Seems mums been the word on Junior next opponent. Sergio mentioned how Cain vs Junior 2 should be next, and it's hard to argue with that. Personally, I don't think Cain is ready, nor does 1 win warrant a shot back at the same man who pasted him in a bit over a minute. Cain looked impressive as hell, but he wasn't exactly calling for the next shot.

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Hey just wanted to get some feedback on what people thought about Round 2 for Falcao vs Sprang. I have recently adjusted my judging style to incorporate 10-8 rounds more, and Rd 2, I definitely felt warranted a 10-8 round. I don't think you need to nearly kill the guy to warrant a 10-8 round. It does help of course though.

Personally, I think a 10-8 round is warranted when complete domination is showed, with little to no fighting back from the fighter on the defending side. Also, I would think some decent damage is required of course, and Falcao qualified for that IMO. Little baby Sherk punches or Guida shoulder punches wouldn't warrant a 10-8 IMO, if that's all they did.

But if your positionally controlling an opponent, and beating the shit out of him as well, I think that warrants a 10-8. Or at least I feel so right now.

Rd 3 is a perfect example of a 10-9 . Falcao dominated majority of the round, but Sprang had a couple of moments when he made a push and was active.

Anyway would like some feedback on that.

Brought up in another post. But this is starting to make sense. There are only a couple of things standing in the way.

Judges need to be pushed more to accurately judging the fight based on the point system without fearing a draw. We all do this sometimes, and just ask yourself when was the last time you scored a 10-10 round.

I don't think a lot of need needs to be pushed on 10-10 rounds as much as 10-8 rounds need to be pushed. But I guess if we are cleaning up one issue, clean up the others.

Have videos of specific 10-10 rounds, 10-9 rounds, 10-8 rounds. And I guess 10-7 can go as well, 10-6 should probably result in death let alone KO .

Then, don't worry about draws being an issue why? Because of Sudden Death, or Victory like the UFC calls it.

Any draw will result in a 3 minute round, winner takes all.

This honestly could add a lot of excitement element to the sport, and people could get hyped up on fights going to a final definitive round.

I think this seems to be the right way within our given context without having to redo a whole new system. What do you guys think?

It would make sure we never get a draw, and we always walk away with a definitive winner.

Think about Ellenberger vs Sanchez. Perhaps you give Sanchez a 10-8 and push that fight into a final round even though it wasn't a 5 rounder.

Anyway, it's a shot it could work...

Have you fuckers been watching this guy? I'm from New York, so you know I'm happy. I've been a major all MMA all the time guy over the last year or two. Then, I watched Eli in a game about three months ago, and I was surprised how good he looked. So I started watching again. Before then, I stopped watching after the Giants last Super Bowl. Burress got his situation, Strahan retired, the Giants finally won, I was a happy man. But man, Eli looked so good, I said you know what, let me watch this.

Now, basketball, I've barely watched since Michael Jordan. But the NBA is looking amazing lately. The talent is truly through the roof more so than ever. This Jeremy Lin is doing some amazing things, I never thought I'd get back into the NBA of all things, but I for one am impressed.

So how about maniacs, any love for a little NBA? I've seen some football threads, how about basketball?

Yes, yet another Nick Diaz thread. But, I wanted to say my piece. Let's start about talking about Nick Diaz first, by bringing up Carlos Condit.

Carlos Condit has 5 losses. 3 were by submission. He got submitted prior to 2007 and prior to his championship run in WEC. This happens quite often to even the best BJJ players as it is a lengthy process to fully understand all of the ins and outs of the sport. You generally can't knock a man who has been submitted early in his career, who comes back to never seem to be in submission trouble , and submits people left and right. Carlos BJJ game is solid now for sure.

Carlos has never been finished Via Strikes. The guy might not be able to be knocked out. Jake Ellenberger hit him with a shot that would knock out a donkey. Carlos somehow managed to not only survive but to come back from the brink of defeat, and actually earn of split decision win over the Juggernaut.

Carlos came back to beat the prodigy Rory MacDonald in a display of toughness and heart. He has 28 wins, 13 have come by way of stoppage from strikes, 13 from submission.

This is not your average MMA fighter. Carlos is definitely in a select class of fighters with an elite level of heart and toughness. He is a finishing animal. Carlos is trying to kill you in the ring, and your only hope of surviving a finish is that the ref is aware enough to pull him off of you. The man is no joke.

That being said, Carlos wanted nothing to do with a war with Nick Diaz.

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What other reason would he have to be doing what he has been doing? This is an unheard of precedent , we have never seen a fighter so afraid to fight someone his own size, he is willing to lose his life in the process, as well as his job. Why won't Anthony Johnson just you know, man up?

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Are you ass clowns serious? Those two over hill fucks won FOTY? That's bullshit. There is a slew of fights that were far better this year, you fucks are crazy.

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I think this is the fight we have all been waiting for, for a long time. A lot of us have always wanted to see the two best strikers in the HW division go at it. Little did we know that Overeem would actually be in the UFC, and that it would be for the belt. How lucky are we? We should be in for a real treat. Although, the path to victory for one member, would be best suited, not using his highly decorated striking skills. Who would that be? After the jump find out.

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What an unbelievable night of fights. More first round finishes than I can ever remember. This probably goes down as one of the greatest cards ever. Hominick stopped in 7 seconds by the Korean Zombie. Lil Nog wrecking Tito, FRANK FREAKING MIR BREAKS BIG NOGS ARM, holy crap!

But let's get down to business. JON JONES. He's an unstoppable wrecking machine , he is finishing everyone. However, tonight, he was proven to be human. Let's get serious. Rashad , Hendo, they are not going to be able to get it done. There is only one man who can finally put this beast out. The Greatest of All Time, Anderson Silva. This is a call to round everyone up, and get on Dana's twitter and ask , no, beg , no , demand this fight.

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A lot of times, while I'm training I start to ponder what weight class I would like to fight in. Generally you want to fight in the lowest weight class available. I'm 5'8 more of a stocky muscular build, and would probably be best suited for 155 with a decent weight cut.

But then, I look on with horror , at the LW division. This has to be the shark tank to end all shark tanks. After the jump, we take a look at the LW division in depth...

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Alright after a pretty good night of fights, let's see what's next.

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I've made note of how there is a new breed of WW creeping along the scene. A rarity in general, but it appears to be popping up all over. Wrestlers, with big power. Oh hey, that's nothing evolved, that's nothing that we haven't seen yet. True, but this breed, is a dangerous breed, who still remain among the elite levels, and will always be a problem for anyone stylistically for the end of time. Any one who has a strong grappling base and can put major influence into where the fight is dictated, coupled with major power, is a major problem. Period.

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Hey there are some awesome pictures out there photo shopped and what not, all that fancy shit. Can we get a huge shit list going here?

