Following a weekend where three of the top pound for pound male fighters were seen in action, we have a bout with arguably the top two pound for pound female mixed martial artists on the planet immediately following. But is it getting the proper attention?

UFC 94 was a show that had been built up for months and was billed as an “Epic Battle of Champions” between B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre. Now, I can only speak for myself, but it definitely felt that way too. Dana White had three press conferences as soon as he announced the fight, first in Vegas, then Toronto and finally Honolulu. They also made a three part “UFC Primetime” series on the fight that was a real hit, and the media were all over it for the fact that it was two of the best ever about to collide in their primes.

Coming this weekend, we have a battle between the undefeated Gina “Conviction” Carano and her toughest opponent ever, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. These two are the faces of women’s MMA and are well known by the hardcore MMA community as the best of the best, but some in the media may not be giving this long-awaited battle it’s due.

Flipping through the channels these days it is more and more likely that you will see the face of the former Muay Thai standout, Gina Carano. However, in watching an interview with her, you might not get the right picture as to who she really is. You might think she were a full-time model or a long-time “American Gladiator” or famous for an alleged sex tape with Kit Cope (that doesn’t exist). Thankfully, Gina took some time from her busy fight preparation schedule to clear some of that up.

In a recent interview with RawVegas.TV, Carano spoke on her promotional experiences of late, “You know, I’ve had to deal with a lot for this fight, and I look at people and I’m like, ‘Why don’t they realize this is like the toughest fight of my life?’ And they’re asking me like, you know sex questions and dating questions, and I’m like, ‘Do you have any idea like, what I’m actually going up against right now?’ You know, all that stuff isn’t even on my mind.”

With the fight only days away, Carano might be justifiably frustrated that the fight may not get the hype it deserves, but she is also making note of the fact that it has to do with the respect for female fighters as well, “It’s just crazy, you know, and I had somebody else tell me the other day, ‘You know Gina, it’s gonna be awhile before people take you guys seriously.’ I’m like, ‘What’s not serious about this? I’m stepping into the cage with an amazing athlete, like, you know things can go potentially really bad.”

Having seen many of the interviews she is referring to, it is clear to me that the female side of MMA has a long way to come to gain the type of respect that the men are given.

Is it because of the fact that the pool of top tier fighters is so small in comparison? Maybe so, but does that mean that the top two of the world’s elite are to not get the same respect as Royce Gracie did when he was facing men who were arguably of lesser skill? I don’t think so. You could argue that women’s MMA is further back in evolution when being compared to their male counterparts, but do we not remember the warriors and Champions of the early days of MMA as pioneers and legends that deserve our respect? Absolutely we do, even though those early days showed how much we didn’t know about fighting more than anything.

Gina experiences this lack of knowledge on a daily basis and as being arguably the most popular female MMA fighter, she understandably can get a little frustrated, “It just hurts my heart for the sport that its’ taken this long [for MMA in general], and now the women are trying to go through it.”

She remains optimistic however knowing that the respect will only continue to grow as the sport of MMA and she remains humble knowing that there are many great fighters that are out there right now and many will come after her, “I’m just one fighter. I’m just one female. I just happen to be one of the most recognizable ones out. But there is plenty other females, and women’s MMA is gonna be around if I’m a part of it or not.”

It is clear that there are many people trying to distract the young Carano leading up to her next fight, but she seems to be keeping it all in perspective leading into the undoubted war she will be in on Saturday night. “Everybody’s gotta give it up to Cris. She’s an amazing fighter and it’s really an honour to fight her, because she’s the best. She’s one of the best, and I know whoever is holding that belt at the end is gonna be a good belt holder regardless, and so that makes this fight really cool.” She continues, “I’ve sat down and I’ve watched tape. I’ve watched old tape and I’ve watched new tape and all I know is it’s gonna be a tough fight. I’ve got my game plans but I know anything can happen.”

