411's MMA Rankings 09.22.09: Lightweight Division

Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 09.22.2009

The 411 MMA crew is back to sort threw the stacked lightweight division and rank the top 15 fighters. We know Eddie Alvarez can beat down bullies but can he make a run at a top three spot? Diego Sanchez will challenge B.J. Penn at UFC 107 but is he the rightful challenger? Gray Maynard and Tyson Griffin were both victorious last week, now it's time to see where they rank. Josh Thomson is ineligible due to inactivity, which means a new face makes the list for the first time in months. See all the action by reading the 411 MMA Rankings.

Welcome all to another friendly edition of 411 MMA Rankings as we check on the lighter fighters, and no, Hermes Franca does not count. It's not often you can take a look at all ten of the top ten fighters in a weight class and say any one of them could rightfully earn a title shot and nobody would bat an eye. That is the case with the lightweights. We're coming off two UFC events, Fight Night 19 and UFC 103 which together featured a slew of lightweight bouts. Gray Maynard sent Roger Huerta packing, Nate Diaz submitted Melvin Guillard and Tyson Griffin knocked out Hermes Franca, among other fights. Diaz is going to need to put together a string of victories before he gets back on the list . On the other hand, both Maynard and Griffin are right in the thick of things as far as we are concerned.

Meanwhile, this month marks the one-year anniversary of the last time we saw Josh Thomson fight. With no fight scheduled because he is coming off an injury, he is ineligible to be ranked this month. As soon as Strikeforce books him in a fight (assumed to be a title fight against Gilbert Melendez), he will be eligible once again. An example of this would fit with HELLBOY Joachim Hansen who has not fought in over a year but is scheduled to meet Shinya Aoki at DREAM 11 next month.

Despite only receiving one vote, Cowboy Donald Cerrone returns to the cage to fight ben Henderson in less than three weeks at WEC 43. Those of you with DirecTV may not be able to watch it, so don't forget to check 411mania.com for all the coverage you need for WEC 43. Remember, that fight will be for the interim WEC lightweight championship.


You can read feedback to last week's Pound for Pound rankings, all of the staff's individual lists and this week's LIGHTWEIGHT RANKINGS. Don't forget to leave a comment whether it be positive or negative at the bottom of the article. If you feel so inclined, post your own list of the top lightweights in the world and show us where we went wrong.


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FEEDBACK to Last Week's Pound for Pound Rankings
From Brad:
FINALLY Silva is at the top where he belongs.

I also approve strongly of Mike Brown's placement.

Great list.
Thanks. I didn't put Silva @ 1, but I'm not outraged he made it. He was damn sure dominant against a recent 205 champion.


From ck:
I can't believe anyone would have GSP as low as 4 and 5. I think he's a close 2nd to Silva because of his dominance in all areas over every type of fighter, but i could see Fedor ahead of him in certain arguments. But let Machida win a few more high profile fights with guys like shogun, jackson, and maybe couture before we call him king.
There was only one person who had GSP as low as 5 (which is crazy) while others felt Machida and/or Fedor should be ahead of him. I agree with those who felt GSP was a top two PFP fighter. He has never looked weak and has never been in danger of losing since the Serra loss. DOMINATION!


From Jeffrey:
Who the hell is Jeffery?
Call Wes Sims.

From wylun:
wow, torres got owned on the rankings
Haha. Torres, I guess did get owned. Should he have dropped 9 spots because of a quick knockout? Not me, but some forgot all about the man after the loss. That sucks.


From Mig:
Very nice list, well done! Much better than e.g. Sherdog's!
Thanks.


From Big E:
Anyone who has Rashad Evans over Dan Henderson is smoking crack.
Why? Rashad Evans was a recent champion and only got smoked by Lyoto Machida, his own Anderson Silva if you will. Henderson has looked pretty good at 185. It's a judgment call IMO, no crack necessary.

From SoulBrotherNo1:
Pretty good list,but I think Miguel Torres doesnt deserve a big drop like this. I think he should be in top10 still.
I agree with you here.