The Jones vs Machida done in the other thread looked fucking sick. Dhalism was Jones with fire coming out of his mouth and Machida was Ryu post that here.

The Broly Brock picture that shit is awesome

Who can Overeem be? He already looks like a superhero.

Clay Guida ? Maybe Wolverine?

Damn too many names to name, let's see some cool pictures as if they were superheroes or any sort of cartoon character that they look like.

Koscheck is fraggle rock of course, the one with Him as Fraggle Rock and Thiago as Bert. That was awesome. Anyway, I think this is a cool idea, and if you don't. You fucking suck.

Alright, let's take a look into the crystal ball Pre UFC 137 and see what's on the horizon. A good match maker should not let his foreskin block his foresight. You have to be smart about future match ups, and how the division is set up because you don't want to step on your own dick. I have excellent foresight, so I'm obviously a great match maker. And my foresight is telling me this is the perfect time to write this fan post . Why? Well my sister just found my prescription of Xanax , and I have Thursday through Monday off. Belligerent! Bah!

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Why should Frankie Edgar, fresh off a UFC 136 technical knockout victory over Gray Maynard, now put his 155-pound title on the line against Gilbert Melendez?

Common sense, of course.

The UFC needs to strike while the iron is hot -- and "El Nino," the reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion, is the biggest threat to the Edgar era at the present time.

Strikeforce has also become irrelevant, and so has pillaging their divisions of its champions. That's probably why, in the last few months, we've seen Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem all head to Zuffa.

Furthermore, UFC President Dana White has a job to do: Put on the best fights avaliable.

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Ladies and Gentleman, the new breed is finally here.  You can mark a dominant champ true reign, by what comes after. Matt Hughes, the long time champ, set the bar pretty damn high. A high level wrestler , who was able to blend a very competent top game and submission styled attack with his elite level wrestling. What came from that? GSP. A guy who came up, knowing he would have to topple the mighty Hughes, and would need competent wrestling to ever have a chance. GSP was claimed to be the future for a long time coming, and boy did he ever meet those expectations. GSP picked up where Hughes left off, adding a versatile striking attack to elite wrestling, and still remains to be the pinnacle of the evolution of the sport due to his ability to truly be the first person to ever blend striking and grappling seamlessly. GSP is able to out wrestle better wrestlers, due to his ability to key on the perfect time of when to strike, and when to shoot.

Now, what does this mean for the generation after GSP? Years of GSP dominance has led to the arrival of a whole platoon of people ready , willing , and able to give GSP a real run for his money.

The New Breed

Stout , major weight cutting wrestlers, with big power in their hands. This type is difficult for any style on the planet . Mike Pierce even gave Jon Fitch, perhaps the modern day Matt Hughes, a run for his money. And this was still while Mike Pierce was just coming up.

Rick Story, a tough as nails kid who used gameplanning to squeak by a very dangerous and evolved Thiago Alves. Story, got his ass kicked in the fight, but he was able to use the right tactics to get the win.

Jake Ellenberger, a complete destruction of Jake Shields in the first round.

As you can see, they've already have done some positioning among the elite.

Fitch, Koscheck, Alves, and Shields, have had an absolute strangehold on the top 5 of the division for years and years while GSP has kept the number 1 spot on lockdown as well. It seemed impossible for anyone to ever crack this top 5.

Now, we are looking at potentially a completely new reworking of the top 5, and perhaps, even the number 1 spot.

Jake Ellenberger

Rick Story

Johnny Hendricks

Mike Pierce

Anthony Johnson

These five guys are being positioned to make their way towards the thrown as we speak.

Although Diaz had his title shot taken from him, he is definitely primed to get the next shot if he beats the legendary BJ Penn. Diaz has had quite a run, and most impressively, beat Paul Daley, at his own game.

So let's see how the UFC options break down.

1) Diaz vs Penn

If Diaz wins, he is in for the shot. If Penn wins, I find it doubtful, although that could be the offer that couldn't be refused part.

2) Jake Ellenberger vs Diego Sanchez

Ellenberger coming off the biggest win of his career, and the biggest win of the new breeds existence. This was brutal, dominant, no questions left unanswered beating of a guy who has remained in the top 5 for the last couple of years, and was just coming off a title shot. Jake has a winnable fight here against Diego, who is yet another name to add to his resume. The future is uncertain, but should Penn win, or Diaz go crazy again, injury or anything, look for Ellenberger to be grabbed up .

3) Johnny Hendricks vs Jon Fitch

The UFC is dying to see Fitch lose to someone. A guy who can be competitive wrestling , and has big power, presents big problems for Jon Fitch. Should Johnny Hendricks unseed the clear cut longtime #2 WW in the division, he should definitely be expecting a call at any time.

4) Anthony Johnson vs Charlier Brenneman

Story squeaked by Alves, and pretty much stole his thunder, only to have Charlie B steal it right back from it. Here Rumble is going to try to capitalize on all of this thunder stealing. Rumble got his ass handed to him by Koscheck, but hopefully that loss woke him up and made him realize the holes in his game. He was seen using his wrestling against Hardy, a rarity, and seems to be taking the ground game a lot more seriously. This guy is as big as they come at WW, and with his speed , power, and wrestling ability, he is a handful for anyone on the planet.

5) Rory Macdonald

The future of Welter weight. The golden boy. Groomed by the current champ as well! This kid is set up for glory, but his time will come later. Rory has no interest in fighting GSP, and he is a tremendous WW who is still young, and may outgrow the division. Regardless, he will be the next GSP, or the one to push it even further than that, in any division.

Rory's time will come, but for now, this new crop is licking their chops at a shot at GSP. These guys are all bringing big power and stout wrestling, and for all of GSP greatness, one of the things he lacks, is great power. As well as a great submission game, and lack of recent finishing ability, it would appear that the fights GSP has coming towards him in 2012, are going to be very interesting.

My personal opinion leads me to believe that GSP is probably still too far ahead of the game for anyone to catch him. Mostly due to his transition ability. Still, after all this time, no one has been able to replicate his ability to smoothly blend striking and grappling. However, I do think, that he is going to have fights that are more competitive than normally with these new guys.

The old breed's top 5, is done IMO. Alves, Shields have already been beaten. Fitch and Koscheck are next.  I don't know if it will be Johnny Hendricks who does it, but one of these guys will get to Fitch, and beat him. Mike Pierce got pretty damn close, one of the remaining members will get the job done.

Koscheck fits into a seperate category here. He's essentially the first of the new breed to come. Stout wrestling, added with big knockout power. Koscheck should be able to fit in with these guys with no problems, but Kos is in for some really competitive fights. I doubt he wins all of them, I doubt he loses all of them, but things will certainly get really interesting here.

So what do you guys think? Will this new breed dethrone GSP, or just the remaining top 5?

