It’s been a while since we updated these, so a lot has changed in the last several months. With several UFC cards in the books, as well as Strikeforce, Dream, Sengoku and Bellator putting on fights, there’s been a lot to process. But UFC 100 looms in the next month, so what better time than now to release our latest rankings.
One disclaimer is the ongoing issue in ranking fighters that are competing in multiple weight classes. The most notable are the likes of Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva, Gegard Mousasi, Rich Franklin, and Dan Henderson. While Silva, Franklin and Henderson seem to be settled, or settling, into new homes, Diaz and Mousasi, among others, are impossible to nail down at this time.
That being said, they’ve been included in multiple weight classes. For example, Mousasi has only had one fight outside of 185, so he’s still ranked 3rd there but also received an honorable mention in the 205lb weight class. The guy steamrolled his opponent in the super heavyweight tourney put on by Dream, and he’s taking on Sokoudjou in his next fight. Diaz, however, has fought at a catchweight in his last two contests. Who knows what class he falls into at this point, so you’ll see him as an honorable mention in both welterweight and middleweight. He could most likely be ranked in the top-10 of both, but he hasn’t exactly fought in either weight class recently either. We’ll have to wait and see where he settles, if he settles at all. I’m willing to bet he could give two middle fingers to our rankings, or anyone’s rankings for that matter. The guy just wants to fight you (yeah, you).
Heavyweight
1. Fedor Emelianeko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Frank Mir
4. Josh Barnett
5. Antonia Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Randy Couture
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Shane Carwin
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Brett Rogers
Honorable Mention: Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos, Roy Nelson
This division will get another considerable shake up in the coming months, as our top-6 heavyweights will all be in action. It’ll almost resemble a tournament of sorts, with #1 v. #4, #2 v. #3, and #5 v. #6 in a consolation match of legendary former champions. Big movers are Carin, Velasquez and Rogers, all whom entered the top-10 with respective wins over top-10 opponents. Rogers may have been the most surprising with his blitz of former top-3 heavyweight Arlovski, who has dropped out after back-to-back KO losses.
By the way, am I the only person wondering and dying to know if Kimbo has already fought during the taping of TUF 10? Can’t help but be jacked up for that upcoming season.
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
6. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
7. Luis Arthur Cane
8. Rich Franklin
9. Keith Jardine
10. Thiago Silva
Honorable Mentions: Gegard Mousasi, Chuck Liddell, Brandon Vera, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jon Jones
Please note that while Wanderlei Silva is arguably still a top-10 205 fighter in the world, he’s gone from these rankings as he makes the transition to the middleweight division. More on that in a bit. Franklin, meanwhile, enters the fray after an incredible battle with “The Axe Murderer”. Nice to see “Ace” pull that one out. With a big frame, incredible strength and technical, well rounded, skills, Franklin will make for a lot of interesting fights at light heavyweight. And he could make a little run at the title while he’s at it. Anyone interested in a rematch between he and Machida, who handed him his first career loss, down the road?
Speaking of Machida, there’s no question he’s the top guy; it’s been a long time coming, and he has the potential to run this division for a long time. Interesting that Jackson chose to bypass a title shot to settle the score with Evans, who is fresh off an embarrassing KO loss in his first title defense. That will make for great TV. “Shogun” is the beneficiary, but you have to wonder how much of a challenge he’ll pose to Machida. Liddell drops out as he ponders retirement. He could probably still beat Tito, though.
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Gegard Mousasi
4. Yushin Okami
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Robbie Lawler
7. Michael Bisping
8. Nate Marquardt
9. Demian Maia
10. Jorge Santiago
Honorable Mention: Cung Le, Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
Cung Le is still inactive. Anderson Silva fought (and tooled with) a bum. Robbie Lawler just lost to a welterweight (albeit a good one) by 1st round submission. For a division that is slowly growing in talent, there are still many questions to be answered. To start, Silva’s next fight is at 205 against Forrest Griffin. He’ll most likely retreat back to defend his title after Hendo and Bisping go at it. Okami, meanwhile, is the great question mark in that division, particularly from a UFC perspective. He’s the last man to beat Silva (on a DQ), and has more or less earned his stripes, winning every fight aside from a decision loss to former champ Franklin. Marquardt and Maia are knocking on the door, and a fight between those two would make for a great battle.
Meanwhile, Affliction will pit Belfort against Santiago on its next card. Santiago was a second choice after Mousasi declined to return to 185. Instead, he’s fighting in the super heavyweight tourney over in Japan, and he’s winning. What a psycho. Plus on the same Affliction card he takes on Top 10 LHW Babalu. We can keep him here for now, but if it may not be long before he’s entering another top 10. And Wanderlei still looms as he prepares to enter the middleweight division. His fight against Franklin could have gone his way, but it was a classic, and he showed that while he still takes abuse, he’s as a game a fighter as there is today. He’ll pose a threat to anyone in that division, including his newfound rival in “The Spider” (not to be confused with “Da Spyder”).
Welterweight
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jake Shields
3. Thiago Alves
4. Jon Fitch
5. Paulo Thiago
6. Martin Kampmann
7. Josh Koscheck
8. Mike Swick
9. Matt Hughes
10. Carlos Condit
Honorable Mention: Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy, Marcus Davis, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Jay Hieron, Karo Parysian, Frank Trigg
St. Pierre is clearly the best welterweight in the world, but after watching Shield steamroll Lawler with his ground game, you have to wonder if he could pose similar problems to such a diverse, phenomenal athlete in GSP. We’ll probably never find out though. Alves, meanwhile, takes a stab at the gold at UFC 100.
As long as GSP doesn’t get “Serra’d” again, he should come out on top; it won’t be easy though. Thiago is still undefeated after knocking Koscheck’s block off, and if he takes out Fitch, we’ll have ourselves a legitimate contender. And Swick enters fresh off his relatively easy win over pseudo contender Ben Saunders; that was a mismatch from the start, and as Jake Rossen of Sherdog.com wrote over the weekend, you have to feel bad for Saunders, he was rushed by Dana White & Co. A couple guys to watch out for are Hardy and Trigg. “The Outlaw” is on the cusp after his ballsy win over “The Irish Hand Grenade”. He’s got pop in his hands and is tough as balls. Trigg, meanwhile, returns against Koscheck at UFC 101. Kampmann is in the mix, but he ducked a fight against TJ Grant on this weekend’s TUF Finale card. What a pussy, take the fight.
Lightweight
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Joachim Hansen
6. Satoru Kitaoka
7. Tatsuya Kawijiri
8. Gray Maynard
9. Frankie Edgar
10. Diego Sanchez
Honorable Mention: JZ Cavalcante, Gilbert Melendez, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson, Clay Guida, Nick Diaz, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta (where are you, Roger?), KJ Noons (probably with Roger)
It’s hard to honestly compare lightweights when a large portion of the echelon compete overseas. That’s what makes HDnet so valuable for hardcore MMA fans. The big fight coming up is the Penn-Florian showdown. Based on name alone, a lot of people are writing off “Ken-Flo”, but you have to like this matchup stylistically for him. It’s certainly more favorable than being smothered by Sherk for five rounds, plus he’s training with GSP; we’ll see if that reaps any rewards.
