411's MMA Rankings 1.03.08: Top 20 Fighters Of 2007

Posted by Dustin James on 01.03.2008

2007 is officially over. Now come inside as 411 ranks the top MMA fighters of the year! Who's #1? Is it Rampage? How about Anderson Silva? Is it possible that Fedor took the top ranking? Or is it possible that Randy Couture didn't make the list at all? The only way you will know is to read this column.........

Welcome to the Top 20 MMA Fighters of the Year, done 411 style! As always, I'm your host Dustin James and I would love if you could get comfortable and prepare yourself to get introduced to the Top 20 Mixed Martial Arts fighters of 2007. What a year it has been for MMA. Much like college football, this was the year of upset's in MMA. And whenever you have plenty of upsets, you will have plenty of questions about the rankings. Which makes doing these particular set of rankings extremely difficult.

The fighters of the year are based on the following categories:

- Win/Loss record of 2007

- Strength of opponents faced in 2007

- Finishing opponents

And of course everybody's favorite......a little bit of personal bias! Nah, I try to keep the bias out of it, but sometimes you can't help it.

This is usually the part where I get to tell you how I felt about the last UFC PPV, Yarennoka, etc but since I'm short on time this week I won't be getting to it. I can tell you that UFC 79 was great, and I enjoyed it. I didn't get to see Yarennoka but from what I've heard, it was so-so. The reason I'm short on time this week is I was needed as a fill-in for 411's wrestling zone. So right after you get done reading this masterpiece, it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if you wandered over to the wrestling zone and read this week's "Happy Go Sucky Wrestling Report" written by yours truly.

And before we get to the rankings, just a little reminder for 411 MMA fans.......

MMA fighter Paul Buentello is hosting Inside The Cage on 411mania.com and if you would like to watch the broadcast it's simple.......



Now, back to our regular scheduled programming.

Ladies and gentlemen.......

411's Official MMA Rankings

Top 20 MMA Fighter's Of The Year


20) Matt Serra (9-4)

2007 Record: 1-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007

Comments: Matt Serra only had one fight in 2007 (injuries forced him out of a second fight) but his one fight was big enough to make him the #20 fighter of the year. I never would have imagined to put somebody with just one fight in the Top 20, but with that one fight Serra just looked incredible by taking out a fighter many believe is the best fighter in MMA, Georges St. Pierre. Unfortunately Serra got injured at the end of 2007 which stopped him from taking his highly anticipated fight with Matt Hughes. However, 2008 will be an interesting year for Matt Serra. First up? A possible re-match with St. Pierre. Then the sky is the limit.

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19) Fedor Emelianenko (27-1)

2007 Record: 2-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Hong Man Choi - Win via submission (arm bar) - Yarennoka - New Year's Eve 2007 - December 31, 2007

- vs. Matt Lindland - Win via submission (arm bar) - BodogFight - Clash of the Nations - April 14, 2007

Comments: I didn't even have Fedor ranked until he recently beat Choi to give him at least 2 fights in 2007. Fedor is without a doubt the #1 fighter in the World and it just doesn't seem as if he will ever lose. You want to talk about Liddell/Silva being a dream fight for MMA fans.......give us Couture/Fedor and listen as heads pop all over the country.

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18) Marcus Davis (13-3)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Paul Taylor - Win via submission (arm bar) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. Jason Tan - Win via KO (punch) - UFC 72: Victory - June 16, 2007

- vs. Pete Spratt - Win via submission (achilles lock) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007

Comments: Marcus Davis is a victim of the UFC's overpopulated Welterweight Division. The dude is on a roll and nobody is talking about him. His last loss was to Melvin Guillard back in 2005 at TUF 2 finale and since then he has reeled off 10 straight wins. Give him Guillard again and watch him man-handle him. It's a shame that Davis doesn't get more attention then he does.