Hey guys, I wrote about this on BE, but now I'm here. This place seems awesome, and a bit more relaxed, plus plenty of pictures of beautiful women! I am enjoying my stay...

I brought this issue up not too long ago...

Ok, let's go over a couple of things.

Walk Around Weight - A fighter's weight when he is not fighting, he's not in a fight camp, a fighter's normal relaxed weight. This fluctuates, some fighters stay in shape year round, and some fighters let loose. At the end of the day, this weight is irrelevant to fighting, because of that. Putting on 30 lbs of fat, just means your a fat ass, and has no relation to fighting. Anyone can get fat, and getting fat, and losing it, is irrelevant.

Weighs Ins- This is your weigh in weight. Whatever weight class your in, the maximum you can be is one pound over. If it's a title fight, you have to be on the mark.

Fight Time Weight - This is the most relevant weight. This is the weight you fight at , and thus most POVs about a fighter's weight come from here.

Cutting Weight- The process of doing a rapid dehydration to lose maximal pounds to make weight. This is generally done by wrestlers, and not everyone actually cuts weight this way. Generally people just diet down, and perhaps cut a couple of pounds. In general, a regular guy who is trying to make weight, is only going to cut 10 lbs. Massive weights cutters can cut up to 20 or even more...

Ok, now that we got the basic terms down, let's get to the meat of the issue.

GSP weights just as much, IF NOT MORE, than Anderson SIlva come fight time. GSP, is a true weight cutter. GSP walks around about the same weight he fights at. Generally 190-200. GSP is about 193 come fight time. He stays in shape all year. So his fight time weight, does not vary much from his walk around weight.

Silva, on the other hand, is not a true weight cutter. He's not going to be in the sauna, or using garbages bags to cut massive water weight. Silva just works out, gets in shape, and eats properly to make weight. Sure he may be cutting a little, but he's no crazy weight cutter guy. Anderson may walk around even as high as 220, but that's because he likes being a fat ass. He eats his Burger King, his McDonalds, and he gets fat. Then in camp, he starts losing all that fat. Anderson come fight time is around 190-200 maximum. He may even be less. It's possible Anderson fights right around the weight liimt..

This goes for many , many fighters. Your big weight cutters, your Anthony Johnson, Thiago Alves, GSP, Jon FItch before the vegetarian diet, Johnny Hendricks, probably Dan Hardy, are all around 200 lbs.

You may run into scenarios where your Big WW may not be off that much from a small LHW. Dan Henderson weighs about 207 come fight time.

So you are talking about a 200 lb WW essentially only being a couple of pounds away from a LHW in Dan Henderson. Shogun doesn't seem to be a weight cutter either, and is likely in that area.

Chael Sonnen was 207 against Marquardt. He would be considering a big weight cutter.

Marquardt has said he is 195 come fight time...

So as you can see, in general, the gap between WW and LHW is not as big as many people think. And in a lot of cases, the weights aren't as big as of difference as many think.

GSP is as heavy, as an average MW fighters who doesn't cut massive amounts of weight, come fight time, while he's defending the WW belt.

I always thought that was interesting. GSP weighs as much as Anderson Silva come fight time, while the former defends the WW belt, while the latter defends the MW belt.

So GSP talking all that, I need to gain weight stuff, is just for GSP to gain an advantage, which I don't blame him for. Anderson is built oddly, and never looks small, or seems to be overmatched physically, even though he may not weigh that much. He's just a really big tall lengthy dude.

Anyway, next time GSP says hey, Anderson is way too heavy for me, you can call bullshit!

A natural Middleweight knocking out a natural Heavyweight. Got me to thinking. Seems around here a lot of people are pretty confused about what's going on behind the scenes and who actually weighs what come fight time. Now I am no reporter, nor do I do this for a living, and all of my resources will be off of memory so be warned. Do not expect perfection, but I have always kept an eye open on this issue and my memory is not so bad.

The biggest misconception about weight classes is that in general, majority of the classes are a muddled mess. The difference between Welterweight and Light Heavyweight is 25 pounds on paper, but come fight time, it's generally less than that, a whole lot less...

Let's look at our top weights cutter in the Welterweight Division.

Anthony Johnson has been rumored to be around 200 come fight time.

I have heard a rumor Thiago Alves has been 199 against Josh Koscheck, and in the 190 range against GSP.

GSP was 193 against Hardy, as he put on 8 lbs of muscle after having trouble controlling Alves. Which makes Pre Hardy GSP around 185 or so.

Jon Fitch has been rumored to be around 200 pre FLEXITARIAN diet. ( Look it up. )

Dan Hardy is huge. I don't know what he weights, but he looked huge against Condit, and 193 GSP, and even he was dwarfed by Anthony Johnson still..

Rory Markham seems like another 190+ guy, he had to STOP cutting at 177.5 his weight cut was going so bad. When you physically can't cut any more weight and you are that far away, it's only because you are a huge weight cutter ala Alves and Johnson have had this trouble. This is Rory against Nate Diaz.

Paul Daley has missed weight 5 out of 11 times. Just read that the other day. Un freaking believable. You don't miss weight that many times unless you are cutting massive weight.

Johny Hendricks says he cuts from 205-210, but IMO that's probably his walk around weight, and he truly cuts from somewhere in the 190-200 range. I could be wrong, but the way the interview was worded it made me pause. As you can see, I'm pretty well educated in where these guys are at, so I would put some faith in my prediction, but you never know.

Jake Ellenberger is a freaking monster. He doesn't call himself the Juggernaut for no reason. And the guy he fought Rocha looked even bigger. I don't know what their weights were, but they seemed tremendous...

I believe Shields had to cut 20 lbs in one day to fight Kampmann. After putting on muscle to move up to MW, it doesn't seem like he's really lost any of it, just seems he's cutting more now. Compare Jake Shields against Kampmann and GSP to Shields against Daley. Two completely different bodies...

So looking at that, we can see that many successful Welterweight fighters are actually not even close to their weight class. Most of these major weight cutting guys are cutting this much weight because height becomes a factor. 5'9 Thiago Alves is just not going to survive at 185 with that height, and those short arms. He rather pass out in a sauna several times for each weight cut apparently than to fight at a more comfortable 185.

GSP is quite big as well. I'm not exactly sure what he is today, but in Kenny Florian's preview to fighting Nunez, he commented how GSP eats however he wants when he's not fighting. GSP is always working out, and probably does not need a restricted diet because he is generally in fighting shape year round. My point being, I have no heard of GSP dropping that extra 8 lbs of muscle that he gained for Hardy, post Alves. He could possibly be around his normal 185-190 range though, he seemed to have a bit of a bad cut against Hardy , either he lost the extra weight, or his body got used to it. IMO it's probably the latter. GSP is now saying he is 185 again , but that is only in regards when people start bringing up Anderson Silva.

