Top Ten Pound-for-Pound
Posted by Sam CaplanI just updated my pound-for-pound top ten. Have a look and leave your comments.
Top 10 Pound-for-Pound
| Rank | Fighter | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | Can strike, wrestle and submit fighters. Has dominant recents wins over Koscheck and Hughes. Aside from getting caught by Serra's heavy hands, how can you dispute this ranking? |
| 2 | Anderson Silva | The best pure striker in MMA that fights full-time. He's great off his back and his poise is remarkable. Also has dominant wins over Franklin and Henderson. He's a close second. |
| 3 | Quinton Jackson | Has really improved under Juanito Ibarra. First-ever dual UFC/PRIDE light heavyweight champion and has quality recent wins over Liddell and Henderson. |
| 4 | Randy Couture | One of the most decorated fighters in the history of MMA. No fighter can rival his tactical ability. Dominant wins in the last year over Sylvia and Gonzaga. Inactivity will soon cause him to drop though. |
| 5 | Fedor Emelianenko | Hasn't fought A-level competition since '05 which is why he can't be ranked number one. But prior to '05 he fought the best and beat them. And you can't erase his past accomplishments. His fighting aptitude can also not be ignored as there isn't a better pure fighter out there. |
| 6 | Norifumi Yamamoto | Known for his wrestling but his striking has really improved. Has two wins since returning to full-time MMA last September. |
| 7 | Urijah Faber | Faber is an absolute machine. Is there anyone outside of Yamamoto (who is technically a 135 lbs. fighter) who can give him a run for his money at 145 lbs.? |
| 8 | Gesias Calvancante | One of the most underrated fighters in MMA right now. He'd be a superstar in the U.S. Some feel that ATT is the best MMA camp around now. Well, Calvancante is the best of the best. |
| 9 | B.J. Penn | Added the UFC lightweight title to his past reign as welterweight champion. Has overcome losses to Hughes and St. Pierre with impressive wins over Pulver and Stevenson. Pure fighting ability also cannot be overlooked. |
| 10 | Matt Hughes | I moved him back into the top ten following Henderson's back-to-back losses. Outside of GSP, is there a welterweight alive that can beat him? |
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It’s a good list that I would only quibble with. I think Anderson should be number 1, because when you combine the abstract (your descriptions of their strengths) with the real (the outcomes of their fights) Anderson has been the most dominant fighter for over a year and a half.
Other than that, I’d move Urijah above Fedor and Kid and leave the rest alone.
Anderson Silva is definitly number one. George is I think number 3 under Randy
Sam, in these rankings, does a normal fight hold as much weight as a title fight or top contender fight? I can’t understand how you have GSP on top, he is no doubt at least number 2 but I can’t see how he ranks above Silva. GSP has been KO’ed, Silva never has. Silva gets the edge in standup. I would say that they are even with Jiu Jitsu. GSP gets the wrestling. GSP has taken 4 fights to decision while in the UFC, while Silva has finished all of his opponents. GSP is 2-2 in title fights, Silva is 5-0. Silva has a seven fight win streak, GSP has 2. GSP does have 2 wins over Hughes which do hold a lot of weight though. I can see the argument, but p4p should be determined on how well the fighter dominates at his weight, and Silva obviously beats out GSP there.
GSP is NOT #1, Anderson Silva is. How can GSP be #1 when he was KO’ed by someone not even in the top 15 - someone who was given a “second chance” on a TV show?
I think GSP is an incredible athlete - I paid $450 a ticket to see him on April 19th! But he is not P4P #1, Anderson Silva is.
great points Zane
Anderson Silva is # 1.
Silva has FINISHED his last 5 title-fights, NO losses inbetween.
GSP has gone 4-1 with a title loss, a decision of Kos and a split decision with Penn, how can you have him above Spider?
Anyone not having Anderson as the #1 P4P fighter in the world is just creating an argument for no reason.
Spider is # 1, that’s all, he’s not the “interim champ” Silva is the best.
I would pick Fitch and Koscheck over Hughes and give both Serra and Sanchez good chances in their matchups.
While you can’t knock GSP’s athleticism and natural talent, All around he may be a better fighter because of his wrestling but like others have said I would rank him #1 because he hasn’t been defeated since the beginning of 2006. I think with GSP’s more recent loss to Matt Serra is what puts Anderson Silva as #1 P4P
My own two cents on your rankings….I would move Fedor to #3, and move Randy to #10. A grinding decision over Big Tim and beating up an inexperienced Gonzaga after back to back ass kickings by Chuck and a semi retirement do not rank you high on my P4P list. Again, just my personal opinion.
I have to agree with most of the other posts and switch Silva and St. Pierre. I think that GSP is weak mentally while Anderson has never even given a hint of weakness. Everything I’ve seen is that he has a killer mentality for the fight game.
“Anyone not having Anderson as the #1 P4P fighter in the world is just creating an argument for no reason.”
Whether you want to accept it or not, I sincerely believe GSP is #1. When will people come out of denial and accept that not everyone believes that Silva is #1? Someone disagrees with you, accept it.
UPDATE!!!!
RUA RE-INJURED HIS KNEE. LIDDELL WILL FIGHT SOMEONE ELSE.
Caplan, I saw your angle plain as day with this ranking.
Not even a year ago you basically deballed GSP for his mental weakness (which was a valid point at the tme) before the Kos fight and took a ton of heat for it, so this is your “apology” to GSP and his fans.
I don’t believe that you actually believe that GSP is the # 1 P4P fighter, but that’s just my opinion.
If anyone should be number one, it should be Anderson Silva. The man has never been knocked out and he finished all of UFC fights. If that’s not a dominant fighter, I don’t know what is. He makes it look to damn easy. A lot of people are saying Silva was in trouble in the first round with Lutter and Henderson: I say watch the fight again with an objective eye. Just because Lutter and Henderson were in a dominant position, because they were on top doesn’t mean Silva was in danger. I watched the fights countless times, and Silva was in no danger of losing the fight. He was poised and turned it up a notch in the second round. Grant it, Silva lost the first round against Lutter and Henderson but it wasn’t under dire circumstances everyone portrays it to be. Silva should be ranked number one because he is a superb versatile striker, an excellent technician, and possesses unbelievable submission game. I said it before and I will say it again: Silva’s fight game is flawless! He might even possess a superb wrestling capability but hasn’t met a challenge to where he needs to bring that out of his arsenal. Do you recall Joe Rogan stating that Anderson needs to watch out for Lutter’s ground skills because he was a black belt in BJJ (or something)? How conveniently he forgets to mention that Silva himself was a black-belt in BJJ.
Accomando, you are entitled to believe what you want, even if it’s incorrect. There is no angle. I’ve had GSP ranked #1 for awhile. This is just the first time I’ve moved it to the main page.
I never questioned GSP physically, only his mental approach. I acknowledged that he eased a lot of my concerns in that regard following his strong performance against Koscheck. And after he finished Hughes, he convinced me that he was number one overall.
Your decision to create this false scenario and try and purvey it here is kind of petty and paranoid.
