411 MMA Rankings 01.24.12: Pound for Pound
Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 01.24.2012
Jon Jones retained his title, but was he able to surpass Georges St. Pierre? Where does Jose Aldo rank after his title defense? Rashad Evans fights the undefeated Phil Davis on Fox this weekend, where does he rank? See who ranks where in 411's MMA Pound for Pound Rankings!
Welcome to the most star studded rankings in all of MMA, it's the 411 MMA Pound for Pound Rankings! While the faces in the top five may not have changed since last year yet, there's no guarantee that will be the case in the few months ahead. We have already seen Jose Aldo knock out Chad Mendes and Jon Jones choke out Lyoto Machida in over the last six weeks. Who's next?
Immediately, Rashad Evans will fight on Fox this Saturday night against the undefeated Phil Davis with an opportunity to fight Jon Jones on the line. Evans must rely on his takedown defense to keep the fight standing and then look to pick apart the former Penn State wrestler. If he can accomplish those issues, you have to like his odds.
Meanwhile, Nick Diaz and Frankie Edgar will see action next month. Diaz will compete against Carlos Condit in less than two weeks with a shot against Georges St. Pierre at stake for both men. You can get hyped for this bout over the next couple weeks thanks to "UFC Primetime" on FX at various times. Elsewhere, Edgar will defend the lightweight championship at UFC 144 in one month over in Japan against Ben Henderson. Edgar has fought two men in his last four fights and that includes a championship win, two successful title defenses and a draw. Will he have similar success against the man known as BENDO? Few have.
One of the big stories to follow over the next two-three months with these rankings in mind is the situation around Georges St. Pierre. Apparently, expectations have him returning to the octagon for one fight in the fall. If that's the case, he will disappear from the 411 MMA Rankings in April (when it will be one year since his last fight) and spots in the P4P and welterweight rankings will open up. As far as P4P, who will step up and take his spot? Between Aldo, Jones, Edgar, can anyone take a definitive step above the rest?
Perhaps Dominick Cruz and Junior dos Santos will have something to offer to the discussion, too, after their first title fights take place in 2012.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the 411 MMA Rankings!
Here's some feedback to last week's featherweight rankings.
From Rowdy Roddy:
Where is Cris Cyborg? I really think he should be on this list too if only because of his unbeaten streak. How clever.
From Royce:
just curious..was K. Florian not ranked because he is now retiring/retired? Where would you have ranked him if still active? Initially, he was not ranked because the talk was he'd be returning to the lightweight division. Now that he's been advised to retire, add that to the list.
From Alan:
I can't wait for Bartimus to kill Hioki so that you guys finally learn that Hioki is nowhere close to being the #2 guy. He barely got pass George Roop. How does that make him #2? Chad Mendes went to a decision against Rani Yahya, too. So what? Hioki has been on a roll and is definitely the most deserving guy for the #2 spot right now.
From MPMoore:
Hioki is next assuming he beats Bartimus.
If not, Poirier or Zombie will get next crack with wins (Zombie first if both win).
Aldo needs to hop up to LW for a fight if Hioki loses, give time for another true challenger.
Sadly, no one in the division will beat Aldo, aside from luck. He's too good. Aldo won't move up to 155 for a while, if ever. I did read where his camp said the only way he would move up in the future is if he gets an immediate title shot. However, he's in his prime right now at featherweight. It certainly looks like no one is capable of beating him, though.
From Lucifer:
People need to learn how to use the word dominantly. Aldo's performance was good, but you've exaggerated here. How was Aldo's fight with Mendes not a display of dominance? Mendes' wrestling was rendered moot and Aldo became the first man to knock him out cold.
From Jared B.:
So Anthony Pettis being dropped basically because Henderson has had more fights? Let's save that drop down to #10 until his fight with Lauzon, and then you'll have three fights to make a decision on instead of two. You're talking like it's an ancient win.
Has Melendez displayed a poor wrestling ability? No. He hasn't really taken down opponents with weak TDD like Aoki and Masvidal where you'd think his strengths would lie? So let's call that poor gameplanning. A bad chin? Who knows, he hasn't fought anybody with serious power, 4 out of his last 5 opponents have been grapplers. I know his striking defense was sloppy against Masvidal and he ate the jab all night long. Coming forward throwing 1-2s all night may be fine for a regional champion but I don't see how that would make him an elite striker in the UFC.