Note to reporters. Next time you talk GSP/Silva with GSP, do your homework! GSP is blatantly shaving off every little pound he has to and adding as many as possible to Silva to try to make the fight seem like it would be a crazy weight disadvantage. It's not! GSP claims that Silva is 210-220, but that's Silva's walk around weight, and Silva happens to be a fat fighter, who plumps up when he is not fighting, unlike a GSP/Koscheck who stay fit year round. Your walk around weight is irrelevant! Anyone can eat Burger King all day and balloon up to whatever weight they want. The only two important weights are what are they weighing in at, and what are they fighting at. Reporters , note this to GSP.

GSP, you have noted yourself to be in the 185-193 weight range on several occasions throughout your career. Anderson Silva, has never been noted to have been a weight cutter, and is even noted on snacking on things a real weight cutter would be buried for. Anderson weighed in at 182 against Thales Leites, and he used to fight at 170 years ago. Although Silva looks like a monster, and was not dwarfed at all by even huge 205er Forrest Griffen, his weight is just not as much as it seems. He's not a muscular guy, and he's a thin, wiry strong guy, who has length and skills.

It's highly likely that when GSP fought Dan Hardy and commented that his weight was 193, that Anderson Silva actually probably weighed less than that when he fought Thales Leites! Talk about a head scratcher!

So the Welterweight champ has weighed more for a title fight, than the Middleweight champ has for his title fight? What is the purpose of the weight classes then? Unbelievable stuff huh? Even if they have been lying about Silva and he actually does cut weight, it would not be anymore than 10 lbs. A guy like Anderson Silva, a non wrestler, who's 6'2 , who's extremely skilled, and does not have endless cardio, is not going to be your average huge weight cutter guy. Guys who are true WW/LW/MW etc,etc, generally cut 10 lbs max. If you are a " true Welterweight" you are Ben Askren, Josh Koscheck. ( I believe ).

Guys like Diego Sanchez, Nate/Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, BJ Penn, are generally in the 170-180 range.

So for Penn/GSP 2 , I believe we had a 168 chubby Penn with clothes on I think, and GSP , who is suggested to have been 185 or around there. That's a 15 lb weight difference guys. That's a whole weight class.

Let's check out our Lightweight fighters. From memory, the big guys are 

Maynard

Sherk

Guillard

and obviously the King of All that is Weight Cutting Gleason Tibau who supposedly is around 180 fight time in a 155 weight limit fight. That's insane.

The other 3 guys are all around the 170 range from what I recall, my memory is not so great on LW. I recall Spencer Fisher even having to cut 20 lbs in a day against who I can't recall.

Dan Henderson fights a HW fight at 207. Chael Sonnen fights a MW fight at 207 (Against Nate).

So as you can see, there's really not as big of a weight difference between the WW-LHW scene as people think. People are generally forced to cut massive amounts of weight if their height isn't enough for a division. Guys who don't cut weight at all, combined with guys who cut massive amount of weight, actually can have a WW fighting at the same weight as a LHW come fight time.

The WW champion, is all likelihood is heavier than the MW champion during an actual title fight. I mean, how insane is that. Yet, claims that " weight " is an issue. GSP needs to be called out on this, and people need to start being more informed of how these " weight classes " really work.

Alright, let's make a recap. You have heard me spouting this stuff for the last day, time to make a post about it. Overeem can be the legit number 1 HW today. Why? Because he is the lineal champ. The lineal champ is compromised of the same process that we use to award the number 1 fighter in any weight class. The biggest organization has the best fighter. That's generally how it works. Problem is, Pride was seen as the number 1 org , especially regarding HWs for some time. The problem is the Fedor. He was a true anomaly.

Fedor was without question the consensus number 1 HW is the world for nearly a decade. Randy Couture, the UFC Champ, held out his contract in a bid to fight the number 1 HW in the world. Randy knew that Fedor was number 1. Hell everyone knows that.

So we have a chain that splits, since Fedor did not join the biggest org, we have issues regarding the number 1 HW. Fedor continued to fight top talent in Affliction/SF who had both had legit HWs. So realistically, you can't even knock Fedor too much, he was still fighting top level guys, perhaps not the highest level guys , but it doesnt matter. Theres a reason Dana tried everything in his power to get him. And it wasnt because he thought Fedor would rule, he wanted that legitmacy that Fedor brings being the number 1 consensus HW.

So we have two chains...

Cain > Brock > Randy > Slyvia

Which is the UFC Chain, which as you can see started with Slyvia, who is not and never was considered the number 1 HW in the world. Slyvia while still considering a top HW, received losses from both Fedor and Noguiera. Doing things in retrospect is stupid, but I will show you why...

Fedor > Noguiera > Slyvia is a clear chain. And this wasnt the Slyvia from last week, this was still Slyvia at his highest of levels, he was still look like the Timmy of old...

Then, Noguiera actually beat Randy! This is after Randy already lost to Brock, in which Randy hasnt looked the same since coming back from his holdout IMO anyway, making points irrelevant, but we are playing the retrospect irrelevant game anyhow.

So another scenario in which in retrospect, there's not much claim to UFC ever having the true number 1 by beating the number one...

Fedor > Nog > Slyvia as well as the Nog > Randy > Slyvia chains, all suggests that Fedor was the true number 1 consensus HW...

So, how does one become the number 1 HW? Well the only way is to beat him. Werdum was the first to beat the number 1 HW, thus, as silly as it sounds, he becomes the number 1 HW. It's really that simple. Did Werdum lose to JDS in embarrasing fashion? Of course. But it's all irrelevant, because retrospect is irrelevant in the way rankings are done, which is judged by who the champ is. The UFC Champ is seen as the number 1 because it's a thing grounded in logic. Applying that same logic to Fedor, who going by the same rules, means that Overeem could easily be considered number 1 today.

JDS > Werdum is a chain. But so is Werdum > Fedor. As you can see in my previous chain, I did not make a chain of Fedor > Nog > Randy > Slyvia, because Fedor never beat Randy. So we can't predict the future. We just know who is the champ, and that's it really. Fedor was the most dominant champ ever, for the longest period of time. He was the most legit number 1 perhaps ever, and the number 1 ranking should flow through him.

JDS also has one loss on his record. Do we still consider the guy who beat JDS as ranked higher than JDS ? Of course not, that was a long time ago. Same thing pretty much applies to JDS > Werdum. Werdum went on to beat Big Foot Silva, and then the number 1 HW in a row. So JDS win does not trump Fedor, even though one can make a case for it.

This whole deserving thing is absurd as well. This is HW, it works different than other weight classes, because it's so thin. Brock for intents and purposes didn't deserve to fight the UFC Champ at the time, but he got the shot, and won. He is the UFC Champ, we can't say he doesn't deserve it, because he beat the champ, thus he is the champ. End of story...

