J.G.’s Dirty Dozen — A Pound-for-Pound MMA Ranking
J.G.’s Dirty Dozen
Josh Gross Nov 29, 2005
It pains me that I can’t bring myself to do this division by
division. As a founder of the until-further-notice Mixed Martial
Arts Media Top 10 I’ve undergone a complete 180 on fighter
rankings.
With a mixed bag of rules and weights, and a climate where the best fighters continue to be held hostage by the organizations for which they fight, there’s just no possible way to come up with an accurate ranking. I tried for a long time to drown out this argument, but when I’m licked I’m man enough to admit it.
So it occurred to me, what better time to put together a list of
the best fighters in the sport, regardless of weight, rules and
politics. P4P lists are always criticized for the way in which
they’re compiled, but I say for once being subjective is a good
thing and I’m embracing it.
In ranking these guys I’m asking two questions: “How skilled a fighter are we talking about?” and “What’s he done inside his own division?” Mind you, this isn’t Sherdog.com’s list — it’s mine. And I will rank the top 12 pound-for-pound mixed martial artists according to how I see them:
11) Rich Franklin (Pictures) (19-1-0) — Combine the most natural talent in his division with a work ethic that would make Jerry Rice beg for two weeks in Cancun and you have a fighter on the verge of something special. The Cincinnati-based 185-pounder is graceful in the Octagon, stringing together combinations like pro strikers. But his biggest wins came against Evan Tanner (Pictures) (twice) and he lacks conquests versus top competition to be ranked in the top 10. The UFC dumping legit contender Matt Lindland (Pictures) hasn’t helped his cause, and with the exception of David Loiseau (Pictures) there do not appear to be many serious challengers in a division that just a few months ago seemed packed.
10) Dan Henderson (Pictures) (18-4-0) — A longtime favorite of any pound-for-pound list, Henderson is finally fighting at his natural weight (185 lbs.) for first time in his career. Competing a division above this weight at 205, Henderson still enjoyed major successes, but an extended stay at 185 could let us all see how great a fighter he actually is. He must win his upcoming 183-pound Bushido Grand Prix championship bout against Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) to stay on the list. If he does it impressively he could easily move up several notches.
9) B.J. Penn (Pictures) (10-2-1) — Here’s where it gets tricky. Why is a man who submitted the No. 2 and 3 fighters on this list stuck at No. 9? Two uninspired decisions at 185 over Rodrigo and Renzo Gracie (Pictures) and a horrible performance at 205 in decision loss to Ryoto Machida (Pictures), that’s why. A recent return to the UFC means he’s going to fight to 170 pounds — by far his best weight — and could regain the form that had many calling him the best in the world in Jan. 2004 after wins over Gomi and Hughes. The Hawaiian is special. He has all the tools that make Fedor and Gomi great, but has shown a lack of interest. How bad does he want to be the best? We should find out in 2006 with potential bouts versus Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) and Hughes.
8) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) (11-2-0) — Lost somewhere in the shadow of his big brother Rodrigo, Lil’ Nogueira has enjoyed a productive 2005, scoring a decision over Alistair Overeem (Pictures) and submission of Dan Henderson (Pictures). His only loss in ’05 came in a war against Shogun — perhaps the fight of the year. Before falling to the PRIDE GP champ, Nogueira had won eight in a row, exhibiting skills both on the mat and the feet that made his brother a champion in the heavyweight division.
7) Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (29-5-1) 1 NC — Before losing his last fight to Ricardo Arona (Pictures) and going 2-2 in his last four (he fell by decision to heavyweight Mark Hunt (Pictures)) 24 of Wanderlei Silva (Pictures)’s 29 wins had ended before the bell. The Arona defeat showed several chinks in his armor and drops him a few notches in the Dirty Dozen. Despite being criticized throughout his PRIDE 205-pound title reign (he still holds the PRIDE middleweight belt) as a fighter who padded his record against weak Japanese opposition, Silva’s reputation as a killer is well deserved. The Brazilian Chute Boxe fighter is as aggressive as they come, and though he lost to Arona, who offered the worst possible style match-up for a man of Silva’s knock-your-head-off style, Silva still ranks ahead of the Brazilian Top Team fighter. He gets a chance to avenge the loss on New Years Eve in Tokyo, and if he goes down again he’ll probably be forced off the list in place of Arona.
