Josh Sanchez provides his thoughts on the top P4P fighters today in a guest editorial for MMA HQ.
The best pound for pound fighter—lists like these always spark a debate.
There is no exact science, and that’s why people can get overly offended and defensive when discussing such a thing.
You have to look at the fighter’s dominance in their own division. This isn’t matching up guys saying who could beat who, it’s a list compiling the most dominant fighters in the sport, regardless of their weight.
It’s hard to pick ten, but enjoy the guys I have picked as the best mixed martial artists in the world.
Honorable Mentions:
Shinya Aoki (DREAM), Jake Shields (Strikeforce), Yushin Okami (UFC), Dan Henderson (UFC), Josh Barnett (Affliction), Shogun Rua (UFC), Rashad Evans (UFC), Jose Aldo (WEC)
10. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson – UFC
Record: 30-7-0
Rampage Jackson is a fan favorite. He will always say and do what he wants. He’s very charismatic and he makes his presence known everywhere he goes.
Jackson is 4-1 in his last five fights. In that time, Rampage has some impressive victories over top guys like Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, and Dan Henderson. His only loss in that time was to Forrest Griffin.
Rampage is set to coach season ten of the Ultimate Fighter against Rashad Evans. The two will fight after the show with the winner facing either Lyoto Machida or Shogun Rua for the title.
9. Mike Brown – WEC
Record: 22-4-0
Mike Brown is the current featherweight champion in the WEC. He hasn’t lost since December of 2005, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
His most recent bout was a rematch against Urijah Faber. The match was a Fight of the Year candidate, and it proved that Mike Brown’s first victory over Faber was no fluke.
Brown has no shortage of competition in the division. There are guys like Wagnney Fabiano and Jose Aldo who are ready to step in and fight. With this level of competition, Brown can either keep climbing the rankings or lose his spot in the top ten.
One thing is for sure—Brown is an incredible fighter, and there’s no shortage of excitement in his fights.
8. Gegard Mousasi – DREAM/Affliction
Record: 25-2-1
Gegard Mousasi is no question one of the best fighters in the world. It is just a shame that he doesn’t get the publicity that he deserves.
Mousasi holds an impressive 25-2-1 record and he is just 23 years of age. He is a former DREAM and Cage Warriors middleweight champion, but he is currently fighting in the light-heavyweight division and potentially will end up a heavyweight.
Mousasi would be a star signing to any organization. His next fight is at Affliction: Trilogy where he will be facing Renato “Babalu” Sobral and then he will face Sokoudjou in October at DREAM 12.
If you don’t already know Mousasi, go out and look him up. He will be a household name in the future.
7. BJ Penn – UFC
Record: 13-5-1
BJ Penn has his hands full these next few fights. After dabbling in the welterweight division only to get destroyed by Georges St. Pierre, Penn is returning to the division that calls him champion.
His next fight is against Kenny Florian next month in Philadelphia. If Penn can retain his belt he is likely looking at a match against the always-dangerous Diego Sanchez.
Penn is a legend in the sport. His jiu-jitsu is phenomenal, but he needs to keep training hard to stay in the mixed martial arts elite. The rest of the lightweight division is coming hard.
6. Nick Diaz – Strikeforce
Record: 20-7-0
Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz is one of the best fighters in the world. His boxing is textbook, and his ground game is world-class.
Diaz is riding a five-fight winning streak, and will fight Joe Riggs for the Strikeforce welterweight title on August 15th.
Diaz is often looked at as a villian in the sport. His antics before, during, and after fights often get his opponents off their game. A lot of people may not like his attitude, but you can’t deny his skill. His only setback is his marijuana usage.
If he could stay drug free, he could wind up back in the UFC for a potential fight with Georges St. Pierre. It’s purely speculation, but the match would be incredibly technical, and an all-time great.
5. Ryoto “Lyoto” Machida – UFC
Record: 15-0-0
Lyoto Machida has never lost, or been hurt, during a mixed martial arts fight. Machida is a karate wizard, and his style is so unique and unpredictable that it has catapulted him into fame.
