Rankings
MMA Fighter Rankings by FiveOuncesOfPain.com founder and publisher Sam Caplan. Updated Nov. 6, 2008.
Pound-for-Pound
- Anderson Silva - If you believed Silva was the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world before his fight vs. Patrick Cote at UFC 90, why would you think any less of him? Silva not only won the fight but absorbed virtually no damage. Allegations of showboating are not black and white and Silva has denied them. I am included to believe him because when has Silva ever shown blatant disrespect towards an opponent?
- Fedor Emelianenko - Based on pure fighting ability, a case could be made that Fedor belongs at number one. Is there a human being a live that can take him? The complaint against Fedor was that he wasn’t fighting top contenders. He answered the critics at Affliction: Banned in July when he destroyed Tim Sylvia in just 36 seconds. Emelianenko is set to defend his WAMMA heavyweight title on Jan. 24 during Affliction’s next show against another top-ten heavyweight in Andrei Arlovski. A dominant win over Arlovski could move him ahead of Silva.
- Georges St. Pierre - The dominant win over Jon Fitch was impressive but not enough to move him back up. Had he finished Fitch, things might have been different. But when you are talking top-ten pound-for-pound, finishes vs. decisions can make a huge difference. St. Pierre will get another chance to move up when he faces B.J. Penn at UFC 94 on Jan. 31.
- B.J. Penn - He is an amazing pure fighter and he’s fighting frequently again and dominating the way he’s supposed to. Wins over Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, and Sean Sherk are all considered quality victories. He has the ability and he once again has the credentials. There are those that believe Penn is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and a win over GSP at UFC 94 combined with a Fedor loss at Affliction II could move him into the number one slot.
- Miguel Torres - Torres is the most underrated fighter in MMA and made a huge jump in my top 10 following his amazing win over Yoshiro Maeda. Torres’ grappling ability is world class but his striking also is world class as well. How do you gameplan for a fighter that is world class in every possible area a fight can go? I don’t think there is anyone at 135 pounds that can touch this guy right now. Manny Tapia will try and give Torres just his second career loss during the WEC’s December event.
- Forrest Griffin - This may seem like an awkward spot for Griffin considering he doesn’t have the dynamic abilities normally reserved for top ten pound-for-pound fighters. He’s not a jiu-jitsu savant; not a world class striker; nor is he an accomplished wrestler. Griffin is simply good at fighting. He is world class when it comes to intangibles; few fighters work harder in the gym and few fighters can absorb the punishment that he absorbs. Critics can snicker at this ranking all they want, but the bottom line is that Griffin is in sole possession of the most prestigious title in all of MMA and that alone should account for something.
- Lyoto Machida - Moving him into the top-ten became a no-brainer after his decisive win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 84. His resume is impressive, as he is undefeated and has wins over top ten fighters in my 185 lbs. and 205 lbs. rankings. From a pure fighting standpoint, Machida’s standup skills are strong and his ground skills are underrated. You may not like his fighting style, but you can’t deny the fact that he is without question one of the top fighters in the world.
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Nogueira debuts in the top-ten after Randy Couture went a full year of inactivity. Couture will be eligible to return to my rankings on Nov. 15, but he’ll need to beat Brock Lesnar in order to regain top-ten P4P status. Meanwhile, Nogueira is set to fight Frank Mir on Dec. 27 at UFC 92 and is likely to remain in the top ten even if Couture beats Lesnar.
| Heavyweight | Light Heavyweight | Middleweight |
|---|---|---|
| Fedor Emelianenko | Forrest Griffin | Anderson Silva |
| Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Lyoto Machida | Rich Franklin |
| Andrei Arlovski | Quinton Jackson | Dan Henderson |
| Josh Barnett | Chuck Liddell | Robbie Lawler |
| Randy Couture | Wanderlei Silva | Gegard Mousasi |
| Gabriel Gonzaga | Rashad Evans | Yushin Okami |
| Tim Sylvia | Thiago Silva | Nathan Marquardt |
| Ben Rothwell | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | Kazuo Misaki |
| Fabricio Werdum | Keith Jardine | Jorge Santiago |
| Mirko Filipovic | Vladimir Matyushenko | Matt Lindland |
| Welterweight | Lightweight | Featherweight |
|---|---|---|
| Georges St. Pierre | B.J. Penn | Mike Brown |
| Jake Shields | Eddie Alvarez | Leonard Garcia |
| Thiago Alves | Shinya Aoki | Urijah Faber |
| Jon Fitch | Gesias Calvancante | Norifumi Yamamoto |
| Matt Hughes | Joachim Hansen | Akitoshi Tamura |
| Carlos Condit | Takanori Gomi | Dokonjonosuke Mishima |
| Josh Koscheck | Tatsuya Kawajiri | Wagnney Fabiano |
| Diego Sanchez | Kenny Florian | Masakazu Imanari |
| Jay Hieron | Sean Sherk | Hatsu Hioki |
| Nick Thompson | Josh Thomson | Takeshi Inoue |
