The Cage Doctors » Rankings

May 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Heavyweights

Dr. T — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:00:21 +0000

UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez

May 15, 2011 – Jason Munch

With Zuffa taking ownership over Strikeforce the heavyweight division in the UFC will likely see some new faces in the near future, which calls for some interesting match-ups. However, until that day arrives, the heavyweight rankings are not affected by a large degree. With Brock Lesnar forced to withdraw from his title eliminator match, Shane Carwin steps in with a chance to move up the rankings, and a chance to get another title shot. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Sergei Kharitonov

10. Sergei Kharitonov
These days a victory over Andrei Arlovski is hardly a cause for celebration, and a recent loss to Jeff Monson makes Kharitonov hard to take seriously. But he was the last man to defeat Allister Overeem, which tells me that Sergei is indeed for real. Paying out 4 to 1 to win the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, Kharitonov could be a good value bet to win the tournament.

Fabricio Werdum

9. Fabricio Werdum
His only loss since 2007 came courtesy of the heavy and unbeaten fists of Junior Dos Santos. With a decision win over Bigfoot Silva and his upset heard around the world when he beat Fedor in just 69 second, you may wonder why he is not ranked higher on this list. Honestly, if the heavyweight division was split and a 225lbs or 235 lbs division were created, Werdum would no doubt be much higher. But in today’s fighting world with so many heavyweights tipping the scales right near the 265lbs limit, it’s hard to picture a much smaller submission specialist taking either crown anytime soon.

Antonio Silva

8. Antonio Silva
He dominated the man who was once rightly thought of as the best fighter in the world. The much bigger Bigfoot proved that he was more than just a large man as well, holding the legendary Fedor down and landing strike after strike on a man many thought was unhittable.

Shane Carwin

7. Shane Carwin
A solid punch away from wearing the belt, sadly Carwin instead showed his dire need for a gas tank and exposed himself as a largely one sided fighter. That won’t cut it in today’s MMA world. But entering the UFC with four straight KO’s is an impressive feat. At 36 years old it is probably too late for Carwin to learn a ground game, but the stand up war coming up between Carwin and JDS will be fun to watch, if just for a minute.

Brendan Shaub

6. Brendan Shaub
A 78 inch reach has helped him end the UFC careers of both Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop. Of all the TUF 10 fighters, Shaub has easily made the greatest improvements as a fighter since the end of the show. A big name showdown awaits, and many likely wouldn’t mind seeing him take on Minotauro once he returns from knee surgery (UFC Rio anyone). A win would propel him into the mix at the top of the Heavyweight division.

Roy Nelson

5. Roy Nelson
His loss to JDS proved that Big Country has a granite chin and is always game, even if he did not have the talent to test the much more technically sound Cigano. While he lost the decision, he took many hard shots that would have KO’d most fighters and was still standing at the end of the fight. He will embarrass Frank Mir and solidify his status in the upper echelon of the Heavyweight division.

Alistair Overeem

4. Alistair Overeem
The man has not lost since 2007, but the biggest name he fought in that time, Mirko Cro Cop, resulted in a no contest. Add to that the rumours of steroid use along with only fighting once in North America during the span and the dominant fighter only has more questions than answers.

Lesnar Out Of UFC 131

3. Brock Lesnar
Both Cain and Shane Carwin exposed Lesnar and his weaknesses. He is a beast of a man, but he wilts when the fight is taken to him and he cannot handle another man his size punching him in the mouth. He is still the most intimidating figure in MMA, and if Lesnar is capable of getting on top of you and pinning you down, your weekend will be ruined. With a second bout of Diverticulosis at age 33, sadly the baddest man on the planet might not have enough time to grow and train to his true potential.

Junior dos Santos

2. Junior dos Santos
Easily the best hands in the heavyweight division. But to be recognized as the elite heavyweight in the world, Cigano is going to have to develop a ground game to prevent himself from being a one sided fighter. He won’t have to worry about this in his upcoming fight against Carwin though, a fight that doesn’t look like it’ll last very long regardless of who gets KO’d.

Cain Velasquez

1. Cain Velasquez
He weighs in as a heavyweight but fights like a middleweight, except when it comes to pure power. Expect Cain to come back from injury and continue his dominant streak in the UFC’s biggest division. All opponents should be well prepared for a beast with an unlimited gas tank and a man who is dangerous in any scenario.

