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Rankings


MMA Fighter Rankings by FiveOuncesOfPain.com founder and publisher Sam Caplan and do not necessarily reflect the view of the site’s staffers. Updated March 17, 2009.

Pound-for-Pound

  1. Anderson Silva – If you believed Silva was the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world before his fight vs. Patrick Cote at UFC 90, why would you think any less of him? Silva not only won the fight but absorbed virtually no damage. Allegations of showboating are not black and white and Silva has denied them. I am included to believe him because when has Silva ever shown blatant disrespect towards an opponent?
  2. Fedor Emelianenko - Fedor has responded to critics that claimed he hadn’t fought legitimate competition for several years by submitting former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia last July in just 36 seconds and recording a first round knockout against another former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in January. The performance against Arlovski wasn’t anywhere near as dominant as the one against Sylvia, but the victory gave him his fifth career victory over a former UFC heavyweight champion. The victory over Arlovski also showed that even when he’s not at his best, he can still be great.
  3. Georges St. Pierre – St. Pierre’s domination of B.J. Penn at UFC 94 was an eye opening performance that clearly moved him ahead of Penn in the pound-for-pound rankings and created debate that he could very well be the number one P-4-P fighter in the world. As great as he’s been in dominant victories over Penn, Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch, I’m just not ready to move him ahead of Fedor and Anderson Silva.
  4. Lyoto Machida – P-4-P rankings have nothing to do with which fighters employ the most entertaining styles of fighting. However, there was nothing boring about Machida’s first round KO of Thiago Silva at UFC 94. The win allowed Machida to improve to 14-0 and he now has credible victories over Silva, Stephan Bonnar, B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Tito Ortiz. Machida is a great defensive striker, has underrated punching power, and great submissions. When you combine his solid resume and pure fighting ability, it’s hard not to rank him this high.
  5. B.J. Penn – He is an amazing pure fighter and he’s fighting frequently again and dominating the way he’s supposed to. Wins over Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, and Sean Sherk are all considered quality victories. Penn had everything going for him and then he laid a goose egg vs. St. Pierre. Was it an off night or is it a case where Penn isn’t as good as we’d like him to be? Penn has once again turned in a performance that left more questions than answers about his abilities and I felt the need to move him down as a result.
  6. Miguel Torres - Torres is the most underrated fighter in MMA and made a huge jump in my top 10 following his amazing win over Yoshiro Maeda. Torres’ grappling ability is world class but his striking also is world class as well. How do you gameplan for a fighter that is world class in every possible area a fight can go? I don’t think there is anyone at 135 pounds that can touch this guy right now. Manny Tapia will try and give Torres just his second career loss during the WEC’s December event.
  7. Rashad Evans – Evans is 13-0-1 and holds the most prestigious title in all of MMA. He now holds notable wins over Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping and a draw with Tito Ortiz. You can’t deny Evans his due. I know I will receive complaints that I moved him down in the rankings below Machida but it’s a show of respect for Machida and not a sign of disrespect to Evans. Holding the most prestigious title in the world counts for a lot, but Machida is also undefeated and holds many quality wins. The reason for the switching of Evans and Machida comes down to the fact that if the two meet head-to-head, I believe Machida wins the fight.
  8. Quinton Jackson - Jackson’s win over Jardine was decisive but he is beginning to show his limitations. Jackson is a great inside puncher and a strong wrestler. However, he’s not a versatile striker, his defensive standup is lacking at times, and his submission game is suspect. But wins are wins and wins against top ten caliber opponents mean more than anything else.
  9. Forrest Griffin -As a pure fighter, I believe that Griffin is better than Rampage. That being said, results matter. Since December, Griffin has a loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 92 while Jackson had beaten two top-ten caliber fighters in Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine. Hence, the decision to swap the two.
  10. Mike Thomas Brown – I have felt for a long time that Mike Thomas Brown was a very good fighter. But after he dismantled Leonard Garcia at WEC 39, I became sold that he is a great fighter. And to quantify the term great, I mean better that Urijah Faber until Faber can beat him and great enough to warrant a spot in the top ten pound-for-pound rankings.

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