that ensue that make this fun.  Like hearing a breaking story that Charlie Sheen had a party at his house and had a 747 full of strippers and cocaine piloted by Gary Busey land in his backyard.  It would make you laugh, entertain you for a while, and give some great material to talk about at the bar the next night but nothing you would take too seriously.  So let’s kick off the inaugural “Charlie Sheen” Pound for Pound Rankings with the list of fighters, in no particular order, that were definitely in the hunt but are still on the front lawn looking for a way into the party:

• Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez – The Strikeforce lightweight champ hasn’t been in the cage since April of last year but that fight was an impressive unanimous decision win over Shinya Aoki.  Melendez has solid striking and very good power even if his technique is unorthodox and he has never been stopped in a fight.  Both of his losses in his 18-2 career record have come via unanimous decision.  If a much anticipated fight against Eddie Alvarez does happen in the near future it will tell us a lot more about “El Nino” as he continues to fight upper echelon competition and could vault him up into the top 10.
• Jon “Bones” Jones – Well I wrote before the Ryan Bader fight that the hype machine surrounding Jones was an out of control freight train and man did he live up to the hype.  He eviscerated Bader and in doing so earned a title shot against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua coming up on March 19^th due in part to his performance and in part to a knee injury to Rashad Evans.  I’m on record stating that Jones is the best athletic specimen I’ve seen enter the sport since Georges St. Pierre and if the 23yr old phenom captures the UFC light heavyweight title on the 19^th then there is no question he crashes into the top 10 like the Kool-aid man.
• Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos – One of the rising stars in the heavy weight division, he is set to coach the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite Brock Lesnar.  He’s conquered every step up in competition that the UFC has put in front of him and his upcoming fight against former UFC heavy weight champ Lesnar at the end of “The Ultimate Fighter” will be the next step for him.  With his outstanding striking and his solid grappling game he certainly has the makings of a future UFC heavy weight champion.

• Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko – The most shocking fall out of the top 10.  It was just a year ago that Fedor was still undefeated and topping many pound for pound rankings as the best fighter in the world, including mine.  Two consecutive losses later and it appears that the career of the best mixed martial artist in the history of the sport up to this point may be coming to a close.  As unfortunate as that is, the beating that he took at the hands of Antonio Silva last month may be the impetus for Fedor to retire, a thought that he has hinted at over the last couple of years, although I think the competitor in him will push him to come back strong.  However it plays out we all should respect his accomplishments, amazing skill, and professional way he represents both himself and the sport.
• Nick Diaz – Hard to find a hotter fighter in the sport right now then the Caesar Gracie Academy product who is riding a 9 fight win streak.  The always controversial Strikeforce welterweight champ has really shown a great improvement in his all around game the last 3 years.  His submission skills have always been excellent but his boxing has steadily improved over the years and is now almost as lethal.  A potential fight between him and Paul Daley will not only be an exciting fight but the jawing back and forth between the two leading up the fight would be off the charts.
• Frankie “The Answer” Edgar – The UFC light heavyweight champ just missed cracking into the top 10 even after his electrifying title defense against Gray Maynard, which unfortunately ended in a draw.  He was rocked badly and nearly finished in the first round of that fight multiple times but showed tremendous heart and determination and won 3 of the last 4 rounds to retain his title with the draw.  The one drawback to Edgar’s fighting style is that it doesn’t lead to him finishing many fights.  8 of his 13 wins have been by decision with only 1 victory via a stoppage in the last 3 years.  His skill set is very hard to deal with and if he does defend his title a few times and find a way to beat Gray Maynard then he could certainly find himself in the top 10.
• Gray “The Bully” Maynard – “The Bully” certainly seemed well on his way to starting his career 11-0, beating Frankie Edgar for a 2^nd time, and winning the UFC lightweight title after a dominant 1^st round in their title fight.  It didn’t quite work out that way as the fight ended in a draw but there will be a 3^rd fight in the series at UFC 130 in May which could easily propel the winner into the top 10 pound for pound party.  Maynard is a powerful wrestler with heavy hands and seems to be a horrendous match up for Edgar so I would expect he won’t let a second opportunity at the title slip through his fingers again.
• Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida – Machida was a guy that was shooting up everyone’s pound for pound rankings in 2009 as he seemed to have a style and skill set that no one in the light heavyweight division could deal with.  But after “Shogun” Rua exposed some vulnerabilities in their first title fight that saw Machida win a controversial decision and then when Rua finished the deal in their rematch with a brutal 1^st round knockout, people started to break their ankles jumping off his bandwagon.  Then a close split decision loss to Quinton Jackson has left the former champ riding a 2 fight losing streak coming into his upcoming fight against Randy Couture in April.  Machida is still an elite fighter who could easily recapture the UFC light heavyweight title and poses serious stylistic match up problems for any fighter who gets in the cage with him.

