MMA Rankings > MMA Weight Class Rankings - January 2009
MMA Rankings
ProFighting-fans.com's MMA Rankings - January 2009
Pro Fighting Fans Staff Writer Steven T. Kelliher provides his ranking of the top fighters in MMA broken down by the heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight & lightweight divisions. Scroll down for the rankings of all of these weight classes below and also be sure to check out the Top 10 Pound for Pound Fighters in MMA list provided here at Pro Fighting Fans as well!
Heavyweight Division Rankings:
1) Fedor Emelianenko
Whether you believe in his myth or not, the fact remains that Fedor has never been beat. . . the single blemish on his 28-1 pro record was a result of an illegal, fluke-ish cut in a fight he was winning and against an opponent he defeated in a rematch in convincing fashion. The pride of Russia will get a clear chance at further separating himself from the heavyweight pack in his upcoming WAMMA title defense against Andrei Arlovski Jan. 24 th. It is no longer a question of who will beat Fedor, but rather how long they will last.
2) Josh Barnett
One of the only men to hold a win against the elder Nogueira, Barnett finds himself once again in the awkward position of waiting for a shot at the winner or loser of Arlovski vs. Emelianenko while being fed another gate keeper.
3) Frank Mir
In what was undoubtedly the biggest upset of the year, Frank Mir went from top pretender in the UFC’s lacking heavyweight division to interim champion when he put a south paw striking clinic on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira over the course of less than two rounds in a fight that saw him emerge as the first man in MMA history to stop Minotauro. His victory sets up one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history when he takes on heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar early on in 2009.
4) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
He was without question the consensus No. 2 heavyweight in the world behind Fedor. He has only lost five times in his career, and he had never been stopped up until a matter of days ago against heavy underdog Frank Mir in dominating fashion. Rumors have begun to circulate concerning Nogueira’s health during training up until the UFC 92 co-main event bout, but a loss is a loss, and as such Minotauro slides down to the four spot in the rankings.
5) Andrei Arlovski
While “The Pit-bull” has had notable hiccups in his career against Tim Sylvia, he is probably the best boxer in all of MMA, rivaled only by BJ Penn. While I firmly believe Arlovski has what it takes to beat Barnett and Emelianenko, his place remains rooted at No. 5 until he proves it.
6) Randy Couture
Yes, he did lose to Brock Lesnar in convincing fashion. But just like Matt Serra should not have jumped above GSP after his demolition of the WW champion, Lesnar will do no such thing here until he defeats Frank Mir. A fighter with two wins in the Octagon will never be ranked in the top five in my book.
7) Brock Lesnar
While I understand why some will argue that Lesnar deserves a spot in the top five, there are a fair share that say he barely gets into the top ten. His demolition of former champ Couture was impressive, as was his handling of Heath Herring in August. Give the man his just deserts and get used to seeing him here, or higher on the list in the future.
8) Tim Sylvia
Sylvia earns a bad rap for using his size and reach more than any innate or trained fighting ability. . . big deal, the same could and is being said of Lesnar. The only difference is in the wrestling, which the tall man lacks. Sylvia could find himself slipping in the coming months, as reports have him singling out aging tomato cans for future bouts.
9) Gabriele Gonzaga
I still believe Gonzaga has what it takes to hold the UFC heavyweight strap. He just needs to work on his chin. With his only losses being competitive affairs to Werdum and Couture, Gonzaga has big things ahead of him and will remain a force in the division as he eyes a spot in the top five.
10) Fabricio Werdum
One of the men to hold a win over Gonzaga, twice, finds himself below his former opponent as a result of a one-sided brutal knockout at the hands of Junior Dos Santos in October. To add more bad news onto Werdum’s plate, it seems nobody, not even Affliction, is interested in paying top dollar for this legit, but unmarketable heavyweight contender.
Light Heavyweight Division Rankings:
1) Rashad Evans
Another undefeated fighter, Evans’s KO of Liddell was not as shocking as some claim it to be considering Rampage’s similar knockout and Jardine’s one-sided decision victory the year before. Either way, Evans is only getting stronger, and more importantly, faster; much, much faster, which spelled the end for defending champion Forrest Griffin and those that will follow. Evans will have his hands—fast as they are—full preparing for his first title defense of a stacked light heavyweight pack sometime in 2009.