---
Okay, I have a hang up about Bellator fighters because I think Alvarez was overranked and their champions tend to be overranked? Who did he beat in that time period? Toby Imada, Josh Neer, Eric Reynolds? Pat Curran and Roger Huerta are decent wins but hardly enough to put you top 5. And yet we're knocking Volkmann who has beat Efrain Escudero, Danny Castillo, Antonio McKee (who a lot of people thought could be the Fitch of the UFC's lightweight division if brought over), Paul Kelly and Ronnys Torres. Those are consistent wins over guys equal to Alvarez's opponents.
Chandler has what, 8 or 9 career fights? And he was seen as a pretty one dimensional, lay and pray fighter before the Alvarez fight.
People like to rank the Bellator and Strikeforce champions because it's exciting to see someone like Hector Lombard tear through someone who is past their prime or not on his level; it makes them look beastly, I get that. They're still regional champions beating regional competition. The world class fighters are in the UFC.
And now, Hatsu Hioki at #2? Okay, most people think he lost to Roop. Bring on Aldo! No, Pettis dropped because he lost. Henderson has beat better competition over the past year.
Who called Melendez an elite striker? Last time I checked, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Ben Henderson are hardly elite strikers, either. All these guys are good enough wrestlers to render that aspect of these fights pretty equal. All of them have some power and some have better technique than others (Edgar has the edge over the rest). You're right to question Melendez's strategy against Masvidal because he did eat a ton of punches. I'd give him more credit rather than considering him some minor league quality fighter.
Part of the reason Alvarez was so highly ranked was his tremendous success in Japan before Bellator. He beat top contenders in Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri before losing to Shinya Aoki (who he himself was a top lightweight at the time). From 2009 through November 2011, he was dominant with seven decisive wins. Were they top 10 opponents? Of course not, but it's tough to continuously drop a guy in the rankings if he's performing that well.
Michael Chandler was not exactly a 'lay and pray' fighter as you brought up. He's 9-0, only two wins went the distance. He's shown good power in his striking and the ability to submit opponents.
What's with referring to these belts as regional? It's not like Strikeforce or Bellator is a midwest promotion featuring guys from Kansas.
From MJH:
Got cut off -
Aoki looked like a sub-100 fighter against his only real competition. Miller's accomplishments are comparable to pettis' to me, but he doesn't have a Henderson level win that stands out. By the way I think henderson is the most talented lightweight in the world, so I may overvalue the Pettis win.
To transition that to Feather weights - I hope he beats Edgar and sends Frankie down to Featherweight so Aldo can get some competition. So, Aoki's only "real" competition was the Melendez fight? Not the Eddie Alvarez fight in 2008, or the Shaolin/Hansen fights in 2009 or the Kawajiri fight in 2010?
I don't see Edgar dropping down to 145 unless he loses the belt and loses a second fight in a row. He's fine at lightweight right now, not having to cut any weight and maintaining his competitiveness against larger guys.
From Baron Skinny:
This division is all about Aldo - he should be 1 to 15. I can't see anybody on the list beating. I'd give him a couple of more fights at Featherweight before he moves up to challenge the Lightweight Champ. Well, who knows who may step up by the time the summer rolls around. And what's with all the talk about having dominant guys change weight classes? Why shouldn't Aldo stick at 145 and continue kicking ass if he's able to?
I don't see the fascination in having someone change their weight class if they're that dominant at a natural weight.
From Wolvie316:
I find it funny that the Bellator featherweight champ isn't even the highest ranked featherweight in his own organization. Warren's try at 135 hurt him in 2011 as he only fought once at featherweight. Meanwhile, Curran had a tremendous year after dropping down from lightweight. The knockout of Marlon Sandro was a huge upset and just plain impressive.
I'd consider Curran the favorite over Warren when they fight in March. After that, Pitbull Friere is in the mix, too. Bellator has a deep division in the immediate future.
Thanks for all the comments, questions, insults and more, they are always appreciated.
Rankings From One Year Ago 01.25.11
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Anderson Silva
3. Jose Aldo
3. Shogun Rua
5. Frankie Edgar
6. Cain Velasquez
7. Jake Shields
8. Dominick Cruz
9. Fedor Emelianenko
10. Jon Fitch
11. B.J. Penn
12. Gilbert Melendez
13. Rashad Evans
14. Lyoto Machida
15. Nick Diaz
411's MMA Ranking Rules
- If a fighter hasn't fought in a year, he can not be ranked. It's not fair to people who are fighting to not be ranked because a fighter is taking a year off. The rule also applies to specific divisions. If a fighter hasn't fought in a weight division in a year he is no longer eligible to be ranked. However, if a fighter schedules a fight he is still eligible for being 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.