Sam,
If you’re going to put GSP as #1, you should back it up with a compelling reason why. Otherwise, you’re just sticking to your guns for all the wrong reasons. I respect your opinion if you can back it up with sound reasoning. But if you’re just going to put him there just because, then you lose all credibility.
GSP beating Matt Hughes is a horrible reason. Seriously, do you really think Matt Hughes can beat Dan Henderson at a catch weight of 180? No way.
Sam,
Your ruse for getting hits on your website is getting old. I know deep down you have Silva as #1. =)
I agree with Nick. Fedor should be at No. 3 above Quinton and Randy. He should be above Randy for the reasons stated in comment #3 and above Quinton because he has a better record with a longer winning streak.
1)Anderson silva 6-0 easy choice, imo
2)GSP, got destroyed by serra and went to a decision with kos (really), and he simply now owns hughes
the rest of the list no real objection to, but matt hughes as number 10, um im really not a fan of that just simply im not a fan of his…. great fighter but jon fitch that would be my #10
it seems as though a few people are making excuses as to why fighters are losing to the spider instead of giving anderson credit that perhaps his skill set and game are just simply better than everyone else’s i think that in a spider v gsp fight , that anderson wins, so how can i not rank silva the #1 p4p in the world (ya catch weight and all that too), imo, cheers
“I respect your opinion if you can back it up with sound reasoning. But if you’re just going to put him there just because, then you lose all credibility.”
I already did. Go back and read the post I did about the post-UFC 82 press conference highlights. My comments about Silva vs. GSP were quoted by various other sites and was one of the most read articles in the history of 5 Oz.
Silva is the better striker, has better submissions off his back, and is more consistent from fight-to-fight. However, St. Pierre’s striking is world class, his submissions from the top are better, and he’s the far better wrestler. Physically, I can find no weakness in GSP’s game. I do feel Silva still has a few, minor flaws to work out.
St. Pierre’s striking is world class. But Silva is the better striker. Silva 1 GSP 0
Silva is more consistent. GSP is not consistent. Silva 2 GSP 0
Silva has better submission off back. GSP has better submission top. Tie.
GSP is better wrestler. Silva is not as good. Silva 2 GSP 1
Silva destroys his opponents. GSP merely win decisions against top fighters. Silva 3 GSP 1
Silva has never lost a title defense. GSP lost only title dfense. Silva 4 GSP 1
I don’t know, Sam. GSP seems to have far more flaws than Silva. But whatever, I respect your opinion. Even if it sucks! =)
Honestly Sam, what flaws do you see in Silva?
Cyphron, GSP finished Hughes at UFC 79. I don’t agree with your statement that “GSP merely win decisions against top fighters.”
There is not a single weakness in GSP’s physical game. He’s a better all-around fighter than Silva. Silva’s wrestling weakness is a concern. Yes, GSP lost to Serra, but Silva is not undefeated. He’s lost in his career as well.
If someone wants to rank Silva over GSP, I have a hard time making an argument against that. Silva is amazing and outside of his wrestling, there’s nothing I can take away from the guy. Mentally, I think he’s stronger than GSP. If GSP would have been dominated by Henderson after the first round like Silva was this past weekend, I don’t think he would have came out as calm and relaxed as Silva did in round two.
My point is that you can’t say Silva is the undisputed number one because GSP is close, even if you think Silva is number one. Furthermore, the two are close enough that for anyone to doubt my sincerity in expressing my belief that GSP is number — well, it’s just plain ludicrous.
If you want to argue Silva vs. GSP on merit — let’s do it! But for those who are trying to claim I’m working some kind of angle, I think you need to grow up and learn to deal with people not always sharing the same opinion as you.
“what flaws do you see in Silva?”
Simple takedown defense…
I’m an avid fan of both GSP and Silvia, but when I think “best p4p”, I don’t think I should be able to find the gaps in the PHYSICAL game of whoever takes the #1 spot. If Silvia illustrated improvement in his takedown defense, I would EASILY bump him to #1. But he has not. On the flipside of that, GSP HAS showed improvements to his mental weakness (which IMHO is his only gap), which is why he sits at #1. It’s retarded to me that everyone keeps bringing up the Serra fight as the reason for why GSP absolutely cannot be #1 p4p… are we operating under the notion that a fighter can’t improve their position in the rankings? Better yet, if neither fighter ever fought again, 10 years from now, would the 14 year old Serra fight still be the reason why GSP couldn’t hold the #1 spot at that CURRENT time?
C’mon folks, yes GSP’s weakness was exploited at some time in the past. I think he has sufficiently shown that it is no longer a weakness… My real question is, if GSP steamrolls Serra (much like expected), will you guys still be pushing the same argument for why Silva should be #1?
Silva is #1…that is all.
#21…
you provided a list of unmeasureable, unweighted, loaded data, and labeled those as “flaws”?
I think we’ll have a better time arguing our cases if we all provide our own definition of #1 p4p, because we all apparently don’t share the same definition.
GSP finished Hughes at UFC 79. I don’t agree with your statement that “GSP merely win decisions against top fighters.”
Yes, he finished Hughes. But he decisioned Koscheck. He decisioned BJ Penn. The fact that the only fighter he’s finished in the last two years is Matt Hughes, which makes your pick of Hughes as a top ten P4P even more laughable. Hughes dominated the UFC when wrestlers dominate. He’s a relic of years past. Hughes should be replaced by Henderson.
Yes, GSP lost to Serra, but Silva is not undefeated. He’s lost in his career as
well.
Silva lost early in his career. GSP lost recently when he’s a more experienced fighter. There is a big difference. You can’t compare the past with the present. That’s like saying Chuck Liddell should be top ten P4P because he beat Randy Couture three years ago.
If you want to argue Silva vs. GSP on merit — let’s do it!
Uh oh, the flood gate is open!
you provided a list of unmeasureable, unweighted, loaded data, and labeled those as “flaws”?
That list was taken straight from Sam Caplan’s write up. His words, not mine.
Sam, it seems like you don’t give any of our opinions any credibility. I still don’t see your providing number ands facts on how GSP is better. Every time someone goes against your opinions you get very defensive and try to make yourself look superior somehow. I know you won’t take this well, and then come back at me with something about how you couldn’t care less what I think. Pretty standard, I am gonna lay out why I think Silva is better and we will see what people think.
1. Anderson Silva is 5-0 in title fights. GSP is 2-2. It is obvious who has the advantage here.
2. GSP has 4 decisions in the UFC, Silva has finished all of his matches. Also obvious who has the advantage here.
3. Anderson Silva has never been KO’d or TKO’d. GSP was TKO’d by Serrra. Also obvious, considering both have been submitted.
4. Anderson Silva is on a 7 fight win streak, compared to 2 for GSP. Another one thats obvious.
5. You said earlier part of the reason you rank him ahead is because GSP has better wrestling, well Silva has a better chin. Silva has never lost because of his wrestling, GSP has lost because of his chin.
6. Silva is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu under the Nogueria bros. GSP is a brown belt under Renzo Gracie. Silva is a black belt in Muay Thai, not sure what GSP is.
7. Silva has never been out of the 2nd round in any of his UFC fights, pretty amazing considering championship fights are 5 round limits.