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17) Rashad Evans (11-0-1)

2007 Record: 2-0-1

2007 Fights:

- vs. Michael Bisping - Win via decision (split) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

- vs. Tito Ortiz - Draw - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

- vs. Sean Salmon - Win via KO (high kick) - UFC Fight Night 8 - January 25, 2007

Comments: Rashad started the year off with a BANG with a very impressive high kick KO against Sean Salmon at Fight Night 8 (seriously, if you haven't seen this knockout then you need to view it!) and minus a draw decision with Tito Ortiz, didn't have a bad year. However, I firmly believe that if Rashad had gotten the victory over Tito, then it might be Rashad coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Now however, he's probably going to re-match Tito sometime in 2008.

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16) Carlos Condit (21-4)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Brock Larson - Win via submission (armbar) - WEC 29 - August 5, 2007

- vs. John Alessio - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 26 - March 24, 2007

- vs. Kyle Jensen - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 25 - January 20, 2007

Comments: Carlos Condit had a very impressive 2007. He had 3 fights, and managed to finish all of them by submission and none of them went into the 3rd round. If the UFC's Welterweight Division wasn't so stacked, it wouldn't surprise me to see them bring Condit in from the WEC. I just don't see Condit struggling with many fighters in WEC.

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15) Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- 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

- vs. Nam Phan - Win via TKO (strikes) - K-1 HERO'S Dynamite!! USA - June 2, 2007

Comments: JZ Calvancante was a relative unknown in MMA before this year, but after the K-1 HERO'S tournament you can bet your sweet ass people know his name now. JZ's only loss is to Joachim Hansen and it happened back in 2004 and in his 3rd pro fight. JZ came out blasting this year, including a very impressive win over Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro. Unfortunately, JZ had to pull out of a fight with another top Lightweight, Shinya Aoki at the Yarennoka show on New Year's Eve due to an injury. Here's to hoping that the injury doesn't prevent JZ from making an appearance on this list next year.

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14) Frank Edgar (8-0)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

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

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

- vs. Tyson Griffin - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Comments: Frank Edgar is a fighter on the horizon in the UFC. If he continues to rack up impressive victories and remain undefeated then it will just be a matter of time before the UFC gives him a Lightweight title shot. I think a good match-up would be to have Edgar fight Roger Huerta, with the winner getting a shot at BJ Penn/Joe Stevenson. Either way, Edgar will look to improve upon his impressive 2007.

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13) Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2)

2007 Record: 4-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Dan Hardy - Win via DQ - GCM: Cage Force 5 - December 1, 2007

- vs. Akira Kikuchi - Win via TKO (elbows) - GCM: Cage Force 4 - September 8, 2007

- vs. Matt Cain - Win via TKO (strikes) - GCM: Cage Force EX - May 27, 2007

- vs. Katsuya Inoue - Win via KO (punch) - GCM: Cage Force 2 - March 17, 2007

Comments: Talk about a very impressive 2007. 4-0 for Yoshida! Yoshida hasn't lost since 2005 and now needs to move on to bigger and better competition if he wants to keep making a name for himself in MMA.

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12) Jake Shields (20-4-1)

2007 Record: 4-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Mike Pyle - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - EliteXC: Renegade - November 10, 2007

- vs. Renato Verissimo - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Uprising - September 15, 2007

- vs. Ido Pariente - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - K-1 HERO's DYNAMITE!! USA - July 2, 2007

- vs. Ray Steinbeiss - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - Bodog Fight - Costa Rica - February 18, 2007

Comments: Speaking of guys who had great years. Jake Shields is on an incredible roll in MMA. A roll that many considered would take him into the UFC and face the top guys in their Welterweight Division. Things even spiced up when rumors circulated that Shields was using his November 10th fight with Mike Pyle as a tryout for the UFC. However, things got interesting the day of the Pyle fight when it was revealed that Shields had signed a long term extension with EliteXC, and not the UFC. So there ya go Shields. Have a great year in EliteXC!