Kitaoka is a new addition (thanks to reading about him on Sherdog.com) and he’ll compete for Sengoku’s lightweight title in the coming months. Meanwhile, Kawijiri’s stock rises after his decision win over Cavalcante. Maynard’s next move will be intriguing, as well. After Edgar outboxed Sherk for three rounds, media members were calling for a potential title shot down the road. Lest we forget that Maynard outwrestled the wrestler Edgar for three rounds during their bout last April. “The Bully” has wins over Edgar, Jim Miller, Rich Clementi and Denis Siver. This guy is rolling through dudes. Perhaps we’ll see a rematch and the opportunity to challenge the Penn-Florian winner? Or will that go to Diego Sanchez or Clay Guida, following their headline bout this weekend? Many interesting matchups in the UFC.
Showing posts with label Affliction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Affliction. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Affliction Day of Reckoning Results
This weekend marked the 2nd show for Affliction. With Tito Ortiz as a guest announcer for the card take a look at the results:
Fedor Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO at 3:14 in the first round.
Josh Barnett defeated Gilbert Yvel by submission at 3:14 in the third round.
Vitor Belfort defeated Matt Lindland by TKO at :37 of the first round.
Babalu Sobral defeated Thierry Sokoudjou by submission at 2:36 in the second round.
Paul Buentello defeated Kiril Sidellnikov TKO at 4:18 in the third round.
Dan Lauzon defeated Bobby Green by submission at 4:38 in the first round.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO at 4:26 of the second round.
L.C. Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision.
Albert Rios defeated Antonio Duarte by unanimous decision.
Brett Cooper defeated Patrick Speight by TKO at 4:10 of the second round.
Fedor retains his WAMMA Heavyweight belt, and will likely fight Josh Barnett next. Vitor Belfort will shoot up the middleweight ranks following an impressive victory over Matt Lindland. Babalu vs. Lil Nog a possibility? Both victorious on Saturday.
UFC 94 is this weekend with GSP vs. B.J. Penn II. Also Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida, a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights, should be a solid card.
Fedor Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO at 3:14 in the first round.
Josh Barnett defeated Gilbert Yvel by submission at 3:14 in the third round.
Vitor Belfort defeated Matt Lindland by TKO at :37 of the first round.
Babalu Sobral defeated Thierry Sokoudjou by submission at 2:36 in the second round.
Paul Buentello defeated Kiril Sidellnikov TKO at 4:18 in the third round.
Dan Lauzon defeated Bobby Green by submission at 4:38 in the first round.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO at 4:26 of the second round.
L.C. Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision.
Albert Rios defeated Antonio Duarte by unanimous decision.
Brett Cooper defeated Patrick Speight by TKO at 4:10 of the second round.
Fedor retains his WAMMA Heavyweight belt, and will likely fight Josh Barnett next. Vitor Belfort will shoot up the middleweight ranks following an impressive victory over Matt Lindland. Babalu vs. Lil Nog a possibility? Both victorious on Saturday.
UFC 94 is this weekend with GSP vs. B.J. Penn II. Also Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida, a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights, should be a solid card.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
And the best MMA heavyweight in the world is...
According to this video, Fedor still reigns supreme. This is absolute gold, whoever put this together. Check out the gut on Mir. As funny as it is though, you still have to wonder how someone has this much time on their hands...but bravo. And great ending.
Brock Lesnar VS Frank Mir at UFC 81 - Watch more Free Videos
-Bess
Brock Lesnar VS Frank Mir at UFC 81 - Watch more Free Videos
-Bess
The Sports Brief's MMA rankings 11.19.08
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Randy Couture
7. Tim Sylvia
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Gabriel Gonzaga
Honorable mention: Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
What an impressive performance by Lesnar at UFC 91. At this point, you have to think that guys like Fedor, Nog and Mir have the best chance to take him down with their ability to win a fight off their back. Gonzaga had a solid showing, as well, and with his size, grappling and jiu-jitsu technique, perhaps he’s on his way to another title challenge. Shane Carwin is a sleeper, as well. His striking may be more ferocious than Lesnar, but his wrestling, while credible, is not up to par. It’ll be interesting to see how the UFC develops him as a potential star. Nonetheless, the Fedor-Arlovski fight on the Affliction card should be a blockbuster.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Keith Jardine
10. Babalu Sobral
Honorable mention: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Luis Cane
Pretty cool that UFC 92 will feature four of The Sports Brief’s top-5 light heavyweights in the world on the same card. Machida and Silva will finally touch gloves at UFC 94, with the winner potentially looking at a title shot in the near future. Shogun returns at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman, and there are rumblings about a Chuck Liddell-Anderson Silva fight headlining UFC 95 in London, England. A lot of activity in this division in the coming months as the top fighters are competing against each other. It’ll be interesting to see how the division shakes out once the dust has settled.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Cung Le
7. Yushin Okami
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Michael Bisping
10. Nathan Marquardt
Honorable mention: Denis Kang, Cael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
The Anderson Silva-Patrick Cote was disappointing in how it ended, but I don’t feel Silva should have caught that much flack. I interpreted his performance as slow and methodical, picking apart his opponent in Roy Jones like fashion (his idol, by the way). While it was unfortunate to see Cote injure his knee to end the fight, there’s no doubt he was on his way to a loss. Perhaps the most unfortunate part of all this is that he almost deserves a rematch because of the premature ending, something that I certainly don’t want to see.
But the division is becoming more and more interesting. Lawler could potentially come over after EliteXC closed up shop, and Denis Kang has just been added to the mix fresh off a devastating knockout over “The man formerly known as the Beastman” Marvin Eastman.
Bisping and Maia seem in line for a contender clash, as well. Meanwhile, Henderson and Franklin will mix it up at 205. What does that do for anyone? Okami returns soon and will most likely be granted the next crack at Silva, but I don’t see him winning that fight if he even gets it. And with the WEC folding, Cael Sonnen is now a name to be discussed. His win over Filho, however, is tainted due to Filho showing up fat and disinterested.
Anyone see Mousasi kick the snot out of Ronaldo Souza? Look out for this guy. I’d be interested to see who he fights next.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Honorable mention: Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
This weight class has been fairly inactive as of late aside from Thiago Alves destroying Josh Koscheck. But I’ll tell you this: I became a huge Koscheck fan because of that fight. He took the fight on two weeks notice, took all that punishment but continued to come forward and scored some notable points against Alves. He had his moments and even appeared to hurt Alves at one point. And despite that convincing loss he’s still headlining the Dec. 10 Fight Night against Yoshida. The St. Pierre-Penn fight is still a couple months away, and this division will continue to be fairly quiet for a while. Hopefully Jake Shields signs with the UFC. He’s a legitimate threat to anyone in this division, especially the titleholder.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Eddie Alvarez
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Shinya Aoki
5. JZ Cavalcante
6. Takanori Gomi
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Kenny Florian
Honorable mention: Gilbert Melendez, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
What an effort by Kenny Florian, and kudos to him for calling out BJ Penn. There’s no one left in the division for him to fight right now, not even Sean Sherk (at least not at the moment). The only unfortunate thing is that is will still be a long time before a fight with Penn happens, considering he is not fighting GSP until Super Bowl weekend.