With a mixed bag of rules and weights, and a climate where the best fighters continue to be held hostage by the organizations for which they fight, there’s just no possible way to come up with an accurate ranking. I tried for a long time to drown out this argument, but when I’m licked I’m man enough to admit it.
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In ranking these guys I’m asking two questions: “How skilled a fighter are we talking about?” and “What’s he done inside his own division?” Mind you, this isn’t Sherdog.com’s list — it’s mine. And I will rank the top 12 pound-for-pound mixed martial artists according to how I see them:
12) Mirko
Filipovic (Pictures) (17-3-2) — When you talk about
scary fighters, he tops the list. Cro Cop’s only defeats came in a
war versus Fedor, a fluke KO against Kevin Randleman (Pictures), which he later avenged by
submission, and an armbar tapout against “Minotauro.” But the
Croatian has improved so much over the past three years, it’s
downright frightful to think where he’ll be a year from now. If he
doesn’t get bored and if PRIDE doesn’t burn him out with a non-stop
fight schedule, this man could still be the one who dethrones
Fedor.
11) Rich Franklin (Pictures) (19-1-0) — Combine the most natural talent in his division with a work ethic that would make Jerry Rice beg for two weeks in Cancun and you have a fighter on the verge of something special. The Cincinnati-based 185-pounder is graceful in the Octagon, stringing together combinations like pro strikers. But his biggest wins came against Evan Tanner (Pictures) (twice) and he lacks conquests versus top competition to be ranked in the top 10. The UFC dumping legit contender Matt Lindland (Pictures) hasn’t helped his cause, and with the exception of David Loiseau (Pictures) there do not appear to be many serious challengers in a division that just a few months ago seemed packed.
10) Dan Henderson (Pictures) (18-4-0) — A longtime favorite of any pound-for-pound list, Henderson is finally fighting at his natural weight (185 lbs.) for first time in his career. Competing a division above this weight at 205, Henderson still enjoyed major successes, but an extended stay at 185 could let us all see how great a fighter he actually is. He must win his upcoming 183-pound Bushido Grand Prix championship bout against Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) to stay on the list. If he does it impressively he could easily move up several notches.
9) B.J. Penn (Pictures) (10-2-1) — Here’s where it gets tricky. Why is a man who submitted the No. 2 and 3 fighters on this list stuck at No. 9? Two uninspired decisions at 185 over Rodrigo and Renzo Gracie (Pictures) and a horrible performance at 205 in decision loss to Ryoto Machida (Pictures), that’s why. A recent return to the UFC means he’s going to fight to 170 pounds — by far his best weight — and could regain the form that had many calling him the best in the world in Jan. 2004 after wins over Gomi and Hughes. The Hawaiian is special. He has all the tools that make Fedor and Gomi great, but has shown a lack of interest. How bad does he want to be the best? We should find out in 2006 with potential bouts versus Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) and Hughes.
8) Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) (11-2-0) — Lost somewhere in the shadow of his big brother Rodrigo, Lil’ Nogueira has enjoyed a productive 2005, scoring a decision over Alistair Overeem (Pictures) and submission of Dan Henderson (Pictures). His only loss in ’05 came in a war against Shogun — perhaps the fight of the year. Before falling to the PRIDE GP champ, Nogueira had won eight in a row, exhibiting skills both on the mat and the feet that made his brother a champion in the heavyweight division.
7) Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) (29-5-1) 1 NC — Before losing his last fight to Ricardo Arona (Pictures) and going 2-2 in his last four (he fell by decision to heavyweight Mark Hunt (Pictures)) 24 of Wanderlei Silva (Pictures)’s 29 wins had ended before the bell. The Arona defeat showed several chinks in his armor and drops him a few notches in the Dirty Dozen. Despite being criticized throughout his PRIDE 205-pound title reign (he still holds the PRIDE middleweight belt) as a fighter who padded his record against weak Japanese opposition, Silva’s reputation as a killer is well deserved. The Brazilian Chute Boxe fighter is as aggressive as they come, and though he lost to Arona, who offered the worst possible style match-up for a man of Silva’s knock-your-head-off style, Silva still ranks ahead of the Brazilian Top Team fighter. He gets a chance to avenge the loss on New Years Eve in Tokyo, and if he goes down again he’ll probably be forced off the list in place of Arona.
