Sherdog's Pound for Pound MMA Rankings

Who's the best regardless of weight class? That's what P4P rankings are for. I tend to like Sherdog's rankings but, as everyone knows, this is obviously a subjective endeavor. This list does not take into account the most recent bouts that occurred last week which included BJ Penn, Uriah Faber and Miguel Torres. Some will be putting BJ near the top, but I don't think he deserves to move past the #5 spot YET, but with a big win over a GSP or a Gomi and I'll let anyone put him in the top 5 (even 3?). Anyway, check it out:

GSP Moves Up P4P List, But Not to Top



April 25, 2008

It was a slow month for the 10 fighters on the Sherdog pound-for-pound ranking. Only one, Georges St. Pierre (Pictures), competed. His dismantling of Matt Serra (Pictures) avenged a shocking defeat from one year ago, and continued the momentum he's seized since losing the UFC welterweight title. In regaining the belt, GSP moved passed Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) on the list. Outside of that, it remains unchanged.

1. Anderson Silva (21-4)
Silva, the UFC middleweight champion, owns this perch until further notice. During his dismantling of Dan Henderson (Pictures) on March 1, the 31-year-old Brazilian showed all aspects of his game en route to the first tapout to a choke of Henderson's career. Japan's Yushin Okami (Pictures) appears to be Silva's next UFC challenger, yet the 185-pound "Spider" has voiced more of an interest in boxing Roy Jones Jr.

2. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (28-6)
"Rampage" sits firmly in the second spot, a couple notches behind Silva. While a case could be made that the 29-year-old UFC light heavyweight champion belongs at the top following victories over Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Dan Henderson, "Spider" Silva's destruction of Hendo makes Jackson's five-round decision win against the Greco-Roman Olympian appear less impressive. Jackson, however, has dominated since coming to the UFC, and he will get his highest profile fight as champion when he defends against Forrest Griffin (Pictures) this summer.

3. Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (16-2)
The 26-year-old French Canadian moves up one spot with his dismantling of Matt Serra in his home city of Montreal. St. Pierre could be considered the most dominant fighter in MMA if he handles Jon Fitch (Pictures) later this year and continues to impose himself on the welterweight division. Talk would then turn to a potential superfight between GSP and "The Spider."

4. Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) (27-1, 1 NC)
Negative press based on his inactivity having been weathered, the previous leader of this list gets back to business July 19 against former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures). A dominant performance would immediately put the 31-year-old Emelianenko back in contention for the top spot, and quiet critics who suggested he was never as good as advertised. Should he lose, however, the Russian's stock would take a severe blow.

5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) (31-4-1, 1 NC)
If not for Fedor, "Minotauro" would be regarded as the top heavyweight in MMA history. As it stands, the 31-year-old Brazilian holds onto No. 5 as he waits for his next challenge. The victory over Tim Sylvia for the "interim" UFC heavyweight crown offered fans who had not followed Nogueira's career during or after his championship reign in Pride a chance to see just how tough and technical he is. Heavyweight defections from the UFC could limit how far Nogueira can rise on this list, however.

6. Urijah Faber (Pictures) (20-1)
Currently standing as World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, Faber's near perfect record and ability to connect with fans immediately made him the best known mixed martial artist under 145 pounds. The aggressive wrestler, who turns 29 in May, has worked diligently on rounding out his game with an improved focus on standup and submission. Faber's next challenge comes June 1 in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif., against former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver (Pictures).

7. Takanori Gomi (Pictures) (28-3, 1 NC)
Japan's perennial lightweight king earned his first victory since Dec. 31, 2006, with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig (Pictures) on March 5. Gomi's overall record is impressive, yet his recent inactivity has angered many fans that feel he's failed to fight the best in the division. The fact of the matter, however, remains that Gomi, 29, owns wins over the bulk of top-division talent. A rematch versus B.J. Penn (Pictures) or bouts with other viable 155-pound fighters would go a long way in answering questions over Gomi's spirit to fight. His next chance to prove his place comes in June.

8. Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures) (17-1, 1 NC)
After establishing himself as a top featherweight, "Kid" jumped to K-1 three years ago and moved up to lightweight for payday purposes. Along the way he happened to become a superstar in Japan, where he picked up some solid wins. Yamamoto, now 31, stopped Rani Yahya (Pictures) on New Year's Eve, showing once again how explosive he can be. Fighting at a more natural weight (near 135 pounds), Yamamoto could be a quick riser on this list if he is matched with quality opposition. His next bout comes this summer against an undetermined opponent.

