TOP HW (265 lbs)

10 October 2007

1. Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor "The Russian Experiment" Emelianenko

The MMA community is getting antsy with the time Fedor has spent away from the ring, but his 'inactivity' has been greatly exaggerated -- in the last ten months he has soundly beaten two world class competitors in Mark Hunt and Matt Lindland, and he is now expected to fight in early 2008 in M-1. It looked for a while like he might have a hard time finding competition outside the UFC, but with Couture resigning from the promotion, and Barnett still out there as a free agent, this may not be a problem after all.
2. Antonio Nogueira

Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira

Minotauro 'looked bad' in his recent victory over Herring according to many, but 'bad wins' can't be allowed to devalue a fighter. With that in mind, his list of recent achievements at heavyweight still outshine anyone other than Mr. Emelianenko, and that includes the recent wins of Couture. His next bout will be very deciding as to whether he can improve on that, and if he were to face 'The Natural' in the medium term future he would probably find himself favourite to be the next UFC heavyweight champ.
3. Randy Couture

Randy "The Natural" Couture

Many now have Couture in the number two spot ahead of Nogueira following his recent wins over Sylvia and Gonzaga -- and it is tempting to follow suit and bump him up as far up as he can go. But while both of his recent wins were incredible showings for 'The Natural', they are nevertheless the only two wins he can be ranked by at heavyweight. The recent portfolio of Nogueira features more wins over a higher class of competition, and he has stayed active this year with his recent win over Herring. With his resignation from the UFC and what looks to be a fierce contract dispute ahead of him, inactivity is a clear threat to his ranking looking forward.
4. Josh Barnett

Josh "The Baby Faced Assassin" Barnett

Barnett has faced an incredible depth of opposition at heavyweight, and his losses have been few and far between. His two fights with Nogueira last year, going 1-1, only go to show how close-to-inseperable their talent levels are, and in an extremely active 2006 he showed one of the most effective submission games in the sport. The only recent devaluing losses he suffered were to Cro Cop: one was via decision, and the other was coming off a high-paced war with Nog earlier that same night. His 2006 victories over Nakamura, A. Emelianenko, Hunt, Nogueira and Nastula more than make up for it.
5. Tim Sylvia

Tim "The Maineac" Sylvia

There is currently little to separate heavyweights vying to break into the top five like Gonzaga, Kongo, Arlovski, and behind them Cro Cop. But Sylvia elevates himself above these fighters with two wins over Arlovski and a stint as UFC heavyweight champ in his recent past, putting him on overall firmer ground. His upcoming match with Vera could cement this status and give him yet another shot at the UFC gold. Or it could propel Vera into the thick of things.

TOP LHW (205 lbs)

10 October 2007

1. Quinton Jackson

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

The UFC champ looked great in his unanimous decision win over Henderson in September, and after three great showings he is quickly becoming established with the UFC viewership. Possible candidates to challenge for his belt in the medium term future include Jardine, Griffin, Machida, and Silva -- any one of which could make a great fight.
2. Dan Henderson

"Dangerous" Dan Henderson

There are moments in MMA where a combination of unexpected results suddenly "flattens" a division, sharply reducing the stock of established stars and doing the same to increase the stock of previously unranked fighters. In these moments, definitive rankings are all but impossible. The recent victories of Jardine and Griffin have flattened the 205 lb division: leaving Henderson in the number two spot despite the fact he is coming off a loss with only one recent win at the weight prior to that.
3. Mauricio Rua

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Yes, Shogun was just dominated and submitted by Griffin fair and square, but there is a limit to how far one fight can allow Rua to fall and Griffin to climb. Hence MMA-O's policy of 'slow moving rankings'. One result makes a strong suggestion -- but a few more are needed to confirm that suggestion, if not from the fighter's past then from their future. Four years of complete dominance in the division is not disregarded based on one poor performance; and Forrest will need at least one more solid win to prove he belongs where his last fight suggested.
4. Keith Jardine

Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine

Well, well, well. From out of the middle of the road storms Jardine, with a knockout win over Griffin (all the more impressive in light of Forrest's last fight) followed by a decisive decision victory over Liddell. These back-to-back results cannot be ignored, propelling Jardine into the deep end of the division. Time will tell if he can maintain this position.
5. Chuck Liddell

Chuck "The Ice Man" Liddell

Coming off bad losses to Rampage and Jardine has dropped Liddell quite a bit. With the first two predominant strikers he has faced in a long time beating him soundly, Chuck's standup game has been seriously undermined. The one match that could instantly reverse his fortunes would be a showdown with Wanderlei. With both men coming off similar two fight losing streaks, let's hope the UFC makes this one happen soon.

TOP MW (185 lbs)

11 October 2007

1. Anderson Silva

Anderson "The Spider" Silva

Current UFC champ, Silva has been on a tear since arriving in the organisation last year. He has stopped Leben, Franklin, Lutter, and Marquardt all thanks to his phenomenally destructive striking (most via submission due to strikes). He is one of MMA's most dominant forces at the moment, and is probably the most exciting of the current UFC champions. His striking is also twinned with a superb ground game -- which had been a weakness in his early Pride career.
2. Paulo Filho

Paulo Filho

Current WEC champ, the undefeated Paulo Filho was one of Pride's 185 lb studs throughout 2005 and 2006, with a string of dominating victories over quality opposition. His signing to the WEC earlier this year, where he won the belt in his debut match against Doerksen, may mean a drop in the talent he will face. One would hope it isn't too long before Zuffa puts him up against top UFC talent.
3. Rich Franklin

