411's MMA Rankings 10.16.08: Lightweight Rankings

Posted by Dustin James on 10.16.2008

It's time again for 411mania to rank the best lightweights in MMA! Was anybody able to take the top spot from BJ Penn? Where do Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alvarez, and Kenny Florian land? 411's Dustin James gives you all the answers inside......

Welcome back everybody to the best set of MMA rankings on 411mania.....that run on Thursdays. As always I'll be your guide through this special journey in your life. I'm a little under the weather right now and since I don't take medicine, it sucks. The reason I don't take medicine is because my dad says that stuff is for "pussies", and let's face it...there is nothing worse than being called a "pussy" in guy land. So sit back, relax, and we will check out the lightweight rankings NOW~!

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 you wish to complain about a fighter's ranking in the comments section, then please include an objective reason as to why you don't like the ranking, and remember "if u rite lik thiss" then your opinion doesn't matter.

- 411's MMA Rankings are voted on by the MMA staff of 411mania. So if you are an MMA fighter and hate where you are ranked, beating just me up would be unnecessary. You would have to beat us all up, and when we are all together.....we could beat up Kimbo Slice in 12 seconds! Take that Petruzelli~!


411's Official MMA Rankings

Lightweight Division (155 lbs)



1) B.J. Penn (13-4-1)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: December 13, 1978

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Matt Hughes - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn - September 23, 2006

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via decision (split) - UFC 58: USA vs. Canada - March 4, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - UFC 94: St Pierre vs. Penn - January 31, 2008

Comments: The date has officially been set in stone for BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre. The only bad news is that it's still over 4 months away. The good news is, we will get St. Pierre/Penn on a Saturday night and the Super Bowl on the very next day. Here's to being hungover all week.......

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2) Takanori Gomi (29-3)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: September 22, 1978

Currently Fighting With: Sengoku

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Nick Diaz - No contest (originally lost via submission) - PRIDE 33: The Second Coming - February 24, 2007

- vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida - Win via TKO (strikes) - PRIDE Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

- vs. Marcus Aurelio - Win via decision (split) - PRIDE: Bushido 13 - November 5, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Sergey Golyaev - Sengoku 6 - November 1, 2008

Comments: Hey look at that! We are getting 3 Gomi fights in one year! Seriously, I'm confused and delighted at the same time. I'm delighted that we get to see Gomi fight again on such a short break and I'm confused as to where Sergey Golyaev has been for two years.

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3) Shinya Aoki (18-3)

Height: 5'11

Birthday: May 9, 1983

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

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

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

- vs. Caol Uno - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final - July 21, 2008

- vs. Katsuhiko Nagata - Win via submission (gogoplata) - DREAM 4: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 - June 15, 2008

- vs. Gesias Cavalcante - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 2: Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round - April 29, 2008

Next scheduled appearance:

-vs. Currently unknown

Comments: Shinya Aoki continued his dream of being the most active fighter in 2008. Seriously, the man has fought six times in 2008 and has gone 4-1-1! You should almost include his victory over Bu Kyung Jung as part of 2008 since it happened on New Year's Eve of 2007. Minus a loss to Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen, 2008 has been the year of Aoki.

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4) Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- 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

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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently injured

Comments: During a recent interview, JZ mentioned that he's almost ready to start training again and is looking towards a possible fight against Joachim Hansen at the end of the year for the DREAM Lightweight Championship. That's a fight I'm pretty sure 95% of MMA fans would want. The other 5% are EliteXC fans.

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5) Eddie Alvarez (15-1)

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

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

- vs. Joachim Hansen - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 3: Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals - May 11, 2008

- vs. Andre Amade - Win via TKO (punches) - DREAM: Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008

- vs. Ross Ebanez - Win via TKO (punches) - ShoXC - Elite Challenger Series - January 25, 2008

- vs. Matt Lee - Win via decision (unanimous) - BodogFight: Alvarez vs. Lee - July 14, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Nick Diaz - EliteXC's November 8 Showtime Special - November 8, 2008

Comments: What an opportunity Eddie Alvarez gets on November 8. The guy just gets married and it's almost like EliteXC is giving him a wedding gift in the form of a title shot. Alvarez will fight Nick Diaz for EliteXC's vacated Lightweight Title. The title was vacated after KJ Noons refused a fight against Diaz. Noons wasn't happy with fighting Diaz as he had wanted to fight Alvarez instead. So what does EliteXC do? They strip Noons of the title and make a Diaz/Alvarez fight for the title. If that isn't a big "FU" to Noons, then I don't know what it is. Either way, the Diaz/Alvarez fight will be a war.

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6) Kenny Florian (10-3)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: May 26, 1976

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Alvin Robinson - Win via submission (strikes) - UFC 73: Stacked - July 7, 2007

- vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC: Fight Night 9 - April 5, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Joe Stevenson - UFC 91 "Couture vs. Lesnar" - November 15, 2008

Comments: We are less than a month away from Kenny Florian's next fight. After impressive victories over Joe Lauzon and Roger Huerta, Florian has climbed to the top of the UFC's lightweight division. Everybody was thinking that Ken-Flo was getting the next title shot at BJ Penn, but the UFC pulled a fast one on us by having Penn face UFC Welterweight Champion St. Pierre in January. Now if Florian can pull off a win over Stevenson, then there is no doubt in anybody's mind who the #1 lightweight contender in the UFC is. Florian should be fighting for a title by next summer.

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7) Sean Sherk (32-3-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: August 5, 1973

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Nick Diaz - Win via decision - UFC 59: Reality Check - April 15, 2006

- vs. Georges St. Pierre - Loss via TKO (strikes) - UFC 56: Full Force - November 19, 2005

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Tyson Griffin - UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" - October 25, 2008

Comments: We are just a few weeks away from the Tyson Griffin/Sean Sherk wrestle fest at UFC 90. This is actually a very interesting fight that has a 99% chance of earning a decision. If Griffin wins it will catapult him to the top of the UFC's lightweight division. Both fighters need this fight bad, which almost always guarantees a good one.