Those who have followed women’s MMA know that this fight is the most anticipated in its history and likely have been waiting to see it happen for some time now, as I have. One thing is for sure, with all eyes on women’s MMA on Saturday night, I’m sure there couldn’t be two better representatives to go at it than these two. The fans will be treated to an “Epic Battle” of the best female MMA fighters on the planet.

On July 24th, 2009, Affliction Entertainment ceased all promotional operations and dumped its roster of fighters to focus on clothing and to return to the UFC sponsor list. The following roster dump has led to the biggest shift in the MMA landscape since the purchase and subsequent dismantling of the former UFC rival organization PRIDE. Although, the UFC missed out on the one signing they have been pressured to make by media and fans everywhere.

As free agent after free agent were gobbled up, the highest profile of the bunch, Fedor Emelianenko, was standing firm to a co-promotional clause which led to intense negotiations with all parties involved. The UFC was the front runner with the highest paying contract and the most competitive heavyweight division in MMA, however refused to allow the Russian stand-out’s management team, and struggling MMA organization M-1 Global, to co-promote the event. This left few options for Emelianenko, but after negotiations with Strikeforce and one stroke of the pen, Scott Coker laid claim to the biggest free agent in MMA history.

Dana White may have seen the tables turn on him, as he acquired the services of many former Affliction fighters while Coker was on vacation in Italy. After seeing all the names going to the UFC, Coker returned home and to the negotiating table to begin talks with anyone left unsigned, which included Fedor. The tables turned when Dana White left for Abu Dhabi, and he had to find out that the door had finally been closed on the possibility of Fedor in the octagon, and for less money.

As much as White wanted and tried for the services of the undefeated heavyweight, he was unable to get the job done, leaving him with a bad taste in his mouth. White has since made a statement to Cagewriter.com regarding the deal and has left no question as to how he feels, “I’m in Abu Dhabi right now and my reaction is Fedor is a [expletive] joke,” White exclaimed angrily. “[He] turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies, for no money. Fedor is a [expletive]!”

The UFC boasts a heavyweight division that is widely regarded as the best in the world and the perfect proving grounds for Emelianenko. Since the recent years of his career have been plagued by criticisms of his opponents and being inactive for long periods between fights, some feel he is plummeting in value and respect among fans and peers.

Dana White seems to have the same opinion as evidence by follow-up statements made to Cagewriter via text message, “I feel sorry for the real fans! I wanted to make the deal but it takes two and it is VERY obvious Fedor doesn’t want to fight the best and doesn’t give a [expletive] about the fans.”

White and UFC fans may have to wait until the expiration of Emelianenkos’ contract with his management M-1 Global, which expires in 3 fights, before they can even consider acquiring the services of Fedor free and clear of any conditions with M-1 Global.

Coming off a dominating performance at the UFC’s most anticipated show ever, UFC 100, Georges St-Pierre has put a stamp on his weight class and is pondering a move up to seek new challenges.

With this prospect on his horizon, he is reaching out to another UFC Champion in Lyoto Machida due to one thing they have in common. It isn’t their UFC belts, rather their matching black belts in Karate.

In a recent interview with TATAME Magazine, Georges was asked about Lyoto Machida and their similar Karate backgrounds, and stated, “My Karate style is Kyokushin and Lyoto’s is Shootokan, the rules are a little different. But I think it isn’t the style that makes the fighter, is the fighter that makes itself, and Lyoto Machida is a great fighter.”

Lyoto has become a treasured representative for Karate due to his deep roots in the sport and in his general style in the cage being so heavily influenced by the principals and techniques of the legendary martial art.

With St-Pierre being such a student of the game and the type to always seek out a challenge, he feels that he can benefit from some time on the mats with the much hailed master of Karate for MMA. He went on to add, “I would love [to train with him], because I love Karate and Lyoto is a great fighter.”

However, with “GSP” surrounded by rumors of a fight with Machida’s good friend Anderson Silva, it may be a long shot for this match made in smelly dojo heaven.

Anderson and Lyoto share a manager in Ed Soares, they often train together, and have stated publicly on numerous occasions that they have no desire to fight each other.

