WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170lbs)
1. Georges "Rush" St. Pierre - UFC WW Champion
-Obvious number one selection, has been dominating this weight class for the past few years using his stifling wrestling game paired with great kickboxing. GSP is a freak athlete and possibly the best wrestler in the division. His next bout is a rematch against Josh Koscheck on Dec. 11. Each fighter appeared as a coach on the most recent season of TUF.
2. Jon Fitch - UFC
-Fitch has run through every single opponent he has faced. Except for St. Pierre. Fitch also relies on his dominant wrestling game to really grind out his opponents. He'll push you against the fence, work dirty boxing, take you down, and beat you up. Fitch does just about everything except finish his opponents. He has amassed a 13-1 record in the Octagon, with that only loss being to St. Pierre. Fitch is rumored to be facing Jake Ellenberger sometime in 2011, and is in line for a title shot if he wins.
3. Jake Shields - UFC
-The former Strikeforce MW champion, Shields has recently joined the UFC and after a win over Martin Kampmann, finds himself as a top contender for St. Pierre's belt. Shields has an incredible blend of wrestling and jiu-jitsu which has made him one of the best grapplers in the division. Unfortunately his stand up game is still light years behind, meaning that if he is unable to get his opponent to the ground, he's in trouble. But there has yet to be a fight when he has been unable to secure a TD. Shields must still adjust to the weight cut and fighting at 170lbs, as he was clearly winded early on in his last bout. Jake finds himself in line for the next shot at GSP/Koscheck.
4. Josh Koscheck - UFC
-Once a member of the first season of Ultimate Fighter, Koscheck is now a coach on the show alongside Georges St Pierre and will be challenging for the title on Dec. 11th. Koscheck is a collegiate wrestling powerhouse who has developed a solid boxing game, especially with the big power he has in his right hand. Koscheck has lost to GSP before, but still remains the only person in the division to take St. Pierre down.
5. Nick Diaz - Strikeforce WW Champion
-Diaz has accrued an impressive record since joining Strikeforce. The only problem is that his opposition has been somewhat suspect. A disciple of Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Diaz has a great ground game as well as a very unique boxing game in which he paws and jabs his opponent with a multitude of shots rather than searching for one big power punch. Watch his fight against Frank Shamrock and you'll see how these small shots slowly wear his opponent down. Diaz's only problem has been his inability to negate superior wrestlers, and the UFC is full of those. That's why Diaz finds himself at the tip of the top 5.
6. Thiago "Pitbull" Alves - UFC
-He has fallen from grace a little bit since losing to GSP and then coming in over weight against Fitch before losing that bout as well. Alves is one of the better Muay Thai fighters in the division and has great take down defense, resulting in him keeping most of his fights on the feet where he holds the advantage. Alves desperately needs a win in his next bout against John Howard in order to remain relevant in this ever growing division.
7. Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann - UFC
-This guy is slowly becoming one of my favorite fighters. He has a great stand up game as well as a strong enough jiu jitsu game to turn the fight in his favor even when taken down. He showed a lot of heart in his fight against Shields, but ultimately lost a split decision. Kampmann seldom disappoints when he steps into the Octagon, and expect him to take on a top contender in his next bout.
8. Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit - UFC
-Condit has put on nothing but impressive performances since joining the UFC. The former WEC WW Champion, Condit is a ferocious fighter who has good stand up, and a dangerous, though sometimes wreckless, ground game. Condit really propelled himself up the rankings with his recent KO victory over Brit Dan Hardy. This kid loves to scrap, so expect the UFC to keep putting him in there with guys who will mix it up.
9. Mike Pierce - UFC
-I had a lot of trouble filling this spot. With up and comers like Pierce, Rick Story, and John Hathaway, along with Diego Sanchez who just scored a big win, it was tough to determine who's been the most promising. I had to go with Pierce, for now at least, due to his recent victories and impressive performance against Jon Fitch. Rick Story has a fight coming up soon which could easily launch him into this spot depending on the outcome.
10. Ben Askren - Bellator FC WW Champion
-Now I'm sure you're thinking, why not put Story/Hathaway/Sanchez in this spot? To be honest, I hate Ben Askren, but as a former Olympic wrestler, this kid needs to be acknowledged. In a division dominated by wrestlers, Askren finds himself right at home, and there's no reason to think he won't be able to hang with any one of these guys on the mats. Once his stand up game begins to improve, we will surely see him move up these rankings.
That's it for the welterweights. A very talented division through and through, with each fight truly being make or break for these fighters careers. Shit, Dan Hardy used to be a top 5 challenger, but after two losses he's not even close to top 10 anymore. All it takes is one fight to turn everything upside down. Anywho, on to the middleweights.
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185lbs)
1. Anderson "The Spider" Silva - UFC MW Champion
-Silva has run rough shed on the UFC's middleweight division ever since joining the organization back in 2006, having gone 12-0, with 10 title defenses. Silva has some of the best stand up in all of MMA, and a crafty enough ground game to pull submissions out of nowhere. After a 5th round come from behind submission victory over Chael Sonnen, Silva's next bout comes in the form of Brazilian striker Vitor Belfort. After that he can expect the winner of Nate Marquardt - Yushin Okami.
