Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Calm Before the Storm
Jul 9, 2008
The past few weeks were thought to be the calm before the storm
that will strike at the end of this month, when cards from the UFC,
Affliction, Dream and Shooto will put many of the sport's best
fighters from the biggest to the smallest on display over a
thrilling four-day span.
However, somewhere, the punditry went awry, as three upsets of varying shapes and sizes have changed the face of the Sherdog.com rankings.
Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) was a prohibitive favorite in GCM's Cage Force featherweight tournament. However, when it came time for "Pato" to finally do battle in his quarterfinal bout, gritty veteran Yuji Hoshino (Pictures) had other plans, handing the highly regarded featherweight a unanimous decision loss. A week later, Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) was expected to defend his Strikeforce lightweight championship successfully, but was instead beaten in every aspect of the game in a sensational performance by Josh Thomson (Pictures).
Most crucially, Quinton Jackson (Pictures) walked into UFC 86 this past weekend as a pound-for-pound standout and the king of the 205-pounders, but amidst some controversy, Forrest Griffin (Pictures) provided the validation Zuffa had long dreamed of for "The Ultimate Fighter" series. Taking a unanimous decision victory and against the expectations of most, Griffin has become the man to beat in the light heavyweight division.
Has Griffin's victory put a cap on a run of summer upsets, or are more favorites fixed to fall amidst some major-league MMA in the coming weeks?
However, somewhere, the punditry went awry, as three upsets of varying shapes and sizes have changed the face of the Sherdog.com rankings.
Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) was a prohibitive favorite in GCM's Cage Force featherweight tournament. However, when it came time for "Pato" to finally do battle in his quarterfinal bout, gritty veteran Yuji Hoshino (Pictures) had other plans, handing the highly regarded featherweight a unanimous decision loss. A week later, Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) was expected to defend his Strikeforce lightweight championship successfully, but was instead beaten in every aspect of the game in a sensational performance by Josh Thomson (Pictures).
Most crucially, Quinton Jackson (Pictures) walked into UFC 86 this past weekend as a pound-for-pound standout and the king of the 205-pounders, but amidst some controversy, Forrest Griffin (Pictures) provided the validation Zuffa had long dreamed of for "The Ultimate Fighter" series. Taking a unanimous decision victory and against the expectations of most, Griffin has become the man to beat in the light heavyweight division.
Has Griffin's victory put a cap on a run of summer upsets, or are more favorites fixed to fall amidst some major-league MMA in the coming weeks?
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