Machida is currently the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight Champion after his impressive knockout win over Rashad Evans.
When you look through his record and see wins over Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, and Rashad Evans, you know Machida’s for real.
He’s the most intelligent fighter currently in the sport. He’s the champ in a loaded division, and this will only help him show his dominance.
In his next fight, Machida will face Shogun Rua for the title, and if he can win, he will face the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson.
What we are witnessing with Machida is magical; don’t take his skill for granted.
4. Fedor Emelianenko – Affliction
Record: 30-1-0 (1 NC)
At every UFC event, you hear the chants of “Fedor, Fedor, Fedor,” and it looks like soon, the fans will be getting their wish. UFC President Dana White has said that the organization will sign Fedor.
There is no denying the talent. Fedor is a monster with a record of 30-1 (1 NC), his only loss being filled with controversy.
Fedor’s Sambo and Judo skills are some of the best in the world, and it translates to him being the most feared heavyweight.
He has an upcoming match with Josh Barnett that will headline Affliction: Trilogy. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see where Fedor winds up.
3. Georges St. Pierre – UFC
Record: 19-2-0
Georges St. Pierre is a physical freak. He’s got incredible conditioning, and he’s one of the best wrestlers in the sport.
St. Pierre is 9-1 in his last ten fights, and his last two wins have come in dominating fashion. He’s shown the ability to control where the fight goes and get the win.
There’s no competition for St. Pierre inside the UFC’s welterweight division, so everyone would like to see him fight Anderson Silva. If this fight is to happen, it would be one of the best in the sport’s history.
2. Miguel Angel Torres – WEC
Record: 37-1-0
Miguel Torres, the WEC Batamweight Champion, is one of the most under-appreciated fighters. He has won 17 straight fights and has not lost a bout since 2003.
A lot of people want to discredit Torres’ accomplishments because the “135 division isn’t that strong,” but when you steamroll through everyone like Torres has, you are clearly a top-tier fighter.
Torres has unorthodox and incredible Muay Thai and if you take him to the ground he will beat you with his black-belt BJJ game.
WEC 42 in August against Brian Bowles is where Torres will next defend his title. If he runs through another opponent, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a Mike Brown vs. Miguel Torres fight in the future.
1. Anderson Silva – UFC
Record: 24-4-0
Anderson Silva does it like no one else. He is slick, intelligent, and unbelievably accurate.
Silva has a ten-fight win streak, and his only loss since 2004 was by DQ after an illegal kick.
People have criticized Silva after his last two fights, but he’s not to blame. He stays on his game and just picks apart his opponents. They have no answer for him.
Silva remains at the top of the sport. He will fight Forrest Griffin next month in Philadelphia as he tries to pick apart the 205 division like he does his own.
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tom b
Ben Cartlidge
Shawn Smith
JStein
StuDog
LaM
Angelina
i see things a bit differently but one thing that really stands out to me is Torres, i dont think he belongs anywhere near the top 10 P4P fighters in the world. Same with Faber, Brown and other guys who fight in weak divisions, can say they are great fighters and they dominate their divisions, but how can you put someone like Torres above Fedor?
Fedor has fought and beaten the best HW fighters in the world, who were ex champs and are highly touted in their respective forms of combat.
Who has Torres beat?
Reminds me of when you were on the Huerta bandwagon, great fighter, but he wasnt fighting anyone for it to make any difference regardless of his record. I gained more respect for him with his win over Guida and his loss to Kenny than i had for his whole career before that.
Torres IS a great fighter, but until hes put to a real test, i cant see him in the top 10 let alone #2 above guys like Fedor, GSP and BJ.
I didn’t write this article, btw.
And I still think Huerta is a strong lightweight. Definitely not best of the bunch but can compete with the top guys.
oh sorry Doc, well then my comment is directed to Josh Sanchez, please explain the Torres thing to me..