Rich "Ace" Franklin

Franklin is coming off a decision victory over Okami, where he looked slow but effective in getting the decision in his second comeback victory after the Silva loss. He has put together one of the most consistent records at the weight class against quality competition, elevating him above most of the pack. The approaching rematch with Silva should help in deciding just how elevated he deserves to be.
4. Matt Lindland

Matt "The Law" Lindland

Lindland continues to roam in fighter limbo. His most recent fights have been at the two higher weight classes, and although he lost at both weights it was against the best competition out there -- Quinton Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko. Stepping up to such challenges might have garnered him a lot of respect, but he needs to keep active at 185 lbs for people to continue thinking of him as relevant there.
5. Robbie Lawler

"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler

Current Elite XC and ICON Sport champ, Lawler had a patchy first run in the UFC and ultimately left the organisation in 2004 after consecutive losses to Nick Diaz and Evan Tanner. Since then he has went 7 for 8, and recent victories over Villasenor, Trigg and Ninja put him right up there when talking about current stand out middleweights. Other 185 lbers knocking on the door include Marquardt, Kang, and Okami, all of whom have a decisive loss in their recent past and no greater wins.

TOP WW (170 lbs)

17 October 2007

1. Georges St. Pierre

Georges "Rush" St. Pierre

St. Pierre ran through everyone put in front of him throughout 2005 and 2006, before a first round stoppage loss to Serra in February this year. While this loss certainly had a devaluing effect on the fighter, the circumstances of the division simply meant that none of the top contenders were more deserving to take the number one spot from him. With a convincing win over Koscheck in his recent past, St Pierre is well on his way to restoring the aura he enjoyed 'pre-Serra'.
2. Matt Hughes

Matt Hughes

Nearing the end of his career, Hughes recently revealed he has only two or three fights left in him. He is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, with St. Pierre putting the first blemish on his record in years when he took the belt from him last November. Previously, Hughes had erased a previous career loss with a TKO victory over Penn, and a solid decision over Lytle this March showed that he still has what it takes to dominate in the Octagon.
3. Matt Serra

Matt "The Terror" Serra

Current UFC champ, Matt Serra has a solid record against some world class opposition. He brings a mean set of skills into the cage along with a great head, and he shocked the pants off everyone with his first round TKO over St. Pierre in February. While many thrust him into the number one spot following this victory, his recent record just doesn't add up to make him the division's top fighter. If he wins his upcoming fight against Hughes, however, it will be an entirely different story.
4. Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch

Fitch arrived in the consciousness of fans everywhere at UFC 76 with his dominating performance over Diego Sanchez. He showed superb controlling power, pace, and submission defence in that fight -- leaving no doubt as to the decision. On a massive 14 fight win streak and now with a big win over a ranked fighter, Jon Fitch has just become one of the UFC's hottest properties at welterweight.
5. Karo Parisyan

Karo "The Heat" Parisyan

Back at the start of 2004 Karo lost by decision to St. Pierre, and since then his only other loss has been again by decision to Diego Sanchez. Karo has otherwise been winning in convincing fashion against all comers, most recently over Josh Burkman. Yet the title shot he was once scheduled for against Hughes has just never came back up on the agenda. Parisyan is without a doubt the under-the-radar fighter of the welterweight division, and continued wins are likely to force him back up to number one contendership in the near future.

TOP LW (155 lbs)

18 October 2007

1. Takanori Gomi

Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi

Of all current possible rankings, Gomi being placed as the number one lightweight is by far the worst offender when it comes to enraging fans. The thought of him holding onto the spot after being submitted by Diaz back in February is enough to give some folk an aneurysm. However, the fact remains simply enough that this fight was ruled a No Contest, and therefore the only sensible way to treat it is to take it out of consideration. With the Diaz fight to one side, Gomi has faced more talent than any other contender over the last few years, and only lost to Aurelio -- which he went on to decisively avenge. Inactivity is starting to become a problem, nevertheless.
2. Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez

In 2006 exciting wins over Clay Guida and Kawajiri added to Gilbert's perfect record, and with them he gained recognition as one of the planet's most talented lightweights. After sitting most of 2007 out, he just got back in the cage with a decision win over Tetsuji Kato, keeping his record fresh and sparkling clean. He sits well towards the top of the lightweight division, where a razor's edge separates them.
3. Gesias Calvancanti

Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

With only a 2004 loss to Joachim Hansen blemishing his record, and a string of decisive victories including notables such as Caol Uno and very recently Vitor Ribeiro, 'JZ' stands out from the crowd of elite talent (and there is a crowd of elite talent at this weight) just that little bit more. Probably. While the scattering of top talent across so many promotions is a nightmare when it come to ranking the lightweights, Calvancanti has the freshness of a significant win to give him a leg up on other contenders.
4. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

With great depth of competition, the few unavenged losses Kawakiri has suffered have been to the highest calibre of oppoent -- Takanori Gomi and Gilbert Melendez. He has faced an enormous depth of talent, been in some of the greatest lightweight bouts of all time, and boasts wins over Yves Edwards and Vitor Ribeiro among many others. His loss to Melendez was an incredibly close decision, and on a luckier night 'The Crusher' could have been given the nod.
5. Tyson Griffin

Tyson Griffin

Going up against the UFC talent pool, which currently has few ranked fighters, comparison can be made difficult by the fact that the wins of Griffin are in this way relatively isolated from other top lightweights. And yet I feel Griffin's record by this point bests many others given a high ranking at the moment. Suffering only one loss in his career, Griffin boasts wins over Urijah Faber, Duane Ludwig, Clay Guida and recently Thiago Tavares. Another solid win would no doubt give him wider recognition as one of the best lightweights around.