From Jeremy S:
I still think this list is about 5-10 places too long, the pickings get pretty thin down at the bottom and much more arguable.

The top 5 I pretty much agree with. Until Machida beats a couple of fighters (and if they are much weaker than him, he should finish them hard and fast) then he shouldn't be pushed up much higher.

But Silva definitely comes across as on another level compared with the other fighters on the list and deserves #1.

GSP as well, though not quite in the same way as Silva, so I wouldn't put him ahead of Silva.

Fedor, I'd probably rank him there myself or maybe #4, but at this point you have to give him some recognition on a list like this. If he doesn't fight someone better than Rogers next time out though, I'd bump him down. IMO, to be considered the best of the best, you have to fight some top quality guys in a pretty sound fashion.
Does Silva come across as being on another planet when compared to GSP? I'm not so sure. As for the #s on the list, should we cut it down to top 10 for PFP?

From King Durin:
Um, you can't have Machida ahead of Silva straight up (LHW rankings) and not have him ahead of Silva here. That just reeks of double-standard. Either Machida is better than Silva or he isn't.
Light heavyweight rankings do not take into account the same factors as the PFP does. When we rank the 205ers, we do so based on performance alone. Hence, Lyoto Machida (being the champion) with his domination thus far is the top ranked fighter. When we do PFP, more factors besides performance are taken into account. It's not so cut and dry as you put it.


From AdamS:
It's interesting that p4p rankings are built in such an awkward fashion. For exmaple, Brock Lesner gets no votes here, and the argument is a simple one. "He only does what he does because he's so big and strong". I think his 2nd round vs Mir proves otherwise to anyone paying attention, but I digress.

The problem is that this is the only thing mentioned. What about height? Reach? Take Anderson Silva. How many of those names on his list were due in large part to his amazing reach advantage over most opponents? Or GSP. He has a tremendous speed advantage over a large number of his opponents. These are also qualities that these fighters might not have at other levels, or weightclasses, yet they're largely unmentioned, while the heavyweights (except one) are largely written off to being nothing but size.
Speed is not a matter of size. For example, if every fighter on the planet is the same exact size. Some will be faster than others while others. The point you bring up about reach, is a valid point. However, at some point we have to stop taking strengths away from fighters.

As for Brock, let's shrink him down to 5'9, 155 pounds and give the same numbers to Mike Brown. Will Lesnar dominate him? Probably not.


From Ramsey:
- vs. Michael Bisping - Win via KTFO (punch of doom) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009

Fucking epic.
That's what 411MMA is all about.


From Diavo:
I think that Rampage might be the most overrated fighter in the UFC. He lost to Griffin, has no ground game and no variety in his strikes.

Who has he really beat? Chuck Liddell and Vanderlei Silva, two guys who get knocked out a lot these days and are nowhere near what they used to be. Dan Henderson, by a very close decision, who is also smaller than him.

Don't get me wrong I like the guy, but to me he doesn't deserve to be on a P4P list.

Also, Mousasi behind him and Rashad doesn't seem right to me.
Rampage has no ground game? I hope you clarify that because the man is a solid wrestler. His issue is he likes to box. He'll prefer to stand and knock his opponent out. He fought Dan Henderson and had no problems contending with his wrestling. So I disagree when you say he has no ground game.

If you want to criticize his stand-up, by all means. He may get lazy when he looks to knock someone's head off. As for his place on the list, I definitely think he belongs. He's one of the best fighters in the premiere division in the world.

I am looking forward to the fight with Rashad (besides the great hype) because Evans' hands are faster than anyone Rampage has fought in the UFC. Will he be caught up in a boxing match and lose?


From our own Samer Kadi, quoting another:
"good list. GSP is too high on the list.
lack of competition in the welterweight division. he's beaten only little men outside there weight class and otherwise exclusively wrestlers..."

Thiago Alves?
(Sho)'Nuff Said.