- Compliments? Disgust? Whatever you think of the rankings, discuss it below in the comments section. For the love of god, USE LOGIC. I beg of you.
- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. So if you're an MMA fighter like Michael Bisping, please aim for the 411mania HQ windows instead of the floor. Lord Csonka just had them buffed. Thank you.
- vs. Yushin Okami - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami - August 27, 2011
- vs. Vitor Belfort - Win via KTFO (front kick) - UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort - February 5, 2011
- vs. Chael Sonnen - Win via submission (triangle armbar) - UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen - August 7, 2010
- vs. Demian Maia - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 112: Invincible - April 10, 2010
- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via KO - UFC 101: Declaration - August 8, 2009
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Chael Sonnen or Michael Bisping - UFC - Summer 2012
Comment: Silva will learn of his next challenger on Saturday night when Sonnen and Bisping square of. Each match-up offers something great. On the one hand, Sonnen vs. Silva 2 in Brazil would be as close to magic as we may get in MMA. Otherwise, we can settle for Anderson Silva standing across the octagon from Michael Bisping. WIN WIN!
2) Georges St. Pierre (22-2)
Height: 5'10
Birthday: May 19, 1981
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Jake Shields - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields - April 29, 2011
- vs. Josh Koscheck - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 - December 11, 2010
- vs. Dan Hardy - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy - March 27, 2010
- vs. Thiago Alves - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 100 - July 11, 2009
- vs. B.J. Penn - Win via TKO (corner stoppage) - UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II - January 31, 2009
Next scheduled appearance:
- Injured
3) Jon "Bones" Jones (15-1)
Height: 6'4
Birthday: July 19, 1987
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Lyoto Machida - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida - December 10, 2011
- vs. Quinton Jackson - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage - September 24, 2011
- vs. Shogun Rua - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones - March 19, 2011
- vs. Ryan Bader - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort - February 5, 2011
- vs. Vladimir Matyushenko - Win via TKO (elbows) - UFC on Versus 2 - August 1, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- Unknown
Comment: Rumor has it that Jones will fight next in April against either Rashad Evans (if he beats Phil Davis this Saturday and is healthy) or Dan Henderson (if Rashad loses or comes out of the fight injured seriously enough). Another WIN WIN from our perspective.
4) Jose Aldo (21-1)
Height: 5'7
Birthday: September 9, 1986
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Chad Mendes - Win via KO (knee) - UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes - January 14, 2012
- vs. Kenny Florian - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 - October 8, 2011
- vs. Mark Hominick - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields - April 29, 2011
- vs. Manny Gamburyan - Win via KO (punches) - WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan - September 30, 2010
- vs. Urijah Faber - Win via decision (unanimous) - WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber - April 24, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- Unknown
Comment: You know the elite MMA fighters are that good when Aldo can't muster up any improvement in his position since slaughtering Chad Mendes 10 days ago. A perfectly placed knee ended the fight and sent the greatest featherweight of them all into the frenzied Brazilian crowd to celebrate.