The Interns MMA Pound for Pound Rankings: May 2011

Dr. T — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:00:44 +0000

Anderson Silva

May 9, 2011 – Jason Munch

This is the Interns first ever Pound for Pound list. Since this is the beginning, there are no falling has-beens on the list, without a previous list I have no reason to justify leaving out someone like Shogun Rua. This allowed me to ignore fighters such as Rampage, BJ Penn and Brock Lesnar that in the last two years have slowly made the fall from devastating to pedestrian. One heavyweight makes the list despite the popular belief that heavyweights have no business in pound for pound rankings.

Jake Ellenberger

10. Jake Ellenberger
Since his UFC debut loss to Carlos Condit, a loss that had some wondering how the ref allowed Condit to get to the second round, Ellenberger has won his last four fights, including wins over Mike Pyle and John Howard. His last win was his most impressive, as he showed the world just how out of his league Sean Pierson was in the UFC. Knocking him out at 2:42 of the first round, Ellenberger let the rest of the division know that he is coming, and in full force.

Gray Maynard

9. Gray Maynard
Maynard is the only man to beat lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and the first round during their second fight was one of the greatest rounds in recent memory that did not end in a stoppage of some sort. During that fight he made it clear that he is not happy with his reputation as being the guy that goes the distance no matter what. The problem was once he smelled blood he followed up by throwing nothing but haymakers and emptied his tank, a big problem in a five round championship fight.

Frankie Edgar

8. Frankie Edgar
It was very hard to choose between Edgar and Gray Maynard after the New Years Day bought between the two. The edge has to be given to Edgar. After he was beaten beyond belief in a one sided first round, Edgar found the heart and courage to come back and out point Maynard the rest of the way to earn the draw and keep his belt. The biggest surprise of the bout was Edgar’s takedowns of elite wrestler Maynard, while Maynard could not take the smaller Edgar down. While Maynard showed signs of life throughout the fight, it wasn’t enough as Edgar continued to press forward and force the action.

Dominick Cruz

7. Dominick Cruz
Facing the only man that has ever beat him at UFC 132, a Cruz win will cement him as the man in the UFC’s smallest division. Looking to avenge his only loss, four years ago to Urijah Faber, a win will prove Cruz is one of the elite pound for pound fighters. Look for this rematch to be one of the most exciting fights of the year.

Nick Diaz

6. Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz surprised everyone when he decided to come out and bang with Paul Daley, one of the hardest hitters in the game. But bang he did, and after 4:57 seconds of pure excitement it was Daley on the ground while Nick continued to celebrate his dominance over the Strikeforce welterweight division. Often knocked for his questionable head and a lack of solid competition, Diaz is exactly the kind of fighter that could give GSP a hard time. Look for Dana to find a way to match this natural villain up against GSP in the near future, possibly the last and hardest obstacle for GSP before he has no choice but to move on from Welterweight.

Jose Aldo

5. Jose Aldo
Through four rounds on April 30 Aldo showed why many people have him in the top three Pound for Pound fighter lists. Then the fifth round came, and the previously superhuman Aldo came crashing down to earth. In fact, if Hominick had been able to pass guard, Aldo might have been the victim of the greatest upset since Matt Serra shocked GSP. A possible meeting with Kenny Florian down the road should further test Aldos tank, and allow us to find out if it really was sickness that emptied that gas tank. However, Aldo’s next challenge may very well be Chad Mendes.

Jon Jones

4. Jon Jones
Yes, he is young. Yes, he has only one or maybe two wins against elite level talent. He may even have been a little gassed at the end of the Shogun fight. But while others have been able to beat Shogun in recent years, Jones made him look like an amateur. That’s an amazing feat when you consider Shogun has beaten a who’s who of Pride heavyweights in his career, and is still only 29 years old. On top of that, Jones is finishing everyone Joe Silva puts in front of him. With Jones’ recent injury it may be quite a few months before he gets back to action.

Cain Velasquez

3. Cain Velasquez
While he has been on the shelf for a while now, he is still the man that made a human out of the mighty Brock Lesnar and proved that heavyweights need to be as well rounded as every other division. A possible upcoming bout with Junior Dos Santos could provide a stand up war that could go down in history. A rematch with Brock however will most likely yield the same result: a smaller MMA fighter with a legitimate background taking care of a hulk of a man that cowers as soon as he is punched in the face.