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2) Forrest Griffin
With his resume now including the names of Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson in the last year or so, both considered No. 1 at the time of their defeats to Griffin, the now former UFC light heavyweight champion is pretty much done surprising people. After winning the first two rounds in his first title defense, Griffin was brutally stopped by Team Jackson’s Rashad Evans in round 3 in a flurry that mirrored his loss to Evans’s teammate Keith Jardine a few years earlier. Griffin has not proven he is a true champion…yet.
3) Quinton Jackson
Jackson has a history of losing bouts he could have won based on poor training habits and questionable mental states. Rampage looked unbeatable following his victories over Liddell and Henderson, and he could have been in for a rough 2009 with a prologue against Wanderlei Silva, a man who had demolished him twice before. Instead, “Rampage” opted to knock out his arch rival in the very first round of their light heavyweight affair in December, and should get a chance to challenge for the belt he once wore sometime in 2009.
4) Lyoto Machida
The only thing keeping Machida from being ranked even higher on the list is his lack of top UFC competition. The only big name he has faced in the last few years was a down and out Tito Ortiz. Nonetheless, I firmly believe Machida will be the next UFC light heavyweight champion near the end of 2009, no matter who holds the belt when he finally challenges.
5) Chuck Liddell
Chuck is still clinging to a recent victory over an out-sized Wanderlei Silva in 2007 to remain rooted in the top five. Another upset loss, hell, even a decision, could drop him down in the coming months, especially considering the aforementioned Silva’s disappointing and one-sided loss to Quinton Jackson in December.
6) Keith Jardine
Possibly the most inconsistent fighter in the UFC, Jardine has given us glimpses of his true potential in one-sided beat downs of former champ Liddell and current champ Griffin. His only question mark: his chin. If Jardine can keep his guard up in future encounters, he could still be a contender down the road.
7) Wanderlei Silva
Choosing to stand and trade with a bigger, stronger, longer fighter like Liddell was a matter of Pride for the Pride veteran. Knocking out Jardine in 36 seconds let us know that Silva is still as dangerous as he was overseas. With “The Axe Murderer” having fallen short against “Rampage,” he’s going to have to start using game plans if he ever wants to hold and defend UFC gold.
8) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Little Nog has long been considered among the best outside of the UFC. He still is. The only problem with that is all of the fighters above him fight for the UFC, making it virtually impossible to move up unless the contracts start shifting, a prospect that seems unlikely with this division.
9) Thiago Silva
13-0 would mean nothing if four of the wins hadn’t come against decent and dangerous opposition in the Octagon. While his aggressive style might seem to play directly into Machida’s strength, which he will fight on Jan. 31st, Silva is not dense. He will have a game plan, he will attack, and he just might win.
10) Rich Franklin
Putting a fighter in the top ten in any division might raise some eyebrows when they have only on recent victory in said division. Franklin is an exception, as the Ohio native has only lost to two men, Machida and reigning middleweight king Anderson Silva; no shame in that, and no doubting his potential at this weight. Unfortunately, his move to light heavyweight will probably only last until his next fight. . . a pointless affair if I’ve ever seen one.
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Middleweight Division Rankings:
1) Anderson Silva
Undoubtedly the best middleweight in the world and widely considered the top pound for pound fighter in the sport at present, Silva has looked unstoppable in the UFC to date, although his last fight left much to be desired. Some marquee match ups at 205 and a potential showdown with Georges St-Pierre could add some much needed spark into “The Spider’s” career and competitive drive.
2) Robbie Lawler
While many fighters elect to move down in weight following rocky career starts, Lawler’s choice to move up from 170 to 185 has seen the one and only Elite XC middleweight champ absolutely demolish everyone he has fought. A future bout with Anderson Silva is a must for Lawler to gage his skill against the world’s finest.
3) Matt Lindland
Long considered among the best veteran fighters in the world, Lindland will fight anyone, anywhere, at any weight…hence his inconsistency. Until he is defeated soundly, however, Lindland should remain in the top five for a long time coming.
4) Yushin Okami
Yes, “Thunder” owns a victory over Anderson Silva, but he was almost unconscious when he received the W courtesy of a DQ of his opponent due to a kick on the ground. Since then, Okami has made a name for himself in the UFC, losing only to Rich Franklin in eight fights…so why was he on the under card of UFC 92 against the well-respected Dean Lister? I don’t know either.