9. B.J. Penn (Pictures) (12-4-1)
While "The Prodigy" has always had P4P talent, inconsistent performances and confusing excursions into far-too-heavy weight divisions kept him off this list. Having settled in nicely at 155 pounds, Penn has brought the sort of technical dominance that has many fans and fighters alike calling the Hawaiian the best fighter in the sport. Fighting Sean Sherk (Pictures) on May 24, Penn, 29, has the opportunity to bust into the top three, including the very real possibility that he would challenge Anderson Silva for the top spot if he dominates the steroid-tainted former UFC lightweight champion.

10. Miguel Torres (Pictures) (32-1)
Torres is the reason lists like this exist. Recognizing talent across all weight divisions, Torres is the first 135-pounder to make his presence felt. Toiling in obscurity before the bantamweight class was featured in the United States by World Extreme Cagefighting, Torres captured an organizational championship title with a masterful effort versus Chase Beebe (Pictures). The 27-year-old fighter from East Chicago, Ind., offered a varied and high-paced submission attack before catching Beebe in one of the best submissions this year. Torres defends his title for the first time June 1 versus Yoshiro Maeda (Pictures).

UFC 85 Official Homepage now LIVE

THere may not be a title fight, but who cares? This card is rock solid. So, where are we watching it? Walter?

85.UFC.com

UFC 84 STIRS UP LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT RANKINGS

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

These are Sherdog's world wide MMA rankings for LHW and notice that EVERY fighter is currently in the UFC. It may not be a one pony show, but there's obviously one MAIN pony in MMA and its name is UFC.

Do you agree with Machida at #2? How 'bout the rest of the rankings?

1. Quinton Jackson (Pictures) (29-6-0)
Currently starring in the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," "Rampage" has provided high-quality television thus far. Here's hoping for a high-quality bout in the season's culmination on July 5, when Jackson defends his UFC title against opposing coach Forrest Griffin (Pictures).

2. Lyoto Machida (Pictures) (13-0-0)
Many questioned how MMA's proudest karateka would fare against a strong, experienced wrestler. Machida passed that test with flying colors, dominating Tito Ortiz (Pictures) over three rounds and emerging as the presumptive challenger to face the winner of July's Rampage-Griffin clash. With his dominant display, and the falls of Henderson and Jardine, Machida rises from seventh to second.

3. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) (15-4-0)
Griffin has gone from TUF competitor to coach, as he leads his team against Quinton Jackson (Pictures)'s on the seventh season of the show. However, what's more important is the buildup to July's light heavyweight title clash, which should pull big numbers for Zuffa and the UFC. Griffin rises from fourth to third with the slips of Jardine and Henderson.

4. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (21-5)
A badly torn hamstring has put Liddell on the shelf and cancelled his main event bout with Rashad Evans (Pictures) for June's UFC 85 card in London. Already entering the twilight of his career, the injury certainly isn't a good sign for one of MMA's most battle-tested veterans. Nonetheless, Liddell rises one spot to fourth.

5. Mauricio Rua (Pictures) (16-3-0)
After injuring his knee and stumbling in his UFC debut, it seemed "Shogun" had hit rock bottom. Then, with a big fight against Chuck Liddell (Pictures) looming, disaster struck again when Rua injured the same knee that had been surgically repaired just months before. There is a small silver lining: with the stumbles of Jardine and Henderson, Rua rises from sixth to fifth.

6. Dan Henderson (Pictures) (22-6-0)
He was torn up in his 185-pound title bout against Anderson Silva and his next move is uncertain. However, if Dan Henderson (Pictures) returns to the 205-pound division, there will be no shortage of interesting matchups -- although there may be a shortage of easy ones. In the mean time, inactivity sees Henderson drop from second to sixth in the red-hot light heavyweight division.

7. Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (32-8-1, 1 NC)
If an impressive victory was needed to quell talks of whether "The Axe Murderer" was over the hill, that was exactly what was delivered in his 36-second blitzkrieg of Keith Jardine (Pictures). With the vintage Silva victory, the Brazilian rises from eighth to seventh.

8. Keith Jardine (Pictures) (13-4-1)
After knocking off Chuck Liddell (Pictures), Jardine had the opportunity to defeat the two greatest light heavyweights in the sport's history when he entered the Octagon for his May 24 bout with Wanderlei Silva (Pictures). Instead, Jardine was ripped apart and brutally dispatched in 36 seconds. With the demoralizing defeat, Jardine falls from third to eighth.

