Hit the Mat 02.09.09: And the Best Fighter in the World Is...

Posted by Matt McEwen on 02.09.2009

Look beyond the hype and title belts, look just at the skills of the fighters out there, and there is only one answer to the question, "Who is the best fighter in MMA?"

Last week, I talked about what a great month for MMA fans January truly was. Two UFC cards, a great Affliciton event, a solid WEC event, and three of the consensus top five pound for pound fighters in action, including two taking on each other in one of the few MMA bouts to start transcending sport and become an event unto itself. January was also a month of stories - the GSP/Penn hype and the Vaseline fueled aftermath, the drama of the Donald Cerrone/Jamie Varner WEC title fight, the majesty of Fedor's looping right hand, and the exciting emergence of light heavyweight Jon Jones. Lost in it all though, was probably the biggest story of the month.

So, just what was bigger than all those? How about the coming out party for the best fighter in the sport?

Lyoto Machida laid claim to being the best mixed martial artist on the planet, and this time did it loudly enough that the masses had to take notice (or at least they did until GSP's cornerman proved to be mentally challenged). And yes, I said BEST....as in if I wanted to make my own version of the mythical "Pound for Pound" list, Machida would be on top of it. I can already here the hate mail rolling in on this one, but before you fire off a note telling me how stupid I am, let me make my case.

Prior to the events of the past month, there was a group of three fighters usually considered to be 1a, 1b and 1c on the top of most lists. The choice was usually between Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva, while a few - myself included - would rank Georges St. Pierre on top as well. No matter who the top choice was, these three made up the top of 99% of the lists out there, with BJ Penn and Miguel Torres usually rounding out the top five. After fights involving three of these five in the past month, not much has changed except maybe dropping Penn down a bit after his loss to GSP. So how could I possibly make the case that Machida - who has far fewer fights than the top three and, unlike them, no title belt around his waist - belongs atop that list? The answer is a simple one.

He is the most talented mixed martial artist on the planet, titles do not matter and no one has even come close to figuring him out. And I can not think of anyone who will.

The complaint that was lodged most often at Machida was that he was a "boring" fighter who had no power and could not finish fights. The people who had those complaints expected that his fight with Thiago Silva would expose him and result in his first loss. So much for experts. The Machida that came out for that fight was exactly what Machida has always been - an expert counter puncher who is next to impossible to hit. The only thing that changed was Machida unveiling the power that he usually waits (and sometimes never gets to) reveal. Silva does not have a weak chin, and usually recovers quickly from good shots, but Machida dropped him twice with his precision punching before KOing him with a big right hand with Silva already on his back. It was the only KO of the night, and it was spectacular enough that it should have left a lasting impression on many of the fans watching.

And while that fight was certainly a career highlight, the KO of Silva is far from the most impressive skill Machida has shown inside the Octagon. That skill was on dislpay for the 4:59 prior to the finish of the fight: Machida's ability to make anyone - ANYONE - miss him with their punches, and look ridiculous for even trying to make contact. His awkward looking stance is, to say the least, effective, allowing him to slip out of the way of good strikers and expose weaknesses in others, such as Silva.

Inside of the light heavyweight division, I can not think of a single fighter right now who I would pick over Machida. An underrated wrestler and a physically strong man, Machida is nightmare match up for just about anyone in the division:

Chuck Liddell: It would be a slow fight, but in the end it would look a lot like Machida/Silva and Liddell/Evans, in that Liddell's looping punching style would eventually cause him to open up too much and get picked apart by a superior counter puncher. The only benefit for the UFC in making this fight would be to give Machida a boost, but a win over Liddell doesn't mean what it did 18 months ago.

Forrest Griffin: The jack of all trades, master of none is usually able to expose and exploit the weaknesses of his opponents, but he would run into a problem as Machida has no glaring weaknesses. Compounding that is that he is better at every aspect of the game than Griffin is. Keep in mind that I think Griffin is an elite level fighter.

Rashad Evans: He might be the champ right now, but he is the second best fighter in the division. While he has the power to be a threat to anyone, I can not see Machida playing into his counter punching style, instead peppering away and waiting for a chance to finish.

Rampage Jackson: Rampage is another elite level fighter who I do not see causing Machida much problems. Jackson has preferred to keep fights standing lately, using his crisp counter punching to dissect Wanderlei Silva and create a fight of the year contender against Griffin. Counter punching a superior counter punching will A)create a technical, slow paced bout and B)result in a Machida victory. Jackson is hittable, and Machida would hit him.

That is the three top fighters in the division, and a legendary name....all of which I would make big underdogs to Machida. In the toughest division in the sport, THAT is dominance.

Yes, Fedor is great. Yes, GSP is amazing. Yes, Silva is spectacular. But each one of them has been in trouble, each one takes damage in their fights and each one can be beaten.

But, based purely on skill, Machida stands head and shoulders above each of them.