5) Nathan Marquardt
“The Great” looked scary in his last bout against Martin Kampmann, who is moving down to 170 as a direct result of the loss, but he has come up short in a controversial split decision to Thales Leites and a faulty fight plan against Anderson Silva. Still, he is one of the best middleweights in the UFC and should make his case for another shot at the belt in 2009.
6) Kazuo Misaki
Misaki owns some impressive victories, including one over notable Dan Henderson, but his recent victories, including one over Joe Riggs, have done little to impress. He is in a holding pattern until he can find some stiffer competition.
7) Dan Henderson
One of the all-time greats in the sport, Henderson holds wins over some of the sport’s biggest names, but he always seems to come up short against the best of the best. While his upcoming bout with Rich Franklin at 205 is a must-see, it will do little for his stock in the middleweight division.
8) Gerard Mousasi
Mousasi has had one of the most impressive years of any fighter, successfully clawing his way from notable striker to legitimate top ten middleweight in the world with his performance in the Dream middleweight tournament. While Mousasi might not get to fight Anderson Silva anytime soon, that might be a good thing in order for him to gain more experience fighting and beating on the mid-tier fighters in Japan.
9) Yoshihiro Akiyama
With a respectable 12-1 record and an impressive set of victories over Dennis Kang and a few others, Akiyama has earned his place in the top ten. He will not get to the top five, however, unless he steps up and competes on a consistent basis and stops fighting with his promoters.
10) Paulo Filho
Many now claim to never have bought seriously into the undefeated hype surrounding the Brazilian standout Filho, and while a lot of them are probably telling the truth, Filho’s last set of fights against veteran Chael Sonnen, a capable fighter, but never considered top ten material, have opened up a lot of questions regarding the Brazilian’s mental state.
Welterweight Division Rankings:
1) Georges St-Pierre
GSP is widely considered amongst the top three greatest fighters in all of the sport, and he is unrivaled at welterweight. With upcoming matches against BJ Penn and Thiago Alves if he defeats him, as well as a potential blockbuster against middleweight champion Anderson Silva, St-Pierre has, by far, the stiffest schedule in terms of competition of any of the UFC’s champions for 2009 and beyond. “Rush” wouldn’t have it any other way.
2) Jon Fitch
Alves has been knocking, kicking, and kneeing at the door to the top contender’s spot for a long time, but Fitch still holds a semi-recent win over the Brazilian. With an upcoming fight against Japanese standout Akihiro Gono set for January, Fitch will be spending the next few months trying to battle Alves for retention of the No. 2 spot.
3) Thiago Alves
Alves is ready for a shot at UFC gold. If one-sided victories over Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck, two of them knockouts, don’t prove that. Nothing will. Unfortunately, Alves will have to wait a little while longer, as BJ Penn pulls some more of his annoying antics and treats us all to a rematch two years in the making. No complaints…just saying.
4) Josh Koscheck
Koscheck did lose to Alves in October of this year, but he did so on less than two weeks notice and still made it to a competitive decision. Coming off of a huge knockout victory over Yoshida this month, Koscheck remains one of the best welterweights in the world. Here’s to hoping he can stay with his current employers.
5) Jake Shields
While I’m not completely sold on the idea of Shields being a top five welterweight, he has looked impressive for years outside of the UFC. Here’s to hoping he can get into the Octagon sometime soon, though, or his position will remain rooted, or may drop in the coming months.
6) Matt Hughes
Many have said that Hughes is over the hill following convincing defeats to GSP and Alves, but there is certainly no shame in those losses. His name is reserved in the UFC Hall of Fame already, there’s almost no doubt about it, but putting together a couple of solid wins before his retirement would do wonders for the former champ’s legacy.
7) Matt Serra
Serra would probably fall short against all of the top five welterweights based almost solely on his physical disadvantages, especially his size. While a 2007 upset to end all upsets of reigning welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre has kept the New Yorker in the top ten, he’ll have to get some solid wins to remain there, as another loss could send him plummeting from the rankings.
