MMA Pound for Pound Top 10

[shelbyvillevol]

With all the title fights lately, I think it would be a good time to discuss who the pound for pound best are in the world of mixed martial arts.

1. Anderson Silva - The guy makes world class fighters look like a novice. His last 2 fights with Belfort and Okami just further solidify this point. His front kick knockout of Belfort was an all-timer that will be on highlight reels for a long time.

2. Jon Jones - Just mega-talented with all the tools to become maybe the most dominant fighter of all time. Still just 24, the guy could be on top for a LONG time.

3. Georges St. Pierre - Most people still put him at #2 over Jones, but the guy doesn't finish fights, which is a big thing in my eyes. Still, his dominance is unquestionable. He's at the point where he almost has to move up in weight if he wants to further cement his legacy.

4. Frankie Edgar - They guy is a natural 145er, but has UFC gold at 155. That's ridiculously good. His latest defeat over Maynard (the only guys that's ever beat him) will get him the due respect he has deserved for a while now.

5. Gilbert Melendez - The casual MMA fan will probably say "Who?" You will be soon to find out. Currently the Strikeforce LW champ, his inclusion into the UFC is rapidly approaching, where I don't expect a drop off in results for him. The guy is legit. So legit, Dana White has basically said he's got a guaranteed title shot in his first UFC bout.

6. Jose Aldo - Had a long run of pure dominance for many years, but has struggled to wow anyone his last couple of fights against Marc Hominick and Kenny Florian. With an impressive performance against an underrated Chad Mendes, he can shoot back up the list.

7. Rashad Evans - I, like many others, don't like the guy, but he has still only lost 1 fight in his career. He is more deserving of a title shot than Machida, but he will get his chance.

8. Cain Velazquez - More of a respect for the title he holds than the fighter himself. He's been on the shelf for a year now, but the brutal way he dispatched Lesnar can't be ignored. I think his fight with Junior Dos Santos is a 50/50 fight. I could see either guy winning.

9. Junior Dos Santos - See #8. Circle November 12 on the calendar. The UFC HW championship fight will be live on FOX. First time the UFC has ever aired on network TV. I would call that must-see TV. It will break all MMA viewership records by a wide margin.

10. Dominick Cruz - Another one that I don't like. (not hard to figure for me, Urijah Faber is my all time favorite) He is kind of #10 by default, because there aren't many that have been that dominant lately. He's got a hand injury that will keep him out for a while, but he will fact the winner of Faber-Bowles next year sometime. Hopefully Faber can take out Bowles, and then get another shot at Cruz.

Also, some guys close to the Top 10 in my book would be Alistair Overeem, "Shogun" Rua, Chael Sonnen, Ben Henderson, Jon Fitch, and Dan Henderson.

 

[n_huffhines]

Jon Jones is the best in my mind. No question. Jones is completely dominating a much more competitive weight class. Middleweights are very weak, IMO.

 

[n_huffhines]

Also, I hate that people say nobody has beat Maynard except Edgar. I don't really know why it doesn't count, but Nate Diaz made Maynard tap in TUF.

 

[shelbyvillevol]

Also, I hate that people say nobody has beat Maynard except Edgar. I don't really know why it doesn't count, but Nate Diaz made Maynard tap in TUF.

I actually meant it as the only man that had ever defeated Frankie Edgar. But I do go by official record. So, in my mind, it was Maynard's first defeat.

And I disagree about Bones being P4P #1 over Anderson. Once he has 10 straight title defenses maybe he will be, but he just hasn't done enough yet. I'm also pandering for the day the 2 fight. That would be infinitely more appealing of a "super fight" than Anderson and GSP would be. GSP would get worked, imo.

 

[VOLinthaNATI]

Also, I hate that people say nobody has beat Maynard except Edgar. I don't really know why it doesn't count, but Nate Diaz made Maynard tap in TUF.

Nate Diaz also beat Maynard 2 years ago in the UFC save the ridiculous scoring by the judges that gave Maynard the split decision.