Georges St. Pierre

2. Georges St Pierre
Easily handled Jake Shields, despite only one good eye. Although the fight was one of the least interesting of the night during the Toronto extravaganza, Rush was never in trouble. Critics who complain that he doesn’t finish fights should talk to Josh Koshcheck. While Kos may have made the final bell, he did so completely on heart and his orbital bone was so badly broken he will miss at least a full year of competition. Nick Diaz must be given a shot before GSP has truly cleaned out the division.

Anderson Silva

1. Anderson Silva
He destroyed Vitor Belfort in 3:25, and the length of the Chael Sonnen fight is better understood after watching ‘Like Water’ and seeing the Spider tell the camera that he was going to submit him. A fighter confident enough to take a beating for four rounds because he knew he could catch his opponent and defend his trainers name as well as his entire camp is a fighter with no real peers. If he gets past Okami it will certainly be time to test his abilities elsewhere; GSP or a move up will be necessary.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Flyweights

Dr. T — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Yasuhiro Urushitani

March 7, 2011 – Dr. T

The lightest fighters of the bunch are also the only division currently not part of the UFC. However, the UFC’s future plans does include one day adding the Flyweight division to its line-up. Until then, you will just have to settle for Yasuhiro Urushitani in the Shooto MMA promotion. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Ian McCall

10. Ian McCall
Coming off a submission victory over Jeff Willingham, Ian McCall, a heavy underdog, came in and defeated a top contender in Jussier da Silva, making a strong case for himself as a top Flyweight.

Mitsuhisa Sunabe

9. Mitsuhisa Sunabe
Sunabe is a fighter who just can’t seem to put enough wins together to get to championship matches. A draw with Shimizu is not enough to move him higher.

Kiyotaka Shimizu

8. Kiyotaka Shimizu
Shimizu’s rubber match with Mitsuhisa Sunabe at Pancrase Passion Tour 11 ended in a draw.

Fumihiro Kitahara

7. Fumihiro Kitahara
Kitahara recently lost against Mamoru Yamaguchi, stopping his ascent to the top of the division. Previously, he was on a 5 fight win streak in Shooto.

Alexis Villa

6. Alexis Villa
Villa is a rising star in the division, and it will be interesting to see how he does if he moves to Shooto to face the top 125ers in the world.

Ryuchi Miki

5. Ryuchi Miki
Miki got a 3rd opportunity to fight Mamoru Yamaguchi, but unfortunately came up short once again.

Yuki Shojo

4. Yuki Shojo
Shojo holds his place in the division with wins over Junya Kudo and Jesse Taitano.

Jussier da Silva

3. Jussier da Silva (“Formiga”)
Formiga had amassed an 9-0 record and established himself as the top 125er in the world, that is, until his loss to underdog Ian McCall. Jussier da Silva drops a couple of spots as a result.

Mamoru Yamaguchi

2. Mamoru Yamaguchi (“Afro”)
He of the Afro recently won against rising star Fumihiro Kitahara to cement his position as one of the elite in Shooto’s 125 pound division.

Yasuhiro Urushitani

1. Yasuhiro Urushitani
The Shooto flyweight champion jumps into the #1 spot, having won the Shooto title by defeating Ryuichi Miki. He then won a non title fight against Takuya Mori.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Bantamweights

Dr. T — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:00:09 +0000

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

March 3, 2011 – Dr. T

The UFC‘s Bantamweight champ showed the world why he is #1 with a lopsided win over Scott Jorgensen. Unfortunately the MMA champ severely injured his hand in the bout and has not fought since. Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres have both made some big strides in the division and are both determined to get the next shot at the title. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Masakatsu Ueda

10. Masakatsu Ueda
The former Shooto champion rebounded from an upset loss to start his climb back to the title.

Demetrious Johnson

9. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
Johnson picked up an upset win over the ranked Damacio Page to enter the top 10.

Brad Pickett

8. Brad “One Punch” Pickett
Pickett lost a #1 contenders match, but is still established as a top talent at 135, having won his previous 9 fights.

Takeya Mizugaki

7. Takeya Mizugaki
The tough as nails Mizugaki slips, but only a little. Getting beat by the man who used to rule 145 doesn’t drop your stock too much.

