MMA Fighter Rankings: Lightweight

Come January 1st, the UFC will hold the largest stable of Lightweight fighter’s in the world of MMA MMA after they merge the WEC’s roster with their own. However, some of the best lightweight fighters on this list are not in the UFC, but dominating the competition in other fight promotions. The list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Check back for the remaining top 10 lists on Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight. As always, voice your opinion in the comments section and let us know what you think about the rankings.

10. Ben “Smooth” Henderson
The WEC lightweight champion will defend his title one more time against Anthony Pettis at the final WEC event, looking to go 6-0 in his WEC career. If he wins, he’ll have a chance to unify the WEC and UFC lightweight belts.

9. George Sotiropoulos
Riding an 8 fight win streak with his last loss as a result of a disqualification against Shinya Aoki, G-Sot has established himself as a top rising star in the UFC.

8. Kenny “Kenflo” Florian
Florian will look to rebound from his latest loss against rising star Evan Dunham.

7. Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri
Crusher has beaten many great lightweights, but his losses to Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez drop him out of the truly elite of the division.

6. Gray “The Bully” Maynard
The Bully will get his shot at the title on New Years Day, earning his chance with a dominating decision win over Kenny Florian.

5. Eddie Alvarez
Alvarez thrashed SI cover boy Roger Huerta at Bellator 34. With his only recent loss coming to Shinya Aoki, Alvarez is worthy of a top 5 spot at 155.

4. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn
With Penn perhaps pulling double duty at both 155 and 170, he may enter the rankings at both divisions. Penn had 3 title defences before dropping the belt to current #1, Frankie Edgar.

3. Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki
After his loss to Gilbert Melendez, the DREAM champion got back on track with a win over Tatsuya Kawajiri. His latest result was a circus match against MMA newbie Yokthai Sithoar.

2. Gilbert Melendez
Melendez handled Shinya Aoki, a man who some people felt was the top lightweight in the world. With wins over Aoki, Josh Thomson, and Mitsuhiro Ishida, Melendez has proven himself at an elite level.

1. Frankie “The Answer” Edgar
Will people still doubt Frankie Edgar? After decisively beating BJ Penn in his 1st title defence after a controversial decision to win the title, Edgar gets a chance to avenge his only loss when he defends against Gray Maynard.

Mike Kyle Steps In Against ‘Big Foot’ Silva

Mike “Mak’’ Kyle replaces injured Valentijn Overeem against ‘Big Foot’ Silva this SATURDAY in St. Louis on SHOWTIME

Streaking STRIKEFORCE star Mike “Mak’’ Kyle (18-7) will replace the injured Valentijn Overeem and take on former heavyweight world champion Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (14-2) of Coconut Creek, Fla., by way of Brazil, in one of the featured televised fights on STRIKEFORCE: Henderson vs. Babalu this Saturday, Dec. 4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

Overeem, the older brother of STRIKEFORCE heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, withdrew Saturday after suffering an elbow injury.

Legendary MMA superstar Dan Henderson (25-8) of Temecula, Calif., will clash with former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight world champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral (36-8) of Cerritos, Calif., via Brazil, in a rematch between world-class 205-pounders in the main event.

Other televised fights: Paul “Semtex’’ Daley (25-9-2) of Nottingham, England, confronts Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith (17-7, 1 NC), of Elk Grove, Calif., in a matchup of power-punching welterweights (170 pounds) and former world champion and exciting local favorite “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-6, 1 NC), of Granite City, goes up against 2000 Olympic Games silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-7) of Oregon City, Ore., in a middleweight (185 pounds) bout.

Tickets are on sale at Scottrade Center, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com or by phone (800) 745-3000. Doors at Scottrade Center will open for the event at 6 p.m. CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the first televised main card fight will begin at 9 p.m.

The 6-foot-3, 30-year-old Kyle, of San Jose, Calif., has gone 5-0 with one No Contest since losing to Fedor conqueror, Fabricio Werdum, on Aug. 15, 2009. In his last start, Kyle scored a first-round TKO (punches) over Stephen Oliver on Nov. 5.