8. Last but not least, Silva never even been close to being in trouble in a fight. People say Hendo worked him bad the first round? I saw him show amazing defense, and at the end of the round he popped right up. Came out for the 2nd a finished him.
“…C’mon folks, yes GSP’s weakness was exploited at some time in the past….”
Exaclty, GSP has a weakness and Silva doesn’t. Sorry, Silva hasn’t even been into the 3rd round of a title fight, he has no weaknesses, he finishes everyone, not most people, and not sometimes in title fights, but everyone in every title fight.
Silva finishes fights, there is nothing that should be respected more in MMA, expecially not “dominant wrestling over koscheck” who cares, Silva finishes, he is # 1, end of story. No split decisions, just wins, Anderson Silva is easily the # 1 P4P fighter in the world, not even close.
Bullsh*t rankings. Silva no doubt #1. He is amazing in all areas. His Muy Thai is sick as can be and his jiu-jitsu is top notch.
DUMB to not put him #1. Getting caught is not an excuse for losing a fight, so GSP is not #1.
SILVA = the best MMA fighter this planet has ever seen.
This list is a joke. Where is Machida, HUH???????
Ever heard of Jon Fitch??????????????????????????????
“1. Anderson Silva is 5-0 in title fights. GSP is 2-2. It is obvious who has the advantage here.”
Should victories in title fights be the sole indicator? Silva has the advantage there, I’m not disputing that.
“2. GSP has 4 decisions in the UFC, Silva has finished all of his matches. Also obvious who has the advantage here.”
Finishes are great, but that isn’t everyone’s game. GSP has fought in more three round fights and there have been times where even when he didn’t finish his opponent, he still dominated them.
“3. Anderson Silva has never been KO’d or TKO’d. GSP was TKO’d by Serrra. Also obvious, considering both have been submitted.”
GSP get TKO’d once. Big deal, get over it. Silva has lost and has been finished early. It happens.
“4. Anderson Silva is on a 7 fight win streak, compared to 2 for GSP. Another one thats obvious.”
You seem to be focused almost solely on numbers. This is fighting, not baseball. You can’t judge a fighter solely on statistics. You have to account for overall fighting ability. Silva is a world class striking, but GSP is a world class striker too. Silva is the better striker but GSP isn’t far behind. Silva has better submissions off his back but GSP has better submissions from the top. GSP is also the superior wrestler. He can control a match on the ground. Silva’s takedown defense is suspect and his ability to control position on the ground is also questionable. He finishes fights on the ground but he has to rally to do so. GSP can has striking, submissions, and wrestling. Silva has striking and submissions from a limited position.
“5. You said earlier part of the reason you rank him ahead is because GSP has better wrestling, well Silva has a better chin. Silva has never lost because of his wrestling, GSP has lost because of his chin.”
These questions of GSP’s chin are absurd. You talk about the credibility in my argument but I see a MAJOR flaw in the credibility of your argument. GSP gets TKO’d one time and his chin is suspect? Matt Serra has very heavy hands. Let’s wait and see if GSP getting knocked out becomes a trend before we question his chin.
While it’s still in question whether GSP’s chin is truly a weakness, there is no debate that wrestling is a major weakness for Silva. It’s been somewhat masked in the UFC but it was exposed in PRIDE.
“6. Silva is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu under the Nogueria bros. GSP is a brown belt under Renzo Gracie. Silva is a black belt in Muay Thai, not sure what GSP is.”
Again, this hurts the credibility of your argument. Belt rank doesn’t win fights in MMA. That’s great that Silva has good pure jiu-jitsu, but GSP’s MMA ground game is superior. This is a debate about MMA and not competitive grappling.
And a black belt in Muay Thai? In authentic Muay Thai there are no belts. But if you want to talk belts, I’m sure GSP has a bunch of black belts in traditional styles… so I have to ask, what’s your point? I thought we were debating MMA?
“7. Silva has never been out of the 2nd round in any of his UFC fights, pretty amazing considering championship fights are 5 round limits.”
No argument there. Silva is the better finisher. I’ve never said Silva wasn’t good. I’ve got him number two overall in my p4p, which I think is pretty good.
“8. Last but not least, Silva never even been close to being in trouble in a fight. People say Hendo worked him bad the first round? I saw him show amazing defense, and at the end of the round he popped right up. Came out for the 2nd a finished him.”
Silva has never been close to being in trouble in a fight? First off, Silva’s career began before he was in the UFC. You seem to be neglecting that fact. Second, he has been in trouble in a UFC fight. Talk about selective memory. Whether you want to admit it or not, Travis Lutter had full mount on Silva and was dropping bombs on him. To Silva’s credit, he not only weathered it but transitioned and finished Lutter. Despite his amazing ability to rally in that fight, it does not negate the fact that he was in trouble.
And if you don’t consider being in full mount and having punches dropped on you as being in trouble, then you don’t know MMA.
JJ Guy, nobody is doubting Fitch or Machida. Who do you take out of the top ten to put them in? Or did you not think out your argument that far before you spoke?
LOL Sam. I was disgusted to see Matt Hughes in there. He stuck out the most. I don’t know every guy on that list.
“Aside from getting caught by Serra’s heavy hands”
i will NEVER believe tha Matt Serra has heavy hands.. it was a rabbit punch.. and that is the bottom line..
and although i agree that Silva should be above GSP.. you guys can’t use the fact that GSP has had 4 decisions and Silva hasn’t had any in the UFC to say Silva should be above him..
first of all.. every time GSP has lost.. he has gotten better.. he lost to Hughes.. came back.. destroyed people.. destroyed Hughes.. and then fell victum to the biggest mistake in MMA History.. a KO from Matt Serra.. after THAT defeat.. i’m totally convinced he’s unbeatable now.. i mean.. we’ve only seen two fights since then.. but after he hospitalizes Matt Serra.. you’ll see what i mean..
BUT
i’m also totally convinced that Anderson Silva is completely unbeatable..
there were only two people at MW that ever stood a chance at even harming him.. and they were Franklin and Hendo.. and he made them look like pre-teen girls.. yes… he has lost before.. but that.. means absolutely nothing “in the now”.. he has gotten better.. more technically advanced.. more powerful.. and has basically become invincible..
look at the fight with leben.. leben was undefeated in the UFC.. never been beaten.. or even rocked.. and Spider rocked him right off the bat with two JABS.. JABS!!!
then followed up w/ a muay thai assault from hell.. and pretty much made an omelet outta leben’s brain..
then Rich Franklin.. there was speculation that Spider should have even gotten the title shot so fast.. and then the next thing we know.. Rich is turning is stomach to the cage just so he wouldn’t get hit in the body again.. getting kicked in the face.. his nose broken.. and he couldn’t even breath during any of this..
skip Lutter and Nate..
now.. Franklin has gotten even better.. beaten the 2nd top MW in Okami.. trained to defend the clinch and keep the distance just right..
what was the difference??
well.. franklin got a few more shots in [than the first fight].. not more damage in.. just more shots..
he has some-what defended the clinch.. but not really..
oh.. and he survived a whole extra 2 or 3 min..
for those who cought the Hendo fight.. he didn’t even hit Hendo that many times.. maybe just a couple times to the body.. and a few face shots.. and he had Hendo huffin’ and puffin’.. probably almost crying.. and Hendo couldn’t even hold his arms up any longer to defend the choke..
i don’t know how this guys does it.. but.. he’s got some kinda magic touch..
i mean, one body shot from Spider.. and you are losing all hopes of breathing.. let alone winning..
