Pound for Pound Ranking as of August 2009

Been lots going on in the mythical P4P rankings. Everyone has there take, as do I. So following an interesting first half of the month in MMA, here's my personal view of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters as of this moment.

Keep in mind, this is based on my opinion. I do read other rankings such as Sherdog.com and MMAWeekly.com and take their rationale into consideration. But this is a list of who, for my money, the top guns really are.

10. Miguel Torres.

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Yes, he lost in devastating fashion to Brian Bowles, but considering his overall record and previous dominance in the bantamweight division, he still deserves a spot on this list. Had he won, I'd have placed him fifth overall. Despite the loss, there's a good chance he could come back and reclaim his title. (37-2-0; next fight: TBD)

9. Brian Bowles.

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A powerful puncher and a convincing victory over the former top ranked bantamweight launch Bowles into the P4P rankings. His current undefeated record speaks highly, and continued victories will propel him higher on the list. Bowles has impressed so far, and no doubt will continue to do so. (8-0; next opponent: TBD)

8. Rashad Evans.

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Rashad quietly plowed through the light heavyweight division for three years before a classic KO win over Chuck Liddell propped him up for title contention. With only one loss on his record to the current champ, Rashad is still one match away from a second title shot. (13-1-1; next opponent: Quinton Jackson at UFC 107)

7. Quinton Jackson.

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Rampage has returned to his winning ways following last year's split decision title loss to Forrest Griffin. With a vengeful victory over Wanderlei Silva and a decision win over Keith Jardine, he's now 4-1 in his last four fights against top level fighters. This leaves him primed for a second title shot should he make it past Rashad Evans. (30-7; next opponent: Rashad Evans at UFC 107)


6. BJ Penn.

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Penn strategically dominated Kenny Florian both standing up and on the ground. Looking the physical best he has in years, his win silenced a lot of critics about his training habits. It was a refreshing return to form after his humiliating loss to GSP. If he can continue to train like this, his spot in the Top 10 only stands to climb. (14-5-1; next opponent: TBD, possibly Diego Sanchez)

5. Mike Thomas Brown.

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Brown has quickly and assuredly claimed Urijah Faber's former spot as the featherweight king. His shocking title win was proven to be more than just a fluke following his last two defenses. Brown has a lot of power for a featherweight, and even Faber will have a tough time should they clash again. (22-4; next opponent: Jose Aldo at WEC 44)

4. Lyoto Machida.

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The UFC's Karate Kid has amassed an amazing record that includes wins over former UFC fighters prior to his dissection of Rashad Evans. Even before that, he basically had his way with former UFC champions in Rich Franklin, BJ Penn and Tito Ortiz. Now, after a tumultuous history of four champions over the last two years, it looks like the UFC Light Heavyweight Title may finally have found a waist that will keep it safe for some time to come. (15-0; next fight: Mauricio Rua at UFC 104)

3. Fedor Emelianenko.

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The heavyweight king of mixed martial arts found himself playing the part of prettiest girl at the prom that everyone wanted to dance with following the fall of Affliction. Despite reportedly high monetary appeals by UFC, he signed with Strikeforce, providing American audiences with the first viable medium to watch him in action. The only questions are, 1. Who will be the first to step into the cage with the king? And, 2. How much competition is there in Strikeforce for him? If he clears out the division and is left with no one, his top three spot could easily be jeopardized. (30-1-1; next opponent: TBD)

2. Georges St. Pierre.

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Welterweight king, Montreal's favorite son, arguably UFC's most popular fighter today. GSP has dominated his last six fights and all but erased the upset of the century against Matt Serra. There remains some credible fighters left for him to defend his title against, but that list is rapidly dwindling with each overpowering defense. Following his victory over Thiago Alves at UFC 100, a strong case was made for St. Pierre to be placed at the number one spot in the P4P top ten. A valid argument could still be made for such placement, too. GSP's training and dedication to getting better with each performance is probably second-to-none in the sport right now. His natural athletic prowess have propelled him to become the best wrestler in the welterweight division despite no prior wrestling background. Topping him is tough. But there's one guy that comes to mind... (19-2; next opponent: winner of the Martin Kampmann/Mike Swick fight at UFC 103)

1. Anderson Silva.

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Fans were absolutely livid when Georges St. Pierre was not placed above Silva following his win at UFC 100. Almost as angry as they were during Silva's five round first gear rout of Thales Leites. Coming off that and his non-finish against Patrick Cote, many questioned if the UFC Middleweight Champion had grown soft or simply bored with the current competition. Dana White and Joe Silva were quick to respond, and the Spider's second foray into the light heavyweight division was made. He not only passed the test of Forrest Griffin with flying colors, he silenced critics and magically transformed jeers to cheers as he decimated Griffin from the first exchange. This fight seemed proof positive that Silva, while explosive and able to strike with pinpoint accuracy, is also extremely strategic and knows how to win. Having competed and won in three major weight classes against top level talent, (including former UFC and WEC champions in Carlos Newton, Dan Henderson, James Irvin and now Forrest Griffin)there should be no doubt who the king is. (25-4; next fight: Dan Henderson at TBA)

What's going to be interesting in the coming months is to see how the top two on the list respond to the notion of competing in multiple weight classes. Silva has already competed in welterweight, dominated in middleweight and made a case for himself in light heavyweight. He's noted that he may vacate the middleweight title and make a full time jump up. As for St. Pierre, he's entertained the idea of moving up a weight class (presumably for a Spider-Rush superfight), but also noted it would take him some time to get comfortable fighting at a higher weight.

The top three don't look to be changing at any time in the near future. In the UFC, it's difficult to see any of the champions on the list being unseated soon. At this point, we may have to wait for Silva to retire to relinquish both his title and his pound-for-pound crown. Unless Dana White pulls the trigger on superfights and fast.