Meanwhile, overseas where most of the lightweight talent is these guys all appear heading towards the K-1 New Years Eve event, where Hansen and Calvalcante are already scheduled to fight. Alvarez was supposed to fight Diaz on the Nov. 8 ShoXC event, but that was obviously scrapped. That would have been one hell of a fight. Suprisingly, Gomi lost a split decision to Johnny No Name last week, but we’ll chalk that up to a bad night. He’s still one of the best of the world.
Pound 4 Pound :
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Miguel Torres
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
8. Mike Brown
9. Quinton Jackson
10. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar creeps in with his impressive performance over Couture, and honestly, the sky is the limit for this guy. Don’t be surprised if he makes his way up this chart over the next year. Meanwhile, let’s all welcome unheralded Mike Brown to the mix, as he pops in at number 8 on the list. His impressive destruction of former WEC featherweight champ and pound for pound elitist Urijah Faber was shocking to some, but somewhat expected by others. He was bigger, stronger and more powerful than the former champ, and up until he caught Faber with that short right, he had been dominating and controlling the fight. I interpreted Faber’s ridiculous spinning back elbow as a somewhat desperate move, a sign that he realized it would take something spectacular and unordinary to chop down Brown.
Well there you have it. Let us know what you think and if we missed any fighters that you feel should be mentioned here. Chances are we may have, but for the most part we think we’ve accounted for the best in the world here.
-Bess
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Randy Couture
7. Tim Sylvia
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Gabriel Gonzaga
Honorable mention: Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Junior Dos Santos
What an impressive performance by Lesnar at UFC 91. At this point, you have to think that guys like Fedor, Nog and Mir have the best chance to take him down with their ability to win a fight off their back. Gonzaga had a solid showing, as well, and with his size, grappling and jiu-jitsu technique, perhaps he’s on his way to another title challenge. Shane Carwin is a sleeper, as well. His striking may be more ferocious than Lesnar, but his wrestling, while credible, is not up to par. It’ll be interesting to see how the UFC develops him as a potential star. Nonetheless, the Fedor-Arlovski fight on the Affliction card should be a blockbuster.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Keith Jardine
10. Babalu Sobral
Honorable mention: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Luis Cane
Pretty cool that UFC 92 will feature four of The Sports Brief’s top-5 light heavyweights in the world on the same card. Machida and Silva will finally touch gloves at UFC 94, with the winner potentially looking at a title shot in the near future. Shogun returns at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman, and there are rumblings about a Chuck Liddell-Anderson Silva fight headlining UFC 95 in London, England. A lot of activity in this division in the coming months as the top fighters are competing against each other. It’ll be interesting to see how the division shakes out once the dust has settled.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Robbie Lawler
6. Cung Le
7. Yushin Okami
8. Gegard Mousasi
9. Michael Bisping
10. Nathan Marquardt
Honorable mention: Denis Kang, Cael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Frank Trigg, Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, Chris Leben, Ricardo Almeida, Ronaldo Souza
The Anderson Silva-Patrick Cote was disappointing in how it ended, but I don’t feel Silva should have caught that much flack. I interpreted his performance as slow and methodical, picking apart his opponent in Roy Jones like fashion (his idol, by the way). While it was unfortunate to see Cote injure his knee to end the fight, there’s no doubt he was on his way to a loss. Perhaps the most unfortunate part of all this is that he almost deserves a rematch because of the premature ending, something that I certainly don’t want to see.
But the division is becoming more and more interesting. Lawler could potentially come over after EliteXC closed up shop, and Denis Kang has just been added to the mix fresh off a devastating knockout over “The man formerly known as the Beastman” Marvin Eastman.
Bisping and Maia seem in line for a contender clash, as well. Meanwhile, Henderson and Franklin will mix it up at 205. What does that do for anyone? Okami returns soon and will most likely be granted the next crack at Silva, but I don’t see him winning that fight if he even gets it. And with the WEC folding, Cael Sonnen is now a name to be discussed. His win over Filho, however, is tainted due to Filho showing up fat and disinterested.
Anyone see Mousasi kick the snot out of Ronaldo Souza? Look out for this guy. I’d be interested to see who he fights next.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Honorable mention: Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
This weight class has been fairly inactive as of late aside from Thiago Alves destroying Josh Koscheck. But I’ll tell you this: I became a huge Koscheck fan because of that fight. He took the fight on two weeks notice, took all that punishment but continued to come forward and scored some notable points against Alves. He had his moments and even appeared to hurt Alves at one point. And despite that convincing loss he’s still headlining the Dec. 10 Fight Night against Yoshida. The St. Pierre-Penn fight is still a couple months away, and this division will continue to be fairly quiet for a while. Hopefully Jake Shields signs with the UFC. He’s a legitimate threat to anyone in this division, especially the titleholder.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Eddie Alvarez
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Shinya Aoki
5. JZ Cavalcante
6. Takanori Gomi
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Kenny Florian
Honorable mention: Gilbert Melendez, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
What an effort by Kenny Florian, and kudos to him for calling out BJ Penn. There’s no one left in the division for him to fight right now, not even Sean Sherk (at least not at the moment). The only unfortunate thing is that is will still be a long time before a fight with Penn happens, considering he is not fighting GSP until Super Bowl weekend.
Meanwhile, overseas where most of the lightweight talent is these guys all appear heading towards the K-1 New Years Eve event, where Hansen and Calvalcante are already scheduled to fight. Alvarez was supposed to fight Diaz on the Nov. 8 ShoXC event, but that was obviously scrapped. That would have been one hell of a fight. Suprisingly, Gomi lost a split decision to Johnny No Name last week, but we’ll chalk that up to a bad night. He’s still one of the best of the world.
Pound 4 Pound :
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Miguel Torres
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
8. Mike Brown
9. Quinton Jackson
10. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar creeps in with his impressive performance over Couture, and honestly, the sky is the limit for this guy. Don’t be surprised if he makes his way up this chart over the next year. Meanwhile, let’s all welcome unheralded Mike Brown to the mix, as he pops in at number 8 on the list. His impressive destruction of former WEC featherweight champ and pound for pound elitist Urijah Faber was shocking to some, but somewhat expected by others. He was bigger, stronger and more powerful than the former champ, and up until he caught Faber with that short right, he had been dominating and controlling the fight. I interpreted Faber’s ridiculous spinning back elbow as a somewhat desperate move, a sign that he realized it would take something spectacular and unordinary to chop down Brown.
Well there you have it. Let us know what you think and if we missed any fighters that you feel should be mentioned here. Chances are we may have, but for the most part we think we’ve accounted for the best in the world here.