Spider Silva is unbeatable..
i’ve said it before.. no one has the technique to beat him.. thus, if he goes down.. it will be a lucky, looping, temple shot.. most likely from someone who doesn’t even strike..
You seem to be focused almost solely on numbers. This is fighting, not baseball. You can’t judge a fighter solely on statistics.
So you’re basically advocating that we throw out objectivity (that’s what statistics are) and just use our subjective opinion? If that’s the case, I believe Machida is #1 P4P. I have no statistics to back it up, but I believe Machida will be one of the best fighters ever.
If you don’t know every guy on the list, how can you question it?
And hey, Matt Hughes irks me as much as the next guy, but he’s still a great fighter. I can’t rank Fitch ahead of him until Fitch beats more of the top guys that Hughes has beaten.
GSP got caught by a rabbit forearm
BJ should be higher. I could see BJ, GSP, AS or Fedor at number one, depending on one’s viewpoint.
Hughes is not a top 10 fighter p4p anymore. 2 years ago absolutely, but not now.
Where’s Kimbo???????
I kid, I kid!!!
“Finishes are great, but that isn’t everyone’s game. GSP has fought in more three round fights and there have been times where even when he didn’t finish his opponent, he still dominated them.”
couldn’t agree more Sam..
i think Zane needs to take a look at…
Couture vs. Sylvia
GSP vs. Mayhem Miller
Liddell vs. Wandy
Rampage vs. Hendo
GSP vs. Koscheck
Zane, you discredit the winners of THOSE fights, just because they weren’t finishes??
aside from MAYBE GSP vs. Penn.. GSP has been 100% dominant all through-out every decision win he’s gotten.. and unlike someone like Big Tim.. he really tried to finish every one of them.. you catch the GSP/Kos fight?? he had Kos holdin’ on to his arm for dear life [trying not to get kimura'd] for almost an entire round.. it’s not like he’s not trying to finish..
“So you’re basically advocating that we throw out objectivity (that’s what statistics are) and just use our subjective opinion? If that’s the case, I believe Machida is #1 P4P. I have no statistics to back it up, but I believe Machida will be one of the best fighters ever.”
When it comes to ranking fighters that do not all compete in the same weight class, there is a great amount of subjectivity that is inherent. If the Red Sox win the ALCS and the Mets win the NLCS, they can play each other in a best of seven series to determine who is the best in all of baseball. I doubt we’ll see a match between Fedor and Silva. We might see a fight between GSP and Silva, but one of the fighters will not be fighting at their best competitive weight, so the fight will not be contested on an equal playing field.
A fighter’s record is the most relevant statistic, but even that is somewhat subjective. Let’s suppose fight A is 12-1 while fighter B is 9-3. Obviously, A has the better record. He has more wins and a better winning percentage. Does that make him the better fighter? What if Fighter B has fought nothing but top 15 ranked opponents while half of Fighter A’s wins were recorded against fighters outside of the top 20?
Numbers are relevant in some aspects when it comes to fighting, but some of the arguments being made here are rooted too heavily in statistics.
In defense to GSP, a split decision win over what some people call the best pfp fighter in BJ Penn is a better than a dominate win over a much lesser talented opponent. To GSP’s credit, he has fought in a much tougher division. Hendo and RF are quality opponents but the 170 division is one of the most talent rich divisions in the UFC. That and GSP has dispatched two other fighters in Sam’s top ten pfp list.
Win - Frank Trigg was considered top 2-3 in division at the time.
Win - Sean Sherk was considered top 2-3 in division at the time.
Win - BJ Penn considered best pfp by many.
Win - Matt Hughes “most dominate welterweight of all time”, top 10 pfp
Loss - Serra - mental mistake and a black mark against GSP
Win Josh - a good fighter, top 5 in UFC 170 division
Win - Matt Hughes, again top pfp fighter
I’m not saying the AS is not deserving of the top pfp status as I have it a virutal tie betwen GSP and AS. I’m not also not calling other people wrong, I just view it as GSP having a tougher division and therefore you have to take this into consideration. My 2 cents.
Interesting to think about what would happening if GSP and AS were to fight. It might happen one day…
Tuphat,
Your reasoning is pretty solid. However, you’re still using past performances against has-been good opponents as a basis for judging GSP’s current performance. And that is where is downfall is. Could GSP be the better fighter down the road? Yes! Is he now? No!
Sam:
Finishes are great, but that isn’t everyone’s game. GSP has fought in more three round fights and there have been times where even when he didn’t finish his opponent, he still dominated them.
It is difficult to finish an opponent when your opponent is good. If you can finish a good opponent, it means that you are so far and above him in ability that he could do nothing in his power to stall defeat. That is what makes Silva so dominant.
Let’s suppose fight A is 12-1 while fighter B is 9-3. Obviously, A has the better record. He has more wins and a better winning percentage. Does that make him the better fighter? What if Fighter B has fought nothing but top 15 ranked opponents while half of Fighter A’s wins were recorded against fighters outside of the top 20?
I agree with everything you wrote here. However, that still does not negate the fact that Silva’s statistics, when compared with GSP stands on its own. Silva isn’t a Strikeforce fighter compared to a UFC fighter. This is a UFC champ’s record put up against another UFC champ’s (interim, ahem) record. The record speaks for itself.
The difference in the caliber of opponents when factored in makes a case for Gsp in the number one slot. I see Anderson as my number 1 but I don’t have a problem with the people tossing Gsp in there.
the top spot is pretty arguable. i feel georges is p4p the #1 guy, but on another day i’ll think silva is. silva has a good record in the ufc, and he’s defended the belt. however one could make the argument the georges has been in title caliber fights with the likes of trigg, sherk, and bj. not to mention he demolished hughes everywhere. yes he got caught with serra, a legitimate ko, however i just think overall his game is more well rounded than silva’s. but then again, perhaps silva’s standup is that much greater it outweighs st. pierre’s overall game.
tough call, but overall i’m feeling these rankings.
Sam, I don’t know where your head’s at with placing St. Pierre over Silva. I think you really need to do an entire article of the pros and cons of Silva and St.Pierre because you going against a very popular opinion here. Look at your poll results. I know you made your case already in the comments of a few articles you recently wrote up, but humor us here.
Does this have anything to do with Dana White calling anyone who thinks Silva isn’t the number one pound-for-pound fighter an idiot? Are you doing this to spite Dana?
“Does this have anything to do with Dana White calling anyone who thinks Silva isn’t the number one pound-for-pound fighter an idiot? Are you doing this to spite Dana?”
I’ve already address this. I has nothing to do with Dana. I don’t take what he said personally. GSP was my #1 before Dana did his stumping this past Saturday.
God, why can’t people except that I perceive GSP to be slightly better than Silva? Why do so many people here refuse to argue on the merits of the disagreement and instead accuse me of having ulterior motives.