8) Diego Sanchez
Sanchez has announced that he will most likely be moving to the lightweight division for his next few bouts. Regardless, his spot at No. 8 remains in place until his first fight at 155 following convincing wins over two decent welterweights in the UFC following consecutive losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
9) Mike Swick
Swick returned to form against the confident, but overmatched Jonathan Goulet this month, cementing his heralded status as a top ten welterweight. Another couple of solid wins, one over a top fiver, could easily land Swick a title shot in 2010 if he stays “Quick” and lethal.
10) Karo Parisyan
The decision to place Karo above Condit will rile some, but the level of competition in the WEC just isn’t the same when compared with Parisyan’s opponents. Karo got the short end of the stick against Thiago Alves earlier this year, and he’ll look to rebound and cement his place in the top ten in January on the under card of St-Pierre/Penn 2.
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Lightweight Division Rankings:
1) BJ Penn
While “The Prodigy” may annoy some—guilty—with his constant talk of being the best fighter in the world when his only convincing wins have come at lightweight and one time at welterweight against Matt Hughes in a bout that the latter avenged in the rematch, Penn is at least partially right. As one of the best fighters in the world—and one of the best at tying up multiple divisions at the same time—Penn is treating his fans to a three ring circus of hype preceding his upcoming and premature title shot against Georges St-Pierre, probably in an attempt to get into the Canadian’s head.
2) Shinya Aoki
Another fighter who came seemingly out of nowhere in 2008, Aoki has shown the world that he is one of the best fighters when it comes to submissions. While he was defeated by knockout against Joachim Hansen in the Dream finals, the tournament set-up did not help his chances, and the Japanese star’s stock remains high across seas. His quick victory over Eddie Alvarez has moved him into contention for the title of world’s best lightweight currently being sported by BJ Penn.
3) Eddie Alvarez
Hailing from the now-defunct and never-appreciated Bodog Fights promotion, Alvarez went from curiosity to superstar in the lightweight division following an absolute tear through the Dream lightweight tournament. Alvarez was submitted soundly by Shinya Aoki on New Years Eve, but he took no damage and could easily get himself a rematch in 2009.
4) Joachim Hansen
The reigning Dream lightweight champion and winner of the lightweight tournament, Hansen went from competitive slugger to calculating knockout artist on his bumpy and unforeseen road to the lightweight title fight against Aoki in the finals following the forced withdrawal of Alvarez. Joachim did win convincingly in the finals, but a prior defeat to Alvarez keeps him just below the two true Dream contenders.
5) Tatsuya Kawajiri
One of the most exciting fights of 2008, possibly the most exciting, came about half because of Kawajiri’s performance against No. 3 lightweight Eddie Alvarez in a drag out brawl that saw both fighters land solid shots before the Japanese standout was eventually overwhelmed by the stronger and faster American.
6) Kenny Florian
One of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, while not so underrated anymore, gets little love as far as international rankings goes. While the lightweight top ten is absolutely stacked with international talent, the Boston native has put together six straight wins following his title loss to former title holder Sean Sherk and absolutely destroyed Joe Stevenson last month. Give up a bit more respect for “KenFlo”.
7) Gesias "JZ" Calvancante
Calvancante, a longtime fan favorite, is undoubtedly a top ten fighter, he just falls short against the best of the best. With underrated stand up and a well-rounded ground game, Calvancante should give Hansen a run for his money when they lock …someday.
8) Sean Sherk
He only has a handful of fights at lightweight, but Sherk holds notable wins over Nick Diaz, Kenny Florian (in his younger days), and most recently the Xtreme Couture-bred Tyson Griffin. Sherk has called out all the big names on his way to a second shot at lightweight champion BJ Penn, and “The Muscle Shark” should make a lot of noise in 2009.
9) Mitsuhiro Ishida
One of the most technical and aggressive fighters in the division, Ishida holds a solid win over formerly ranked Gilbert Melendez. His debut in Strikeforce was full of fireworks, but he’ll need a win over lightweight champion Josh Thompson, ranked right below him, to remain rooted.
10) Josh Thompson
Some would argue that Joe Stevenson should lay claim to the 10 spot instead of Thompson, but the fact remains that Thompson has looked great lately, albeit largely against “chumps.” The reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion is seeking super fights for 2009 and has called out a range of notables including Eddie Alvarez and Frank Shamrock. While the former would make for an intriguing affair, it is hard to imagine the letter from a rankings perspective as doing much for Thompson’s stock in the division.
By Steven T. Kelliher
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer
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