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8) 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:

- Currently unknown

Comments: The big question surrounding the DREAM Lightweight Champion is, will he accept a fight against JZ Cavalcante for later this year? That's a fight that everybody wants to see and would no doubt be a good one. JZ wants the fight, however "Hellboy" has been quiet since JZ made his challenge. Either way I'd look for DREAM to schedule this one towards the end of the year.

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9) Josh Thomson (15-2)

Height: 5'10

Birthday: September 21, 1978

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Ashe Bowman - Win via TKO - Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion II - September 20, 2008

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

- vs. Adam Lynn - Win via TKO (strikes) - Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion - September 29, 2007

- vs. Nick Gonzalez - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni - June 22, 2007

- vs. Nam Phan - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Triple Threat - December 8, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently unknown

Comments: Thomson continued his winning ways by defeating Ashe Bowman at the "Strikeforce At The Mansion II" show. Thomson looks to be unstoppable right now. Rumor has it that he could end up facing either Chris Horodecki at Affliction's next event or K-1's Caol Uno. Either fight would be a tremendous one for Thomson. At least he would facing a named opponent.

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10) Gilbert Melendez (16-2)

Height: 5'9

Birthday: April 12, 1982

Currently Fighting With: Strikeforce

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Tetsuji Kato - Win via decision (unanimous) - Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion - September 29, 2007

- vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri - Win via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Currently unknown

Comments: Melendez recently announced that he may look to become a free agent after his next fight with Strikeforce. He currently has one-fight remaining on his contract and Melendez mentioned the UFC as a possible landing spot. That would be a huge pick-up for both Melendez and the UFC. Melendez would get to fight some of the top competition such as Sherk, Tyson Griffin, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, the fights are endless. Do it El Nino! Come to the UFC! Hell, come to the WEC!

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On The Bubble:

(On the bubble includes fighter's who may not be in the Top 10, but remain a threat in their weight division)





Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2)

Height: 5'7

Birthday: May 8, 1978

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- 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

- vs. Luiz Azeredo - Win via decision (unanimous) - Yarennoka: New Year's Even 2007 - December 31, 2007

- vs. Gilbert Melendez - Loss via decision (unanimous) - PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- Currently unknown

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Tyson Griffin (12-1)

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- 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

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

- vs. Clay Guida - Win via decision (split) - UFC 72: Victory - June 18, 2007

- vs. Frank Edgar - Loss via decision (unanimous) - UFC 67: All or Nothing - February 3, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Sean Sherk - UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" - October 25, 2008

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Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1)

Height: 5'6

Birthday: December 29, 1978

Currently Fighting With: DREAM

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Justin Wilcox - Win via submission (arm bar) - Strikeforce - Playboy Mansion II - September 20, 2008

- vs. Caol Uno - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - DREAM 3: Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals - May 11, 2008

- vs. Bu Kyung Jung - Win via decision (unanimous) - DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round - March 15, 2008

- vs. Gilbert Melendez - Win via decision (unanimous) - Yarennoka: New Year's Eve 2007 - December 31, 2007

- vs. Takanori Gomi - Loss via TKO (strikes) - PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 - December 31, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

-Currently unknown

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Joe Stevenson (29-8)

Height: 5'7

Birthday: June 15, 1982

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Gleison Tibau - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin - July 5, 2008

- vs. BJ Penn - Loss via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 80: Rapid Fire - January 19, 2008

- vs. Kurt Pellegrino - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC 74: Respect - August 25, 2007

- vs. Melvin Guillard - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC Fight Night 9 - April 5, 2007

- vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC 65: Bad Intentions - November 18, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Kenny Florian - UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" - November 15, 2008

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Frank Edgar (9-1)

Height: 5'6

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Hermes Franca - Win via decision (unanimous) - UFC: Fight Night 14 - July 19, 2008

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

- vs. Spencer Fisher - Win via decision (uanimous) - 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

Next scheduled appearance:

- vs. Matt Wiman - UFC Fight Night 16 "UFC Fights For The Troops" - December 10, 2008

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Jamie Varner (15-2)

Height: 5'8

Birthday: December 10, 1984

Currently Fighting With: WEC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Marcus Hicks - Win via TKO (punches) - WEC 35 - August 3, 2008

- vs. Rob McCullough - Win via TKO (punches) - WEC 32 - February 13, 2008

- vs. Sherron Leggett - Win via TKO (strikes) - WEC 29 - August 5, 2007

- vs. Jason Gilliam - Win via submission (rear naked choke) - UFC 68: Uprising - February 3, 2007

- vs. Hermes Franca - Loss via submission (arm bar) - UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral - August 26, 2006

Next scheduled appearance:

-Currently unknown

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Nate Diaz (10-2)

Height: 6'0

Birthday: April 16, 1985

Currently Fighting With: UFC

Last 5 fights:

- vs. Josh Neer - Win via decision (split) - UFC Fight Night 15 - September 17, 2008

- vs. Kurt Pellegrino - Win via submission (triangle choke) - UFC Fight Night 13 - April 2, 2008

- vs. Alvin Robinson - Win via submission (triangle choke) - UFC Fight Night 12 - January 23, 2008

- vs. Junior Assuncao - Win via submission (guillotine choke) - UFC Fight Night 11 - September 19, 2007

- vs. Manvel Gamburyan - Win via submission (shoulder injury) - UFC: Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale - June 23, 2007

Next scheduled appearance:

-Currently unknown