Echolating, maybe I will do a pro vs. con article at some point. But if you read my comments scattered here and read my comments in the UFC 82 post-fight press conference piece, I’ve pretty much laid out my argument.
im looking at all of these arguments, and on both sides everyone is making very strong points way to stick to your guns….
i still believe for me that Anderson is the #1 p4p fighter in the world….. but JJG machida isnt in the top ten, even though i dislike Hughes as much as i do, as much as i enjoy seeing him struggle and scream “im tapping” (via GSP) he is definately higher ranked p4p than machida…
also to say that Anderson needs to work on his wrestling is true, yet in being a tall skinny guy, it is (atleast for me) easier to apply subs from your back, perhaps that why AS goes to his back, traingles, body tri s, sweeps, arm bars, ect to RNC, when your tall and skinny its just easier perhaps thats what he chooses to do…. enjoy cheers
Sam-hardest working dude in mma- however Imo you are incorrect with the Gsp ranking, much like everyone else I feel that he needs to string some more wins together to be considerd p4p. He is a # 2 but whatever- discussion is what makes this sport great. SAM-TAKE A DAY OFF BROTHER,YOU DESERVE IT.
whether or not georges is #1, it’s unarguably impressive that he took out 2 fighters in your top 10, and smoked 1 of them 2 times straight, once completely striking, once ground fighting.
Where’s Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior at on that list?
This is by far my favorite article on this site to date.
I’m just glad to see Yamamoto on that list personally.
man, don’t you hate it when you type a loooong novel of an answer.. only to accidentally delete it all..
well.. what i was going to say.. in a nut shell.. was that you can’t say whether or not Sam’s rankings are right or wrong..
because, frankly, there’s not some “Best P4P Fighter in the World Stat Sheet” that tells you who it is..
and for those of you going by record.. and saying that’s why GSP is better than Silva.. you’re stupid.. because.. if those are your feelings.. you should be pulling for Fedor… he’s got the best record on the list..
personally.. i would say the best is Anderson.. not only because of how many wins he has, or who he’s beaten, but how he’s beaten them.. you can’t come in swing against this guy [much like Serra did w/ GSP] because if you do.. you are guarunteed to get caught.. in the body.. or in the face.. and once you’ve taken a body shot/face shot from Spider.. he can do whatever he wants with you.. from there on.. i mean, let’s skip Nate [because Anderson went straight to the face on him.. and he didn't feel much after that]
now, Silva hit Franklin in the body.. he couldn’t breathe at all.. i said it earlier.. he was turning towards the cage just to protect his body.. folks, once you can’t breath.. you can’t fight.. you can’t defend.. and you DEFINATELY can’t win..
but i won’t say Sam’s rankings are wrong.. because.. GSP really HAS proven himself.. he totally demolished Mayhem Miller.. who is now a top ranked MW.. he handled Trigg w/ ease.. he handled the once “best 170 fighter in the world” Matt Hughes with ease twice.. and he was beating him the first time too.. up until the armbar.. he handled the man who was stripped of his belt on a technicality, Sean Sherk, w/ complete EASE.. Sherk is pretty much still a champion right now.. he was never beaten for the title.. and GSP ran through him.. and made a bloody mess outta his face.. GSP also beat BJ Penn..
you guys are pulling the “record” card, saying that GSP is 2-2 in title fights.. and Spider is 5-0..
when you think about it.. yea.. GSP lost his first title fight.. BARELY.. he was winning until that great armbar came w/ seconds left in the 1st round.. and yea.. he lost to Matt Serra.. but that.. was a catastrophe.. that shouldn’t have happened in a million years.. i’m glad it did.. because it made GSP that much stronger..and turned him into the beast he is today.. but, not only will Serra not KO GSP again.. he will never KO ANYONE ever again.. that was a complete mistake..
so, really, i wouldn’t consider either of those REAL losses..
although, i’m not knocking Hughes for his Title Defense..
but aside from that.. he may be in 2-2 in title fights.. but when you think about it … he’s beaten BJ Penn - the current 155 title holder.. he’s beaten Sean Sherk - who didn’t ‘actually’ lose his title.. and was a reigning champ for a while.. he’s beaten Matt Hughes - we all know the story..
really, yes, he is 2-2 for title fights..
but he’s beaten plenty of champions..
SEE?
YOU CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION WITHOUT BASHING SAM..
“God, why can’t people except that I perceive GSP to be slightly better than Silva? Why do so many people here refuse to argue on the merits of the disagreement and instead accuse me of having ulterior motives.”
haha.. listen to Ross.. and take a rest.. hahahaha..
Silva is #1, Urijah should be higher, he is 20-1 and is entertaining as hell. Fedor is the mac daddy and good call to put him top5.
cracks me up:
# # 17 cyphron Says:
March 4th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Sam,
Your ruse for getting hits on your website is getting old. I know deep down you have Silva as #1. =)
Lots of great points to argue. Either way, thanks to Sam for puttings his nutz on line (again) and picking things the way he see it and posting it up for masses. If anyone out there looks at things differently, your entitled to!!!
There can never be a definitive list you guys. Pound for pound lists are so subjective, and there are a lot of intangibles that go into people’s opinion when they post these. Sam’s opinion is what it is. It’s not as if he’s decreed that this is the be all end all and that you should take it as gospel. Besides, who doesn’t have a man-crush on GSP? Anyway, my list would go:
1) Anderson
Machida
2) Fedor
3) GSP
4) BJ
5) Uriah
6) Rampage
7) Randy
9) Minotauro
10) Norifumi
Dream fights. BJ Penn vs. Uriah Faber - GSP vs. Anderson Silva - Fedor vs. Randy
I’m interested to hear more of Serra’s heavy hands…
gsp and silva are neck and neck for top honors so its hard to argue against either.
my only beef with the list is that matt hughes is no longer a top ten pound for pound fighter…right now i think fitch and koshceck both beat him. also i agree serra and sanchez have excellent chances to beat him also.
I’m sorry Sam, I was just thinking about your reasoning and to say that “GSP is over his mental weakness” is WAY too premature to state. He has only 2 fights since his devastating loss.
The win over Kos was boring and uninspiring, more or less a “just get a win” mentality to the fight.
His next win was over a guy he brutally destroyed in 2 rounds just a year earlier, there should have been no mental weakness going into that fight for GSP, in fact, all the weakness was on Hughes, something that GSP could duplicate when he fights the guy who destroyed him in a very similar fashion.
So, for GSP, his next fight is against the guy who KO’ed him, beat on him until he tapped out, so techinically it was a tapout due to stikes, a TKO, anyway, until GSP beats the guy who absolutely ruined him there is no possible way he can be called the #1 P4P fighter in the world.
In fact, if GSP does indeed destroy Serra, I will no longer argue with you because there would be nothing to argue, however, GSP has not beaten Serra yet, he is not the #1 P4P fighter in the world, quite obviously, Anderson Silva is.
Anderson Silva is the #1 P4P fighter in the world, no contest.
Sam, come to terms with the fact that Anderson Silva is #1. That’s all.