Since April 2008, Kyle is 8-1 with one NC. One of the talented nine-year pro’s most significant triumphs came on a second-round TKO (punches) over current STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante in June 2009.

In his last appearance for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME, Kyle submitted (rear-naked choke) Ron “Abongo’’ Humphrey during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event last July 23.

The 6-foot-4, 31-year-old Silva has won seven of his last eight, including a decisive, lopsided decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski in his most recent outing last May 15.

Silva’s lone loss since December 2006 came when he was narrowly outpointed in a tight fight by fellow Brazilian, Werdum, on Nov.7, 2009.

MMA Fighter Rankings: Welterweight

The Welterweight division is home to one of the most dominating fighters in MMA in Georges St. Pierre , with some very dangerous fighters following him. With fighters like Jake Shields and Carlos Condit making strong cases for themselves, GSP’s competition keeps getting harder and harder. The list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Check back for the remaining top 10 lists on Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight. Don’t hesitate to let us know what you think about the rankings.

10. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy
Hardy drops to the 10 spot after getting knocked out on his home turf by Carlos Condit.

9. Paul Daley
The heavy handed Daley was on the path to title contention before being controlled by Josh Koscheck and losing his temper after the bell, leading to his release from the UFC. Daley will look to rebound against Scott Smith on December 4.

8. Nick Diaz
The bad boy from Stockton defended his Strikeforce championship against KJ Noons in an entertaining grudge match.

7. Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit
The last WEC welterweight champion hadn’t looked too good in the UFC, losing a close decision to Martin Kampmann, than nearly losing to Rory Macdonald before finding his offence and getting a somewhat controversial stoppage. Condit firmly enters the top 10 with a knockout over Dan Hardy.

6. Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann
Kampmann drops 1 place after losing to Jake Shields in a very close decision.

5. Jake Shields
Shields returned to the welterweight division and won a controversial split decision against Martin Kampmann. With his 15 fight win streak, we put Shields in at the 5 spot in the division.

4. Josh Koscheck
After coaching the latest season of TUF against GSP, Koscheck will face St. Pierre for the title at UFC 124 in December. Koscheck earned a title shot with wins over Frank Trigg, Anthony Johnson, and Paul Daley.

3. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
In a battle of the #2 and #3 guys, Alves lost a decision to Jon Fitch. He’ll look to get back to winning against John Howard this December

2. Jon Fitch
Fitch may go down in history as the best fighter to never win a title. He’s 13-1 in the UFC and often listed on top 10 pound for pound rankings.

1.Georges “Rush” St. Pierre
GSP is undoubtedly the king of this division. His 5th title defence is coming up against Josh Koscheck at December’s UFC 124.

GSP: The Greatest Welterweight Alive

Georges St. Pierre is arguably the greatest fighter in the Welterweight division right now (some would even put him at the top of the MMA pound for pound fighters list). Aside from a small blemish on his fight record (TKO loss to Matt Serra in his first Welterweight title defence in the UFC) GSP has been virtually unstoppable in the Welterweight division. Since that uncharacteristic loss to Serra, not only has GSP gone on to avenge the loss, but he has put together a seven fight win streak along with four successful title defences. Should GSP be victorious in Montreal at UFC 124 on December 11th, 2010 against Josh Koscheck (a fighter he has already defeated) then he will have completely cleaned house in the Welterweight division (Jake Shields is more of a Middleweight, even though he is fighting in the UFC’s Welterweight division and will be facing the winner of GSP vs Koscheck). The videos below are a testament of GSP’s success and they are very well done. A big shout out to YouTube users CynthiaVance & MMAHeadTV for doing an excellent job in putting these together.