5) Frankie Edgar (14-1-1)
Height: 5'6
Birthday: October 16, 1981
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Gray Maynard - Win via KO (punches) - UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 - October 8, 2011
- vs. Gray Maynard - Draw (Split) - UFC 125: Resolution - January 1, 2011
- vs. B.J. Penn - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 - August 28, 2010
- vs. B.J. Penn - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 112: Invincible - April 10, 2010
- vs. Matt Veach - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - December 5, 2009
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Ben Henderson - UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson - February 26, 2012
6) Dominick Cruz (19-1)
Height: 5'8
Birthday: September 3, 1985
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Demetrious Johnson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC on Versus 6: Cruz vs. Johnson - October 1, 2011
- vs. Urijah Faber - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber - July 2, 2011
- vs. Scott Jorgensen - Win via decision (unanimous) - WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis - December 16, 2010
- vs. Joseph Benavidez - Win via decision (split) - WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2 - August 18, 2010
- vs. Brian Bowles - Win via TKO (injury) - WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz - March 6, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Urijah Faber - UFC - Summer 2012
7) Junior dos Santos (14-1)
Height: 6'4
Weight: 243
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Cain Velasquez - Win via KO (strikes) - UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos - November 12, 2011
- vs. Shane Carwin - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin - June 11, 2011
- vs. Roy Nelson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen - August 7, 2010
- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Win via KO (punches) - UFC on Versus - March 21, 2010
- vs. Gilbert Yvel - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva - January 2, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Alistair Overeem - UFC - 2012
8) Dan Henderson (29-8)
Height: 6'1
Birthday: August 24, 1970
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Shogun Rua - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 139: Henderson vs. Shogun - November 19, 2011
- vs. Fedor Emelianenko - Win via TKO (H-Bomb) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson - July 30, 2011
- vs. Rafael Feijao Cavalcante - Win via TKO (punches) - Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson - March 5, 2011
- vs. Babalu Sobral - Win via KO (punches) - Strikeforce: St. Louis - December 4, 2010
- vs. Jake Shields - Loss via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Nashville - April 17, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- Unknown
9) Gilbert Melendez (19-2)
Height: 5'9
Birthday: April 12, 1982
Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Jorge Masvidal - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal - December 17, 2010
- vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley - April 9, 2011
- vs. Shinya Aoki - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Nashville - April 17, 2010
- vs. Josh Thomson - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Evolution - December 19, 2009
- vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida - Win via TKO - Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg - August 15, 2009
Next scheduled appearance:
- Unknown
10) Rashad Evans (16-1-1)
Height: 5'11
Birthday: September 25, 1979
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Tito Ortiz - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz - August 6, 2011
- vs. Rampage Jackson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad - May 29, 2010
- vs. Thiago Silva - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva - January 2, 2010
- vs. Lyoto Machida - Loss via knockout (punches) - UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida - May 23, 2009
- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 - December 27, 2008
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Phil Davis - UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis - January 28, 2012
Comment: The last time Rashad fought in January, he was able to effectively use his wrestling to stop Thiago Silva. However, in the third round, he was THIS close to getting knocked out by a big punch. Against Phil Davis, he may not have to worry about a big knockout punch (did I jinx him?), but being taken down and put on his back repeatedly. Is Rashad strong enough to prevent that from happening?
11) Nick Diaz (26-7)
Height: 6'0
Birthday: August 2, 1983
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. B.J. Penn - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz - October 29, 2011
- vs. Paul Daley - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley - April 9 ,2011
- vs. Evangelista Santos - Win via submission (armbar) - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg - January 29, 2011
- vs. KJ Noons - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 - October 9, 2010
- vs. Hayato Sakurai - Win via submission (armbar) - DREAM 14 - May 29, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Carlos Condit - UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit - February 4, 2012
Comment: Diaz vs. Condit. WAR. EPIC. NON-STOP ACTION. BRAWL.
12*) Joseph Benavidez (15-2)
Height: 5'4
Birthday: July 31, 1984
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Eddie Wineland - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC on Versus 5 - August 14, 2011
- vs. Ian Loveland - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones - March 19, 2011
- vs. Wagnney Fabiano - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki - November 11, 2010
- vs. Dominick Cruz - Loss via decision (split) - WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2 - August 18, 2010
- vs. Miguel Torres - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz - March 6, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani - UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann - March 3, 2012
Comment: Benavidez is the first flyweight to be ranked in the pound for pound ranking since the announcement of the new UFC flyweight division. The former bantamweight, Benavidez will be among four fighters to clash to decide the first UFC champion. Benavidez's first opponent will be the former Shooto champion Urushitani (19-4-6). He has won his last five fights and is 11-1-4 since November 2004. Is Benavidez up for the challenge?
12*) Ben Henderson (15-2)
Height: 5'9
Birthday: November 16, 1983
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Clay Guida - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos - November 12, 2011
- vs. Jim Miller - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC on Versus: Hardy vs. Lytle - August 14, 2011
- vs. Mark Bocek - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields - April 30, 2011
- vs. Anthony Pettis - Loss via decision (unanimous) - WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis - December 16, 2010
- vs. Donald Cerrone - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber - April 24, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Frankie Edgar - UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson - February 26, 2012
Comment: Henderson ends up replacing Jon Fitch in these rankings (he lost to Johny Hendricks last month) following his terrific 2011 in which he beat two top-five lightweights. Up next is a match-up with the champion Frankie Edgar in Japan. Henderson has proven to be incredibly difficult to finish and just as difficult to control for a full fight. Anthony Pettis and Henderson had a close fight over a year ago that ended up being decided by the famous SHOWTIME KICK which knocked Henderson down late in the fifth round. What will give in Japan?
14) Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (20-6)
Birthday: November 25, 1981
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Dan Henderson - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 139: Henderson vs. Shogun - November 19, 2011
- vs. Forrest Griffin - Win via KO (strikes) - UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami - August 27, 2011
- vs. Jon Jones - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 128: Shogun vs. Bones - March 19, 2011
- vs. Lyoto Machida - Win via KO (punches) - UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2 - May 8, 2010
- vs. Lyoto Machida - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 104: Dragon vs. Shogun - October 24, 2009
Next scheduled appearance:
- Unknown
15) Urijah Faber (26-5)
Height: 5'6
Birthday: May 14, 1979
Currently Fighting With: UFC
Last 5 fights:
- vs. Brian Bowles - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 139: Henderson vs. Shogun - November 19, 2011
- vs. Dominick Cruz - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber - July 2, 2011
- vs. Eddie Wineland - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones - March 19, 2011
- vs. Takeya Mizugaki - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki - November 11, 2010
- vs. Jose Aldo - Loss via decision (unanimous) - WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber - April 24, 2010
Next scheduled appearance:
- vs. Dominick Cruz - UFC - Summer 2012
Comment: Faber and Cruz will be featured on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter kicking off later this year. After the show concludes, they will battle for Cruz's bantamweight gold in a rubber match of their rivalry (Faber beat him when they were featherweights).
Closing Comments: Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Hatsu Hioki and Bibiano Fernandes received additional votes.
Idk about this list, so ill let everyone do the complaining for me
Posted By: DotDaGenius (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 11:10 PM
"The last time Rashad fought in January, he was able to effectively use his wrestling to stop Thiago Silva."
That was 2 years ago, just FYI.
Posted By: Guest#0144 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 12:42 AM
I think Jones is right at the point of beating GSP in these rankings. GSP's decisions have caught up with him a little, where as Jones battles have been pretty dominant finishes. With GSP injured, I feel like one or two more wins from Jones should let him be placed number 2.
Silva is just to far ahead, so in regards to him, he needs to lose, to lose his number 1 spot, or be injured for 18 months or something.
Posted By: Liol (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 01:07 AM
honestly if jones gets 2 more strong title defenses and end's up 8-0 his last 8 and getting them all finished and sweeter if one more tko and one more sub so it's an even 4 - 4 split.... well honestly in that time Anderson might be retired by the end of this year in a small chance and who knows how GSP will respond w/ his knee.... In 18 months time if they hold on it will be Jones Aldo and Edgar fighting for those top spots.......
Time's sooner or later catching up to the Spider and GSP...... I for one hope it's not that soon, but then again think about the personality of both of those guys and if they wouldn't leave when they know it's slowing down for them and still have enough name and charisma to make a living afterwards after giving so much of their life to the sport.....
MMA is in an exciting time because it's another turn over of generations period with it being another noticeable jump in depth talent, athleticism in the talent, and strategy and techniques to the game daily...... We have a strong mix of the closing guard and the new right now it's sick.......
Posted By: just saying (guest) (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 03:27 AM
"The last time Rashad fought in January, he was able to effectively use his wrestling to stop Thiago Silva."
That was 2 years ago, just FYI.
Posted By: Guest#0144 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 12:42 AM
----------------------
That's just the last time he was able to fight, in the month of January. Not his last fight.
Posted By: WilliamMorgan (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 05:05 AM
GSP is no longer nb 2 idiot!!also Frankie Edgar are you kidding me?Who is that nb 12 guy anyway?
Posted By: Guest#7547 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 06:26 AM
I really dont even care for Bones Jones, but I cant deny the names he has wrecked his last 5 fights. I would probly place him 2nd, with Aldo 3rd followed by GSP. Id bump Cruz to 5 leave Edgar at 6 and finally somehow try to squeeze Diaz a little higher. Nice rankings, though. I see your logic.