-Bess
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (9/9/08)
Once again this is the rankings for all of MMA, but just for the weight classes recognized by the UFC. Not a lot has happened in the ring or octagon since the last rankings besides last weekend’s UFC 88, however many exciting match ups have been scheduled/ rumored for the rest of 2008. Also with so many fighters moving up or down in weight classes (i.e. Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Brandon Vera, B.J. Penn, etc.), where do you put them? Besse and I have stated that a fighter must be at least booked to fight in the same division for 2 fights in a row to officially move divisions. Let’s see how the top 10’s look entering football season…
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Fedor is hurt and will miss the 2nd Affliction show. But how about these fights still to come in the next 2-3 months: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (December), Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett (October), and of course the return of the UFC Champ Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (November). And before all of those match ups is one I’m really looking forward to. The on again, off again fight between Alistair Overeem and Mirko Cro Cop is back on, and happening on September 23rd as part of the Dream 6 card. Two former Pride stars going head to head, should be great.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
10. Keith Jardine
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
The only shake up since July’s rankings is right here in the ultra competitive Light Heavyweight division. Rashad Evans (prev. 10th) KTFO of Liddell (prev. 3rd) vaults him up to 5th in our poll. Sugar won’t leap frog everyone, after all his previous highlights were a draw to Tito Ortiz and a win over Michael Bisping who is now a middleweight. Evans now gets the title shot with Forrest in a TUF winners show down. Rumors are circulating that Liddell wants to fight Anderson Silva. Really? Chuck is 1-3 last 4 fights with devastating KOs by Rampage and Evans, a decision loss to Jardine, and a decision win against Wanderlei. His last knockout was back in 2006 vs. Tito, who Dana White says isn’t a good fighter anymore. I would never say anything bad about Liddell in fear that he may read it, but hey Dana everything you’ve said about Tito in the cage is coming back to you in the form of the Iceman. And as for Tito, looked like he was headed to Affliction, then EliteXC, now who knows?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
Dream 6 on September 23rd features the middleweight grand prix. Not big names but great fighters like Gegard Mousasi set to compete. Rich Franklin beat Matt Hamill at 205, should be interesting to see if he stays up there or comes back down to 185. I’d love to see him fight Dan Henderson, but after a solid win on the same card, Hendo is thinking he can take down A. Silva if given another chance. Problem is, Silva is fighting Patrick Cote coming up then I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights Liddell or another LHW. Also Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen 2 has been pushed back from September to November 5th.
This seems like the best place also to say RIP Evan Tanner. The former UFC middleweight champ was found dead in California. He was 37.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
The super fight that everyone is waiting for on Super Bowl weekend will affect the welterweight and lightweight divisions. GSP vs. Penn II. Get excited. Thiago Alves will meet Diego Sanchez next month as well with a title shot looming for the winner. Not sure who Fitch will fight in his first fight back from losing to St. Pierre. Karo was a late scratch from UFC 88. And let’s book Hughes vs. Serra so we can break our tie for 7th here. It’s still amazing to me that guys like Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell can look so unbeatable, and then in a short time get absolutely worked. That’s the nature of the beast, as they say.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
As you can see many of the best lightweights fight outside of the UFC. Two of their best, however, will meet in November as Kenny Florian squares off against Joe Stevenson. Ken Flo probably deserves a title shot after beating Huerta, but since Penn is fighting GSP, he doesn’t want to sit around a wait. You have to appreciate that.
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Frank Mir
10. Brock Lesnar
Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Fedor is hurt and will miss the 2nd Affliction show. But how about these fights still to come in the next 2-3 months: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (December), Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett (October), and of course the return of the UFC Champ Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (November). And before all of those match ups is one I’m really looking forward to. The on again, off again fight between Alistair Overeem and Mirko Cro Cop is back on, and happening on September 23rd as part of the Dream 6 card. Two former Pride stars going head to head, should be great.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rashad Evans
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
10. Keith Jardine
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera
The only shake up since July’s rankings is right here in the ultra competitive Light Heavyweight division. Rashad Evans (prev. 10th) KTFO of Liddell (prev. 3rd) vaults him up to 5th in our poll. Sugar won’t leap frog everyone, after all his previous highlights were a draw to Tito Ortiz and a win over Michael Bisping who is now a middleweight. Evans now gets the title shot with Forrest in a TUF winners show down. Rumors are circulating that Liddell wants to fight Anderson Silva. Really? Chuck is 1-3 last 4 fights with devastating KOs by Rampage and Evans, a decision loss to Jardine, and a decision win against Wanderlei. His last knockout was back in 2006 vs. Tito, who Dana White says isn’t a good fighter anymore. I would never say anything bad about Liddell in fear that he may read it, but hey Dana everything you’ve said about Tito in the cage is coming back to you in the form of the Iceman. And as for Tito, looked like he was headed to Affliction, then EliteXC, now who knows?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi
Dream 6 on September 23rd features the middleweight grand prix. Not big names but great fighters like Gegard Mousasi set to compete. Rich Franklin beat Matt Hamill at 205, should be interesting to see if he stays up there or comes back down to 185. I’d love to see him fight Dan Henderson, but after a solid win on the same card, Hendo is thinking he can take down A. Silva if given another chance. Problem is, Silva is fighting Patrick Cote coming up then I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights Liddell or another LHW. Also Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen 2 has been pushed back from September to November 5th.
This seems like the best place also to say RIP Evan Tanner. The former UFC middleweight champ was found dead in California. He was 37.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Jake Shields
4. Thiago Alves
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
t-7. Matt Hughes
t-7. Matt Serra
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Carlos Condit
Nick Thompson, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Jay Hieron
The super fight that everyone is waiting for on Super Bowl weekend will affect the welterweight and lightweight divisions. GSP vs. Penn II. Get excited. Thiago Alves will meet Diego Sanchez next month as well with a title shot looming for the winner. Not sure who Fitch will fight in his first fight back from losing to St. Pierre. Karo was a late scratch from UFC 88. And let’s book Hughes vs. Serra so we can break our tie for 7th here. It’s still amazing to me that guys like Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell can look so unbeatable, and then in a short time get absolutely worked. That’s the nature of the beast, as they say.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
Kenny Florian, KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar
As you can see many of the best lightweights fight outside of the UFC. Two of their best, however, will meet in November as Kenny Florian squares off against Joe Stevenson. Ken Flo probably deserves a title shot after beating Huerta, but since Penn is fighting GSP, he doesn’t want to sit around a wait. You have to appreciate that.
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (7-23-08)
The time has come. The Sports Brief is proud to bring you our first ever complete MMA Rankings. The emergence of such organizations as Affliction and Dream has led us to think outside of the UFC. We will rank the Top 10 fighters in each weight class from Heavyweight through Lightweight. Apologies to Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres, but you will not see Featherweight or Bantamweight, because we just don’t know enough about it. Those fighters do show up, however, on our new Pound 4 Pound rankings. Also there a list of honorable mentions following each weight class, for the guys who just missed out on the Top 10. Enjoy the list and let the debates begin.