GSP I: The Beginning

GSP II The Return

GSP III: The Battle of Champions

GSP IV: Road to Glory

GSP V: Way of the Warrior

ESPN’s 10 Best Pound-for-Pound Fighters in MMA

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Warriors on the Rise: 2010′s Breakout Fighters (Cage Potato)
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MMA Fighter Rankings: Middleweight

The UFC’s Middleweight division may very well be the toughest division in MMA , with Anderson Silva standing at the top of the heap with a record 7 straight title defences. However, this list takes into consideration other MMA promotions, which keeps the list from being completely dominated by the UFC. This list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Be sure to check back for top 10 lists on Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight. Let us know what you think about the rankings, do you agree, disagree?

10. Chris “The Crippler” Leben
Fighting twice in 3 weeks, Leben beat Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama to move into the top 10.

9. Michael “The Count” Bisping
Bisping enters the top 10 with a win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. His next fight is scheduled for UFC 127 on February 27, where he’ll take on Jorge Rivera.

8. Jorge Santiago
The Sengoku champion won a wildly entertaining battle against Kazuo Misaki in his 2nd title defence. He’s also recently avenged a loss against Mamed Khalidov.

7. Ronaldo “Jacare” d’Souza
Jacare successfully defended his title for the first time against Tim Kennedy. With recent wins over Kennedy, Joey Villasenor, and Matt Lindland, he’s established himself as more than a great BJJ player.

6. Dan “Hendo” Henderson
After a one sided loss to Jake Shields, Henderson may be moving to 205 permanently. He faces Renato “Babalu” Sobral on December 4 in the headline bout.

5. Demian Maia
The submission specialist holds his top 5 status, remaining in the hunt by beating Mario Miranda. He’ll be in action again at the TUF finale against Kendall Grove.

4. Nate “The Great” Marquardt
Marquardt struggled again in his latest #1 contender match against Yushin Okami.

3. Yushin “Thunder” Okami
Okami moved into the #1 contender position with a win over Nate Marquardt. He’ll face the winner of Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort.

2. Chael Sonnen
After his performance against Anderson Silva, Sonnen tested positive. In a twist, it has emerged that Sonnen has been on hormone replacement therapy which triggered the positive test results. The matter is still under appeal and it appears that the 1 year ban will be reduced.

1. Anderson “The Spider” Silva
Silva received the beating of his career against Chael Sonnen, but preserved to pull out the victory with a submission late in the 5th round. The win gives him 7 consecutive title defences, an unprecedented accomplishment.

**Notes:
Vitor Belfort is unranked due to inactivity and his last fight being at a 195 pound catch weight. Jake Shields is also unranked at 185 due to going back down to 170.

MMA Fighter Rankings: Light heavyweights

In line with our recent post about the top Heavyweights in MMA so far, here is a list of the top 10 MMA Light heavyweight fighters. This list was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com . Be sure to check back daily for top 10 lists on the rest of the weight classes (Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight). Don’t hesitate to let us know what you think about the rankings, after all, lists are meant to be debated.

10. Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira
Nogueira falls a few places after being controlled by Ryan Bader and not looking impressive in a controversial win over Jason Brilz. He’s scheduled to fight Tito Ortiz next in what could turn out to be a loser leaves town match regardless of who wins.

9. Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal
Lawal drops a place or 2 after losing in his 1st title defence.

8. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante
Feijao enters the top 10 with a one sided thrashing of former Strikeforce champion King Mo.

7. Jon “Bones” Jones
Jones has put everyone on notice with recent one sided wins over Vladimir Matyushenko and Brandon Vera.

6. Ryan Bader
Bader jumps into the top 10 with a strong performance against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He’ll face a similar rising star in Jon Jones on February 5.

5. Forrest Griffin
Griffin’s been inactive for awhile, but with a fight coming up soon against Rich Franklin he won’t be dropped for inactivity.

4. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
In his fights after filming the A-Team, Rampage was controlled by Rashad Evans and won a very close split decision over Lyoto Machida. Not enough to push him into the top 3.

3. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida
Machida has now lost 2 (some would say 3) in a row. However, he’s still a handful for anyone, and his loss to Rampage balances out his karmic gain from the controversial win over Shogun.