I wanna preface this by saying Sam did a phenomenal job with these rankings. Way way way better than I could have ever done. I just believe that there is a fundamental flaw with the criteria that messes up the rankings.
Fedor is the number one pound for pound fighter out there. PERIOD. There are a couple arguments to make when you say that he hasn’t fought enough top level competition to stay number one. First of all, pound for pound rankings generally mean, who is the best fighter regardless of size. As much as I hate Randy Couture (who has he fought lately? nobody really . . .he lost to a light heavyweight a couple times in a row) I believe he maybe deserves to be on this list because he is a light heavyweight (a fairly successful one) and he fights at heavyweight (with much success).
But! Who in there right mind would fight an very good kickboxer who has over a hundred pounds weight advantage and a huge huge huge, height and reach advantage. Regardless of Choi’s mma experience, he is a very good kickboxer and his size makes it impossible to take him down, etc. Fedor tried like hell and just ended up getting landed on. Couture sure as heck would not have taken that fight, and with their styles . . . he sure wouldn’t have won it either. Fedor, also fought Lindland recently, who is what 70 pounds lighter. Lindland is a top ten fighter in his weight division and by no means is a ‘can.’ If weight disadvantage makes you a can, then Fedor was an underdog against Choi.
So who do you have ahead of Fedor . . ..
GSP: Yeah he got caught, but who knows, maybe Serra does beat him again. you can’t be p4p king when you don’t have the belt in a weight class that is perfectly tailored for you. And Penn basically beat him, Pride rules GSP lost that fight, wins over Sherk and Hughes are impressive. I think GSP beats most of the 185 division, so I can’t argue about this too much but he lost to Serra, period. Win the rematch then you can make an argument.
Anderson Silva: Anderson Silva is a machine and has completely blown through his divison. Hendo was dominating him in the first and just stuck out his neck, but Silva is undoubtedly a machine. Okami might give him a run, maybe, but what about a few fights outside the UFC. I think Filho would beat Silva, you can’t be p4p king just because you are fighting “big ufc names” If you go DOWN a weight class, I think Silva loses to a few people in that division. GSP and Hughes just to name two. Go down another weight class, I think he loses to Sherk and Penn give him a run. Go up a weight class, he doesn’t beat very many of them.
Rampage: He hasn’t even come close to cleaning out his division, and alot of them have a very good chance of beating him. Also, he loses to almost all the quality heavyweights in my opinion. Hes a heck of striker but too untested on the ground to be this high.
Randy: Randy can’t win at light heavy, Chuck beat him twice, Rampage probably beats him. And if he faced Nog, who would you pick? I’d pick Nog, Fedor, Barnett, Sylvia in a rematch, Verdum, and Aleksander, and hendo over him. I’d also pick hong man choi over him. Randy should not be this high
that rounds out the top four of your ufc hugging p4p list. They are all very good fighters, but I think your misssing the point of being p4p. A P4P fighter should be able to prove hes a better fighter than just people in his weight class. he should be able to beat anyone in a lower weight class, and i believe he should be able to beat at least a few people in the next weight class up.
Fedors a heavyweight, so he does have the size advantage over most everyone (except choi, who he beat) and who can you name that would beat Fedor. You can say, on any given night, so and so might have a chance, but Fedor would be the favorite, no matter who he is fighting.
Your 6 and 7 ranking prove you get it, but don’t always employ it. Faber is a buzzsaw, who can beat him at 145 you ask? Probably noone. He probably can’t beat many top guys bigger than him AND Yamamoto probably could give him a run. Yamamoto is tiny (135 technically you say) and if he can give Faber a run at 145 then thats exactly why he deserves to be on your list. Good job.
P4P should be based on pure fighting skill (and you say fedor’s the best pure fighter), the ability to fight outside a given weight division (fedor has beaten a top middleweight, a bunch of top heavyweights, and super heavyweights), and accomplishments (Fedor is virtually undefeated, his loss should have an asterisk because it wouldve been a dq victory for him if they weren’t in a tournament. Fedor has beaten Cro Cop at the top of his game, and he has beaten Nog more than once just to name a few.) To be king, you have to beat the knig. Fedor’s been number one for sometime, you can’t just drop him cause he hasn’t fought Randy.
Fedor number one, if GSP wins his rematch, I won’t argue if you put him number one because that would be justifiable.
As for the rest of them, i wouldn’t even know how to begin tackling them, and Sam did a far better job than I could even dream of doing. However, if you are going to call it P4P and not just dominating a weight class i believe that Fedor is number one without a doubt. Silva can be up there if he fights outside 185 and wins.
1. Fedor (hands down) -has fought outside his weight class
2. Hendo (tentatively) -has held belts in two weight classes
3. Penn (may flip-flp with sherk) -belts in two weight classes
4. GSP (until the rematch) -probably would hold belt at 185
5. Yamamoto (needs to get in the WEC for visibility) -fights bigger
6. Silva (needs get outside 185) -has dominated his weight only
7. Sherk (can move up with win over Penn) -contend at 170, belt at 155
8. Randy (I hate putting him on here) -belts in two weight classes
9. Gomi (barely) -has fought at 170
10. Dyaln Spicer (I know him) -haha
Silva is the only single weight class fighter on here that I have (popular opinion has swayed my integrity), If Pulver somehow beats Faber, he makes the bottom of this list
Am I the only one who thinks that Serra is gonna pull off another win over GSP. GSP game is suspect. He not a “world class striker” and he doesn’t have heart to become the champion.
LOL at #63, putting Hendo 2nd after he got brutally destroyed. I’m done with the argument in this thread. Too many crazies out there.
Brutally destroyed? youre crazy . . . He dominated the first round and gave up his neck with 5 seconds left. And I’m not even arguing that Henderson can beat Silva at 185, i’m arguing that henderson is a top five 185 lber and a top 5 205 lber. Who else can claim that? Certainly not Silva.
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 9 wins 4 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 4 0
By decision 5 3
This is Matt Serra’s career #’s. SAM CAPLAN how the hell can you say this man who has 1, i repeat 1 KO in his entire career has heavy hands. I’ve watched matt serra fight a few times and he only looks for take downs and submissions. Stop making excuses for GSP, he is great but Anderson silva is the best p4p fighter right now. And for the record, if GSP beats serra as he should it will give him no credit cause serra isnt even a top 20 p4p fighter in the world. Who cares if you cant wrestle if you dominate all your fights(Anderson Silva).
joey,
Fedor is awesome no doubt, beating choi hey that was a big dude didnt it have the same feeling when fedor fought semmy @pride (demolition) except choi and semmy are so far apart in their respective skill set its ridiculous…. wow fedor did what he was suppose to do beat choi (imo not too impressive of a fight, because choi isnt a impressive fighter)… he “recently fought matt” i thought that was some time ago perhaps im wrong, and i give matt the credit of saying fuck it the guy outways me by 70+ im going to fight him cuz no one else will, other than that fedor is on vacation most of the time and thats his right he deserves it, i would just like him to fight someone with a good skill set again, o and wanderlei silva is pretty good @ 205 & 185 lbs, just my opinion though (im ofcourse wrong, enjoy bashing me joey)
fair enoug slimm, and vandy probably should be on that list somewhere! the lindland fight was eleven months ago, that can be considered a while.