Also from Samer talking about Rampage:
Actually Rampage was the first one to knock Chuck out. So the fact that Chuck got knocked out by Evans and Shogun after is irrelevant.

Plus Rampage had already destroyed Liddell back in 2003 as well.
Indeed.


From Jedd:
Whats that in Fedors pants?
Well...

From Steve:
I can't believe how little respect Fitch gets. It just shows what kind of effect media attention and internet buzz have on these rankings.
Should Fitch be a top 10 guy here? I don't think so, and I like him. He's a solid guy who wins fights. His problem when it comes to things like this is, he's not flashy in any single area. Guys like Penn and Jackson talk, Mike Brown is a behemoth, Silva, GSP, Fedor and Machida are awesome. Fitch falls into that third tier of guys like Shogun, Mousasi, Evans, etc.


From Kent Baker:
GSP number 4 and 5 is absolutely insane, and ridiculous
Insane in the membrane, perhaps. Silly, I'll give you that. I have an issue with saying there are 4 fighters definitely better than GSP.


From Shawno420:
I can't believe Silva is #1. All the Griffin fight proved is he can beat an average fighter, get him the hell out of the top spot. GSP and Fedor could trade top spot, I think there is a big bias towards Fedor for not signing with the UFC, which isn't fair and shouldn't count against him in a poll based on skill. GSP is a freak of nature right now, and I think his complete domination(unlike Silva playing around with people, or not engaging the fight at all) has become so routine that people just expect it, and he gets overlooked. He should definitely be #1.

And Torres loses 1 fight and drops like 10 spots almost? That is retarded, Faber has lost 2 of 3 and to the same person, Torres lost for the first time in years. Rashad Evans is above him, that is a joke.
Griffin an average fighter? I guess you missed last year when he beat the best in the 205 division to become champion. How is there bias against Fedor? The man has not fought since January while GSP and Silva have each competed and looked damn good.


Thanks for all the great comments, feedback and everything in between.

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Lightweight Rankings from One Year Ago

1. B.J. Penn

2. Takanori Gomi

3. Shinya Aoki

4. Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante

5. Kenny Florian

6. Eddie Alvarez

7. Sean Sherk

8. Josh Thomson

9. Gilbert Melendez

10. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tyson Griffin, Joachim Hansen, Vitor Ribeiro, Joe Stevenson, Frank Edgar and Jamie Varner were "On The Bubble."

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THE CREW

The 411 MMA staff has decided to pull back the curtain and reveal the great 411 Oz. After some consideration, for the the first time in the soon-to-be two-year history of 411 MMA Rankings that you will be able to see which knucklehead put which fighter where.

So here are the nuts and bolts, the breakdown of the rankings from your favorite 411 MMA personalities:

Samer Kadi 1-BJ Penn 2-Shinya Aoki 3-Kenny Florian 4-Eddie Alvarez 5-Kawajiri 6-Joachim Hansen 7-Diego Sanchez 8-Gilbert Melendez 9-Gray Maynard 10-Frankie Edgar 11-JZ Calvancante 12-Sean Sherk 13-Takanori Gomi 14-Shaolin Ribeiro 15-Tyson Griffin	Scott Kuczkowski 1. BJ Penn 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Eddie Alavarez 4. Joachim Hansen 5. Kenny Florian 6. Diego Sanchez 7. JZ Calvancante 8. Tatsuya Kawajiri 9. Gilbert Melendez 10. Sean Sherk 11. "Shaolin" Riberio 12. Gray Maynard 13. Takanora Gomi 14. Frankie Edgar 15. Tyson Griffin	Adam Tool 1. BJ 2. Aoki 3. Florian 4. Edgar 5. Alvarez 6. Kawajiri 7. Sanchez 8. Maynard 9. Griffin 10. Melendez 11. HELLBOY 12. JZ 13. Sherk 14. Gomi 15. Guida
Larry Csonka 1. BJ Penn 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Eddie Alvarez 4. Gilbert Melendez 5. Kenny Florian 6. Tatsuya Kawajiri 7. Diego Sanchez 8. Frank Edgar 9. Gray Maynard 10. Joachim Hansen 11. Tyson Griffin 12. JZ Calvancante 13. Jamie Varner 14. Sean Sherk 15. Takanora Gomi	Dan Plunkett 1. Penn 2. Aoki 3. Florian 4. Alvarez 5. Kawajiri 6. Diego Sanchez 7. Gilbert Melendez 8. Maynard 9. Edgar 10. Hansen 11. JZ Calvancante 12. Tyson Griffin 13. "Shaolin" Riberio 14. Gomi 15. Clay Guida	Bill Wannop 1 BJ Penn 2 Aoki 3 Alvarez 4 Sanchez 5 Florian 6 Melendez 7 Edgar 8 Sherk 9 Griffin 10 Kawajiri 11 Gomi 12 Hansen 13 Maynard 14 Riberio 15 Diaz
Todd Bergman 1. B.J. Penn 2. Shinya Aoki 3. Eddie Alvarez 4. Diego Sanchez 5. Kenny Florian 6. Tatsuya Kawajiri 7. Gray Maynard 8. Frankie Edgar 9. Sean Sherk 10. Tyson Griffin 11. Mizuto Hirota 12. Gilbert Melendez 13. Satoru Kitaoka 14. J-Z Calvacante 15. Eiji Mitsuoka	Jonathan Solomon 1. Penn 2. Aoki 3. Alvarez 4. Kawajiri 5. Florian 6. Sanchez 7. Melendez 8. Hansen 9. Edgar 10. Sherk 11. Maynard 12. Griffin 13. Cerrone 14. JZ 15. Gomi

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411's MMA Ranking Rules

- A fighter must fight at least once within the past calendar year to be ranked. The rule applies to weight classes as well so fighters must stay active inside their native weight class. However, if a fighter has a fight scheduled, they are eligible to be ranked.

- If a fighter appears on just one single ballot, and in the top ten, five points shall be deducted to balance out between other fighters who may have been ranked lower, but appeared on more total ballots.

- If you feel like complaining about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking. Remember "if u rite lik thiss" then your opinion doesn't matter and everyone will point and laugh.

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. If you wish to jump on the bandwagon and throw your hate on top of the pile, be my guest. Just have faith that there will be no backlash, we're writers not fighters. Besides, this is not North Korea. At least, that's what I heard Csonka shout at Ash behind closed doors one time.


* denotes a statistical tie.

* Josh Thomson is ineligible this month because it has been over a year (9/20/2008) since he last fought and he is not scheduled for a fight as of this week.





411's Official MMA Rankings

Lightweight Division (155 lbs)





1) B.J. Penn (14-5-1)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: December 13, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Kenny Florian - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via TKO (corner stoppage) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 - January 31, 2009

- vs. Sean Sherk - Win via TKO (knees and punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Joe Stevenson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008

- vs. Jens Pulver - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale - June 6, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Diego Sanchez - UFC 107 - December 12, 2009

Comment: Penn's next challenger will come in December when Diego Sanchez tries to earn his first UFC championship. It should be a great fight and Sanchez may be Penn's biggest challenge as a lightweight in the UFC.

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2) Shinya Aoki (21-4)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: May 9, 1983

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Vitor Ribeiro - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 10 - July 20, 2009

- vs. Hayato Sakurai - Loss via KO (knees) - DREAM 8: Welterweight Grand Prix 1st Round - April 5, 2009

- vs. David Gardner - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix 1st Round - March 8, 2009

- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Win via submission (heel hook) - FEG FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008 - December 31, 2008

- vs. Todd Moore - Win via submission (neck crank) - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final - September 23, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Joachim Hansen - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

Comment: Aoki remains the 2nd best lightweight according to the 411 rankings. Like B.J. Penn, Aoki's placement was unanimous across all ballots.