2. Rashad “Sugar” Evans
Evans finished his TUF obligations by beating Quinton Jackson in the most popular event that did not feature a title match.

1.Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Shogun Rua left no doubt in his rematch with Lyoto Machida, knocking Machida out in the 1st round to become the UFC LHW champion. When he comes back from an injury he’ll face Rashad Evans in his 1st title defence.

HDNet’s “Inside MMA” Nominated For Best News Source

HDNet’s “Inside MMA” Nominated For Best News Source By The 2010 World Mixed Martial Arts Awards

The network’s announcer Michael “The Voice” Schiavello also gets nod for Leading Man of the Year

HDNet is proud to announce that the network’s own weekly Mixed Martial Arts news program, “Inside MMA” has been nominated in the category of “Best News Source” by the 2010 World MMA Awards.

“Inside MMA” shares the nomination with “MMA Weekly,” “MMA Junkie,” “MMAfighting.com” and “Sherdog.”

Also nominated this year is Michael “The Voice” Schiavello who gets the nod in the “Leading Man of the Year” category along with Bjorn Rebney, Dana White, Joe Silva and Scott Coker.

“These nominations are a great honor for HDNet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “To be recognized by the World MMA Awards is very exciting. We’ll be pulling for a couple of big wins on December 1!”

Simon will be in attendance at the Awards ceremony in addition to Bas Rutten, Kenny Rice and Ron Kruck of “Inside MMA,” Michael “The Voice” Schiavello and Mike Straka from the HDNet original program “Fighting Words with Mike Straka.”

The winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 1 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Additional information and voting opportunities can be found on the World MMA Awards website at the following link:

www.worldmmaawards.com

“Inside MMA” airs every Friday night at 9:00 ET on HDNet. Michael Schiavello is the lead announcer for all live “HDNet Fights” events.

MMA Fighter Rankings: Heavyweights

Every couple of months, after a couple of major fights have taken place, some MMA writers will put pen to paper and hash out a top 10 list of the top fighters around. This list (along with one for each weight class) was put together by Ray Ang of RantMMA.com and will rank the top Heavyweights in MMA so far. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

The forgotten man in the Werdum-Overeem-Emelianenko dance with Strikeforce, Bigfoot will get another Overeem as he fights Alistair’s brother, Valentijn Overeem on December 4.

A rematch years in the making with Cro Cop had to be scuttled due to Nogueira getting injured. This legend of MMA might be nearing retirement, but is still a very dangerous opponent for anyone.

Overeem seems preoccupied with K-1 these days. However, he did finally defend his Strikeforce title and looked fantastic, demolishing Brett Rogers.

Many were not impressed with Mir’s recent battle with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. However, Mir remains one of the top UFC heavyweights with his only losses coming to those ranked above him.

The engineering alumnus came close to beating Brock Lesnar in a title unification bout, but couldn’t put Lesnar away in the 1st round. Carwin will be out of action for some time after surgery for a back injury.

JDS will face Cain Velasquez at a date to be determined. With recent wins over Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga, Cigano should be a worthy challenger.

After getting handled by Cain Velasquez, Lesnar drops out of the top 3. A rubber match with Frank Mir was proposed for his next fight, though it seems to have been nixed by all parties involved.

Fedor’s unblemished record took a hit with the loss to Fabricio Werdum. With 1 fight left on his deal with Strikeforce and talk of entering Russian politics, rumblings are louder than ever that Fedor is going to retire.

A dominating win over Brock Lesnar puts Velasquez into the #2 spot. Wins over Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Ben Rothwell in his last 3 outings establish him in elite company.

To be the man, you have to beat the man. And Werdum beat the man, handing Fedor Emelianenko his first legitimate loss of the Russian’s MMA career. The dance to determine Strikeforce’s next heavyweight champion continues, but Werdum will certainly be part of the picture.

UFC Undisputed 2010 Now Available in Apple App Store

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Video of the Day

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