Brazilians may be strong in their bonds, but there are some lines that are not meant to be crossed. Rumor has it that Anderson had a problem with Wanderlei Silva moving down to 185 lbs where he holds his belt, so he trained Rich Franklin who came up with a thin decision victory over the game Wanderlei at UFC 99. Anderson denied that was his reason for assisting Franklin, saying it was just a coincidence that they were both finally free to train, and it was a promise they had made each other.

There may be little chance of this relationship between St-Pierre and Machida materializing (for the time being at least), but one thing is for sure, GSP has never heard the phrase, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Well, it appears we have finally got our answer for the time being as this weeks roller coaster ride involving the worlds most sought after MMA free-agent and the worlds’ most dominant fight organization has finally come to an end. There have been many new developments in the world of MMA, and as exciting as all of them have been, there is still a feeling that we didn’t get what we have expected or hoped.

Who would have thought that a single failed steroid test could cause such a shift in the MMA landscape? Sure this new sport is still evolving, but once again, the UFC is establishing itself as a mainstay as promotion after promotion collapse inward on themselves.

The UFC and Dana White have remained firm on their belief that Affliction would fall as quickly as, if not quicker than, all the rest of the other promotions who attempt to go head to head with them. However, I don’t think anyone expected that after only two shows and an attempt at a third, that Affliction would have come crawling back to the UFC with its tail between its legs.

This in turn has been a fantastic opportunity for the UFC to gobble up some of the remaining fighters on the scene to further their stranglehold on the MMA talent pool. The acquisition of names like, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Paul Daley, and Ben Rothwell (along with many others, and talk of possibly more to come) has really sent a message to the MMA world coming out of the promotions 100th show, and that message is that we’re here to stay and we’re open for business.

Since the demise of Affliction as a promotion, their former roster of fighters are forced to look for work, and aside from the UFC, there isn’t a lot of ways to build your name as a fighter and to get your fights seen. As a fighter, you have to manage your own brand as well, the more people know your name and face, the more likely you are to get a big fight or see other opportunities.

One of the most skilled fighters on the planet is dealing with that problem right now, and his name is Fedor Emilienenko. Fedor has been dominant in other fight organizations with top talent and been sought after by the UFC for years now, yet he may even be more illusive than Lyoto Machida in the sense that he has been making some very strange demands. Fedor in previous negotiations has demanded that his Sambo career be allowed to continue, that the UFC build a stadium in Russia, a one fight deal for the title and even that M-1 Global (his management) are allowed to co-promote the shows in which he participates.

Now, with the UFC rising in popularity and credibility all over the world, it is beginning to be likened to the great sports leagues of the world today like the NHL, NFL, NBA, etc. And with all that credibility, the UFC has the option of doing what any other sports league does, and keep its athletes exclusive to their professional duties in order to keep them safe from activities which could threaten their health. You may ask my point, well originally, the UFC laughed off the demands of Fedor to compete in his country’s national sport Sambo. However, in talks made over this past week, the UFC has decided to take the risk involved and allow Fedor to train and compete in combat sport not involved in their business….. kind of a scary prospect when you are talking about Sambo, it’s not exactly a summer softball league, especially when you are the best in the world at it and everyone is gunning to take your head off for national pride.

The other major sticking point for Fedor has been this whole co-promotion issue. There have been some questions about the relationship between Fedor and M-1 since they always seem to be hand in hand every time Fedor fights. Fedor is part owner of the company but nobody could explain why he would demand that the UFC co-promote events rather than just let it go since the UFC clearly wasn’t interested. He has stated many times that he is managed by M-1 Global, but it’s not like the UFC is co-promoting with Ed Soares just because he manages Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lyoto Machida.

Fedor’s manager Vadim Finkelchtein has been the target of much criticism since he is the face of M-1 and he seems to be at Fedor’s side the majority of the time he is speaking to the public. Some think that Finkelchtein is somehow attaching himself to the Russian standout in the hopes of making a name for his company and himself. It seems much of the time he is speaking that he is painting himself as a pioneer of the sport and that he feels he deserves a piece of the action in so many words. However, Fedor has stuck with his management and much to the puzzlement of the fans of MMA, he has seemed almost indifferent about his MMA career stating that it is not his most important of his activities.