Miguel Torres

6. Miguel Torres
The old poster boy of the bantamweight division got back in the swing of things with a win over Charlie Valencia.

Urijah Faber

5. Urijah “The California Kid” Faber
Faber made his debut at 135 in impressive fashion, submitting Takeya Mizugaki, who has only been stopped twice.

Scott Jorgensen

4. Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen
Jorgensen earned a title shot with a win over Brad Pickett. He’s riding a 5 fight win streak where he avenged his most recent loss.

Brian Bowles

3. Brian Bowles
The former 135 champ was injured again and missed WEC 52. With only 1 loss on his record which was to Cruz, Bowles is still a top dog in the bantamweight division.

Joseph Benavidez

2. Joseph Benavidez
Benavidez came close to beating Dominick Cruz, but it wasn’t enough. He bounced back with a win over submission ace Wagnney Fabiano. There is talk of Benavidez going down to 125 when the UFC gets that division up and running.

Dominick Cruz

1. Dominick Cruz
Cruz remains on top of the bantamweight division with a split decision win over Joseph Benavidez in his 1st title defence.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Featherweights

Dr. T — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:00:21 +0000

Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129

March 1, 2011 – Dr. T

The UFC‘s Featherweight champ Jose Aldo has been dominating this weight class since he took the title away from Mike Brown at WEC 44. Aldo has been sidelined for quite some time due to injury, but his return at UFC 129 in Toronto is highly anticipated. A win over Mark Hominick could make a strong argument in Aldo moving up the list of top pound for pound MMA fighters in the world. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Josh Grispi

10. Josh Grispi (“The Fluke”)
Grispi drops to the 10 spot after getting upset by Poirier.

Marlon Sandro

9. Marlon Sandro
Sandro lost his belt to Hioki at the end of year Sengoku event.

Mark Hominick

8. Mark Hominick
With a 5 fight win streak and much movement in the division, Hominick makes it onto the top 10. He has been rewarded with a title fight against Jose Aldo.

Hiroyuki Takayai

7. Hiroyuki Takaya
The trend of new entrants in the featherweight rankings continues, as Takaya took out Bibiano Fernandes in a hard fought title match during the traditional NYE event in Japan.

Chad Mendes

6. Chad Mendes
Do you see a pattern here? Mendes took out the highly regarded Michihiro Omigawa in Omigawa’s UFC debut.

Dustin Poirier

5. Dustin Poirier
Along with Nunes, Poirier threw the 145 pound rankings into confusion with his win over Josh Grispi, who was originally slated to face Aldo.

Hatsu Hioki

4. Hatsu Hioki
Hioki picked apart Marlon Sandro to win the Sengoku belt at the end of 2010.

Diego Nunes

3. Diego Nunes (“The Gun”)
Nunes beat the former champ and previously #3 ranked Mike Brown in their UFC debuts.

Manny Gamburyan

2. Manny Gamburyan (“The Anvil”)
After beating Mike Thomas Brown, Gamburyan was stopped by Jose Aldo. He’ll look to get back on track against Raphael Assuncao in March.

Jose Aldo

1. Jose Aldo (“Junior”)
Aldo is showing that he is a dominating force on par with GSP and Anderson Silva. In his 2nd title defence, he demolished Manny Gamburyan. Aldo was recently presented with the UFC Featherweight championship as a result of the formal absorption of the WEC into the UFC. He might be holding that belt for a long time.

**Notes:
Mike Brown drops from the top 10 after losing to Diego Nunes and Rani Yahya.
Bibiano Fernandes drops from the top 10 after losing to Hiroyuki Takaya.
Michihiro Omigawa drops from the top 10 after losing to Chad Mendes.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Lightweights

Dr. T — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:00:32 +0000

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard at UFC 125

February 23, 2011 – Dr. T

The Lightweights are a nasty bunch with the UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar leading the charge. Edgar’s draw against Gray Maynard was a great start to the New Year and a rematch between the two fighters is highly anticipated from fans and media alike. Anthony Pettis will have to wait just a bit longer for his title shot, but a win against Clay Guida all but guarantees he fights for the title next. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

10. Anthony Pettis (“Showtime”)
Pettis beat Ben Henderson and gave audiences an unforgettable highlight. It looks like he will not be waiting for the winner of the Edgar-Maynard rematch, as he wants to remain active.