9. Rashad Evans (Pictures) (11-0-1)
After "Shogun" injured his knee a second time, Evans was moved into the main event role against Chuck Liddell (Pictures) only to see Liddell suffer a hamstring injury that forced him to pull out. Evans will now get a softer touch, when he takes on James Irvin (Pictures) on the card.

10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures) (5-2-0)
Sokoudjou restored some measure of his hype, handling a quality opponent in Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures) and stopping him at the end of the first frame. Although Africa's top mixed martial artist may still continue to fight talk of his 2007 wins being flukes, the UFC's 205-pound division should prove to be the acid test for the Cameroonian.

WEC Fights Were Great

The WEC fights on versus tonight were great (the WEC is owned by Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC and is one of the best non-UFC MMA orgs out there along with DREAM, IMHO).

I didn't see the whole card, BUT I did see the title fight between Pulver and Faber and it lived up to the hype for the most part. I won't give away what happened since you can catch it on rerun, but here are the results if you want 'em.

Dana trashes Elite XC on CBS (and I agree with him)

More on the CBS Elite XC debacle...

James Iannotti over at MMAMania wrote a great article that spells out why the debut of Elite XC's mixed martial arts debut on CBS was so terrible. The sad thing is that although I don't care much for EliteXC, I do care about MMA and I wanted to see mature, athletic competitions and this whole thing was a nightmare. I do know someone who's happy about it: Dana White.

Anyway, follow the link below to the article on why CBS' "Saturday Night Fights" were a travesty:

Opinion: Elite XC recap for ‘Primetime’ CBS ‘Saturday Night Fights’

By: James Iannotti

Controversy — a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion. Is there a better word to describe Elite XC’s “Saturday Night Fights”?

EliteXC on CBS.....an ABOMINATION!

What a terrible night for MMA in my opinion. I feel like I have to do damage control now with my friends and acquaintances who know I'm into MMA. I don't have much time or energy to write at this time, but suffice to say for now that despite some flashes of decency, MMA's debut on national TV was just bad: dancing girls, rappers, fighters not making weight, the one good fight being stopped early, Kimbo barely finishing a terrible fighter and pretty much everything and anything you don't want directly associated with MMA was showcased like an overweight clown lady with zitty skin in skimpy clothes being paraded across a stage. And Phil Baroni's entrance....I don't even want to talk about it.

At least I had a good time tonight with a small group of friends and family watching some great MMA off my old Dish DVR which I'm sending back soon since we've now got fiber optic through ATT&T. I hooked up the Dish to the TV and played all of the DREAM and UFC stuff I have recorded off the HDD.

Signin' off!

King of the Cage DOUBLE KNOCKOUT (KO)

I keep hearing about this and I finally found it. It just happened a few weeks ago.

http://view.break.com/509146 - Watch more free videos

UFC 84 animated GIF

If you don't see anything of 84, at least check out these mini-highlights:

BJ Penn finishes off Sherk at the end of 3:


Wanderlei destroys Jardine in seconds:



Lyoto Machida delivers a big knee to Tito Ortiz's liver:



Tito Ortiz almost pulls off the upset near the end of round 3:


War Machine gets choked out by Yoshida

Ramblings on UFC 84, Kimbo Slice, Tito Ortiz and more

From: The Baltimore Sun (online)

Ramblings will be a semi-regular feature. Short quips, quick links, news tidbits, shameless self-promotion for an interview coming Thursday: it's all here. There's just a lot to get to this week with UFC 84 fallout and the biggest event in MMA history this Saturday.

UFC 84: The biggest thing I took away from UFC 84 was Wanderlei Silva holding Keith Jardine down by the throat and destroying him with right hands. That was eerily reminiscent of a fighter I used to follow who, incidentally, also went by the name Wanderlei Silva ... hmmm. I’d love to see him take down UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson again. That will take some time, though.

Wanderlei Silva: The Silva fight was the biggest thing to take away from Saturday's event because we all already knew B.J. Penn was a better fighter than Sean Sherk and that Machida was “elusive” enough to decision Ortiz.

Tito vs. the UFC: The weirdest thing to come from UFC 84 was the brouhaha in the news conference. Tito shows up, claims he is banned. UFC PR-types kick him out. Jenna Jameson makes him stay. Ortiz is allowed to talk for a few minutes before the news conference. That is immediately stopped. Media gets angry. Four uniformed cops come into the room. Ortiz is then allowed to stay for the news conference. I’ll have more on this next week, but definitely a weird situation. Even without being there myself, I have to say it’s completely ridiculous to involve the police officers like this. Maybe there’s more to it.