Recently in an interview with Sherdog.com, Fedor was finally asked up front, “Will you ever sign a contract that is (exclusive)? Do you have to have an M-1 Global co-promotion to be happy with the contract?” and Fedor got a bit more specific about his relationship, “ My contract with M-1 Global is valid for 3 more fights, and at the moment I am completely happy with this very contract. When it finishes, we’ll see.”

Knowing this, I am seeing an opening for Fedor to be signed with the UFC potentially in a years time if he stays active and has those 3 fights one after another. However, who knows if Dana White will be able to find a way around this issue since they are still in talks with each other and Dana has left the door wide open for Fedor.

On a media conference call Friday at 2pm ET, Dana spoke about the dealings with Fedor and where he stands, “I’ve said many times that my job as a promoter and as the President of this company is to bring the fans not only the best fights in the world, but the best fighters in the world, and more importantly, the fights the fans want to see,” said White. “We came to the table willing to give up just about anything except co-promotion. I guarantee that he will not be offered another deal like this in mixed martial arts. For whatever reason, they did not want to sign a deal with the UFC.” White continued, “I was so confident this was gonna happen. I went into this thing with the attitude that we’re gonna make it happen. The fans really want to see this fight (Brock Lesnar vs Fedor), I want to see how good this guy really is against the best in the world. So let’s do this thing. It didn’t happen. But if they want to make a deal, they can call me right now and we can do it.”

Since Finkelchtein represents M-1 and he will likely be glued to Fedor’s side over the next few days until we reach a conclusion, there may be a way to make this situation work without co-promotion. I, for one, don’t want to see Fedor vanish to Japan or fight for Strikeforce where he has little Pay-Per-View potential, and little to prove. The proving grounds for Fedor are in the UFC now and if he want’s to silence all his critics and doubters, he’s going to have to end up in Dana Whites world.

It seems everybody wants to get the deal done, so stay tuned to FiveOuncesOfPain to hear the latest developments on Fedor’s final destination, along with the many other free-agents being acquired at this time.

It appears that we may have something brewing between Xtreme Couture striking coach Shawn Tompkins and upstart MMA fighter Kit Cope.

Kit had stated in an interview with MMAJunkie radio on July 8th that he didn’t believe Carano could handle her upcoming opponent due to her training regimen and made a point to call out her entire camp at Xtreme Couture.

“She’s gonna get her ass handed to her if she keeps training the way she’s training. But, if she keeps training where she is.” When asked if he is actually training with her he responded, “We do not train together. Have not trained together for a long time. She’s over at Xtreme Fashion, here in town. But she’s not gonna get what she needs over there.”

When asked elaborate on his views of Xtreme Couture, he went on to say “Because it’s the cool kids club. Like if you’re already good, just go over there and keep being good. I mean, like, they don’t create good.” He goes on to get a little more specific, “Okay well here’s the thing, they help guys become superstars with the exposure they get thanks to Randy.”

Keeping with his theme of the gym lacking real technical training, he sets his crosshairs on the gyms prized striking coach, Shawn Tompkins. “I don’t think Randy makes them (the fighters) at all, I definitely don’t think that, I’m sorry I don’t think that Shawn Tompkins makes them at all. You know, Shawn Tompkins, from what I’ve seen, like he can work you out. And that dude will work you out, and he’ll make sure that you’re in shape and that kind of thing, but he is not gonna teach you any kind of technical nothing. I’ve seen his pad work, I’ve seen his training.”

Tompkins, always one to speak his mind and defend his fighters, had an immediate response in an interview done with RawVegas.TV.

First, he addressed the comments made about how prepared Gina will be for her upcoming main event fight. “I know Gina Carano very well. This sort of stuff wont bother her.” Adding, “She’s training harder than she has ever trained, she’s got great coaches here, everybody saw her at the press conference in New York City and everybody is commenting on how she has a brand new body.”