Jim Miller

9. Jim Miller
Miller makes an appearance in the top 10 after going 8-1 in the UFC, with his only defeat coming at the hands of Gray Maynard.

George Sotiropoulos

8. 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.

Kenny Florian

7. Kenny Florian (“Kenflo”)
Recovering from injury, Florian will make a transition to the Featherweight division, but until that actually happens he sits in the 7th position.

Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Tatsuya Kawajiri (“Crusher”)
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.

Eddie Alvarez

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.

BJ Penn

4. BJ Penn (“The Prodigy”)
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.

Gilbert Melendez

3. Gilbert Melendez (“El Nino”)
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.

Gray Maynard

2. Gray Maynard (“The Bully”)
Maynard came close to solving the Edgar puzzle, but came out empty handed. He’ll get another chance this summer.

Frankie Edgar

1. Frankie Edgar (“The Answer”)
Edgar is now 0-1-1 against Gray Maynard, but seeing how he retains the belt with a draw, you can’t really drop him from the #1 spot.

**Note:
Aoki dropped from the top 10 after losing to Yuichiro Nagashima in the MMA round of their mixed rules right.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Welterweights

Dr. T — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:27:08 +0000

GSP vs Jake Shields

February 22, 2011 – Dr. T

Similar to Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre has done nothing but dominate the Welterweight division by absolutely destroying any challenger the UFC threw his way. GSP will have the toughest fight of his career when he takes on Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto. Should GSP win the fight, he will relinquish his Welterweight title and move up to Middleweight to challenge Silva in a super fight for the title. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Dan Hardy

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

Paul Daley

9. Paul Daley
The heavy handed Daley was on the path to UFC title contention before being controlled by Josh Koscheck and losing his temper after the bell, leading to his release from the UFC. Daley has done well since, and another win will likely get him a shot at Nick Diaz.

Nick Diaz

8. Nick Diaz
The bad boy from Stockton racked up another title defence against Evangelista Santos.

Carlos Condit

7. Carlos Condit (“The Natural Born Killer”)
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.

Martin Kampmann

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

Jake Shields

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. He gets a shot at GSP this April.

Josh Koscheck

4. Josh Koscheck
Koscheck was beat up by GSP in his title shot, and will be out for several months.

Thiago Alves

3. Thiago Alves (“Pitbull”)
In a battle of the #2 and #3 guys, Alves lost a decision to Jon Fitch. He got back on the winning track and seems to have solved his weight cutting issues in last December’s win over John Howard.

Jon Fitch

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 St. Pierre (“Rush”)
GSP has now pitched shutouts in 5 consecutive title defences against the best of the welterweight division.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Middleweights

Dr. T — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:00:53 +0000

Silva's Front Kick KO on Belfort

February 22, 2011 – Dr. T

UFC Middleweight champ Anderson Silva remains atop the Middleweight division with a stunning KO victory over Vitor Belfort. With Georges St-Pierre possibly getting the next shot at Silva (GSP will have to defeat Jake Shields first), the rest of the Middleweights will have to wait before getting a crack at the champ. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Brian Stann

10. Brian Stann (“The All American”)
Stann enters the top 10 with a strong win over Chris Leben.

Robbie Lawler

9. Robbie Lawler (“Ruthless”)
Lawler couldn’t win the title against Jacare, but his incredible KO win over Matt Lindland is still fresh in the minds of MMA fans everywhere.

Michael Bisping

8. Michael Bisping (“The Count”)
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.

Jorge Santiago

7. 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.

Ronaldo Souza

6. Ronaldo Souza (“Jacare”)
Jacare successfully defended his title against middleweight mainstay Robbie Lawler. He continues to show development in all aspects of MMA with each fight.

Demian Maia

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.

Nate Marquardt

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

Yushin Okami

3. Yushin Okami (“Thunder”)
Okami moved into the #1 contender position with a win over Nate Marquardt. Originally slated to face the winner of Anderson Silva-VItor Belfort, he may be stuck waiting again for the Silva-Georges St. Pierre superfight.

Chael Sonnen

2. Chael Sonnen
After a reduced suspension for drug use and a guilty plea in a money laundering case, the only man to have Anderson Silva on the ropes hopefully will be getting back in the cage sooner rather than later.