Posted By: Royce (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 07:00 AM
My Top 5 goes in this order:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Jon Jones
3. Jose Also
4. Georges St. Pierre
5. Frankie Edgar
I know GSP fans will hate me for this but he's been inactive for a long time (which i know is not his fault), he prefers to take the safe route in defending his title, and his last fight with Jake Shields was one of the most boring fights of 2011. Anderson will always remain on top as long as he keeps winning the way he does. Jones has destroyed everyone in his path and smashed his way past 3 former champions in one year, though his next fight against either Rashad or Hendo will be tough for him. Jose Aldo has also been dominant and his 1st round knockout victory over Chad Mendes was extremely impressive. Again, it's only my opinion so i don't care if you agree or disagree with it
Posted By: Guest#1021 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 07:25 AM
@ Guest#1021
shields = boring fighter who fought gsp trying not to lose. Its near impossible to finish a guy when all he is really doing is avoiding being finished.
Posted By: kevin (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 09:02 AM
To continue my month long anti-Aoki argument, the Alvarez fight was 3+ years ago (and Eddie himself hasn't beaten anyone of note in years) and I am not impressed with Shaolin, Hansen or Kawijiri - there's a reason none are ranked very highly currently.
To bring that argument to something current - I think I would rank Edgar above Aldo right now because Edgar could (I agree with you that there is no reason he should) cut to 145 and beat him. Also I was surprised to see benavidez on the list. Is he the favorite to win the 125 lb. UFC belt?
Posted By: MJH (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 09:15 AM
Condit deserves at least a vote from someone.
Posted By: tab (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 09:22 AM
Nice to see Urijah ranked. The guy is so much better than all the other fighters in both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions. The only ones that are better are the champions of those divisions
Posted By: Wolvie316 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 10:17 AM
I fully expect JDS to move up to #5 if he defeats Overeem in the summer.
Posted By: Adam (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Jon Jones will top this list next year. In 2012 I see him beating Evans, Henderson and anyone else they throw at him. Not many guys at LHW that can challenge him right now.
Does Jones move to HW? Maybe. I think he could do well against Dos Santos if he bulked up. But someone with the size of Overeem would be tough to grapple with.
Does Anderson Silva come up for a fight at LHW? I doubt it. He will retire soon and between the winner of Sonnen-Bisping and a potential Dan Henderson rematch, he can close out his career with a win. I doubt he risks that by fighting Jones. I see Silva retired by the end of 2012.
GSP is on the shelf for a while, then will have to face an angry Nick Diaz when he gets back, a fight GSP will have a tough time with. He will be down in the ranking a year from now.
Jones will still be undefeated and have put up two or more defenses against other top 10 P4P guys. He will deserve and get the #1 spot.
Posted By: Chico Whoretiz (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 10:36 AM
"Does Jones move to HW? Maybe. I think he could do well against Dos Santos if he bulked up. But someone with the size of Overeem would be tough to grapple with. "
There was an interesting article anout this on another website. It said Jones would be a big underdog against JDS, Cain, Overeem, Brock (article was written in December) and even 2-1 underdog against Mir. I'll bet that changes in a year's time. The kid rubs me the wrong way but I would love him at 3-1 against the best heavyweights. He is skilled in all areas and the best athlete of his size to ever step foot in the Octagon.
Posted By: MJH (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Really good list, I can make an arguement for that exact placement. Though, depending on your defintion of P4P, more light fighters should be at the top (Gilbert Melendez over Dos Santos... stuff like that).
Posted By: Brian (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 12:14 PM
I've defended GSP forever on these lists, but Jon Jones needs to be above him now. Maybe even Aldo.
Posted By: Diavo (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 12:45 PM
It will be weird come April when GSP is off the list. I guess Overeem or maybe Maynard can crack the list with wins (though I'm picking JDS in that fight with Reem).
I kinda don't get why Maynard didn't even get a mention. He lost to a top 5 guy and had a draw the previous fight. Sure, he got KO'd eventually but so did Shogun against Jones and that loss was a hell of a lot more dominant. Plus he lost 3-5 overall, regardless of competition level, that should hurt.
Oh well.
Posted By: MPMoore (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 12:52 PM
besides about picking favorites jose aldo is the p4p king jones would be second but he doesnt have a chin just saying a silva a beast along with gsp
jose aldo
a silva
gsp
jones
imo...jones is good but hes raw talent he is only to perform so well with his tricks because he is so physically gifted with long arms n legs
Posted By: Guest#2838 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 01:10 PM
Really, Faber gets listed?
