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MMA Power Rankings: Top 15
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 By Chris Young, Comcast.net Sports
Shuffle the deck anyway you want with Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko and Georges St. Pierre. MMA Power Rankings are as subjective as Maxim’s Top 100.
Compare aces to aces and you get aces. The true No. 1 is an endless debate.
The good news is the summer is packed with loaded cards that are sure to shake things up. For now, here's how my top 15 plays out:
1. Anderson Silva, UFC Middleweight Champion
I know … after the dud that was UFC 97, how can Silva still be No. 1? Short answer: When Patrick Cote blew out his knee in the third round of UFC 93, Silva returned to his dressing room and sparred for two more rounds. That’s just unheard of. Guy’s an absolute beast.
2. Fedor Emelianenko, WAMMA Heavyweight Champion
“The Last Emperor” is truly “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” His accomplishments are legendary. He can submit you in his sleep. But Fedor’s competition often falls short. Maybe Josh Barnett is the answer to challenging him, but that's a huge maybe. As it is, Fedor can’t top this list … at least, not as long as he fights outside of the UFC.
3. Georges St. Pierre, UFC Welterweight Champion
Grease or no grease, Georges flat-out overwhelmed an undersized B.J. Penn in a fight that should have never gone down. Pierre’s at the top of his game, and if he beats Thiago Alves convincingly at UFC 100 (and I suspect he will), he’ll have a legitimate claim for the sport’s pound-for-pound best.
4. Lyoto Machida, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
If you’re a stat guy, Machida’s your fighter. In his last three bouts, he’s defeated opponents with a combined record of 41-5-2. And after his
second-round KO of former champ Rashad Evans, The Dragon has to be in the argument for the sport’s best pound-for-pound. He sits fourth only because he just recently won the title.
5. Miguel Angel Torres, WEC Bantamweight Champion
Miguel Angel Torres is the scariest little guy on the planet. Sure, he’s incredibly talented, but it’s his willingness to mix it up that makes him one of the most exciting fighters to watch in MMA. It's past time he pack on the extra weight and jump ship to the UFC.
6. Quinton Jackson, No. 1 UFC Light Heavyweight Contender
Since dropping the light heavyweight title to Forrest Griffin last July, Jackson has been on a rampage. His devastating knockout of decorated Pride veteran Wanderlei Silva was followed by a unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine this past March. He was slated to fight newly crowned champ Lyoto Machida in September, but pulled out of the fight to coach season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter" opposite Rashad Evans.
7. B.J. Penn, UFC Lightweight Champion
Don’t dissect GSP’s epic thumping of Penn too much. The weight jump was Mastodon-ian and St. Pierre owns the 170-pound division. GSP's strength and speed were dominating factors, but Penn’s conditioning was sub-par at best. If he hasn’t righted that ship, Ken-Flo may just lift the belt at UFC 101 in Philly.
8. Mike Brown, WEC Featherweight Champion
What’s not to like about Mike Brown? The American Top Team standout is as level-headed a fighter as they come. Some saw his first-round knockout of WEC poster-boy and former featherweight champ Urijah Faber as a fluke … and maybe it was. But Brown’s domination of ex-UFC contender Leonard Garcia was a pure and simple reminder that he belongs.
9. Thiago Alves, UFC No. 1 Welterweight Contender
Love him or hate him, Alves has looked impressive since his loss to Jon Fitch nearly two years ago. His three consecutive lopsided victories over Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck in ‘08 earned him the UFC’s No. 1 welterweight ranking and a shot at champ GSP at UFC 100.
10. Kenny Florian, UFC No. 1 Lightweight Contender
Admission: I was never a fan of Kenny Florian on the original “Ultimate Fighter” series. The talent was there, but that killer instinct never presented itself. But after losing to Sean Sherk, someone must have flipped a switch. Because the real Florian has arrived. I like his chances vs. Penn, grease or no grease.
11. Urijah Faber, WEC No. 1 Featherweight Contender
“The California Kid” reigned over the WEC’s featherweight division for two and a half years before dropping the title to Mike Brown last September. Their highly anticipated rematch goes down June 7, in what could very well be one of the best fights of the year.
12. Dan Henderson, UFC Middleweight Contender
Hendo embodies the true definition of a pound-for-pounder. He floats weight and dominates fighters like few in the sport today. What’s more, he’s as much a respectable talent inside the cage as he is a respectable guy outside it.
13. Shinya Aoki, WAMMA Lightweight Champion
If you’re a fan of submission fighting, you’re a fan of Aoki. The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight Champion and Shooto Middleweight Champion holds respected blacks in BJJ and Judo. His nickname is "Tobikan Judan," or “master of flying submissions.” Simply put, he’s a force.
14. Forrest Griffin, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
What can I say, I just like the guy. He may have lost the belt to Evans, and I really can’t see him derailing Anderson Silva at UFC 101, but anytime he’s in the cage, I’m glued.
15. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, UFC Light Heavyweight Contender
Dana White holds a theory that a fighter’s success in the UFC begins once he’s acclimated to the UFC. Rua looked lost in his Octagon debut vs. Forrest Griffin and sluggish in his win over Mark Coleman. But those so-called UFC jitters vanished in his first-round destruction of fading legend Chuck Liddell. Has the Shogun of old finally hit the States? Time will tell.
Pound-for-pound best or just scary good, who are your current Top 15 mixed martial artists? Is Fedor your No. 1? What about Machida? Does Hendo make your list? Weigh in here.
Message Edited by ComcastSports on 06-02-2009 03:00 PM
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