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11) Robbie Lawler (15-4)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Murilo Rua - Win via TKO (strikes) - EliteXC: Uprising - September 15, 2007

- vs. Frank Trigg - Win via KO (strikes) - ICON Sport: Epic - March 31, 2007

- vs. Eduardo Pamplona - Win via TKO - IFL: Atlanta - February 23, 2007

Comments: Not only was Robbie Lawler 3-0 this year, but in 2 of those fights he won Middleweight Titles (against Trigg, against Rua), and not only that but he was also a trainer on Matt Hughes' team on The Ultimate Fighter. A great year for Robbie Lawler? Well, besides the injury he suffered in the last part of the year.......I'd say ya.

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10) Thiago Silva (12-0)

2007 Record: 4-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Houston Alexander - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 78: Validation - November 17, 2007

- vs. Tomasz Drwal - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. James Irvin - Win via TKO (knee injury) - UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - May 26, 2007

- vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (Win via KO (soccer kick) - Pancrase - Rising 2 - February, 28, 2007

Comments: Talk about a guy who had a fantastic year!! Silva went 4-0 this year, and KO'd every single fighter he faced! Not only that, but he stopped the Houston Alexander train before it really got going! This guy is scary good and I have a feeling he is very over looked in the UFC's Light Heavyweight Division. Watch out for Thiago Silva.

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9) Lyoto Machida (12-0)

2007 Record: 4-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - Win via submission (arm-triangle choke) - UFC 79: Nemesis - December 29, 2007

- vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. David Heath - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 70: Nations Collide - April 21, 2007

- vs. Sam Hoger - Win via decision - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Comments: Many people hate the way Machida fights, and will hate the fact that he's ranked this high. But c'mon! The guy is undefeated in his MMA career, he went 4-0 in 2007, and he even beat Sokoudjou (who before his defeat, was ranked in the top 10 for fighters of the year). How can you argue that this guy is not Top 10 this year? Hell, he might have even finally cracked the Top 10 of the Light Heavyweight Division!

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8) Urijah Faber (20-1)

2007 Record: 4-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Jeff Curran - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 31 - Faber vs. Curran - December 12, 2007

- vs. Chance Farrar - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - WEC 28 - WrekCage - June 3, 2007

- vs. Dominic Cruz - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - WEC 26 - Las Vegas - March 24, 2007

- vs. Joe Pearson - Win via submission (strikes) WEC 25 - Las Vegas - January 20, 2007

Comments: Talk about BRINGING it this year! Not only did Urijah have 4 fights in 2007, he won them all, and SUBMITTED every opponent he had! How can you argue that this kid is not on the brink of greatness? Maybe the UFC should think about introducing a Featherweight Division to possibly get Urijah's name a little bigger than it already is. Either way, look for this kid to PULVERIZE Jens and remain atop the WEC food chain in 2008.

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7) Roger Huerta (20-1-1)

2007 Record: 5-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Clay Guida - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC: The Ultimate Fighter Finale 6 - December 8, 2007

- vs. Alberto Crane - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

- vs. Doug Evans - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC: The Ultimate Fighter Finale 5 - July 23, 2007

- vs. Leonard Garcia - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 69: Shootout - April 7, 2007

- vs. John Halverson - Win via TKO (punches) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Comments: Speaking of guys who had an amazing year! Huerta went 5-0 in the UFC this year, albeit against so-so competition. Now Huerta needs to step it up even more in 2008 and go after some of the UFC's big named Lightweights. I'd love to see Huerta get in the octagon with Tyson Griffin, Frank Edgar, Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson....the list goes on. Now is the time Roger! Now is the time!

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6) Forrest Griffin (15-4)

2007 Record: 2-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Mauricio Rua - Win by submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. Hector Ramirez - Win by decision (unanimous) - UFC 72: Victory - July 16, 2007

Comments: Some of you may be shocked to see Forrest ranked so high, but why? The dude just beat the guy who many people thought was going to tear right through the UFC's Light Heavyweight division (Shogun). Not only that, but the victory was so impressive that the UFC decided to have Forrest be the next coach on The Ultimate Fighter against a team coached by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and have Forrest fight Rampage for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title! If that's not an impressive victory.....then frankly, I don't know what is.