Alright so now we’re down to the top 10 in the world, the guys lounging poolside at Sheen’s house enjoying the view and the “companionship”:

10)    Eddie Alvarez – This pick might surprise a lot of people as I’m putting Alvarez ahead of Edgar, Maynard, and Melendez but for my money Eddie Alvarez has been the best lightweight in MMA the past 2 years.  He’s 6-0 over that time span with his last loss coming to Shinya Aoki on New Year’s Eve 2008.  All 6 of the wins have come via stoppage, 5 submissions and 1 TKO, and he has gotten better each and every time out.  The only knock on Alvarez over that time would be the level of competition he has fought as those fights have all been in Bellator and Dream and not one of the 2 major US promotions.  Not all of that has been his fault as his fight with Melendez never got worked out but if that match up does happen it will cement his place because he has the requisite skills to win that fight.

9)      Dominic “The Dominator” Cruz – The UFC bantamweight champion has ripped off 8 straight wins since suffering the only loss of his career against Urijah Faber 4 years ago.  The loss to Faber was at featherweight; partly prompting Cruz’s decision to drop down to bantamweight and it has proven to have been a great decision.  He has a smooth striking style and his size, standing 5”8, poses a real dilemma for just about every bantamweight he fights.  You just don’t see many fighters with a 5”8 frame and that kind of reach that can fight at 135lbs.  Cruz is still recovering from a hand injury he suffered in his last fight in December but a rematch against Faber in a title defense looms as a tremendous fight later in the year if all goes as planned.

8)      Jake Shields – The former Strikeforce welterweight champ made his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann winning a split decision victory that I and many others thought Kampmann lost more so then Shields won.  Kampmann was clearly winning the fight when it was standing but in the 3^rd round he continued to try to prove a point that he could submit Shields and time after time gave Shields top position and it ultimately cost him the win.  That being said, Shields is a superior grappler who hasn’t tasted defeat since 2004 and he is getting exactly what he came to the UFC for, a title shot against George St. Pierre on April 30^th.  It’s the opportunity he has been working for all these years and expectations are that Shields will fight his heart out but it’s an extremely difficult match up for him with his limited striking ability.  A win against St. Pierre certainly cements his deserved place in the top 10 and most likely vaults him up several spots.

7)      Jon Fitch – Our second straight UFC welterweight fighter on the list and the best welterweight fighter in the world not named Georges St. Pierre.  Despite his struggles at time with BJ Penn in their draw at UFC 127, he seemed to eventually figure out Penn’s game plan and dominated the 3^rd round.  With his only loss in his 15 fights in the UFC since 2005 coming to arguably the best fighter in the world in St. Pierre, Fitch has more then earned this status.  If St. Pierre were not in the welterweight division, Fitch would already have the gold around his waist.  Fitch is a great blend of just enough talent and athleticism melded together with amazing heart, intensity, and cardiovascular endurance to make him a nightmare of match up for any fighter in the division.  Not sure where Fitch goes from here after the draw with Penn, but the best case scenario for him would appear to be that St. Pierre beats Shields and moves up to fight Anderson Silva later in the year possibly paving the way for Fitch to fight for his vacated title.

6)      Cain Velasquez – Our 3^rd straight fighter on the list without a nickname and the newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion.  Cain has been steadily moved up in competition by the UFC and has excelled in every case.  An excellent wrestler with rapidly improving boxing and stand up skills and a cardio tank that just appears bottomless.  The stories from his training camps about his cardio endurance are legendary and it would seem he could easily fight a 10 round fight if necessary.  All of those skills were on display in his dismantling of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 to win the heavyweight title as he survived an early take down by Lesnar, got back to his feet and then rocked him with his superior stand up and finished him with some brutal ground and pound.  Cain has the tools and the work ethic to have a long, successful reign as the UFC heavyweight champ but that is much easier said then done.

5)      Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem – “The Demolition Man” has certainly been living up to that nickname as of late having gone undefeated in his last 10 MMA fights, with the last 6 of those wins coming in under 4 minutes, and also winning the K-1 World Grand Prix heavyweight kickboxing championship in December.  The Strikeforce heavyweight champ is also in the middle of competing in that organization’s heavyweight tournament where he will face Fabricio Werdum, whom he lost to in 2006, in a quarterfinal match that could easily have been the finals.  Overeem is without a doubt that most devastating striker in MMA today and at 6”5 and 255lbs of pure muscle he is right now the best heavyweight in the world.  The one Achilles heel for him during his career has been the question of his gas tank but with so many quick finishes in his last several fights it hasn’t been put to the test so it’s hard to hold it against him.