“Should victories in title fights be the sole indicator?” Umm sole indicator? I listed 8 things so explain that. “Finishes aren’t everyone’s game”? Are you trying to say that some fighters purposely try not to finish fights? If so GSP is definitely not one of them so I don’t understand that point. GSP gets TKO’d and you tell me to get over it? That sounds like some logical reasoning, discrediting something because it exposes your rankings. The reason why it is significant is because Silva never has been. You tell me to get over it and then you say it is still in question whether GSP has a weak chin, do you not understand the hypocrisy in that? Then you agree Silva is a better finisher but earlier you tried to counter that by saying thats not everyones game, so is it valid or not? And do you honestly believe that Lutter was close to finishing him? I would hardly call them “bombs” because Silva at no point appears dazed or shaken up. So what kind of trouble was he in then? Possibly losing a round? Then to be immature and say if im not aware of that than I don’t know MMA is you being your usual defensive self. But still all you tried to do was discredit what I said instead of using facts to prove GSP is better, you showed me nothing to support your claims. It’s whatever man, you are the type of person who does an amazing job of convincing themselves they are right. You say I am focused solely on numbers, but you have provided no numbers so you focus solely on potential? This is hilarious.
hey thx joey for not roasting me i appreciate it cheers…..
I am still waiting for facts to prove GSP is better.
Zane you cannot factually prove which fighter is better p4p. They haven’t even every fought. If you read the comments above everyone seems to have already stated the case for their opinions.
I have a question for all the people that think silva is the best p4p. If GSP and Silva fought do you think that GSP can take down silva at will and do you think that Silva is able to submit GSP from the bottom.
Personally I think GSP’s wrestling sh*ts all over Silva and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about any double leg takedowns, and I don’t think Silva can submit him off the bottom. So if they fought what would be stopping him from GNPing Silva for 5 rounds, he wouldn’t even need to stand with him for more than 20 seconds each round.
And remember that GSP is very good at advancing his position while doing damage with GNP, I don’t think if it went to the ground that Silva could force a standup.
Don’t get me wrong if the fight stayed standing the whole round I’d have all my money silva knocking him silly, but if anyone has seen silva’s fights with Otsuka, Takase and especially the WHOLE fight with chonan, you can’t say that GSP couldn’t take him down at will
These rankings suck, BJ at 9 below Calvancante, Faber and Yamamoto yeah right. 2 UFC titles in different weight classes, wins over Gracies at a wins over the most dominant ufc WW champ at a heavier weight class, middle weight wins over 2 Gracies, held his own at LHW with Machida, if it wasn’t for the fact bj doesn’t fight cans to bump up his record and chooses to be challenged in his fights he would have better records than most on this list, The three fighters abouve have not fought high enough caliber fighters to be on any p4p list imo.
sorry for English, i was supposed to say wins over 2 gracies at middle weight***
Interesting comments, and its funny how selective people are in hearing, in relevance and what not.
“Should victories in title fights be the sole indicator?” Umm sole indicator? I listed 8 things so explain that.”
Zane-
Sam has already explained the first for you once before…
“A fighter’s record is the most relevant statistic, but even that is somewhat subjective. Let’s suppose fight A is 12-1 while fighter B is 9-3. Obviously, A has the better record. He has more wins and a better winning percentage. Does that make him the better fighter? What if Fighter B has fought nothing but top 15 ranked opponents while half of Fighter A’s wins were recorded against fighters outside of the top 20?
Numbers are relevant in some aspects when it comes to fighting, but some of the arguments being made here are rooted too heavily in statistics.’
This argument is mainly the reason why Fedor is under so much scrutiny for the #1 spot. If numbers where the majority then if my math is right 28-1-1 (6 being title fights) is a little better than 21-4. Numbers are part of the equation but who the are against is of equal importance. Kinda like being a big fish in a small pond…you fight champions each win carries greater weight. Between GSP and Silva the younger has had a tougher (at least more professionally recognized) road, with defeating the whole 3 former champions and 3 top 10 contenders.
“Are you trying to say that some fighters purposely try not to finish fights? If so GSP is definitely not one of them so I don’t understand that point.”
This also ties into point number one. If I’m fighting an opponent who is not as strong a contender I can finish them. Yes that is the point of a fight, to bring it to a close. But if we are comparing apples to apples this wouldn’t be an issue, again Silva finishes can at times be on equal ground with a dominated fight if the contender level was equal. You are telling me that a win of Chris Leben, a back yard brawler who has NEVER faced the caliber of fighter in a Silva gets more stock than a decision over BJ Penn a III time World Champion fighter? If you know MMA and you had followed Anderson BEFORE the UFC then you were probably pissed they put him in the ring with him in the first place. You are giving Chris Leben WAAAAY to much credit, yes un-defeated but hella far from ten standings. So yes if you there are times where comparing judge cards and finishes is a part of the game of a fighter. Not every fight can be finished.
GSP gets TKO’d and you tell me to get over it? That sounds like some logical reasoning, discrediting something because it exposes your rankings. The reason why it is significant is because Silva never has been. You tell me to get over it and then you say it is still in question whether GSP has a weak chin, do you not understand the hypocrisy in that?
This is great. First of all, let’s see if you are over Ryo Chonan? Crazy things happen in fights. You get caught. I don’t care if you’re a pro boxer or a sword fencer crazy things happen and if you get hit-or make a mistake THINGS HAPPEN. Flying heel hook? It turned Silva into a highlight reel, he couldn’t tap fast enough. Obviously 1)don’t fight….2)never been hit…or 3)vicariously living your manhood through silva because if you get clipped with a hook aka rabbit punch with 6oz gloves it can stun you. Regardless of the credit he isn’t receiving Serra does throw bombs and was smart enough to FOLLOW UP. The Follow up is what finished GSP not the initial contact, you watch the fight again GSP was hit with a clean 1,2 right after and another 1,2 before he hit the matt all combos landing flush. Matt may not be Mike Tyson, but he fights in the UFC professionally. I wouldn’t stand there and give him a free shot or two..would you? And as Sam put, for him to have a “weak” chin he’d have to be knocked out more than once…Franklin has been knocked out three times…do we need to get him a metal chin guard??
Then you agree Silva is a better finisher but earlier you tried to counter that by saying thats not everyones game, so is it valid or not?
He’s admitting Silva is better finisher….yeah he knocks more guys out. Give you one. That’s not GSP’s game. Gsp finishes in more of a variety in more positions…the thing is Silva is an AWESOME striker and good a BJJ. Gsp is a world class at striking, wrestling, and BJJ. What you’re good at he’s 9 times out of 10 Better.
“And do you honestly believe that Lutter was close to finishing him? I would hardly call them “bombs” because Silva at no point appears dazed or shaken up. So what kind of trouble was he in then? Possibly losing a round? Then to be immature and say if im not aware of that than I don’t know MMA is you being your usual defensive self.”