UFC 87: More news on UFC 87. UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will be defending his title against Jon Fitch in the main event now, which should be a decent fight. Brock Lesnar will be facing Heath Herring, which is a much more compelling matchup than Mark Coleman.

EliteXC: EliteXC’s moment of truth comes this Saturday. If people don’t tune in, it could pretty much mean the end of the company. The entire MMA-world has a lot riding on this event as it will be the first exposure to MMA for a lot of casual sports fans. Kimbo Slice is getting a push in the mainstream media similar to Chuck Liddell’s before he lost to Rampage at UFC 71. The main difference is Kimbo’s wave of popularity will continue and he'll win because he’s fighting a member of the Washington Generals (well, actually James Thompson), whereas Liddell fought one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts. More on this later in the week. In the meantime, an interesting article from Sherdog on whether or not Slice is ready for the spotlight.

Gus Johnson: Speaking of EliteXC’s big event Saturday, we will have an exclusive interview with CBS broadcaster Gus Johnson coming later this week. Some interesting stuff here, including what his dad said to him when he found out he was calling the event and his preparations for broadcasting the action.

Kimbo's opponent: Hey, that guy Kimbo Slice is fighting actually has opinions and stuff. I just hope he can get his glass jaw fixed in time for the fight.

The WEC: The WEC has a huge fight on Sunday night on Versus at 9 p.m., as Urijah Faber takes on Jens Pulver. That will be a tremendous fight. There’s nothing more that needs to be said on the event, so here’s a tremendous feature on Jens Pulver from CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel.

Posted by Mark Chalifoux on May 28, 2008 12:16 AM | Permalink

MMA: Can Fedor-Sylvia Fight Beat UFC?

by Jason Foucha

May 28, 2008

This article has not been edited yet.

A lot of people are looking forward to the Affliction: Banned card that is being held on July 19. When it was scheduled for Dallas, my buddies and I were planning to drive 3.5 hours to see it.

We were saddened to learn that they lost the venue and it has since moved to Cali.

Here is the one problem I see with the card: I think it is at the wrong time.

There's talk of Arlovski joining the card, which would be great. You have Fedor vs. Sylvia. Everyone's dying to see Fedor fight again after dismantling Choi the Giant.

You have got the legendary Pedro Rizzo taking on another legend in Josh Barnett. You have Matt "The Law" Lindland fighting, and you have Babalu fighting Mike Whitehead of TUF2 fame.

You also have "Little Fedor", as I call him, Aleksander fighting on the preliminary card.

This all sounds great. A lot of fans have the mindset of "OMG! I CANT WAIT! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!!!"

But there is one thing most casual fans, and some hardcore fans, aren't realizing.

Let me break it down for you:

July 5 - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin (Light Heavyweight Title)

July 19 - Affliction: Banned

Aug. 9 - UFC 87: Seek and Destroy aka ST PIERRE VS. FITCH (Welterweight Title)

Do you see the problem?

UFC PPV's are $55 apiece, and how many fans have been waiting for this fight between Rampage and Forrest? THERE'S A WHOLE TUF SEASON BUILT AROUND IT. People have been debating the outcome of this for months!

What about UFC 87? How many people love watching St. Pierre fight? A LOT! (Hell, my dad even orders the PPV's to watch this guy fight, and that's about the only time he watches it.)

So in a span of 35 days, the UFC is giving us two can't miss PPV events. Let me do the math for you. 55+55=110. 110 Dollars. These days that's filling up your Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla twice.

So Affliction wants us to pay another large sum (I looked up DirectTV and they did not have the price listed yet for the ppv). My guess is it will be in the $40-$60 range. So we will say another $55 to make it a nice math problem. They are banking on you being willing to spend $55 three times in 35 days.

That, my friends, is $165, just on PPV. For some of you, that's your MMA lesson for a month. For you Corolla and Civic Drivers, say goodbye to three fillups at the pump. For the Truck Drivers and SUV drivers, that's like a half a tank at this point.

Now don't think I've forgotten about the fact that a lot of people go to bars and clubs to watch these events. I hate to tell you, but unless you'll start petitioning now, your bar probably won't carry Affliction, because it does not have the UFC label, and thus its a risk some bars aren't going to want to take.

Will I be watching Affliction? Probably not. I'm a waiter and a student. What's the busiest night for waiters? Saturday night. And I know I'm not going to work only two Saturdays in five weeks. That's losing a lot of money. I'll sacrifice the Affliction card to watch the two PPV's with title fights. Sorry, but that's how it boils down for me.