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5) Jon Fitch (15-2)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Diego Sanchez - Win via decision (split) - UFC 76: Knockout - September 22, 2007

- vs. Roan Carneiro - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC Fight Night 10 - June 12, 2007

- vs. Luigi Fioravanti - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 68: Uprising - March 3, 2007

Comments: Fitch is slowly becoming the UFC's hottest name in the Welterweight Division and a lot of it is due to what he did in 2007, mainly making himself one of the top contenders for the UFC's Welterweight Title. It was rumored that when Serra went down with an injury that the UFC approached Fitch first about facing Hughes but Fitch turned them down. I never heard anything concrete, but since everybody loves rumors......there ya go.

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4) Ben Rothwell (27-5)

2007 Record: 5-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Ricco Rodriguez - Win via decision (unanimous) - IFL - 2007 Team Championship Final - September 20, 2007

- vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - Win via TKO (strikes) - IFL - 2007 Semifinals - August 2, 2007

- vs. Travis Fulton - Win via submission (kimura) - IFL - Chicago - May 19, 2007

- vs. Roy Nelson - Win via decision (split) - IFL - Moline - April 7, 2007

- vs. Matt Thompson - Win via TKO (punches) - IFL - Houston - February 2, 2007

Comments: What an amazing run it has been for Ben Rothwell, and what an amazing year he had this year. He was about 3 days away from being 6-0 in MMA fights this year! Instead, since his fight with Devin Cole took place on December 29, 2006 he misses the deadline and will have to settle for 5-0! But still. What an achievement. Not only that but he finished opponents with different variations all year long. Things started to settle down at the end of the year for Rothwell, which could have stopped him from getting a top 3 ranking.

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3) Randy Couture (16-8)

2007 Record: 2-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Gabriel Gonzaga - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

- vs. Tim Sylvia - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 68: Uprising - March 3, 2007

Comments: So what if the man only had 2 fights this year. When the year first started we never thought he was going to fight again! So we should be happy with what we got this year and what we got was the best Randy Couture could give us. He came out and dominated Tim Sylvia in a matter which surprised the majority of the World. And then he came out and said "Let's do it one more time!" and beat another fighter many people thought would beat him in Gabriel Gonzaga. It was an incredible year for The Natural that ended on a sour note with a contract dispute with the UFC. Here's hoping Randy gets all that bullshit out of the way and we get treated to the greatness that could be Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture!

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2) Anderson Silva (20-4)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Rich Franklin - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 77: Hostile Territory - October 20, 2007

- vs. Nathan Marquardt - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

- vs. Travis Lutter - Win via submission (triangle choke) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Comments: Anderson Silva had an amazing year. A year that would usually get you #1 on the top MMA fighters of the year list, but there was somebody who had a better year than him. Silva came out and once again dominated the competition that the UFC set in front of him, and he did it without breaking a sweat. In 2008 he will be tested when he steps into the Octagon with Dan Henderson, but if he can somehow get past Hendo, then the UFC will have to rush in order to get some swift competition for Da Spyda!

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1) Quinton Jackson (28-6-1)

2007 Record: 3-0

2007 Fights:

- vs. Dan Henderson - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion - September 8, 2007

- vs. Chuck Liddell - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson - May 26, 2007

- vs. Marvin Eastman - Win via TKO (strikes) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Comments: Surprise! Is anybody really shocked? Rampage came into the UFC this year with a ton of fan hype, and it was looking like it was much deserved. He tore apart Chuck Liddell in their rematch, and then beat Dan Henderson in the unification match! Rampage is now going to be the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter and will then defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Forrest Griffin. Interesting times ahead for 411's 2007 MMA Fighter of the Year! Congratulations Rampage!

And with that, the count down to next year's 411 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year begins next week when 411 brings you the first 411 Heavyweight Rankings of the new year! Have a safe and happy 2008!