The Best MMA Fighters in the World

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Recently Sherdog.com posted their rankings for the Top Ten MMA Fighters in Each Division.  Here are my Top Five for Each Division:

Heavyweight

  1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): Undefeated and the Champ.
  2. Shane Carwin (12-1): One loss and that’s to the former champ Brock Lesnar.  Carwin was destroying Lesnar until Carwin gassed.  I don’t believe that would happen again and that’s why I rate Carwin ahead of Brock.
  3. Brock Lesnar (5-2): Former champ who surprised me by agreeing to coach on TUF.  Although I think Junior Del Santos would be a favorite against Brock, since they haven’t yet met I’ll give Brock the benefit of the doubt.
  4. Junior dos Santos (12-1): Will coach against Lesnar in the TUF and then fight him at UFC 131.
  5. Frank Mir (14-5): My favorite MMA fighter faces Big Country Roy Nelson at UFC 130.

Light Heavyweight

  1. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-4): The Champ.
  2. Jon Jones (12-1): “Bones” Jones has one loss and that was a DQ for illegal elbows against Matt Hamill.  Jones was destroying Hamill when the fight was called.  No one has come close to beating Jones.
  3. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): Evans has come a long way from his days on TUF when he was a showboating wrestler.  Now he’s a legitimate contender for the belt he once held.
  4. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8): Talks trash as good as he fights… maybe even better than he fights.
  5. Lyoto Machida (16-2): At one time Machida was unbeatable.  Now it seems fighters have his number.  If Couture beats him at UFC 129, Machida’s glory days may over.

Middleweight

  1. Anderson Silva (28-4): The Champ with the longest undefeated streak in the UFC.  Silva dominates or finds a way to win.
  2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1): Dominated Anderson Silva for 4 and 1/2 rounds until Silva caught him in a triangle and forced him to tap.  Sonnen has had trouble out of the ring and I’m not just talking about the crazy junk that he spouts.  I’d love to see a rematch with Silva, but until and if Sonnen gets his life straightened out that ain’t gonna happen.
  3. Yushin Okami (26-5): Surprised me by beating Nate Marquardt [who didn’t fight at his best].
  4. Nate Marquardt (30-10-2): Should be fighting for the title but his loss to Okami was a major setback.
  5. Demian Maia (14-2): Slapped the stuffing out of Kendall Grove and then played the bongos on his back in route to a win that moved him into my top five.

Welterweight

  1. Georges St. Pierre (21-2): The Champ and my choice for best pound-for-pound fighter. I may be in the minority, but I’d pick GSP to win if he chooses to fight Anderson Silva.
  2. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC): A great grappler who wins fights.
  3. Jake Shields (26-4-1): Made the jump to the UFC after upsetting Dan Henderson.  Shields is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
  4. Martin Kampmann (17-4): His recent split-decision loss to Jake Shields moved him up in my ratings.
  5. Thiago Alves (18-7): A tough fighter looking to get into the title hunt.

Lightweight

  1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1): Whooped the Prodigy twice in a row and is the Champ.
  2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1, 1 NC):If you can fight the Champ to a draw, you have to be ranked #2.
  3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2): A tough fighter who is looking to move up in weight.
  4. B.J. Penn (16-7-1): I’ve never been a big Penn fan.  He’s talented, but never lived up to the hype.
  5. Eddie Alvarez (21-2): One of the toughest fighters in the division.

Featherweight

  1. Jose Aldo (18-1):The Champ
  2. Chad Mendes (10-0): Has yet to face a fighter who can beat him.
  3. Hatsu Hioki (23-4-2): a seasoned fighter with an impressive record
  4. Joe Warren (6-1): Claims to be the “baddest man on the planet” — did win the Bellator featherweight title
  5. Dustin Poirier (9-1): Impressive punching power — but will it be enough to get to the title?

Bantamweight

  1. Dominick Cruz (17-1): Currently the best in a tough division.
  2. Brian Bowles (8-1): The man Cruz beat to win the title.
  3. Urijah Faber (24-4): Faber is the only man to ever beat Champion Cruz.\
  4. Joseph Benavidez (13-2)
  5. Miguel Torres (39-3): Former Champ and one of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world.

I’m not familiar enough with the Flyweights to rank them.