So we can delve into what has happened previously, and it gets us nowhere. Overeem has only beat Werdum! Yet, no one like to mention that Cain realistically has only beaten Brock. I don't know if counting Noguiera is worth it nowadays, and Gonzaga is a known gatekeeper.

As you can see, we can trash everyone's record and make it seem like no one is good at anything. JDS only major win is Carwin realistically, and Carwins only major win was Mir. Top ten wise I'm speaking. So, all of these HWs have something to prove, and this is what happens when the talent is split between two pools. We get a mess.

But guess what guys! The biggest org actually just bought the other legit org, and we will get to see the truth once in for all. So hold your tongues! This headache established by Fedor and Co. will finally be put to rest, and we will be able to finally crown the official number 1 HW in the world very soon.

When the Grand Prix winner takes on the UFC Champ, then, AND ONLY THEN, will we be able to have a true consensus number 1 HW in the world. Our opinions on how the talents collide and all of our predictions are irrelevant. Everyone has an opinion, and determining the number 1 HW is not supposed to be done by opinion.

So in the end, we have a solution, in the near future, and we should hold off on all of the judgements. It's the only balanced, unbiased way to do things, and we will all know the truth soon enough.

Sorry for the massive spelling errors, and for jumping all over the place, but I truly feel this approach is the most balanced approach, and hopefully others will share it. Thanks for your time.

I've been reading a lot about people's opinion on Cain Velasquez. I'm under the impression that generally anyone who is wearing the belt will always favor the current champion over anyone else just because. Looking at Cain, a smallish HW who has decent striking, very good wrestling, and unknown but probably good BJJ, are we forgetting the size and stylistic disadvantages he has against him? Cain is 6'1 , definitely not a big HW, in a sea of absolute monsters. Many point to Brock Lesnar as to answer the question of size, but realistically, Brock is not nearly as seasoned as many of these other fighters, and Cain forced Brock to stand with him. What happens now, if any of these guys force Cain to stand? Sure his striking has improved drastically. But really, many of these HWs have quality hands, and are much bigger than Cain.

For instance, Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum are stylistic nightmares for Cain. Both are good sized HWs frame wise, Werdum being 6'4 and Mir being 6'3. Both have quality striking, as Mir probably is a step above Werdum. Either way, realistically, does Cain even want to be in either of the twos guard? Werdum is clearly a step above Frank Mir in BJJ and I would even say with his guard play as well, but Frank is a legit black belt who can play the guard game. Really, how good is Cain's BJJ defense? He is somewhat unproven wouldn't you think? Im sure Dave Camarillo has Cain as prepared as he can be, but a guard player with a size advantage is always very very dangerous. Striking wise, Werdum and Mir are no slouches either.

JDS and Overeem are also stylistic nightmares. Two strikers who are a full league ahead of Cain. JDS although his ground game is still suspect to a degree, has shown he is a true athlete, and I'm sure he's picking up wrestling/bjj at a rapid pace. JDS is simply not going to be easily ragdolled, and his footwork provides good spacing for TDD. JDS is a full 3 inches bigger, and is a better striker who moves very well. Obviously Cain is going to get his takedowns, but JDS looks like he will make him work for it. Overeem on the other hand has absolute dynamite is his punches and knees. Overeem is perhaps the most dangerous guy to fight in the division. Plus, he is no slouch on the ground. Overeem will have a full 4 inches on Cain, and the kind of strength and size Overeem has, is going to make things really interesting.

And even though JDS tooled Carwin, he presents a stylistic nightmare for Cain as well. Carwin absolutely has the defensive wrestling to give anyone fits and forces people to stand with him. Can Cain outpoint a heavy handed striker ? Carwin absolutely has the power to knock out Cain, and with his defensive wrestling, anyone is in danger of being knocked out.

Cain's best chance in a division of monsters, is to rely on his superior technique and cardio. His cardio is really the only major advantage he is ever going to hold against these 5 guys, and he can completely wear them out. This is not even accounting for the injury/ring rust etc etc. But as we can see, Cain being the destroyer of worlds because he beat Brock Lesnar, is simply not true. Mir > Cain > Brock > Mir is quite possible, and HW seems to be a rock paper scissors division if you ask me, much like many other divisions.

Anyway, to sum it up, it's quite apparent Cain is not going to be walking through everyone, but who is the most likely to topple Cain?

Hey guys, wanted to start learning about the 145 division. Who are the top 5 wrestlers/strikers/bjj artists?

Honestly, the division seems pretty weak, what's the consensus on Florian/Griffen/Stevenson moving down? Are they going to all immediately be in the top 10? Top 5?  Or am I assuming that they are weak just because of lack of knowledge?

I have been finding it hard to get really interested in the weight division. Actually been having an easier time with 135 with the name talents of Faber/Torres. But 145 has Aldo who's perhaps the most talented fighter in the business right now. But would like to know who to look out for, who the big prospects are, who the up and comers are, and who the gatekeepers are...

Alright guys, thanks for your time...

I'm convinced that this is the perfect matchup for both of these guys. We have essentially two of the more boring fighters, who are extremely talented and skilled at what they do. For me, the boring fights, are no big deal. We are witnessing a fighter who completely dominates a fight, and an opponent having no answer for the other fighters game plan. I can appreciate that, and I actually find it very entertaining. As long as it's at the highest level of fighting in the sport, I can appreciate any game plan, as it is effective, and that's all that matters....

Anyway, this is absolutely a marquee matchup here. These two fighters are near mirror images of each other, and this should be a great and interesting showcase of skill , strategy, and technique. 

Plus, for all you naysayers, it will make sure that these two hands don't get their hands on the " exciting " fighters , and bend them to their will. Lol...

What do you guys think? 

Well the backlash is certainly strong. But it's really uncalled for IMO... Jake Shields is a serious threat, a extremely talented grappler, who has a real chance to sub GSP, and or outclass him on the ground. It's pretty obvious GSP was distraught in how many where discrediting Shields chances, and as we can see by his game plan, he wanted nothing to do with Shields on the ground. Which is how do you say? Oh ya, that's called " Smart Game Planning ". There's no reason to fight in your opponents strength, while his weakness is right there for the taking. GSP had the ability to keep it off the ground, and fight in an area where he had a strong advantage ( or so he thought ). Shields stand up was very surprising as stated by GSP in the post fight interview... I believe him. Shields looked much much better than he has ever looked striking wise. Which was also stated in the Primetime episode. Shields striking may never be high level, but people are not playing all the factors.