2. Chael Sonnen (R) - UFC
-While Sonnen may be one of the most hated people in MMA right now, as well as being found guilty of steroid use, he remains the only fighter in the UFC who has come anywhere close to defeating Silva. He has shown what it takes to defeat Silva, and was literally less than a minute away from being the UFC Champion. Now he must serve out his suspension and lay himself at the mercy of Dana White and the UFC brass.
3. Nate "The Great" Marquardt - UFC
-Nate seems to be one of the few guys in this division to consistently hover around the top of the division. With a strong wrestling background, diverse striking, and Greg Jackson in his corner, Marquardt always poses a threat to any opposition. His only true losses in the Octagon have come against Sonnen and Silva, so it makes sense that they be the only two people ranked above him. His next fight comes against Japanese fighter Yushin Okami, with the next shot at Anderson Silva on the line.
4. Jorge Santiago - Sengoku MW Champion
-Coming off of a potential Fight of the Year bout against Kazuo Misaki, Santiago has gone 11-1 in his 12 bouts since leaving the UFC in 2006. After being KO'd by Chris Leben and Alan Belcher, Santiago left the UFC and found success fighting in Japan. Of his 23 total victories, 9 have come from TKO while 12 have come via submission, showing that Santiago is dangerous wherever the fight goes. Hopefully he can continue to fight tough opposition in Japan
5. Yushin "Thunder" Okami - UFC
-Okami is a large MW who has surprisingly good wrestling for a Japanese fighter. Paired with a very efficient boxing game, Okami has been a perennial contender in the division, but has been snubbed several times by the UFC due to his inability to finish fights, or put on exciting fights.After going 9-2 in the UFC, Okami finally finds himself on the verge of a title shot. All he needs to do is pick up a win against Marquardt at UFC 122.
6. Dan "Hollywood" Henderson - Strikeforce
-Hendo is getting old. There's no doubt about it. A lot of people expected him to destroy Jake Shields in their April bout earlier this year. Shields was able to take Henderson down and hold him down for 4 of the 5 rounds, picking up a decision victory. The fact remains that Henderson is a former Olympic athlete with tremendous wrestling and cinder blocks for hands. I already showed the right hand he dropped on Bisping, but he has just as lethal of a left hand which he laid on Wanderlei Silva back in their Pride days. Hendo will try to rebound in his next bout, a rematch 10 years in the making against Babalu Sobral.
7. Hector Lombard - Bellator FC MW Champion
-I know this may be a little high for a guy who hasn't really fought any sort of legitimate competition, but god damn has he been impressive in his fights. He has shown that his stand up is on another level than most at this weight class, and that he has the endurance to go five rounds. But until Lombard faces some stiffer competition, he will remain outside of the top 5.
8. Demian Maia - UFC
-Boasting one of the most lethal jiu jitsu games in all of MMA, Maia came up short in his championship bout against Anderson Silva, a fight which received much criticism from the MMA community. Maia entered the UFC with 5 consecutive submission victories before being KO'd by Nate Marquardt. Since then, he has gone 2-1, with all three fights going to decision. Maia is still lethal, but it seems like he may have lost some of his aura.
9. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza - Strikeforce MW Champion
-It has to be mentioned that Jake Shields was the former Strikeforce MW champ, but vacated his title in order to join the UFC. Jacare won a little mini tournament to become champ. Boasting a very lethal ground game similar to that of Maia's, Jacare fights himself one spot lower on the charts due to the fact that his opposition has been slightly easier. If he defends his title a couple of times or moves to a different org, expect to see his stock rise.
10. Michael "The Count" Bisping / Chris "The Crippler" Leben - Both UFC
-Each of these guys deserves recognition, although at the same time it is questionable that either of them be considered in the top 10. Leben pulled off 2 victories in the span of 14 days, over Aaron Simpson and Akiyama, with the latter being a come-from-behind submission victory in the 3rd round and definite Fight of the Year candidate. This is an extremely impressive feat, unseen since the days of Pride Grand Prix's or early early UFC events. Leben's next fight comes at UFC 125 in the form of ex-Marine Brian Stann. As for Bisping, the Count has gone 3-1 inside the Octagon since having his head knocked clean off by Dan Henderson in 2009. With wins over Denis Kang, Dan Miller, and Akiyama, Bisping now finds himself one or two fights away from once again being a contender for the middleweight belt.
So that's it folks. Two more weight classes to become familiar with. If you want to see these guys in action, upcoming events featuring them are as follows
UFC 122 - November 13th on Spike TV
Main Event
-Nate Marquardt vs Yushin Okami - #1 Contender Match
UFC 123 Prelims - November 20th free on Spike TV
-Mark Munoz (8-2) vs Aaron Simpson (7-1) @ 185lbs
Each of these guys are promising up and comers in the MW division. Munoz just dropped a split decision to Okami, but has proven that he can hang with the best at 185lbs.
Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu 2 - December 4th on Showtime
Main Event
-Dan Henderson vs Renato Sobral
UFC 124 - December 11th on PPV
-Champion Georges St. Pierre vs Josh Koscheck
-Thiago Alves vs John Howard
No comments:
Post a Comment