The UFC and Ancillary Rights

This article comes at you from BloodyElbow.com and is about ancillary rights, ancillah what? Basically, a guy in the NFL plays well and gets money not only from his contract with the NFL team, but from action figures, cereal boxes, etc. but a guy in the UFC like, say, Randy Couture, gets only the money from the UFC and they own him, his image, etc. like slave. So...maybe Tito Ortiz isn't so crazy. OK, he's crazy, but I think you know what I'm sayin'.

I Told You The UFC Gives The Finger to Ancillary Rights

by Luke Thomas on May 28, 2008 11:07 AM EDT in News

Maybe Tito Ortiz isn't so crazy after all :

However, it is also important to consider the other revenue streams not included in the above revenue estimates, including: closed circuit television, DVDs, video games, television rights fees, sponsorships, advertising, on-demand new media purchases, and other merchandising. Many of these revenue sources rely on the infamous ancillary rights clause found in the company's standard contract. Per the clause, fighters essentially sign away the rights to their likeness and are not entitled to any compensation when it is used. The clause has been a source of contention in the company's disputes with Randy Couture and Ortiz.

...

For the sake of comparison, in a testament to the power of collective bargaining, the percentage share of gross revenue player's receive in other major sports: 59% in the NFL, 57% in the NBA, 55.6% in the NHL, and 53% in MLB.

As this sport grows and develops, I suspect the creation of a fighters' union will happen. There will be too much money and too many opportunities for young, talented fighters to not use the law, lawyers and agents to maximize their earning potential. It's happened in other sports (now a staple) and despite some of the constraints on them given the professional wrestling business model, I suspect collective bargaining to absolutely be a thing of the future.

So while I commend the UFC for paying more than many of their competitors and producing excellent events like UFC 84, I must also say it's hard to believe Zuffa makes fighters waive their rights to their own likeness to line the company's pockets. Shameful.

CBS to Show EliteXC on May 31st at 7PM

Don't forget, this should be good (Kimbo Slice, etc.) and it's the first time MMA will be live on National TV!

Elite XC “Saturday Night Fights” is set to go off live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., this Saturday, May 31 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Faber vs. Pulver WEC Featherwieght Title

These guys are both dynamite at 145 although I'm going to have to give the advantage to the younger Faber although I like Pulver. He's an older guy and despite how he's put forth in this fight, he's a nice guy. This could be fight of the year. It's on the Versus network which I don't have YET (I'm switching to AT&T's Fiber Optic tech package). In case you don't know, Zuffa LLC, the company who runs the UFC, owns the WEC. It focuses more on the featherweight guys and many fighters from the UFC move "down" (they'd like you to believe they mover "over") to the WEC if they drop a few fights but they don't want to lose them as fighters.

June 1st

UFC 84 at the Todd Pad and Michael Jackson at UFC 84!!!???

You can read an official recap of UFC 84 below but in terms of our little party at my place, we had a lot of fun. We had about a dozen people over here at one point including Donald Cox and his wife Suzanne, Matty, Ned, Wes, Ryan, Dave T and his bro-in-law, Raphael, Alvin, Ceasar, Ezra and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone...anyway, at times people were sitting on the floor so I guess it's time to get some gamer chairs or bean bags or something or a bigger house. The spicy nacho dip was good but apparently produced serious gas in those who ate it. Also, remember all those cookies I gave out guys, the healthy ones people liked? Well, those were supposed to be for my wife's Sunday school kids...oops!

The fights were great. It wasn't the best card I've ever seen, but there was actually only one televised decision, the rest of the fights were (T)KOs or subs. The Penn fight lived up up to the hype and despite the questionable stoppage, if you watch it over again slowly, Sherk was definitely in big trouble as he was taking shots to the face with his hands down and it seems like the ref was wise not to let it continue.

All in all it was a great night. Thanks to everyone who pitched in. I got enough to cover the pay per view which is really cool and I truly appreciate it.

Until next time!

Check out upcoming UFC events HERE. If anyone's interested in having the fights at their place, let us know.

Oh, one more thing and this is FOR REAL (from mmamania.com):

‘Michael Jackson enjoys cage fighting!’ at UFC 84

By: MMAmania

Criss Angel no longer holds the distinction as the oddest “celebrity” mixed martial arts fan:

Here’s more from TMZ.com:

“MJ rolled up to the event in a wheelchair, just in time to watch Tito Ortiz get smacked around … that is, if he could see anything through those ridiculously blacked out shades.”

Speechless.