Wrestling is a huge part of striking in MMA people. The threat of the takedown, causes major changes in one's ability to strike, and comfort level. Usually, GSP benefits from this very issue, and is a huge reason for his dominating performances. This is a rare occasion, in which GSP did not want to use his dynamic takedown skills. And for good reason. GSP may be the hardest worker in MMA, but he is no natural in BJJ. Jake Shields, is a natural. Period. GSP could train for a million years, and he would just never be as good as Jake Shields is. Same as how Matt Hughes can box everyday of his life, and never be on the level of a pro boxer. Obviously , the gap is not quite that large. But there is clearly quite a large gap in abilities here. And even if I'm wrong, there's a good chance that I'm right, enough of a chance in which it is not worth the risk, which is the point. There's no reason to fight in your opponents strength, just to do it, or to make the fight exciting, or to make some idiot fans happy. Fighting smart, should be a priority, especially for the championship level fighters. 

GSP striking looked like crap, because he was constantly worried about Shields ability to take him down. Meanwhile, Shields was totally comfortable , and had no fear of the takedown, and was able to strike freely. That is a huge major factor in this fight. One in which, no other fighter on the planet at the WelterWeight Division could replicate! No one at 170 has the grappling chops to stop GSP from taking them down over and over again. Which means, no one is capable of taking GSP out of his game like that. Jake Shields skillset , caused GSP and his trainers to avoid the ground at all costs. An adjustment, that will not be replicated in the near future by anyone...

So let's keep things in perspective. GSP weakest area, is clearly his BJJ. It's definitely not horrible, and is quite good, but it's his weakest area. GSP fighting smart, and keeping the fight out of his weakest area, meanwhile, it being his opponents strongest area, and he is one of the highest levels of that area in the division, is called smart game planning. Period.

GSP admits he fights cautious, admits he is always scared and nervous, and admits that he fights safe. Yet when we see a fight, that backs up those statements, we call for blood, and want him to fight like Anderson Silva? How does that make sense.

GSP is the greatest WelterWeight of all time, and winning fights is his job, not making his fans entertained . As long as the buyrates are still high, don't expect anything different. If you really want to show how bad you want an entertaining fight, don't buy GSP cards.  This is MMA guys, not finish your opponent at all costs... 

Just wanted to get some points out there. Sure, logically , a person who focuses solely on boxing, would be a better boxer. So in general, MMA artists should be spread to thin, to ever really truly hope to be the top strikers in the world. That being said, does a guy who trains boxing his whole life, mean that he should be considered the best striker? Of course not. A boxer is only using his hands, and is like striking with training wheels on as messed up that is to say.

Boxing is not striking! It is a part of striking, but it is not striking. A boxer manipulates rules in his given sport and is able to make things effective in the sport based on those rules!

For instance, a wrestler who gets his shot stuffed, puts his hand on the ground so he cannot be kneed. This is a manipulation of the rule. It happens in every freaking sport. The manipulation of striking because of boxing rules, does not automatically mean that boxers are the best because of all their flashy cool stuff.

There is a reason we don't see a lot of cool boxing stuff in MMA or K-1 . Because it would get you knocked out. Period. If you tried half of the boxing stuff in the other true striking sports, you would find yourself in a world of trouble.

So let's make it clear, that boxing, although the most popular, is not the best combat sports. Perhaps they hold combat sports best athletes as a top paid boxer makes the most money, thus draws the attention of more people, but stylistically, a boxer cannot survive in MT.

When you look at what kind of level of striking they are doing down there in Thailand, why do we even use the term K-1 level striking? MT , is using by far the highest skill level of striking on the planet. Boxers can't hold a candle to these guys.

And realistically, why would they? In a sport of striking, like MT, where all striking is allowed, how could a boxer be good enough at something he has never experienced. Boxing, is a sense, is almost like fake striking, in a way, that MMA, is a fake fighting. That's a bit strong, but I think I got my point across. Boxing is not true striking, perhaps is a better way to put it, and MMA, is not true street fighting.

So all of this. a high level boxer will walk in and outstrike any top level MMA guy, is totally blown out of proportion. First off, boxers utilizing bigger gloves, allows them to block in certain ways you normally can't in MMA. Not to mention, the huge upgrade in power now using gloves.

Shots that you used to be able to survive in boxing, are now KO punches in MMA. MMA's skill has been lacking not only because of the threat of takedown, but pure power ruling the day, and pure effectiveness being a huge factor. Skill is only coming into play now, as people are learning how to MMA strike. We are still in the baby steps...

We know a pure boxer has no chance in MMA. But a pure boxer, in essentially a standup MMA striking contest? Well, it's not a sure thing either like I said. The top guys who are using kicks as well as punches in MMA, should realistically be able to take out a boxer quite easily, as a boxer is at a big disadvantage not knowing how to deal with kicks or utilize them...

Sure, Mayweather may be able to take out Jeremey Stephens , but what about Jose Aldo? Do we really think that Mayweather, who has no experience with kicks or knees, or elbows, will have any clue to do when a guy like Jose Aldo is kicking his ass all over the cage? I highly doubt that. Not to mention, that MMA striking, is all done while keeping the threat of a takedown in mind?

MMA striking is by far more compicated than boxing, by a long shot. MMA is still in it's baby steps, and we are still seeing how high level striking works in the sport, but by this point , we should realize also, that boxing as a striking sport itself, is hardly the gold standard, and the thought that any boxer can come in here, and dominate a MMA Striker who is a true striker, and not just a boxer, is quite laughable.

Unless of course Jake Shields beats GSP, this is the best fight available after GSP/Shields. Nick won't fight his teammate, but Nick is by far the most interesting option for the WelterWeight Title. GSP/Fitch 2, has zero buzz behind it, and there is little else out there right now for GSP. 

Nick hasn't fought a wrestler in some time, and has been fighting guys who don't employ LNP. Nick is prone to being LNPed , evidence from his UFC days, and stylistically speaking, will always have a tough time against guys who LNP. It's quite possible that Nick entering the UFC will meet the same exact issues that Nate is going through. Beating nearly everyone else, but being held on the ground, and without the ability to scramble, and the wrestler being very cautious, it's nearly a lose/lose for Nick to jump into the UFC.

But this guy is by far the best WW outside of the UFC. We need to see this fight, as it is the most interesting, and the fact that WW has already been cleaned out. Without these scenarios in place, I would be fine with the status quo. Feeding GSP contenders, is the number one priority, regardless of prior arrangements, IE no co-promoting. This is a fight that can get a lot of hype behind it, and will be an easy sell obviously with the personality differences, and the champion vs champion logic...

Many will write Nick off, as that he will just be LNPed, but there is a reason why they fight. Nick Diaz has to be one of the toughest in WW, he is one of the best strikers in the division, has the heart of a champion, and brings it every single time, and with great cardio. GSP has never fought a guy as big , and as good as NIck is off his back. Penn is one of the best, but size does play a factor in grappling. Also, like I got into before, the options for GSP are next to nothing. With Anderson Silva lurking in the background, and only Fitch/Penn on the horizon, where else can GSP turn? GSP taking Nick Diaz would continue to give the WW division more time to produce up and coming contenders.