Anderson Silva

1. Anderson Silva (“The Spider”)
Silva now has 8 title defences, with his most recent victim being fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort.

**Notes:
Chris Leben drops from the top 10 after losing to Brian Stann.
Dan Henderson unranked due to focusing on 205.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Light Heavyweights

Dr. T — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:30:17 +0000

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Shogun Rua

February 21, 2011 – Dr. T

The injury Rashad Evans sustained to his knee allowed teammate John Jones to move into the number one contender spot and challenge Shogun Rua for the UFC ‘s Light Heavyweight title. This is a huge shot for Jones, and one that he will not take lightly. Expect Jones to come out ready to throw everything in his arsenal at Shogun. Phil Davis also has a huge fight on his hands, as he replaces Tito Ortiz in a fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. A win for Davis definitely propels him into the top 10. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com . Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (“Minotoro”)
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.

Muhammad Lawal

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

Rafael Cavalcante

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

Ryan Bader

7. Ryan Bader
Bader jumped into the top 10 with a strong performance over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but lost to Jon Jones.

Jon Jones

6. Jon Jones (“Bones”)
Jones defeated Ryan Bader in a clash of 2 of the UFC’s best young fighters. Then the surprise announcement was made that Jones would face Shogun in 5 weeks for the title due to Rashad’s injury.

Forrest Griffin

5. Forrest Griffin
Griffin returned from a long period of inactivity with a unanimous decision win over Rich Franklin.

Rampage Jackson

4. Quinton Jackson (“Rampage”)
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.

Lyoto Machida

3. Lyoto 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. Couture…

Rashad Evans

2. Rashad Evans
Evans finished his TUF obligations by beating Quinton Jackson in the most popular event that did not feature a title match. Unfortunately, it was revealed at UFC 126 that Evans is injured and won’t be able to fight in the scheduled title fight.

Shogun Rua

1. Mauricio Rua (“Shogun”)
Shogun Rua left no doubt in his rematch with Lyoto Machida, knocking Machida out in the 1st round to become the UFC LHW champion. After an injury to Rashad Evans, Shogun will now face Jon Jones for title defence 1.

February 2011 MMA Fighter Rankings: Heavyweights

Dr. T — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:21:05 +0000

Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko

February 16, 2011 – Dr. T

With the Strikeforce : Heavyweight Grand Prix under way and the lack of UFC heavyweights in action, the heavyweight rankings are sure to open up. With a win over the heavily favoured Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva moves up the rankings a bit and puts a huge question mark on the GOAT career of Emelianenko. Fabricio Werdum remains at the top, but a loss to Overeem in the next leg of the Strikeforce tournament will move him down the rankings. This list was put together by our friends over at RantMMA.com . Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Roy Nelson

10. Roy Nelson
Nelson enters the list as the UFC’s top heavyweight outside the big 5.

Fedor Emelianenko

9. Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor seems closer to retiring than ever, suffering a devastating loss to Antonio Silva. With 2 losses in less than a year compared to 1 (illegitimate loss) in nearly 10 years, Fedor continues to hint at retiring.

Frank Mir

8. Frank Mir
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.

Alistair Overeem

7. Alistair Overeem (“Demolition Man”)
Overeem now holds 3 world titles and is one of the favourites in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament. If he wins it all, it will go a long way to settling whether he is overrated.

Shane Carwin

6. Shane Carwin
Carwin remains on the shelf and is slated to return this summer.

Junior dos Santos

5. Junior dos Santos (“Cigano”)
Instead of waiting for Cain to recover, JDS is coaching TUF and fighting Brock at the end.

Brock Lesnar

4. Brock Lesnar
After getting handled by Cain Velasquez, Lesnar drops out of the top 3. After many rumours about his status, Lesnar will fight Junior dos Santos after filming TUF.

Antonio Silva

3. Antonio Silva (“Bigfoot”)
Silva put the legendary Fedor Ememlianenko closer to retirement with a doctor stoppage in Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament.

Cain Velasquez

2. Cain Velasquez
A dominating win over Brock Lesnar puts Velasquez into the #2 spot. Unfortunately, an injury puts him on the shelf for quite some time.

Fabricio Werdum

1. Fabricio Werdum (“Vai Cavalo”)
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. He’ll take on Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament quarterfinals later this year.

**Note:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira drops from the top 10 due to inactivity.