4)      Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – The UFC light heavyweight champion is set to make his first title defense against Jon “Bones” Jones on March 19^th which should be a fascinating fight.  It has been great to see Rua make a full recovery from back to back ACL injuries he suffered in 2007/2008 which at the time threatened to derail his career entirely.  It certainly has been evident in his last 3 fights that “Shogun” has regained the explosiveness and athleticism that made him arguably the best 205lb fighter in the world in 2005 and 2006.  His quickness, power, and uncanny finishing ability make him one of the best fighters in the sport and the clash between him and the uber athletic Jones is going to be a sight to see.

3)      Jose “Scarface” Aldo – The former WEC and now newly crowned UFC featherweight champion has been an absolute wrecking machine over the last 3 years.  He has won 11 consecutive fights with his last 6 being of the dominant variety.  Among those was a crushing of Mike Brown, the then WEC featherweight champion, followed by a clinical dissection of Urijah Faber in his first title defense.  Aldo is only 24 years old but already possesses some of the fastest and most lethal striking I’ve ever seen; which is complimented by a solid submission game and elite level athleticism.  He is set to make his UFC debut and defend his title again Mark Hominick in April which will be a clash of superb strikers and should be a thing of beauty to watch.  If Aldo can stay healthy and focused and avoid the pitfalls that the distractions of fame and fortune can bring, we could quickly see him rise to the top of this list and maybe some day talk about him being one of the best mixed martial artists the sport has ever seen.

2)      Anderson “The Spider” Silva – The UCF middleweight champ is considered by many, Dana White included, as the best pound for pound fighter in the world.  I admit it is splitting hairs between him and the #1 fighter on this list, but I have him 2^nd for the reason that I think he will lose to that fighter if and when they square off later this year.  Silva is without question the most exciting striker, possessing the best timing and defense that the sport has ever seen.  When you couple that with his excellent submission skills learned under the Nogueira brothers and you have one of the most dominant champions of all time.  His knockout of Vitor Belfort via a straight back leg front kick to the chin was as jaw dropping of victory as you will ever see.  However, it was his struggles in his previous fight against Chael Sonnen that I believe is the roadmap to handing him his first legitimate loss in over six years.  Sonnen was able to consistently exploit Silva’s take down defense and control where the fight took place until he got caught in a triangle choke in the 5^th and final round and was forced to tap.  The only guy on the planet right now capable of copying that game plan and improving upon it is the #1 fighter on this list.  If their super fight, which I pleaded the UFC to make happen earlier this year which you can read here, we will actually get to see the two best fighters in the world in the same cage against each other which not many generations of sports fans get to see.

1)      Georges “Rush” St. Pierre – The current UFC welterweight champion is the most well rounded mixed martial artist in the sport today.  His raw skills of strength speed, explosiveness, and power are impressive in their own right, but St. Pierre has combined those god given abilities with a dizzying array of technical skills.  He is the best pound for pound wrestler in MMA today bar none.  When he wants to take you down to the mat you’re going down and there isn’t much you can do about it.  On the flip side it is nearly impossible to take him down due to his athleticism and balance and that allows him to dictate where any of his fights take place.  His striking has improved immensely to the point where he has clean, crisp, technically sound boxing that seamlessly blends with his karate background.  The work he did with boxing trainer Freddie Roach was evident in his last fight against Josh Koscheck when he pulverized Koscheck with a fast, powerful jab that was virtually unstoppable.  Last but not least is a vastly underrated submission game that has earned him 5 of his 21 career victories.  St. Pierre has that aforementioned unstoppable wrestling prowess combined with athleticism and superb submission defense to not only follow Sonnen’s game plan against Silva but to take it the next step and come out victorious.  St. Pierre’s striking is not quite on the level of Silva’s but it is good enough for him to hold his own in that area and make Silva respect it enough to set up his take downs.  Silva’s take down defense is the one weak spot in his game and once St. Pierre has him on the ground it’s unlikely he will be able to get up and will have to deal with one of the best ground and pound specialists in the sport.  I’m about as giddy as Charlie Sheen walking into the Spearmint Rhino just thinking about this fight!  It will be the biggest fight the sport has ever seen and one for the ages.

There is my pound for pound rankings as of right now so please feel free to now begin the torrent of emails and tweets about what a moron I am.  I’ll check back in a few months with an updated list in order to see if anybody was kicked out of the party or if any newcomers were able to crash it.

By Jim McClelland.  Thank you for reading and you can reach with me feedback by sending me an email at jimmymac895@live.com.   You can also follow me on twitter @therealMMAguru.