Tompkins goes on and puts the issue to rest with this, “You know, he can say what he wants, but the bottom line is Kit Cope hasn’t seen Gina Carano in a training session in probably 3 years. She’s been here. I’ve seen her every day, she’s dedicated and she’ll do what she does. What does he know?”

As far as Copes’ comments about Tompkins coaching himself, he went on to state how he feels about Copes’ assessment, “Well he can say what he wants, but I have 28 of the best fighters in the world right now. As far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t fought in years, and I don’t see him training anybody. So, I don’t know where he gets this.”

Always one to stick up for his team and his fighters, Tompkins warns, “Las Vegas is a small city, everybody knows everybody, and in saying something about Xtreme Couture, he just made a lot of great fighters angry and he better not wanna see them or pass them on escalators or in hallways in casinos because I’m sure they’re not gonna have nice things to say or do to him.”

Continuing to go back and forth, the war of words resumes from Kit Cope as he returned to MMAJunkie radio on July 16th to restate his case.

When asked if there was any bad blood between him and Tompkins prior to his comments, he said, “No, not at all. There shouldn’t have been beef anyways. All I said, I said he’ll work you out. The guy will work (you) out. He just doesn’t have any technique. He’s 0-4 in MMA. He got mounted and pounded out every single fight that he had. I don’t even know that he ever did a kickboxing fight. The guy just doesn’t have any technique. I’ve watched him do pad work with Wanderlei.”

Cope didn’t stop there, he added, “Wanderlei and I talked about the pad work, we both agreed that he sucked at it, and so then Shawn was dismissed. That’s all. He had a good workout, made Wanderlei sweat. Good job, awesome.”

With the odds of these two meeting on the canvas being extremely low, when being proposed with fighting one of Shawn’s long-time projects, Chris Horodecki, Cope seemed very receptive, “That’d be great. I’d love to push him around.” Adding, “That’d be awesome. He’s wiley enough to stand up with me and that would be a good time. So far, I haven’t been able to find anybody to do that.”

With this as a possibility, we may have a fight like this on the horizons, with one of Tompkins long time disciples fighting for his honour as a coach.

Cope may be a great self promoter, but who knows how he would fair against Horodecki. One thing is for sure, we wont be seeing Kit over at Xtreme Couture any time soon.

P.S. If you tuned in for news on the sex tape, sorry to disappoint. But, in Kits’ words, “it was a joke”.

Frank Mir is a man who has had his past life taken from him by tragedy. He had to give up his belt and was faced with a long road back to his title.

From encountering everything from doctors who said he would never fight again, the tremendous amount of rehab he had to face and overcome, clawing his way back to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division, to now facing a genetic freak who is at the last step to full redemption.

In the days leading up to his encounter with Brock Lesnar, Mir speaks on the match from a more strategic standpoint.

Mir is counting on one of two things leading into his fight; that he gets rushed near the beginning of the fight like he did last time, or he sees the more conservative approach from Lesnar, like he took with Randy Couture.

“If Brock really comes out and tries to abandon the [training], comes running at me heads over heels and just tries to bullrush me over, I honestly think that’s his best chance,” said Mir in a recent interview on UFC.com.

However, Mir does not have as much faith in Brock’s cardio and muscle endurance as he has in his explosive power.

“I don’t think he’s physically capable of going 5 rounds of hard fighting just because of his stature,”explained Mir.

Adding, “Could he go 3 rounds, or 5 rounds if I fight like Heath and let him dominate me and keep me in great position, well yeah.

“If he told me he was going to stand with me, then yeah, I would stand toe to toe with him and swing. Because I feel I have great head movement. He has no head movement.” He continues, “But all of the sudden he throws a punch, changes levels and shoots on me, that’s gonna be difficult. So that’s why I don’t wanna stand in front of him. No so much for his punches, but his shots.”

Mir seems to be on the right track. So what does he envision happening on July 11th? Frank goes on to lay out how he’s going to win this fight.

“But if I throw 3 or 4 punches and I slide off at an angle, throw another punch, and he shoots, and I’m never where I’m at, that’s going to be very difficult [for Lesnar],” said Mir.