We’ll stop after this, it just turns into my dad can beat up your dad…
But question do you take BJJ? Wrestle? Pillow fight? Anything that you do that would help you understand where you are position wise when someone mounts you? If so, then you realize that this was a SERIOUS whole for Anderson if he is to be “unbeatable” because for all rights and purposes had that been someone who is a GROUND and POUNDER thats the end game for Andy. Lutter did not capitalize and a 15 sec gap can turn into and upset, much like what happen to GSP. In fact lets use GSP, had a person of his stature been on top of Anderson’s Chest-bad news top control was not used properly nor was he as effective but he WAS dropping bombs and taking punishment. Mind you he did rally out of it, but those positions are what cost you titles.
I have been following Anderson Silva since the days of late Mecca and Shooto. I know what the guy is capable of and how fantastic he is. But just be excellent in part of the game aint enough anymore. While he will dominate for the time being, it is a matter of time that someone pokes at that whole again. Anderson is A+ striker and an A grappler. GSP A- (maybe..really A+) Striker, A Grappler, and A + Wrestler. He’s got more weapons, and he uses them….pretty much that simple.
ok i agree with st. pierre being number one because he is the most complete fighter in the world. i am a huge anderson silva fan but his sprawl and overall wrsetling ability is no where near as dominant as st. pierre’s, but it could also be argued that silva’s striking is a step above st. pierre’s. Plus st. pierre needed the knockout loss to serra to revitalize his career. He had lost his heart and after serra beat him he seemed to realize that there are fighters that can beat him if he doesn’t take the fights seriously enough. He answered by completely dominating two of the top five welterweights in the UFC (my top five consisting of hughes, st. pierre, fitch, koscheck and i guess serra). I agree with your top 6 but i would have to place Faber back one spot, and here’s why, who has he ever fought? He claims victories over guys like Jeff Curran (who was defeated pretty handily on the UFC by none other than matt serra), and seems to think this solidifies him as one of the world’s best. The WEC should most accurately be viewed as a minor league UFC, seeing as ZUFFA now owns both organizations and many former WEC standouts are in the UFC and many of the UFC’s dropouts are littered throughout the WEC. I would even put BJ Penn in front of Faber because of Penn’s natural ability and fight IQ, the only thing he has ever lacked in a fight is preparation and heart. Penn seems to have finally found his motivation and has defeated Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver since. When Penn is motivated he’s one of the best fighters out there, and i think he takes Sherk out in their upcoming fight. As for Matt Hughes, who is my favorite fighter, I believe he is placed improperly on this list. I do not believe Hughes is any longer at a point in his career where he is the same dominant fighter that defeated fighters like Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, Frank Trigg and Georges St. Pierre. I believe that Jon Fitch is a fighter in the welterweight division that could possibly take out Hughes as well as fighters such as Marcus Davis who have a wonderful blend of striking and wrestling. I think both of these fights would be great and Hughes could win I just don’t think that he’s the same dominant fighter he was two years ago. i would place Dan Henderson at spot ten. Though he has dropped two consecutive fights, one cannot really argue against anyone who is forced to fight Rampage and Anderson Silva consecutively. Other options for the ten spot could be Noguiera, he is most definitely the most dominant jiu-jitsu practitioner in the world and he also claims victories over nearly every great heavyweight fighter including the submission of Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight interim title.
GSP has shown during his comeback trail that arguably being #1 with Silva isn’t as absurd as everyone seems to think. Although, if I had to choose, I would say Silva only because GSP had a setback against Serra.
So the primary indicator for GSP will of course be his next few fights. But anyone can get knocked out, and that’s exactly what happened. As Serra said, you don’t necessarily need to have better hands to beat someone at stand up.
It’s not always that you get lucky, but along with that, or without it, the right strategy within a pinpoint moment can KTFO of anybody.
i dissagre with all off you #1 p4p or anything is Fedor and #2 would be Rioto Machida no silva#3 gsp#4
There’s a reason Anderson Silva is ranked #1 on all p4p lists…because he is. No one has made it out of the second round with him. I would say there is a slight weakness to GSP and that’s his chin. Not only was he knocked out by Serra, but the guy does not like to be hit. When he gets hit he looks for the takedown. He’s beaten Hughes because he’s a better wrestler than Hughes..and Koschek.
I would actually rank Quentin over GSP because I think victories over Dan Henderson and Chuck Liddell make a better resume than wins over Hughes and Serra.
I think Courture should be somewhere between 8 and 10 because a win over Gonzaga really isn’t anything to write home about as has been proven watching his last few fights and Calvacente lost to Aoki who should in my opinion be a borderline top ten p4p ighter.
I don’t think Faber has really beat anyone worth mentioning, I do thin he’s top ten material, but more like 9 or 10. I mean his biggest fight is against Jens Pulver…yeah.
I think BJ is more like top 5.
Where’s Nogueria? He’s at least in the top 7.
Hughes needs to be dropped, at this point in his career he’s more like top 20.
I agree with the ranking of the Kid, he doesn’t get enough respect.
I think Takanori Gomi and Lyoto Machida should be considered.
fedor who?
This is one of the better lists I have seen. I dont see the point in debating it though, too much of this is subjective.
Obviously with Hughes losing to Alves, he’s got to be moved out now.
I’m all for GSP at #1. We can talk about him getting caught by a punch from Serra, but then we have to talk about Silva getting caught in a triangle choke from Daiju Takase and a flying heel hook from Ryo Chonan.
I think GSP avenged the previous loss well enough to solidify his spot at #1 P4P.
get hughes out of here and put him in the best old dudes that fight list
you are all wrong,have you ever seen Fedor Emelianenko fight?look what jonb #8 says….do you people actually know MMA..?check out you tube… The man is a ton of bricks a power house,i can almost guarentee he would destroy Quinton “rampage”jackon , randy couture, or St.pierre,kimbo,who ever . the only reason he has one defeat , is he was fighting a guy who illeaggly elbow punched him ,which made the doctor call the fight.he is a fighter ….no question…sylvia :36 seconds any questions….?
GSP is way more athletic, and his wrestling is superior to Silva’s. Silva does hold better stand up. But I believe in the end GSP is a better overall fighter. GSP might even be the one person that could beet Silva if Silva and GSP did a catch weight of 177.5 lbs (right between 185 & 170) What a cool fight that would be.
I wonder if anyone can beat Fedoe, if an ” open weight ” tournament is held with all of the other figthers in this list present. Hey, Silva is 6′3″, he’s taller than Fedor, But I doubt if he can last just 1 round with him. GSP, How long do you think he would last against Fedor? Enough about all the talk, Let’s see who would emerge as best if an ” Open Weight ” tournament is held, with all your top / favorite figthers present. Fedor would dominate… It’s no brainer.
Let me add one more thing, if Anderson Silva or GSP would fight Lyoto Machida… what do you think will be the outcome? Would the 2 best p4p figthers like you say, measure up against Machida? I doubt it. I would really like to see Machida fight Silva. Please have Machida fight Silva!!! GSP against Machida? hahaha, he would’t have a chance agaist Machida. Anderson Silva and GSP, you’re focusing on them as the #1 or # 2, LOL. They do not impress me.
I wonder that ….
Another fighter that I think, should be on the top 10… RASHAD EVANS…