About Huerta, i think hes a hell of a lightweight too! but ive never had him on my P4P list and some people did when he was still fighting in a weak division, same goes for Faber, and now Brown seems to be the “fashionable” guy to put on the P4P list.
bvrasp, I have Torres at the top due to his absolute domination up until the Mizugaki fight. There is no doubt that Fedor is one of the world’s best, but I feel that he has become more of a myth and legend when people talk about him. You rarely get a non-biased point of view. The bantamweight division is really underrated and Torres doesn’t get the respect he deserves from it.
Fedor hasn’t fought anyone recently with any respectable skill. Sure they are former champs, but look at how their next fight went. After the Barnett fight, I will feel more comfortable putting Fedor back in the top three, until then I stand by my decision to have the severely undervalued Torres in the top two.
If the chance does present itself for him to take on Mike Brown, there is no question in my mind that Torres will dispose of him. He has brilliant stand-up and a all-world ground game.
ok Josh, well i have Fedor as #1 i will adress the Fedor thing briefly because your right in the bias point of view sense and we could go on about Fedor all day hehe.
Fedors beat everyone man, with the exception of Josh and Randy, if he beat both of them, people will still say hes overrated until he beats Lesnar, then who knows.. lashley or whoever else the current champ might be. The point is historically, hes fought a whos who of both top 10 japanese and american MMA fighters, hes beat everyone hes ever faced (i hate always adding the little asterix on his record of NC). So without going into anymore detail to keep it brief, lets just say hes accomplished one whole hell of alot in this sport. Legend or Myth, his list of victims speaks for itself.
Now on to Torres, you said the bantam weight is really underrated, umm.. who are you talking about at 135? Torres biggest wins are Mizugaki and Chase Beebe, and theyre not A level fighters by a longshot… you tell me what top level fighters Torres has beat and who you think is underrated at 135. In my opinion its a weak division and hes a big fish in a small pond, its not that hard to look impressive against sub par opposition.
heres a basketball analogy, i know guys who you could swear were NBA material when theyre crossing guys and dunking on peoples heads, but theyre playing scrubs man. So who knows if they could even HANG with the guys in the NBA, let alone putting them above guys like Jordan, etc..
Mike Brown? why? because he beat Faber? ok I thought pound for pound meant most well rounded, if weight wasn’t a factor and they all weighed the same who would win. I agree with Anderson as #1 We all saw Fedors weakness in technical stand up with Arlovski. SIlva would kill him. I wouldn’t have GSP so high he doesn’t even finish fights anymore. rather than rampage I would probably put Aoki as 10. Bj should be lower even though i love him. I agree with Torres hes awesome. I don’t know enough about Gerard to comment. so all in all good attempt at pund for pound rankings.
if anyone hasnt looked spectacular lately its silva his last two fights have been boring as hell and both those guys i dont even think were even top ten fighters anyway,fedor number one then gsp then silva
the problem with the whole pound for pound thing is that is is/was/will be a hypothetical match that decides the order of the list, and in that case it makes it totally open to your own opinions and biases. its very unlikely any two of us will come up with the exact same list because my opinion about if a 135lbs. version of Fedor could beat Torres IS going to be at least somewhat different then yours. peoples “rules” about how they pick there pound for pound list also differ from person to person, so there is even more reason its hard to agree with someones list. all in all its a personal thing and there is really no pound for pound list that means anything.
well said RJ, i could agree with you more, i dont put much stock in a persons P4P list myself, but sometimes you see something that makes you speak up hehe. Like if someone had Kimbo on a P4P list, just too ridiculous not to respond, but thats just me.
Kimbo IS on a pound for pound list, hes number 1 on the awesomest chest hair just edging out Chuck Norris by a…… hair? lol.