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3) Eddie Alvarez (17-2)

Birthday: November 11, 1984

Currently Fighting With: DREAM, Bellator Fighting Championship, Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Toby Imada - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 12 - June 19, 2009

- vs. Eric Reynolds - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 5 - May 1, 2009

- vs. Greg Loughran - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Bellator Fighting Championship 1 - April 3, 2009

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via submission (heel hook) - FEG FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008 - December 31, 2008

- vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri - Win via TKO (punches) - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Katsunori Kikuno - DREAM 12 - October 25, 2009 (RUMOR)

Comment: The rumor going around recently is Bellator and DREAM may do a bit of a fight trade which would allow Alvarez to fight at DREAM 12. As for Alvarez this month, he shoots up to #3 this month. He received some extra favor to boost him above Kenny Florian. With no fight since June, perhaps it was his performance on MTV's Bully Beatdown that remained in voters minds. Perhaps not.

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4) Kenny Florian (11-4)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 26, 1976

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. BJ Penn - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009

- vs. Joe Stevenson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar - November 15, 2008

- vs. Roger Huerta - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy - August 9, 2008

- vs. Joe Lauzon - Win via TKO (punches and elbows) - UFC: Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

- vs. Din Thomas - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC: Fight Night 11 - September 19, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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5) Diego Sanchez (21-2)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: December 31, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Clay Guida - Win via decision (split) - UFC Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale - June 20, 2009

- vs. Joe Stevenson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson - February 21, 2009

- vs. Luigi Fioravanti - Win via TKO (strikes) - Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale - June 21, 2008

- vs. David Bielkheden - Win via submission (strikes) - UFC 82: Pride of a Champion - March 1, 2008

- vs. Jon Fitch - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. Josh Koscheck - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. B.J. Penn - UFC 107 - December 12, 2009

Comment: This spot was the first real drop off from the men above. Diego Sanchez just clocked in one spot better than Tatsuya Kawajiri and with a main event fight coming up later this year, perhaps Sanchez's momentum up this list will find him holding court after UFC 107.

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6) Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2)

Height: 5'7

Birthday: May 8, 1978

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gesias Calvacante - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round - May 26, 2009

- vs. Ross Ebanez - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix First Round - March 8, 2009

- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Loss via TKO (punches) - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Luiz Firmino - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 3 - Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals - May 11, 2008

- vs. Kultar Gill - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 1 - Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Melchor Manibusan - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

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7) Gilbert Melendez (15-2)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: April 12, 1982

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida - Win via TKO - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009

- vs. Rodrigo Damm - Win via KO - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz - April 11, 2009

- vs. Josh Thomson - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson - June 27, 2008

- vs. Gabe Lemley - Win via TKO (punches) - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le - March 29, 2008

- vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Yarennoka: New Year's Even 2007 - December 31, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: Like everyone else, Gilbert Melendez is waiting for when Josh Thomson is healthy and ready to fight. Melendez may be considered the Strikeforce interim lightweight champion but he wants the strap around Thomson's waist.

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8) Frankie Edgar (10-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: October 16, 1981

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Sean Sherk - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin - July 19, 2008

- vs. Gray Maynard - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

- vs. Spencer Fisher - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

- vs. Mark Bocek - Win via TKO (strikes) - UC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Kurt Pellegrino - TUF 10 Finale - December 5, 2009

Comment: The reason, and only reason why Frankie Edgar is in this spot is his win over Sean Sherk. Let's see if he can keep winning fights and somehow roll into a title shot next year.

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9*) Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 26, 1979

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Win via TKO (punches) - DREAM 5 Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Kultar Gill - Win via submission (armbar) - DREAM 5 Lightweight Grand Prix Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Eddie Alvarez - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 3 Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals - May 11, 2008

- vs. Kotetsu Boku - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 1 Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008

- vs. Kazuyuki Miyata - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!! - December 31, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - DREAM 11 - October 6, 2009

Comment: Hansen has flopped around the list since last summer but most of the time he has ranked somewhere around the middle. He will next fight in a few weeks against #2 Shinya Aoki in a huge rubber match.

