MMA Rankings > MMA Lightweight Rankings
MMA Lightweight Rankings
A review and ranking of MMA 155-pound Lightweight fighters - January 2010 Update
UFC 107 saw BJ Penn defend his UFC Lightweight Championship belt once again as he dominated Diego Sanchez and bloodied his face in the process. However, unlike the other weight classes that are dominated by UFC-contracted fighters, the list of the top 155 pound fighters in MMA actually features more non-UFC fighters than actual Ultimate Fighting Championship competitors. Penn remains atop the 155 pound rankings list and is considered to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in MMA as he has cleaned through most every major name in the UFC's lightweight division, the best challengers for his belt seem to be outside the UFC.
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BJ Penn bloodied and beat Diego Sanchez down at UFC 107 to continue his dominance of the UFC's Lightweight Division. |
1. BJ Penn – (15-5-1) – With an equal amount of victories as a stand-up fighter and as a grappler (6 each), “The Prodigy” is scary no matter where the fight is contested. The former UFC welterweight champ and current lightweight champ is on a run that has seen him win five of his last six bouts. Most recently, he defended his lightweight belt for the third time on December 12th when he stopped Diego Sanchez in the 5th round of their UFC 107 main event.
2. Shinya Aoki – (22-4) – A six-year veteran of DEEP, Shooto, PRIDE, and DREAM, “The Tobikan Judan” has enjoyed success wherever he has fought. He is a former Shooto champ and the current WAMMA and DREAM lightweight champ. He won his DREAM belt in October with a submission over Joachim Hansen. Aoki recently fought Sengoku lightweight champ Mizuto Hirota on the Dynamite card on New Year’s Eve and broke Hirota's arm in the Submission victory.
3. Eddie Alvarez – (19-2) – Alvarez, a Philly-native, has won nine of his past ten fights. During that stretch, Alvarez made it through to the DREAM lightweight grand prix semi’s, fought for the WAMMA lightweight title, and finished the first season of Bellator’s lightweight tournament as their champion. He stopped Katsunori Kikuno in October at DREAM 12 in his most recent action.
4. Kenny Florian – (12-4) – Since losing to Diego Sanchez as a middleweight on The Ultimate Fighter 1, “Ken Flo” has been defeated only twice in twelve bouts. The first loss was at UFC 64 against Sean Sherk for the lightweight title. The second, a UFC 101 lightweight title bout against BJ Penn, which he lost via 4th round submission. He began his quest for a third title fight at UFC 107 where he submitted Clay Guida with an armbar in the 2nd round.
5. Frankie Edgar – (11-1) – Twenty-eight year-old New Jersey-born Edgar, has won six bouts in his UFC career, losing only to top-155-pounder Gray Maynard. Over his last three fights (all wins); “The Answer” has been awarded “Fight of Night” twice, including his TUF 10 Finale bout over Matt Veach in early-December.
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri – (25-5-2) – “The Crusher,” a Shooto, PRIDE and DREAM veteran, has won six of his last seven fights. His only loss was a semifinals bout in the DREAM LW GP against Eddie Alvarez. He easily knocked out Melchor Manibusan at DREAM 11 in October. His next bout will be on New Year’s Eve against Kazunori Yokota. 7. Gray Maynard – (8-0-1) – The Ultimate Fighter 5 veteran has won six straight since his octagon debut went awry after a double KO “No Contest" against Rob Emerson. Although five of his six victories have come via decision, they have come against quality opponents such as Frankie Edgar, Rich Clementi and Roger Huerta. He will headline UFC Fight Night 20 on January 11 from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA taking on Nick Diaz. 8. Gilbert Melendez – (17-2) – The newly-crowned Strikeforce lightweight champion has won three consecutive and four of his last five overall. He hasn’t always faced top-level opponents; however his Strikeforce: Evolution decision victory over Josh Thomson has erased any doubts that he can’t beat top-155-pounders. He is now lobbying for a fight with either Takanori Gomi of Shinya Aoki. |
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8. Joachim Hansen – (19-8-1) – “Hellboy” has gone 2-2 in his last four, although the losses came against top lightweights Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki. Hansen, a former Shooto and DREAM champ, has also been in several hard-fought matches throughout his career with notables such as, Gomi, Gesias Cavalcante, Caol Uno, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Kultar Gill. He lost the DREAM Lightweight belt in his first defense against Aoki in October.
10. Gesias Cavalcante – (14-3-1) – “GZ” is a 6-year vet of several notable promotions including, Cage Rage, K-1 Hero’s, and DREAM. He recently had his 8-fight win streak snapped with a “no contest” and back-to-back losses (Aoki and Kawajiri). The former K-1 Hero’s middleweight grand prix winner holds victories over Bart Palaszewski, Michihiro Omigawa, Rani Yahya, and Caol Uno throughout his career.
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By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer
Published December 2009
Photo used with permission from the UFC