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Brandon Vera
10. Frank Mir
Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Diego Sanchez
t-6. Matt Hughes
t-6. Matt Serra
8. Jake Shields
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Nick Thompson
Marcus Davis, Carlos Condit, Mike Swick, Drew Fickett
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar,
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Randy Couture
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Brandon Vera
10. Frank Mir
Heath Herring, Chiek Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Babalu Sobral, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Matt Lindland
3. Dan Henderson
4. Rich Franklin
5. Paulo Filho
6. Cung Le
7. Robbie Lawler
8. Yushin Okami
9. Nathan Marquardt
10. Frank Trigg
Patrick Cote, Frank Shamrock, Kazuo Misaki, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thales Leites, Chris Leben. Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Diego Sanchez
t-6. Matt Hughes
t-6. Matt Serra
8. Jake Shields
9. Karo Parisyan
10. Nick Thompson
Marcus Davis, Carlos Condit, Mike Swick, Drew Fickett
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Takanori Gomi
3. Eddie Alverez
4. Joachim Hansen
5. Shinya Aoki
6. JZ Cavalcante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Gilbert Melendez
KJ Noons, Nick Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta, Frankie Edgar,
Pound 4 Pound
1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Georges St. Pierre
4. BJ Penn
5. Urijah Faber
6. Miguel Torres
7. Takanori Gomi
8. Forrest Griffin
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Quinton Jackson
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Sports Brief breaks down this weekend's MMA cards
The weekend that MMA fans have long awaited for is finally here. In what was supposed to be the debut of Affliction’s fighting organization on the main stage, is now a competition between Free UFC fights on Spike and the stacked Affliction card on PPV. We here at the Sports Brief will take you through each and every fight going on this weekend. Rich Keefe covers the Affliction card, with his take on the UFC main event, while Tristan Besse breaks down UFC Fight Night 14 and also weighs in on Fedor vs. Sylvia. Rather than ripping on Dana White for hurting the sport, we’ll just give you our picks.
J.J. Ambrose def. Mike Pyle via submission in the 1st round
Aleksander Emelianenko def. Paul Buentello via decision
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees via submission in the 1st round
Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Ray Lizama def. Justin Levens via decision
Mark Hominick def. Savant Young via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Only on PPV:
Babalu Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead
Babalu is one of the best submission fighters in the game. In his 29 victories, 16 have come via submission, including a guillotine choke on Shogun Rua. He has faced the best fighters in the world including Fedor, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman, and the aforementioned Shogun. Whitehead on the other hand enters the ring with a 12 fight win streak. He’s fought a lot at heavyweight in his career, but this one is at 205. Babalu’s ground game will be too much for him, and there will no lucky 13 for Whitehead.
Babalu def. Whitehead via submission in the 2nd round
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao
Matt “The Law” Lindland may be Anderson Silva’s toughest test at 185, but we’re not going to see that fight, thank you Dana White. In his last 11 fights Lindland has lost twice, to Fedor and Rampage, not bad. But he has not had a fight since April of 2007. There will be some ring rust for sure. Negao never fought in the UFC or Pride and hasn’t faced anyone like Lindland. He could really put himself on the map with this huge upset, but I don’t see that happening.
Lindland def. Negao via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
Two guys here who each fought Randy Couture for the heavyweight title during his first reign. Rizzo could never beat The Natural while Barnett did win, but was disqualified after testing positive for steroids. It’s also a rematch as this two men squared off in the UFC octagon back in February of 2001. Rizzo earned a KO victory in the 2nd. Pedro “The Rock” last saw action in the fall of ’07 while Barnett is 2-0 in ’08. I think Barnett has a lot to prove and would love to face the winner of the Fedor fight at the next Affliction show. Surprisingly Barnett and Fedor never crossed paths in Pride. Barnett split two fights with current UFC interim heavy weight champ Big Nog, lost 3 times to Cro Cop, and defeated Mark Hunt and Aleksander Emelianenko.
Barnett def. Rizzo via submission in the 1st round
Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
Rothwell is riding an impressive 13 fight win streak, including all 9 of his fights in the IFL. Equally impressive will be his near 25 pound weight advantage over the Pit Bull. Arlovski just another disgruntled former UFC champion and star turned new Affliction poster boy. After beating Fabricio Werdum, Arlovski has 1 fight remaining on his contract, so Dana put him on the under card where he beat Jake O’Brien. Way to treat a former champ. Tons of intriguing match ups in the heavyweight division here in Affliction, and with a great performance Andrei could find himself headlining the next event.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
This is it. Fedor is fighting a top of the line heavyweight for the first time since back in December of 2006, when he submitted Mark Hunt. Fedor has just 1 loss in his amazing career and it was in 2000, just his 3rd pro fight. The list of fighters he has beat is long and incredible, (Ricardo Arona, Babalu, Heath Herring, Big Nog (2), Mark Coleman (2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, and Matt Lindland.) This guy is for real.
Sylvia’s last fight was for the UFC’s interim heavyweight championship against Big Nog. He lost by submission, but it was one of the more entertaining fights by Big Tim in quite a while. He’s even admitted to just trying to not lose fights, thus watching him just push around a smaller opponent for 3-5 rounds and raising his arm to a chorus of boos. Well know he knows he is fighting the best. Really doesn’t have a thing to lose here.
Affliction needs this to be an awesome “Fight of the Year” type of fight that people will be talking about long after it’s over. Sylvia is tough to read. He could deliver that kind of fight, or he could just lumber around the ring until getting caught in a submission. I think it will be somewhere in between. It’ll be exciting, but ultimately Sylvia will get caught, and lose via submission like he has against other great ground fighters like Big Nog and Frank Mir.
Fedor def. Sylvia via submission in the 2nd round
UFC Fight Night 14
Preliminary bouts:
Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt via submission in the 1st round
Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees via decision
Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Tim Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough via submission in the 2nd round
Jesse Taylor v. CB Dolloway
This is basically a match pitting two outstanding wrestlers with highly credible collegiate resumes against one another. That being said, my thought from TUF7 was that Jesse Taylor was a one-dimensional fighter. He was too big and too strong for anyone to handle his wrestling, and he essentially held people down while inflicting enough ground and pound to prevent the referee from standing it back up. CB Dolloway is just as strong a wrestler, so I expect his takedown defense to be very technical and effective in avoiding Taylor’s wrath. Dolloway should be able to keep this on the feet long enough to land some strikes and earn a 29-28 decision. I think at some point Taylor will get him down and ride out a round.
The light heavyweight debut for Vera and the UFC debut for Andy. I don’t think the weight cut will be a factor for Vera, as he walks around at 225 and fights around 215. He’s just so athletic and solid with his striking that he was able to hang with the heavyweights. Andy, meanwhile, is just a name to me. I’ve never seen the guy fight nor do I claim to know anything about him, except what his Fight Finder page on Sherdog tells me. He’s an IFL lifer with a bunch of decision wins. I think Vera will make a statement here, but I also don’t know if his stay in this division will last long. He wants to avenge his loss to Verdum, and with Frank Mir getting a title shot – a guy that Vera destroyed – he has some issues to resolve with the heavyweights.