As if Mir’s striking coach Ken Hahn was in his ear, we see how much influence he has on Frank and how energized he has Frank coming into this fight. It seems Frank has just as much confidence in his striking, if not more, than he did for the Nogueira fight.

Mir continues about, what he feels is his biggest asset for this fight, his footwork. “I think now we really see in MMA how much footwork is really a prevailing defense, and offense. It’s more important than slipping or checking punches because footwork helps eliminate shots, it helps eliminate getting kicked and punched in the head. You see some of the greatest fighters in the world right now, and one thing I can point out that they all have, is great footwork.”

We can expect to see Mir bouncing around and looking like a more active version than we saw in his last fight with Big Nog as it seems he is gaining confidence in his striking with every pad session. He has been on the underside of Brock before and we should see him looking to desperately avoid being put there again.

This is the opportunity of Franks life right now as a win on July 11th, in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, would solidify his Champion status and give him that redemption he is so furiously seeking.

You know how the saying goes,”Opinions are like souls, everybody’s got one”, or something to that effect. Well come along and take a look deep into my soul as I have compiled a ranking that is completely up to date and accurate.

Using the latest fights and knowledge of these competitors, combined with a look to the near future of their upcoming fights, I’m here to tell you exactly where I stand on who’s really the best in the business, and why.

So without further adieu, we start at the top.

#1 Georges St-Pierre: GSP is the #1 fighter in the world simply because he is the picture of incredible skills, combined with incredible mental focus.

 He has constant control of the Octagon, an always active and aggressive style, with the stamina and athleticism to perform at any intensity, consistently. Georges St-Pierre is the Ultimate Fighter.

Some say that his chin is suspect. He has a TKO loss to Matt Serra. But let’s be real, he was clipped in the back of the head. By his reaction it looked to me that his equilibrium was off. He was aware after the first shot, just could not control his legs and stand strait up in a defensive position. The barrage of punches that followed was on account of a great job by Matt Serra on finishing when the first opportunity arose. To be fair, GSP took a shot to the head and it’s his job not to, I just don’t see a scenario like that happening again.

I don’t think it was a good show of his chin because we did not see the ability of his chin to go from 100% and take a significant, clean impact, in order to gauge his limits. He may have been fluttering on the brink of unconsciousness with every accumulated blow, but he was never fully knocked out. Serra connected with good shots on St-Pierre but it was the referee stoppage that ended the punishment. In fact, in all of St-Pierre’s fights, he hasn’t really been knocked down or been in serious danger on his feet, other than the Serra fight.

He de-throned Matt Hughes, broke Josh Koscheck by beating him at his own game, dominated Serra, owned Fitch for 25 minutes and we all remember the public spanking and subsequent drama that ensued when he sent BJ back down to 155 and island paradise Hilo, Hawaii empty handed.

St-Pierre will be tested at upcoming UFC 100 and will have to put to rest the question of his chin when he takes on Thiago “Pitbull” Alves. Thiago is a scary, heavy hitting Muay Thai machine. Thiago also has excellent take down defense and knees waiting for anybody looking at his legs. St-Pierre needs to find a way around those knees and get to a dominant ground position and wear Alves down like he does to everybody. Matt Hughes held Alves down and if he can do it, I’m certain GSP can do it.

I even think GSP will eventually have a crack at Anderson Silva and everyone north of the border is hoping that everything lines up for the encounter to happen in Toronto, Ontario. Dana White mentioned it as a possibility but it’s all a matter of timing, especially since MMA is still illegal in Ontario for some strange reason. The UFC is knocking on the door with the biggest fight in history ready to be made and it all comes down to a Mr. Ken Hayashi, look him up.

Once the UFC gets this fight signed, I think GSP will take advantage of his strong wrestling base and ware down Anderson like nobody has. GSP has a history of beating guys like they have never been beat, handling them like they have never been handled before. I see the glaring difference in wrestling to be the most impactful and effective for St-Pierre.