Just because Torres hasn’t fought any top names (yet) doesn’t mean does not deserve to be high on this list. Come on, look at this guy’s style of fighting! Do you think he will be less aggresive if you could put him against BJ or GSP because they are famous? Nonesense, I hope some day Miguel Angel Torres will go up two weight divisions and demonstrate is uncomparable talent. Another fighter who will sooner or later be on the top of this list is Mr. Jon (bones) Jones. Okay, go ahead and critize that…
Like i said before Cez, its alot easier to look good against sup par opposition. Until Torres beats someone.. ANYONE whos even near a top 10 list, he will just be a good fighter in my book, not a great one.
i think machida should be number 2. he has destoyed someone who has put total destruction on chuck liddel,and forrest griffin, and has beat many others. and lets not forget his win over tiago silva. i have never even heard of the the number 2 guy. ive seen fedor fight and he didnt seem that great when he comes to the ufc and beats brock or shane carwin then i will give him more respect. anderson silva deserves the number one spot easily. because he has had the title so long and has destoyed so many people.and if machida did not get number 2 ( because george st piere probly deserves it more) he should at least get number 3. and one last thing, machida is unbeaten unlike any other great fighter. and his fighting style is fun too watch, unless you like his opponent
your opinion seems to be coming from a UFC bias stand point, and also seems like you dont know much about MMA outside of UFC. there is a good reason most people have Fedor at #1 or very close to it, to say that Fedor needs to beat a 4-1 fighter to earn respect is a little backwards. as i said before pound for pound rankings are all subjective, everyones is going to be a bit different, but one thing almost all will agree with is that Fedor is/was/and will be one of the very greatest fighters to ever compete. Lyoto will get there someday im sure, just not yet.
i agree with you 100% RJ, even though (as you said) p4p lists are subjective, theres no denying your reasoning here. Lyoto is an awesome fighter, but it takes time..
I can’t disagree there. Up until a week ago, I would have had an issue with anyone ranked #1 other than Fedor. But, after all this…Barnett is kinda up there but KO’ing a washed-up dinosaur like Pedro Rizzo doesn’t really impress me much. Like many MMA fans this week, I’ve lost a ton of respect for Fedor, at least until he destroys his next opponent and becomes relevant again.
However, I still think the UFC could have made this one exception to co-promote let him come in and see what Brock does to him. In the end, the UFC has just as much fear of having their champ lose to Fedor as M-1 has in Fedor not wanting to fight UFC guys.
you right Amir, and thats why they wont make the exception for Fedor and thats why they havent in the past. If they were positive they could beat Fedor, they would give him one big fight, crush him and toss him out. That would put to rest all the fans belief in Fedor and they could be done with the aggrevation.
Ofcourse, if Fedor whooped their #1 guy and walked away that would further solidify the idea that Fedor is the best and the UFC doesnt have him. Its a fight and anything can happen thats why they are smart for never risking that.
Instead, they made Fedor a great offer and made everything besides the actual numbers known to the public, so the fans can think Fedor is a coward and crush his fanbase that way.
1 lyoto machida 15-0/ 2 miguel torres 37-2/ 3 fedor emilianenko 30-1/ 4 antonio nogueira 31-5/ 5 anderson silva 25-4/ 6 rich franklin 25-4/ 7 uriah faber 22-3/ 8 georges st pierre 19-2/ 9 wanderlei silva 32-10 10 dan henderson 25-7
ur list sucks.
What about Mike brown? Im not saying he should be up there but he certainly beat Faber twice. Did you primarily made this list based on records alone?
haha your list made me laugh
Hey Dane,
I havent seen you post in a very long time. Did you already make your picks for 102?
lol nope… i’ve been pretty quiet in the world of mma recently
Where can we watch online tonight guys? BV/ RJ?
Kansas http://felipecordobatv.ucoz.net/
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Anderson Silva
4. Diego Sanchez
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Brian Bowles
8. Miguel Torres
9. Randy Couture
10. Gegard Mousasi
Diego really?? I may eat my words if he beats Penn, but until that happens I believe Penn should be, if not at the very least on the list, at least above Diego.