 

[VOLinthaNATI]

1. Anderson Silva
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Jon Jones
4. Jose Aldo
5. Frankie Edgar
6. Cain Velasquez
7. Junior Dos Santos
8. Gilbert Melendez
9. Dominick Cruz
10. Chael Sonnen

 

[shelbyvillevol]

1. Anderson Silva
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Jon Jones
4. Jose Aldo
5. Frankie Edgar
6. Cain Velasquez
7. Junior Dos Santos
8. Gilbert Melendez
9. Dominick Cruz
10. Chael Sonnen

Not a bad list. Isn't it funny how much changes in MMA in a short period of time. Very few fighters have staying power these days.

 

[Stupified]

^Silva has been an unquestionable #1 for years now though, along with GSP.

There is such a huge gap between the top tier of MMA fighting and the rest of the pack, it's ridiculous.




And just because I never give up a chance to use these gifs:

 

[n_huffhines]

Not a bad list. Isn't it funny how much changes in MMA in a short period of time. Very few fighters have staying power these days.

My theory is that it's because the sport is so new. Training is improving while the talent pool has grown rapidly. In 10 years from now, we'll probably be looking at enough depth in the UFC that Chuck Liddel in his prime would get cut.

 

[n_huffhines]

And I disagree about Bones being P4P #1 over Anderson. Once he has 10 straight title defenses maybe he will be, but he just hasn't done enough yet. I'm also pandering for the day the 2 fight. That would be infinitely more appealing of a "super fight" than Anderson and GSP would be. GSP would get worked, imo.

Rich Franklin was a weak champ, IMO. It's impressive to go 10-0 over any run, but honestly Dan Henderson is the only impressive individual win (for this convo's purposes).

Jones is 14-1 and his only loss was a DQ in which he was dominating. So he's basically 15-0, compared to Silva's 31-3 (Silva lost a 4th on DQ, but I don't know the circumstances). Jones absolutely handled 2 MMA legends. They had zero chance. He might as well have been in the ring with punching bags.

Silva might deserve to be rated higher, because of the run he's made....but if they are the same weight, I'm picking Bones to win right now. No question.

 

[Stupified]

Rich Franklin was a weak champ, IMO. It's impressive to go 10-0 over any run, but honestly Dan Henderson is the only impressive individual win (for this convo's purposes).

Jones is 14-1 and his only loss was a DQ in which he was dominating. So he's basically 15-0, compared to Silva's 31-3 (Silva lost a 4th on DQ, but I don't know the circumstances). Jones absolutely handled 2 MMA legends. They had zero chance. He might as well have been in the ring with punching bags.

Silva might deserve to be rated higher, because of the run he's made....but if they are the same weight, I'm picking Bones to win right now. No question.

Anderson hasn't actually lost a fight in nearly SEVEN years. He was disqualified in a 2006 fight against Okami, who he was beating handily, due to an illegal kick. And just recently he destroyed Okami to redeem that loss. So if you're just going to compare records, then compare Silva's 17-0 since 2005.

 

[n_huffhines]

Anderson hasn't actually lost a fight in nearly SEVEN years. He was disqualified in a 2006 fight against Okami, who he was beating handily, due to an illegal kick. And just recently he destroyed Okami to redeem that loss. So if you're just going to compare records, then compare Silva's 17-0 since 2005.

But I'm not just comparing records. I'm qualifying them. Lately Jones has looked much more dominant against better competition. It's nice that Silva was winning 7 years ago, but so were Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddel. I'm mostly concerned with how they would perform right now, and what Silva did 7 years ago has little bearing (other than the experience factor).

 

[WA_Vol]

^Silva has been an unquestionable #1 for years now though, along with GSP.

There is such a huge gap between the top tier of MMA fighting and the rest of the pack, it's ridiculous.




And just because I never give up a chance to use these gifs:

That is an amazing clip, thanks for posting.