Main Event
Anderson Silva v. James Irvin
The light heavyweight debut for Anderson Silva, as well! Imagine if they had Silva and Vera debut AGAINST each other. I should have Joe Silva’s job. Anyway, Irvin is a dangerous striker, no doubt about it, but he’s fighting arguably the most technical striker in the world, pound for pound. This is the middleweight champ who destroyed a former 205-pounder (Rich Franklin) twice, as well as Dan Henderson, who cut from 205 to contend for the UFC crown. Silva is moving up in weight, and while I don’t know how much stronger he’ll be because of it; his striking will be quicker than Irvin’s. And if this goes to the ground, lest we forget that Silva is a dangerous submission guy with a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Irvin, meanwhile, just blew away one of the more feared strikers in the division in Houston Alexander. He finished “The Assassin” in a record-tying eight seconds, which is impressive considering Alexander seemed to have a strong chin up to that point. Ten of Irvin’s wins have come by some form of a KO, so he’s definitely game. This will be explosive for sure.
Silva by T(KO) late in the 1st round
Affliction: Banned
Preliminary bouts:
J.J. Ambrose def. Mike Pyle via submission in the 1st round
Aleksander Emelianenko def. Paul Buentello via decision
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees via submission in the 1st round
Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Ray Lizama def. Justin Levens via decision
Mark Hominick def. Savant Young via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Only on PPV:
Babalu Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead
Babalu is one of the best submission fighters in the game. In his 29 victories, 16 have come via submission, including a guillotine choke on Shogun Rua. He has faced the best fighters in the world including Fedor, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman, and the aforementioned Shogun. Whitehead on the other hand enters the ring with a 12 fight win streak. He’s fought a lot at heavyweight in his career, but this one is at 205. Babalu’s ground game will be too much for him, and there will no lucky 13 for Whitehead.
Babalu def. Whitehead via submission in the 2nd round
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao
Matt “The Law” Lindland may be Anderson Silva’s toughest test at 185, but we’re not going to see that fight, thank you Dana White. In his last 11 fights Lindland has lost twice, to Fedor and Rampage, not bad. But he has not had a fight since April of 2007. There will be some ring rust for sure. Negao never fought in the UFC or Pride and hasn’t faced anyone like Lindland. He could really put himself on the map with this huge upset, but I don’t see that happening.
Lindland def. Negao via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
Two guys here who each fought Randy Couture for the heavyweight title during his first reign. Rizzo could never beat The Natural while Barnett did win, but was disqualified after testing positive for steroids. It’s also a rematch as this two men squared off in the UFC octagon back in February of 2001. Rizzo earned a KO victory in the 2nd. Pedro “The Rock” last saw action in the fall of ’07 while Barnett is 2-0 in ’08. I think Barnett has a lot to prove and would love to face the winner of the Fedor fight at the next Affliction show. Surprisingly Barnett and Fedor never crossed paths in Pride. Barnett split two fights with current UFC interim heavy weight champ Big Nog, lost 3 times to Cro Cop, and defeated Mark Hunt and Aleksander Emelianenko.
Barnett def. Rizzo via submission in the 1st round
Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
Rothwell is riding an impressive 13 fight win streak, including all 9 of his fights in the IFL. Equally impressive will be his near 25 pound weight advantage over the Pit Bull. Arlovski just another disgruntled former UFC champion and star turned new Affliction poster boy. After beating Fabricio Werdum, Arlovski has 1 fight remaining on his contract, so Dana put him on the under card where he beat Jake O’Brien. Way to treat a former champ. Tons of intriguing match ups in the heavyweight division here in Affliction, and with a great performance Andrei could find himself headlining the next event.
Arlovski def. Rothwell via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
This is it. Fedor is fighting a top of the line heavyweight for the first time since back in December of 2006, when he submitted Mark Hunt. Fedor has just 1 loss in his amazing career and it was in 2000, just his 3rd pro fight. The list of fighters he has beat is long and incredible, (Ricardo Arona, Babalu, Heath Herring, Big Nog (2), Mark Coleman (2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, and Matt Lindland.) This guy is for real.
Sylvia’s last fight was for the UFC’s interim heavyweight championship against Big Nog. He lost by submission, but it was one of the more entertaining fights by Big Tim in quite a while. He’s even admitted to just trying to not lose fights, thus watching him just push around a smaller opponent for 3-5 rounds and raising his arm to a chorus of boos. Well know he knows he is fighting the best. Really doesn’t have a thing to lose here.
Affliction needs this to be an awesome “Fight of the Year” type of fight that people will be talking about long after it’s over. Sylvia is tough to read. He could deliver that kind of fight, or he could just lumber around the ring until getting caught in a submission. I think it will be somewhere in between. It’ll be exciting, but ultimately Sylvia will get caught, and lose via submission like he has against other great ground fighters like Big Nog and Frank Mir.
Fedor def. Sylvia via submission in the 2nd round
UFC Fight Night 14
Preliminary bouts:
Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt via submission in the 1st round
Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo via (T)KO in the 2nd round
Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees via decision
Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber via (T)KO in the 3rd round
Tim Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough via submission in the 2nd round
Only on SpikeTV:
Jesse Taylor v. CB Dolloway
This is basically a match pitting two outstanding wrestlers with highly credible collegiate resumes against one another. That being said, my thought from TUF7 was that Jesse Taylor was a one-dimensional fighter. He was too big and too strong for anyone to handle his wrestling, and he essentially held people down while inflicting enough ground and pound to prevent the referee from standing it back up. CB Dolloway is just as strong a wrestler, so I expect his takedown defense to be very technical and effective in avoiding Taylor’s wrath. Dolloway should be able to keep this on the feet long enough to land some strikes and earn a 29-28 decision. I think at some point Taylor will get him down and ride out a round.
CB Dolloway by unanimous decision.
Anthony Johnson v. Kevin Burns
Has anyone else seen “Rumble” Johnson’s two wins via KO in the UFC? They were both exciting, and he reminds me of a Melvin Guillard at welterweight. Kevin Burns scored a shocking submission victory over Roan Carneiro in his UFC debut, but “Rumble” seems to have a bit more ring acumen than Guillard. If he puts Burns on his back, he’ll have the ref stand him right back up. I think Johnson will absolutely light up the arena on Saturday night with a sensational KO that elevates him up the rankings in a flash. If he blows away Burns like I expect him too, I’d actually encourage Joe Silva to pit him against Josh Koscheck and see where that one goes.
Anthony Johnson via KO in 1st round
Cain Velasquez v. Jake O’Brien
Interesting match-up here. Velasquez is being touted as the second coming of Christ in the heavyweight division. In fact his trainer has been quoted as saying he could defeat Randy Couture RIGHT NOW and needs only a year before he can take out Fedor. Wow. That’s some mighty high praise. O’Brien, meanwhile, seems to be a UFC whipping boy. He was brought in to be a cake walk for Heath Herring, but shocked a live SpikeTV audience. Then he was injured, then later brought in as an opponent for former champ Andrei Arlovski. That went as planned, and O’Brien was released again, only to be brought back as an opponent for Velasquez. The little I’ve seen of Cain is impressive. This guy is great on his feet and also has a solid wrestling pedigree. O’Brien won’t have the tools to compete, as he’s a one-dimensional guy with his wrestling.