GSP is incredibly dangerous in every range of fighting. His grappling is top notch and he has shown that in MMA, he can hang with anybody on the ground comfortably. His bottom game is nearly non-existent due to his dominant wrestling and his top game is tearing up some of the best grapplers in the world in Matt Serra, Matt Hughes and BJ Penn. His clinch game has been excellent and he is always dangerous to explode with in-close combinations or a nearly unavoidable takedown. His boxing is very technical, always threatening and he doesn’t linger in the pocket. He has that Karate in-and-out instinct that is so predominant in the game of Lyoto Machida, and he uses it to have more effective punches while lowering damage taken. He even has incredible control of the range due to his Muay Thai style kicks. He has a very long and accurate superman punch which he lands perfect on almost every attempt and the powerful spinning back kick that he utilizes just enough to maintain his stranglehold on the range. His and his teams’ game-planning has proven to be flawless (aside from Rashad Evans’ rough go with Machida recently), and he does an incredible job of executing when he needs to and can change strategy on command while in action.

He simply has it all. However, he is still pretty young and has a long career ahead of him. He still has a legacy to build, and he is focused entirely on doing that.

#2 Anderson Silva: A lot of people might think that Silva needs to be #1 on the pound for pound list because he is simply on another planet with his striking and Octagon control. I too believe he is a contender for the title. It’s just that as of late, he hasn’t seemed as focused on finishing and building his reputation. I think maybe he feels that he has reached the top and there is nowhere higher to go until he gets better competition in the UFC. His performance against Thales Leites was disappointing at best and boring at worst.

Does he have the right to try and avoid punishment as it is clearly hazardous to his long term health? Sure. Does he have a right to fight however he wants? Of course. Do we truly believe he was pushed to his limits against Thales, or at any point feeling like his back was against the wall? I certainly don’t. I think the Anderson Silva in a career-defining fight is a completely different fighter than the Silva who is dancing to a chorus of boos in a fight that lacked any urgency.

Is that why I rank him #2? Not at all.

I believe that he has a weakness in his game, which is his lack of wrestling. Now we all saw the clip of him switching Nate Marquardt embarrassingly before finishing him shortly after, but Henderson was able to keep him down and didn’t make one serious attempt to pass to side control. I’ll admit that I think GSP will eventually have his chance to exploit that weakness as he has a reputation of destroying opponents’ confidence in their guard. In many of his fights, he gains entry to side with increasing ease as the fight drags on as if his opponents lose their will or simply their belief in their ability to control him.

Silva has incredible striking and very solid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I just don’t think he is 100% complete and believe that once people start to truly believe he is human, we will see much more competitive fights for him. I think he has built up some mystique and it may be beginning to wear off.

We will see him in action at UFC 101 against Forrest Griffen. Forrest will definitely not take him lightly and he will come with an intelligent game-plan as he is a very sharp guy with a great camp behind him. If anyone will know how to beat Anderson Silva, I’d imagine it being Randy Couture. Having him in his corner should guarantee that Forrest brings it and that we see a back and forth fight that is up and down.

Dependant on the upcoming performances by these top 2 fighters, we will have to re-evaluate their status. It may also end up in a fight between the two of them at MW to settle this dispute once and for all. However, maybe not yet, since Marquardt and Maia have definitely earned their contender status.

#3 Fedor Emelianenko: I am inviting criticism having the much hyped “Last Emperor” sitting way down at number 3. However, I do so for the lack of real competition he has faced outside of his days in PRIDE, which I feel may be due to his choice to stay out of the UFC and avoid the majority of his divisions’ competition.

Fedor has it all; devastating punches with great accuracy and instinct, excellent takedowns and takedown defense and his submission ability is top notch. His skills are well documented and well respected.

He has been criticized as of late for a lack of prime competition. I know that for many, beating Tim Sylvia the way he did was unbelievable. I just think it is a little more believable now that we have seen how “The Maine-iac” handled a 50 year old former pro boxer. Not so well. I think Tim has seen better days and is not even his old self anymore.