Posted By: Guest#9504 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 01:11 PM
Shogun still top 15 P4P really!? 2-3 in his last 5 and 4-4 overall in the UFC. .500 over your last 8 is good enough to be one of the best 15 guys in the world now? Considering the 4 guys he has beat in the UFC have records over their previous 5 fights of 2-3 (Coleman - included a win over Rua), 1-4 (Liddell), 2-3 (Machida - included a win over Rua) and 2-3 (Griffin - doesn't include his win over Rua but has beaten him before as well) makes his inclusion absolutely ridiculous. Yes some of his losses have been close and he's looked good in most of his fights but he still lost them.
As for who i'd have instead, well Cain has only lost once and has had good wins against Brock, Kongo & Nog. Overeem is 11-0-0-1 over his last 12 and while he may not have faced the best competition has still managed to beat the likes of Lesnar and Werdum. Mir is 4-1 over his last 5 including Wins over Kongo, Nelson and Big Nog. Hell Belfort, Fitch and even Shields could still be considered.
The one that really shocks me though is how Gray Maynard can be completely left off. Record of 10-1-1-1 including a win and draw over the current champion and wins over other good fighters such as Florian, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz, Denis Siver & Roger Huerta and yet he doesn't get a look in.
The rest of the listing I have no real problem with (don't know if Faber should sneak in there either but it doesn't bother me too much). But the Shogun inclusion just baffles me when so many other fighters have had better results recently.
Posted By: Mr Shady (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 02:24 PM
I'd still switch Jones over GSP, due to Bones actually finishing opponents. No offense to GSP, just results talk. And at this instance, if everyone was the same size, I'd take Bones over GSP in a fight.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 02:52 PM
My top 15 would be:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Jon Bones Jones
3. GSP (difficult to know where to rank GSP due to inactivity and recent conservative fighting style)
4. Frankie Edgar
5. Jose Aldo
6. Junior Dos Santos
7. Dominik Cruz
8. Alistair Overeem
9. Nick Diaz
10. Ben Henderson
11. Cain Velasquez
12. Dan Henderson
13. Chael Sonnen
14. Gilbert Melendez
15. Urijah Faber
The most notable omission I would make from the 411 rankings is Rashad Evans. He seems to have talked his way into the P4P rankings as the he hasn't beaten anybody of championship calibre in recent memory. In the last two years he's beaten a washed up Tito and a disinterested movie star in Rampage (in a fight he almost managed to lose). The last time he fought a top fighter at their prime was against Machina who knocked him into next week. If he gets past Davis he's going to be dismantled by Jon Bones Jones.
I also think that Overeem deserves better than an honourable mention.
Posted By: Baron Skinny (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 04:00 PM
shogun should be a lil higher
just sayin
Posted By: Guest#1604 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 04:42 PM
For the record, some of us did vote for Jon Jones above GSP (well, I did...not sure about any of the other guys), but apparently there's still a strong segment of 411 writers who think dry humping a guy for 25 minutes is preferable to five straight dominant wins, the last three of them against current or former champions.
*shrugs*
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher 2 (Registered) on January 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM
Jones has said that he doesn't have much trouble cutting since he's so young but he knows that as he gets older it will be difficult and he'll have to move up to heavyweight
Posted By: Who Dat!?!?! (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 07:10 PM
GSP still at #2? Sorry but no way is he still deserving. Yes, he's had a great run since the Serra rematch but 2011 was a terrible year for him.
He had 1 fight in the last 12 months: a boring, plodding, decision against Shields, a guy who did great in the minor leagues but barely beat Kampmann & got wrecked in 12 seconds by Hendricks.
Bones has had a better year than anyone in the sports history, smoking Bader then not only beating but destroying Shogun, Rampage & Machida back to back, all 3 former LHW Champs.
I don't usually knock GSP but consdering how bad the Shields fight was, the fact it was his only fight of the year, the fact that its questionable if he'll fight this year & how good Jones has been in th last year & a half then he deserves #2 behind Anderson, I might even bump Aldo up to #3 just because GSP has been so inactive.
Posted By: Guest#7218 (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 07:30 PM
Anderson Silva number 1 p4p is ridiculous, its nick diaz
Posted By: Sisti (Guest) on January 26, 2012 at 10:19 AM
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