Nick is 6'1 and GSP is 5'10. Nick has much longer arms than GSP. Nick is going to be a big problem for GSP on the standup, honestly, I'm not sure if there is a WW in the world who can deal with Nick's overwhelming style. Either way, this is the fight that needs to come up next in the WW division. Also, Nick says he needs some time off, so this would be a good time for him to rest up before his Title Shot.

Obviously we have the whole co-promoting issue, but regardless, this fight should happen. 

According to Celebrity Net Worth

Fedor          15 million

Brock           15 million

Randy             9 million

Rampage       8 million

Chuck              6 million

GSP                  4 million

A. SIlva             1.5 million

Now I understand why Silva only wants big fights.

Ugh I need 35 more words I dont really no what to say as I dont have much to add to this but figured Id post it and see what people though. In comparison

Tiger 900 million

Jordan 525 million

Arod 300 million

Kobe 140 million

Lamar Odom 76 million

Tiger has 900 million? WTF? Godamn thats a lot of money. Hopefully thats enough words. Ok it was but I wanted to add. Damn Fedor has a ton of money in comparison to MMA fighters. Jesus didn't expect that.

2 bedroom apt for the king of MMA ( along w brock ) Man those Russians must be digging into his pockets.

Man what the hell has been going on lately? BJ , Aoki, and Henderson losing . Crazyiness in the MMA world right now.

Lightweight

1) BJ Penn

2) Frankie Edgar

3) Kenny Florian

4) Gray Maynard

5) Tyson Griffen

6) Gilbert Melendez

7) Shinya Aoki

8) Eddie Alvarez

9) Sean Sherk

10) George Sotiropoulous

I think you guys are aware on my BJ #1 stance. Quick overview. BJ would still be a favorite in the rematch. He should have won that fight according to a split margin of people in the community and FightMetric .

Aoki losing proves the point I was making about Aoki's weakness in that he's a one dimensional ground guy that when facing top level wrestlers will find major problems.

Melendez could be higher but not being in the UFC I have to go with the UFC wrestleboxers until I see definitive proff otherwise. Too many people give credit to the guys outside of the UFC meanwhile they should be taken with a grain of salt and be looked at more suspiciously than the UFC guys who are proven time and time again to have top of the line guys.

Sean Sherk has dropped down. He has not fought in a while. His age and his rumored knee problems have me highly suspicious in what he is capable of nowadays. Seeing how a big factor if his game is speed and explosiveness if he loses a step it would be very detrimental to him being a top fighter. I would need to see the proof first in most cases but seeing how all of these guys are dropping off left and right I figured I would go with the percentages and assume he has dropped off a little. Sherk has not fought in a long time and is old in comparison to his fighting style. I think Sherk is going to join the new group filled with past stars such as Matt Hughes, Big Nog, Dan Hendo :( , and Randy Couture. Just a guess which is why he is still top ten but I think its valid to assume. We should find out pretty soon though.

Aoki proved that his weakness can be exploited but it doesn't take away from all of his other wins.

The number 10 spot is up for grabs for me as of right now. George S may have not completely earned it but he has been around for a while and utterly dominated a game peaking Joe Stevenson.

As hard as it is to rank these guys due to the crossover effect I think I did the best I could.

Middleweight

1) Anderson Silva

2) Nate Marquardt

3) Chael Sonnen

4) Okami

5) Maia

6) Vitor Belfort

7) Wanderlei Silva

8) Yoshiro Akiyama

9) Thales Leites

10) Jake Shields

Hendo looked horrible. Gassed , looked slow as fuck. Not to take anything away from Shields but Dan did not fight up to his potential and did not fight as good as he could when he was the #2 MW. I have never considered Shields a MW and think he would run into major problems against the top MWs in the UFC. However, you just can't knock the guy. Even if Hendo was off his game old, etc whatever you wanna say Jake has beaten Lawler, Mayhem, and Hendo solidly. He surely earned his place in the top ten although I have him at ten for now. I had Shields as the #5 WW. I think this still stands. Jake has looked great lately , shit he has looked great for a long time now. Hopefully UFC will be able to sign Jake and we can finally see him against the upper tier WWs. I would fully expect Shields vs GSP to happen if Shields is signed soon. That is a huge fight for the WW even though GSP would still be a heavy favorite. The main thing I want to see regarding GSP is someone who can compete with him in the grappling. I think Shields has a good chance to be competitive with GSP wrestling and on the ground forcing more of a standup fight. Shields is horrible in the stand up and GSP would probably eat him alive but still it would be nice to see GSP greatest strength taken away from him even if ever so slightly just so we can see GSP fight a different type of fight.

Hendo looked so bad and I mean even in the first round while knocking Jake around I highly doubt his capabilities of being able to compete with a guy like Nate or Chael. Seeing how Dan has been gassing alot lately and gassed early into this fight.

Hendo might have had the biggest drop off in comparison to Aoki and Penn. Until proven otherwise I don't think Hendo belongs in the top ten MW much for the same reason I don't believe Matt Hughes or Big Nog belong in the top ten for their respective divisions. Old age and losing a step is enough for you to drop considerably. These new age fighters are just too good and if given an advantage will roll right through you.

Light Heavyweight

1) Anderson Silva

2) Lyoto Machida

3) Shogun Rua

4) Rampage Jackson

5) Rashad Evans

6) Forrest Griffen

7) Antonio Rogeria Noguiera

8) Thiago Silva

9) Rich Franklin

10) Jon Jones

Lot of people don't like seeing Silva as number 1 but I think it's accurate. Anderson would be a favorite against Machida and Shogun let alone the rest of the division. Some people say he hasn't fought at LHW enough. I have seen enough of Anderson to see that his skills do effectively carry over into LHW. It is not as if he is a completely different fighter and seeing how MW and LHW interchange their guys so frequently I think this is a valid assesment.

I keep flip flopping against Shogun and Rampage. Sure Shogun has a win over him but Page looks completely different then. Page came in and dominated while Shogun was hurt. Now Shogun looks to have his spring back while Page has been absent due to movies etc etc. I think its fair to say as of right now Shogun should be higher than Page just becaue of Page's inactivity.

Griffen may have made his name off of some lucky situations but it doesn't change the fact that he has been fighting top guys for a long time with success. Until proven otherwise I am going to keep him up there. Its more of a seniority thing and seeing the competition he has been facing I don't mind keepin him up there.

Lil Nog has earned his place and has always been in the top ten even when he was gone. Him coming back and putting a whoppin on Cane is good enough for me to keep him there.

Thiago albsolutley destroyed the mid tier got killed against Machida, Koed Jardine and looked pretty good against Evans even though he was taken down consistenly. Thiagos injury may have been an issue but regardless Silva took no damage and got up whenever he wanted against #4 LHW in the game right now. Also knocking Evans silly while doing the head bob thing was hilarious and should stand to see him as a serious threat to anyone in the division.

