Verbal Submission: MMA Pound-For-Pound Top-10

Time for a quick MMA Top-10 Pound-for-Pound Ranking

Music to listen to: Orestes by A Perfect Circle

1- Georges St. Pierre: This has been a ranking that has been two years in the making. The Canadian hasn’t lost since 2007 and has beaten four fighters, B.J. Penn, Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch who have arguably been top-10 quality fighters during this time period. Furthermore, it can be argued that he hasn’t even lost a round in several years. GSP’s methodical style may result in many of his fights going to a decision, which doesn’t satisfy the contingent of MMA fans who want to see bloody TKO’s or flashy submissions, but the end result for Pierre is always a victory. If GSP can beat another top-10 PFP fighter in Jake Shields, a mega-fight with Anderson Silva may be necessary.

2- Anderson Silva: Speaking of Silva, the Brazilian looked to be defeated many times in his fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, losing the first four rounds decisively before pulling out an arm triangle to keep his UFC middleweight title. The reality is that Silva may have looked at his best in many fights while being dominated, yet showing the resolve to pull out the victory. Its hard to critique a man who hasn’t lost a fight cleanly in SIX years and is undefeated in the UFC, but after his underwhelming victories over Demian Maia, an overrated Forrest Griffin, Thales Leites and Patrick Cote who had to quit the fight due to a non-contact knee injury, you can argue that the last exemplary fight Silva had against a comparable opponent was against Dan Henderson at UFC 82 in March 2008. If Silva gets past Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, he may finally get a chance at revenge for his last official defeat via disqualification against Yushin Okami years ago.

3- Jose Aldo: The Brazilian was expected to defend his inaugural UFC featherweight title at UFC 125 earlier this month but back surgery will sideline him until the second half of 2011. However, he hasn’t lost since 2005 and holds victories over Manny Gamburyan, Urijah Faber and Mike Thomas Brown in his last three fights.

4- Frankie Edgar: If he lost his fight to Gray Maynard earlier this month, it could be argued that Edgar shouldn’t even be in the top half of this ranking. However, in the process of earning the draw, Edgar showed that his two victories over B.J. Penn weren’t a fluke.

5- Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: The Brazilian is tough to place in a ranking due to inactivity because of injuries but I still believe that he is a top-five PFP fighter in the world. Rua proved this in his triumph over Lyota Machida at UFC 113 in May 2010. Furthermore, Rua has beaten a variety of fighters such as Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell and a variety of others. Yes, he did lose to Forrest Griffin but I’m weighing the positives over the negatives. Barring another physical setback, and you have to acknowledge this as a possibility with Rua, the UFC light heavyweight title will be defended at UFC 128 in March against Rashad Evans in a fight that looks even on paper.

6- Jon Fitch: It would be hard to find fault in Fitch’s resume which includes five consecutive UFC victories in two calendar years but the inability to beat St. Pierre at UFC 87 in August 2008 will hinder Fitch’s potential to fight again for the welterweight title in the future. Fitch’s next opponent will be B.J. Penn, a man who was in the top-10 PFP rankings for the past three or four years until recently, at UFC 127 in February.

7- Gray Maynard: If you’re going to place Edgar in your top-10 PFP list, Maynard has to be included also. Maynard earned a draw in a five-round title fight where some may have viewed him as the victor. I also respect wins over Kenny Florian, Nate Diaz and even Roger Huerta in the past few fights. It looks like Maynard will get a rematch against Edgar in a few months.

8- Jake Shields: He finally made his UFC debut in October 2010 and got a decision victory over Martin Kampmann, which marked another triumph for Shields. He has beaten Mayhem Miller, Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler in his last three fights, all quality opponents. Shields will most likely face St. Pierre in a few months.

9- Rashad Evans: The former UFC light heavyweight champ only has one loss on his record, a defeat to Lyoto Machida in May 2009. Since than, Evans has beaten two top-ten fighters in his division, Thiago Silva and Rampage Jackson, in two convincing decisions. Evans will get a change to regain his title against Rua in March.

10- Gilbert Melendez: El Nino has carried the Strikeforce lightweight mantle for over a year and showed his brilliance in a defeat of Shinya Aoki at Strikeforce Nashville in April 2010. Hopefully we can see him fight Eddie Alvarez in 2011.

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?