MMA Rankings

So I decided I'd start doing rankings every couple of weeks or once a month or something depending on how many events take place. At first I was going to keep it to just UFC, but I figure by incorporating all promotions, it will allow my readers to recognize a broader range of fighters and realize that UFC is necessarily the home of all the best fighters in the world. I'll give the list and a short shpeel about each fighter. Since each division will be long, I'll only do a couple divisions each day. Here we go.

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (155lbs)

1. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar - UFC LW Champion

-Just did the impossible, beat BJ Penn in consecutive fights. Edgar has a strong wrestling background and utilizes a very effective boxing style in which he is able to move in, land strikes, and get out of his opponents range before being countered. His next fight comes in January against Gray Maynard, the only person to ever defeat Edgar.

2. Gray "The Bully" Maynard - UFC

-Has earned a shot at the title after 8 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, most recently defeating Kenny Florian. Unfortunately all those wins have come via decision, as Maynard is a powerful wrestler who relies on his top game to smother his opponents. Next fight against Edgar who he already holds a victory over.

3. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez - Strikeforce LW Champion

-Coming off of two impressive victories over Josh Thomson and Shinya Aoki, Melendez finds himself short of competition in the Strikeforce LW division. A disciple of Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu, El Nino has a great ground game as well as very technical stand up which he put on display against both Thomson and Aoki. Possible superfight against Eddie Alvarez is in this works

4. BJ "The Prodigy" Penn - UFC

-Once considered one of the most talented and gifted fighters in the world, Penn is coming off back to back losses. Penn has a ground game unlike any other fighter we've ever seen, except for maybe Shinya Aoki. Penn has amazing dexterity and flexibility, allowing him to control and submit opponents from any position. Pair this with a dominant boxing game in which Penn scores using counter punches, and it's easy to see why the Hawaiian fighter was once considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Next bout is at welterweight against former foe Matt Hughes.

5. Eddie Alvarez - Bellator FC LW Champion

-Coming off of a very impressive stoppage of Roger Huerta, Alvarez has solidified himself as one of the elite in the division. A very scrappy fighter, Alvarez has very technical boxing, possibly the best in the division, to go along with a strong wrestling background. A fight between Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez is in the works for 2011.

6. Kenny Florian - UFC

-Just lost a tough decision to Gray Maynard in a number one contender's match. Sporting great Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, Florian has unfortunately found himself as a gatekeeper in the LW division. He has finished almost all of his opponents in the UFC, with his only losses coming to either champions(Sherk and Penn) or championship contenders (Sanchez and Maynard). Florian will serve his role well as he takes on up and comer Evan Dunham in early 2011.

7. Shinya Aoki - DREAM LW Champion

-Aoki is the proud owner of some of the most impressive submissions victories over the past five years. A dominant fighter in Japan, Aoki was outclasses in his overseas debut as he was trumped in a five round decision against Gilbert Melendez. While Aoki's ground game is out of this world, his stand up is nothing to write home about. Unless he can get his opponent to the ground, Aoki doesn't have much more to offer, which is why he falls this low in the rankings.

8. George Sotiropoulos - UFC

-After stringing together six wins since joining the UFC, the Australian finds himself on the verge of a title shot, needing only to get past Joe Lauzon in his next bout. Sotiropoulos has proven to be a very crafty and exciting fighter on the ground and could pose threats to the wrestlers of the division.

9. Evan Dunham - UFC

-Should probably be higher on this list, but after a hard fought split decision loss to Sean Sherk, Dunham didn't receive any sort of free-bee rebound fight as he takes on Kenny Florian in his next bout. This may be a dreaded case of the UFC bringing their prospects along too quick, and another loss at the hands of Florian could be crushing for a very promising fighter in Dunham. Either way, this kid is still young so expect big things from him in the future.

10. Ben Henderson - WEC LW Champion

-The guy deserves to be in here due to the fact that he is a champion, and also that no other fighters have really been consistently impressive. Henderson will make his Octagon debut against Anthony Pettis in their upcoming LW bout, with the winner slated to face the victor of Edgar-Maynard. This will be Bendo's chance to prove that he belongs up here with the big boys.

So that's all for now, I will post again in the near future with the rest of my rankings, welterweight through heavyweight. Thanks