Interesting match-up here. Velasquez is being touted as the second coming of Christ in the heavyweight division. In fact his trainer has been quoted as saying he could defeat Randy Couture RIGHT NOW and needs only a year before he can take out Fedor. Wow. That’s some mighty high praise. O’Brien, meanwhile, seems to be a UFC whipping boy. He was brought in to be a cake walk for Heath Herring, but shocked a live SpikeTV audience. Then he was injured, then later brought in as an opponent for former champ Andrei Arlovski. That went as planned, and O’Brien was released again, only to be brought back as an opponent for Velasquez. The little I’ve seen of Cain is impressive. This guy is great on his feet and also has a solid wrestling pedigree. O’Brien won’t have the tools to compete, as he’s a one-dimensional guy with his wrestling.
Cain Velasquez by (T)KO in the 1st round
Hermes Franca v. Frankie Edgar
Edgar is coming off his first professional loss, a bout in which he was outwrestled and outstruck by Gray Maynard. Franca, meanwhile, returns from his suspension after testing positive for steroids in the same title bout that Sherk tested positive. How about that! Edgar is a wrestler who pounds out decision victories, while Franca is a tested veteran with 11 submission wins to his credit. Look for Edgar to take this fight to the ground, only to have Franca catch him in a submission.
Edgar is coming off his first professional loss, a bout in which he was outwrestled and outstruck by Gray Maynard. Franca, meanwhile, returns from his suspension after testing positive for steroids in the same title bout that Sherk tested positive. How about that! Edgar is a wrestler who pounds out decision victories, while Franca is a tested veteran with 11 submission wins to his credit. Look for Edgar to take this fight to the ground, only to have Franca catch him in a submission.
Hermes Franca via 2nd round submission
Brandon Vera v. Reese Andy
The light heavyweight debut for Vera and the UFC debut for Andy. I don’t think the weight cut will be a factor for Vera, as he walks around at 225 and fights around 215. He’s just so athletic and solid with his striking that he was able to hang with the heavyweights. Andy, meanwhile, is just a name to me. I’ve never seen the guy fight nor do I claim to know anything about him, except what his Fight Finder page on Sherdog tells me. He’s an IFL lifer with a bunch of decision wins. I think Vera will make a statement here, but I also don’t know if his stay in this division will last long. He wants to avenge his loss to Verdum, and with Frank Mir getting a title shot – a guy that Vera destroyed – he has some issues to resolve with the heavyweights.
Vera by decision
Main Event
Anderson Silva v. James Irvin
The light heavyweight debut for Anderson Silva, as well! Imagine if they had Silva and Vera debut AGAINST each other. I should have Joe Silva’s job. Anyway, Irvin is a dangerous striker, no doubt about it, but he’s fighting arguably the most technical striker in the world, pound for pound. This is the middleweight champ who destroyed a former 205-pounder (Rich Franklin) twice, as well as Dan Henderson, who cut from 205 to contend for the UFC crown. Silva is moving up in weight, and while I don’t know how much stronger he’ll be because of it; his striking will be quicker than Irvin’s. And if this goes to the ground, lest we forget that Silva is a dangerous submission guy with a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Irvin, meanwhile, just blew away one of the more feared strikers in the division in Houston Alexander. He finished “The Assassin” in a record-tying eight seconds, which is impressive considering Alexander seemed to have a strong chin up to that point. Ten of Irvin’s wins have come by some form of a KO, so he’s definitely game. This will be explosive for sure.
Silva by T(KO) late in the 1st round
My take on the Main Event of Affliction: Banned
Fedor is the pound for pound best on some experts rankings, while Sylvia is the former UFC champ who has come under fire lately for his passive nature in the ring. As Keefe said, he’s admitted to just trying not to lose fights. But I was actually impressed with Big Tim in his last fight against Nogueira for the interim UFC Heavyweight title. He was aggressive, controlled the fight on the feet, and was dominating the Big Nog until he got caught with a sick submission in the 3rd round. Sylvia has a distinct height and reach advantage, much like he did against Randy Couture back in March of 2007. But he’s a different fighter.
Fedor, meanwhile, has been inactive lately having fought twice in ’06 and twice in ’07. This is first tilt in ’08. His last win was against that giant Hong Man Choi, who also happened to be a tomato can. He fought three name opponents prior to that (Lindland, Coleman and Mark Hunt), but Lindland fought up two weight classes, Coleman is overrated and Hunt is a K-1 guy. Sylvia is clearly his toughest test in a long, long time.
Fedor, meanwhile, has been inactive lately having fought twice in ’06 and twice in ’07. This is first tilt in ’08. His last win was against that giant Hong Man Choi, who also happened to be a tomato can. He fought three name opponents prior to that (Lindland, Coleman and Mark Hunt), but Lindland fought up two weight classes, Coleman is overrated and Hunt is a K-1 guy. Sylvia is clearly his toughest test in a long, long time.
I think Sylvia will come out much in the same way he did against Nog, using his jab and aggressively mixing in nice combinations trying to pepper Fedor. Sylvia has a great, great sprawl, and his long, lanky build causes problems for guys on top of him. If he knocks down Fedor, I don’t think he makes the same mistake as he did against Nog. He’ll certainly try and finish the fight, but if Fedor comes to and regains his composure, look for Sylvia to back off and stand it back up. I’ll be shocked if he gets submitted again. I’m picking the upset…
Sylvia via decision
Keefe’s take on the main event at UFC Fight Night 14
Anderson Silva has just decimated the middleweight division. Hendo, Franklin, Leben, it doesn’t matter. Brining the Spider up to fight some of the guys from the loaded light heavyweight division makes some sense to me. And why not have this spectacle go up against the Affliction card. Well I’m not sold on James Irvin. Sure he has knockout power, but he is not a Top 10 guy in the division, and maybe not Top 15. If Silva fought a Soko, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Wanderlei, Jardine, or even Vera as Besse mentioned, I would be tempted to watch the UFC live. But I’m not. Silva should smoke this guy like everyone else since he’s stepped into the octagon.
Silva def. Irvin via (T)KO in the 1st round
Keefe’s take on the main event at UFC Fight Night 14
Anderson Silva has just decimated the middleweight division. Hendo, Franklin, Leben, it doesn’t matter. Brining the Spider up to fight some of the guys from the loaded light heavyweight division makes some sense to me. And why not have this spectacle go up against the Affliction card. Well I’m not sold on James Irvin. Sure he has knockout power, but he is not a Top 10 guy in the division, and maybe not Top 15. If Silva fought a Soko, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Wanderlei, Jardine, or even Vera as Besse mentioned, I would be tempted to watch the UFC live. But I’m not. Silva should smoke this guy like everyone else since he’s stepped into the octagon.