Rich Franklin is another guy who doesn't really deserve to be here seeing as he hasn't fought at LHW much. Regardless this guy has been fighting top competition for a long time and his skills carry over from MW to LHW. I think he is a better MW but he still has his game and is still a good solid top ten guy .

Jon Jones gets the spot by default I think it may be a little to early to give him this spot even though I think he has crazy potential.  But seeing how he destroyed the mid tier guys one could argue he can be put here. Seeing how Randy seems to be past his prime and on a serious downslide I don't think he belongs here. Also between Bader King Mo and Jones I think Jones was more destructive and is likely to be more of a force than the other two. However either one could fit here.

Mousassi and Hendo are dropped out of the top ten. Seeing how old, slow , and gassed Hendo was along with his age I think it is safe to say that he is probably done. Mousassi has not really faced many wrestlers and certainly not the caliber of a guy like Mo. I don;'t see how Mousassi can beat Bader, Jones, or Mo seeing as he has absolutley no answer for the takedown and doesn't have the knockout power of a guy like Thiago Silva to be a real threat to the LHW wrestlers. It seems that the Mousassi hype train has come to a crashing halt. However I think Mousassi is a top notch fighter who is fringe top ten right now and could possibly reclaim his spot after proving he has an answer for takedowns.

Mousassi was #9 according to me going into the King Mo fight.

I also had Hendo at #8  prior to the Jake Shields fight.

Mousassi way back to the top ten seems certain while Hendo I think is probably done. Only time will tell but this is where I stand right now.

I have brought up the arguement that Melendez and Alvarez should not be upper tier seeing as they only are highschool wreslters. Compared to the UFC guys with their big pedigree's no way they can they match up right? Wrong. Man did I learn alot while asking about this subject.

Maynard - D1 All American / Failed Olympic tryouts

Edgar - College wresling went nationals ( Division unknown? )

Griffen - Some Junior College before dropping out

Guida - High School

Sherk - Highschool

Joe Daddy - ???

Melendez - Highschool

Alvarez - Highschool

Those are the top wreslters I can think of at 155. One thing to note the best wrestler also has the best pedigree ( Maynard )

One would think more times than not the better pedigree means the better wrestler.

So where the hell are all the D1 champs and Olympic level wreslters for 155? Is the LW division a hoax? I don't get it?

Even HW has at least one better pedigree'd wreslter in Brock Lesnar who was a D1 Champ Shane Carwin who was a D2 Champ, Cain  D1 All American..

WTF?

Heavyweight

1) Fedor Emelianenko

2) Brock Lesnar

3) Shane Carwin

4) Frank Mir

5) Cain Velasquez

6) Junior Dos Santos

7) Brett Rogers

8) Alistair Overeem

9) Andrei Arlovski

10) Fabricio Werdum

Light Heavyweight

1) Anderson Silva

2) Lyoto Machida

3) Rampage Jackson

4) Shogun Rua

5) Rashad Evans

6) Forrest Griffen

7) Antonio Rogerio Noguiera

8) Dan Henderson

9) Gegard Mousassi

10) Thiago Silva

Middleweight

1) Anderson Silva

2) Dan Henderson

3) Nate Marquardt

4) Chael Sonnen

5) Yushin Okami

6) Demian Maia

7) Vitor Belfort

8) Wanderlei Silva

9) Yoshiro Akiyama

10) Thales Leites

Welterweight

1) Georges St. Pierre

2) Jon Fitch

3) Thiago Alves

4) Josh Koscheck

5) Jake Shields

6) Paulo Thiago

7) Paul Daley

8) Martin Kampmann

9) Nick Diaz

10) Dan Hardy

Lightweight

1) BJ Penn

2) Frankie Edgar

3) Kenny Florian

4) Gray Maynard

5) Shinya Aoki

6) Sean Sherk

7) Tyson Griffen

8) Eddie Alvarez

9) Gilbert Melendez

10)Tatsu Kawajiri

Towards the bottom of the top ten gets alot harder.

I feel confident in

HW Complete

LHW Complete

MW 8-10?

WW 6-10 is a mess but I think i have the right people up there

LW Biggest problem here considering I am not 100% of how Aoki, Alvarez, Melendez game would transfer over. Also I don't know Japanese fighters too well. But I am confident in my top 4 need some help though.

Thanx guys ready for your critiques.

Hey guys I wanted to go over a misconception a lot of people have about the supposedly weak MW division. Well it's really not that weak. Let's take a look at the top 10 fighters and compare it to the most overhyped division in MMA, WW. Let's compare the two and see what happens. I will use my rankings seeing how I feel mine are superior to the other ones on BE but you can do it by their rankings as well.

Let's change it to top 7 as it gets real fishy at the end.

Middleweight                                                                                                    Welterweight 

1) Anderson Silva                                                                                          Georges St. Pierre

2) Dan Henderson                                                                                        Jon Fitch

3) Nate Marquardt                                                                                         Thiago Alves

4) Chael Sonnen                                                                                           Josh Koscheck

5) Yushin Okami                                                                                           Jake Shields

6) Demain Maia                                                                                             Paulo Thiago

7) Vitor Belfort                                                                                                 Paul Daley

1) I give the edge to Silva and I feel many do to. However considering how close they are on the P4P chart I am okay with making this even.

AS = GSP

2)  Hendo vs Fitch... Hendo is the better wreslter, better power, better chin, worse jits

Hendo > Fitch

3) Nate vs Thiago This is pretty close. Considering Nate's all around game and Thiagos standup and takedown defense coupled by the ability to get up any time he wants apparently. Hmm I will be generous

Thiago >= Nate

4) Chael vs Kos  Chael Olympic level wrestling is better than Kos. Kos's hands are better but Kos will be on his back majority of the fight

Chael > Kos

5) Okami vs Shields Okami is a top level wreslter who uses good top control Shields is a monster and nearly identifcal with Fitch and perhaps even slightly a better jits guy.

Shields > Okami

6) Maia vs Thiago

Not even close. Top of the food chain JJ vs good JJ. Thiago got better standup but as we all have seen Maia can take a beatdown. Coupled that with the likelihood of this fight going to the ground its not evn close.

Maia >  Thiago

7) Vitor vs Daley

Very good matchup. Both high impact crazy power speed striking. Vitor  better ground Daley perhaps a little more skilled on the feet. Basically identical.

Vitor= Daley

MW takes this 3 - 2 with 2 ties.

Maybe the MW's depth is not that great. But the top of the food chain is comparable to any other division and maybe perhaps even better than any other division.

Hopefully we can put this bad stereotype behind us.

Also HW is a similar case.

1) Fedor

2) Brock

3) Carwin

4) Mir

5) Cain

6) JDS

7) Rogers

8) Overeem

9) Arlovski

10) Werdum

These guys are comparable to anyone.