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9*) Gray Maynard (8-0)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: May 9, 1979

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Roger Huerta - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 19 - September 16, 2009

- vs. Jim Miller - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine - March 7, 2009

- vs. Rich Clementi - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Frank Edgar - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

- vs. Dennis Siver - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night 12 - January 23, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: Maynard had a big test in Huerta this past week and passed. Still undefeated, I would like to see him fight a major BJJ fighter or a great striker. Stop sending wrestlers to Maynard's door!

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11) Tyson Griffin (13-2)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: April 20, 1984

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via KO - UFC 103: Belfort vs. Franklin - September 19, 2009

- vs. Rafael dos Anjos - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann - April 1, 2009

- vs. Sean Sherk - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. Marcus Aurelio - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. Gleison Tibau - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 81: Breaking Point - February 2, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

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12) Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: August 5, 1973

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Frankie Edgar - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009

- vs. Tyson Griffin - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote - October 25, 2008

- vs. BJ Penn - Loss via TKO (knees and punches) - UFC 84: Ill Will - May 24, 2008

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

- vs. Kenny Florian - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 64: Unstoppable - October 14, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Injured

Comment: Sean Sherk had to pull out of a fight set for UFC 106 and it's unclear when he will be prepared to fight again.

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13) Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (14-3-1)

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 9: Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round - May 26, 2009

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 2: Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round - April 29, 2008

- vs. Shinya Aoki - No Contest - DREAM: Heiwa 1 - March 15, 2008

- vs. Andre Amade - Win via submission (armbar) - K-1 HERO'S 10 - September 17, 2007

- vs. Vitor Ribeiro - Win via TKO (strikes) - K-1 HERO'S 10 - September 17, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown

Comment: JZ continues his plummet down our list with more inactivity and injuries. He joins Takanori Gomi as fighters who once had a chokehold at the top of 411Mania's MMA rankings and have barely been able to hold since.

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14) Takanori Gomi (30-5)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: September 22, 1978

Currently Fighting With: Free Agent

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Takashi Nakakura - Win via KO - Shooto: Tradition Final - May 10, 2009

- vs. Satoru Kitaoka - Loss via submission (achilles lock) - World Victory Road - Sengoku: no Ran 2009 - January 4, 2009

- vs. Sergey Golyaev - Loss via decision (split) - World Victory Road - Sengoku 6 - November 1, 2008

- vs. Seung Hwan Bang - Win via unanimous decision - World Victory Road - Sengoku 4 - August 24, 2008

- vs. Duane Ludwig - Win via TKO (cut) - World Victory Road - Sengoku - March 5, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. TBA - Vale Tudo Japan 2009 - October 30, 2009

Comment: Word from the eastern hemisphere is Gomi wants to test the waters in the United States after fighting next month in Japan. Is this just another negotiating ploy from Gomi or will he seriously want to sign with the UFC or Strikeforce? Who knows but rumors have said since PRIDE went the way of the dinosaurs that Gomi wants to fight B.J. Penn. Penn defeated Gomi in 2003 at a Rumble on the Rock show by submission.

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15) Vitor Ribeiro (20-3)

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Shinya Aoki - Loss via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix Final Round - July 20, 2009

- vs. Katsuhiko Nagata - Win via doctor stoppage (cut) - DREAM 8: Welterweight Grand Prix First Round - April 5, 2009

- vs. Gesias Cavalcante - Loss via TKO - K-1 Hero's Tournament Final - September 17, 2007

- vs. Kazuyuki Miyata - Win via submission (arm triangle choke) - K-1 Hero's Middleweight Tournament First Round - July 16, 2007

- vs. Ryuki Ueyama - Win via submission (triangle armbar) - K-1 Hero's 8 - March 12, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently Unknown






Final Notes: Other fighters receiving votes include Donald Cerrone, Jamie Varner, Satoru Kitaoka, Clay Guida, Nate Diaz and Elji Mitsuoka.