Silva def. Irvin via (T)KO in the 1st round
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC Rankings (7/14/08)
This will probably mark the final “UFC” Rankings here on the Sports Brief. On July 19th (this Saturday) Affliction launches their debut show with one of the best cards in MMA history, that features the likes of Fedor, Sylvia, Barnett, Rizzo, Arlovski, Rothwell, (best group of heavyweights ever assembled), Lil Nog, Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, Babalu, and others. We will change formats to an all MMA Ranking following that event. But for now here are the best fighters that the UFC have to offer.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
No changes since last month. Gonzaga earned a win in UFC 86 over Justin McCully, but not one that will move him up. Check back next month as the boys from Affliction will dominate this weight class.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Forrest shakes up the light heavyweight division with his victory – controversial or not – over Rampage. Let’s hope there’s a rematch soon, but a number of intriguing matchups lie ahead. Liddell v. Evans in September and the return of Shogun, both Silvas and Machida will be exciting. Anderson Silva makes his debut at 205 this weekend, as does Brandon Vera, so it will be interesting to see what kind of players both are in this stacked division.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
The Cote v. Almeida fight was underwhelming, disappointing and we almost wish it didn’t happen. But nonetheless, Cote is now in line for a title shot, which is baffling considering Silva v. Okami has been rumored. With Silva fighting on Saturday, you assume his next fight would be in September or October, leaving Cote waiting in the wings until the end of the year. He needs to take another fight like Thiago Alves did.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Koscheck earned one of the bloodiest decisions ever over Chris Lytle in UFC 86. He’s entrenched in the middle of this weight class. GSP vs. Fitch for the title is coming on in August. If GSP wins look for him to face BJ Penn.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Stevenson and Griffin both took home wins over a week ago. Not entirely familiar with lightweights in other organizations, but from all accounts they are better than everyone not in this top tier. Should be interesting to see the UFC continue to develop their 155 pound class.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
No changes since last month. Gonzaga earned a win in UFC 86 over Justin McCully, but not one that will move him up. Check back next month as the boys from Affliction will dominate this weight class.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
Forrest shakes up the light heavyweight division with his victory – controversial or not – over Rampage. Let’s hope there’s a rematch soon, but a number of intriguing matchups lie ahead. Liddell v. Evans in September and the return of Shogun, both Silvas and Machida will be exciting. Anderson Silva makes his debut at 205 this weekend, as does Brandon Vera, so it will be interesting to see what kind of players both are in this stacked division.
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nathan Marquardt
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
The Cote v. Almeida fight was underwhelming, disappointing and we almost wish it didn’t happen. But nonetheless, Cote is now in line for a title shot, which is baffling considering Silva v. Okami has been rumored. With Silva fighting on Saturday, you assume his next fight would be in September or October, leaving Cote waiting in the wings until the end of the year. He needs to take another fight like Thiago Alves did.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Koscheck earned one of the bloodiest decisions ever over Chris Lytle in UFC 86. He’s entrenched in the middle of this weight class. GSP vs. Fitch for the title is coming on in August. If GSP wins look for him to face BJ Penn.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Stevenson and Griffin both took home wins over a week ago. Not entirely familiar with lightweights in other organizations, but from all accounts they are better than everyone not in this top tier. Should be interesting to see the UFC continue to develop their 155 pound class.
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Sports Brief's UFC Rankings (6-13-08)
We here at The Sports Brief have decided to combine our individual UFC Rankings into one mega-power ranking that will be updated monthly. As of right now this is our list of Top 10 fighters in each of the weight classes recognized by the UFC. There is a great chance however, that after the unbelievably stacked Affliction card in July, which features such fighters as Fedor, Sylvia, Barnett, Rizzo, Lil Nog, Vitor Belfort, Arlovski, Matt Lindland, Babalu, and others we may change formats to an all MMA Ranking. But for now here are the best fighters that the UFC have to offer.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Couture is still our champ, so he is number one. The departures of Andrei and Big Tim really hurt this weight class, where a fighter who is 0-1 in the octagon can be ranked 9. Vera doesn’t fall much due to what we thought was an early stoppage vs. Werdum.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
This division is tough to figure out since everyone has beaten everyone. I (Keefe) really like Shogun still, but his inactivity and loss to Forrest drop him to 6. You can make a number of intriguing match ups here. Rampage vs. Forrest finally comes next month. And one of the biggest questions for this weight class still remains, what organization will former champ Tito Ortiz sign with?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Nathan Marquardt
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
Like Tom Hanks, Anderson Silva is in a league of his own. He owns dominant victories over everyone he has faced in the UFC including close to half of this top 10. Rumors of a Spider vs. Iceman fight linger, and we wouldn’t object to that. Henderson against Franklin would be intriguing, but what do you do with the winner? Hendo/ Silva II or Franklin/ Silva III? Don’t think so.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Fabricio Werdum
4. Brandon Vera
5. Frank Mir
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Shane Carwin
Couture is still our champ, so he is number one. The departures of Andrei and Big Tim really hurt this weight class, where a fighter who is 0-1 in the octagon can be ranked 9. Vera doesn’t fall much due to what we thought was an early stoppage vs. Werdum.
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
7. Thiago Silva
8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
9. Keith Jardine
10. Rashad Evans
This division is tough to figure out since everyone has beaten everyone. I (Keefe) really like Shogun still, but his inactivity and loss to Forrest drop him to 6. You can make a number of intriguing match ups here. Rampage vs. Forrest finally comes next month. And one of the biggest questions for this weight class still remains, what organization will former champ Tito Ortiz sign with?
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Nathan Marquardt
8. Thales Leites
9. Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping
Knocking on the door: Jason MacDonald, Nathan Quarry, Damain Maia
Like Tom Hanks, Anderson Silva is in a league of his own. He owns dominant victories over everyone he has faced in the UFC including close to half of this top 10. Rumors of a Spider vs. Iceman fight linger, and we wouldn’t object to that. Henderson against Franklin would be intriguing, but what do you do with the winner? Hendo/ Silva II or Franklin/ Silva III? Don’t think so.
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Alves didn’t make weight, but still the performances against Karo and Hughes vault him up the leaderboard. GSP fights Fitch for the title in August. Mike Swick looked very comfortable at 170 against Davis, and let’s hope we still see Hughes vs. Serra.
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
t-5. Matt Hughes
t-5. Matt Serra
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis
Alves didn’t make weight, but still the performances against Karo and Hughes vault him up the leaderboard. GSP fights Fitch for the title in August. Mike Swick looked very comfortable at 170 against Davis, and let’s hope we still see Hughes vs. Serra.
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Similar to the middleweight division it’s a one man weight class. B.J. Penn cemented himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA after blowing through Sherk. Huerta vs. Ken-Flo is upcoming, but does Penn fight the winner or GSP? It’s shaping up to be a pretty deep division, solid Top 10 with good honorable mentions. Yes, we showed “Some Love” to Rich Clementi.
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Nate Diaz
10. Gray Maynard
Knocking at the door: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Rich Clementi
Similar to the middleweight division it’s a one man weight class. B.J. Penn cemented himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA after blowing through Sherk. Huerta vs. Ken-Flo is upcoming, but does Penn fight the winner or GSP? It’s shaping up to be a pretty deep division, solid Top 10 with good honorable mentions. Yes, we showed “Some Love” to Rich Clementi.
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