I’ll give Fedor all the credit in the world for the Arlovski fight. Sure he didn’t look so hot, but when I saw the replay from over Fedor’s right shoulder, I saw his split second reaction to Arlovski planting his feet for a take-off. He instantly began turning over for the overhand right that ended Arlovski’s night. To me that indicates that he still has great composure or just some crazy dumb luck on his side.

I just am not convinced that he could do so well with a guy like Brock Lesnar. This is a much debated dream match, and from seeing how Hong Man Choi controlled him on the ground I’m thinking that is not a stretch for Lesnar at all. Choi just laid on Fedor basically. He did do a significant amount of damage to Fedor as well from top position. Give Brock Lesnar the same opportunity, a case of Red Bull and I think Fedor is in a bit of trouble.

I think the unofficial HW crown is completely up in the air right now as Brock, Fedor and Frank Mir all have a potential vote from me leading into their upcoming fights. We will have to wait and see how they do.

I feel as if Fedor is still riding the remaining momentum from his good old days and now must put on a masterful performance against Josh Barnett to be considered for #1 pound for pound in my eyes.

Also, I’d like to see him put aside his Sambo for awhile and compete in the UFC. I understand it is your national sport, but very few in MMA care about your record in Sambo, and if you are only doing it to impress yourself and your home country, don’t expect to impress me. When it comes to the pound for pound best, that title includes drive and dedication, and the fans will decide who the best in the world is.

#4 BJ Penn: He may be licking his wounds from his recent domination at the hands of Georges St-Pierre, but I still believe that BJ Penn at his home of 155 is the absolute best. I simply don’t see him losing that belt any time soon.

He will have a great challenge ahead of him in Kenny Florian. I just believe he is a little better in the striking with his elite boxing and a good notch above in the grappling. But who am I to say in this fight? This is going to be a fantastic Main Event at UFC 101 and I can’t wait to see it.

It is well known that BJ has eye opening grappling technique, and a real nack for finishing opponents with vicious punches from ground as well as from the feet, but he now might even be able to boast great conditioning leading up to this fight.

He has continued his high level of strength training and cardio conditioning and is now beginning to really feel the effects of his work.

I place him above Lyoto Machida because when they fought at LHW years ago, BJ was grossly out of shape and was really stretching himself to his limits in moving up weight. It went to a decision and since then, BJ has dropped 3 weight classes to find his comfort zone. At LW, he is a completely different fighter and can really reach his full potential. I anticipate a long title reign.

#5 Lyoto Machida: I have always respected his style simply on account of him coming out of fights with wins and never really having a scratch on him. Finish or no finish, this guy is really dangerous and is about to really reach his prime. He looks more comfortable than ever in the Octagon, and it all began with the handling of Tito Ortiz. I believe he will begin finishing his fights on a regular basis.

His ground game is solid, his striking is precise, and his timing is perfect. His takedowns are usually in the form of well timed foot sweeps where he often gets the takedown, and will end up in great position. He also has excellent takedown defense and appears to be very aware of his opponents’ intentions at nearly all times.

I believe that Lyoto Machida will really come into his own with the UFC and will continue to look better from fight to fight. His punching power may not be devastating, but apparently that doesn’t stop him from knocking people out who have previously had unquestioned chins.

He always brings great strategies, he always comes with incredible focus and sharp reactions, and he displays a very effective style of fighting that is unordinary and hard to fully prepare for.

Lyoto may very well make a case to be moved up the list in the upcoming couple of years. However he has a huge challenge in front of him. Lyoto is taking on fellow Brazilian Superstar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Expect one of the best fights of the year, and maybe a succession of rematches due to the potential of both of these competitors to stay near the top of the division.

Some of the notable unmentioned are Miguel Torres, Urijah Faber, Norifumi Yamamoto (despite a disappointing return to competition), Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson.

I’m not going to go past a top 5 because I believe that there are too many arguments for too many fighters and it can get a little more about opinion and personal preference. I’ll leave that to you. Name your top 5 or 10, and if you think I’m wrong, post why in the comment field below.