5) Chuck Liddell (Pictures) (18-3-0) — The UFC light heavyweight champion has now stopped five in a row: Randy Couture (Pictures) (KO), Jeremy Horn (Pictures) (TKO), Couture (KO), Vernon White (Pictures) (KO), and Tito Ortiz (Pictures) (KO). In fact, each “Iceman” victory starting with UFC 40 has come before the closing bell. In February he knocked out Couture for a second time to win the decisive rubber match of their hyped trilogy. Liddell has gotten better with age and seems more comfortable in the cage today than he was even two years ago. Liddell is out of action for several months after injuring a toe in February. The question remains: who will challenge him? Renato Sobral (Pictures)? Tito Ortiz (Pictures)? Liddell appears like he’ll be around a while. Ultimately, might a fight with Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) lure him away from the UFC?
3) Matt Hughes (Pictures) (38-4-0) — Sporting just one loss since the spring of 2001 (submitting to B.J. Penn (Pictures) due to rear-naked choke), Hughes has basically cleaned out the UFC 170-pound division. With the Penn loss hanging over his head, he armbarred Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) in Oct. 2004. Hughes’s place on this list hangs in the balance with a showcase fight versus Royce Gracie (Pictures) in May and a welterweight showdown against St. Pierre later in the year. Winning three of his last four by submission, Hughes has seemed to refine the takedown-and-mash-em style that marked the early portion of his career.
1a) Takanori Gomi (Pictures) (24-2-0) — In this space I wrote that if Gomi was impressive in victory against Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), he could challenge Fedor for top billing. Well, this is about the best I can do. Sitting at “1a” in the Dirty Dozen is the best under-160-pound fighter on the planet. Undefeated since Oct. 2003, the Japanese 160-pound champion has wins over Jens Pulver (Pictures), Luiz Azeredo (Pictures) (twice), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) and, now, Sakurai. Gomi took his game to a new level while winning the PRIDE lightweight title. He fights without fear and dominates from any position. It’s his tenacity on the feet combined with a world-class submission-wrestling background that sets the Japanese star apart from virtually every other fighter. “The Fireball Kid” fights Marcus Aurelio on April 2.
1) Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) (23-1-0, 1 NC) — The PRIDE heavyweight champion and reigning Heavyweight Grand Prix champion is the most complete fighter this sport has ever seen. Bold statement? I don’t think so. The Russian is undefeated in his last 21 fights (if you include the No Contest against Nogueira) and decisively avenged the only loss of his career. Fedor’s victory over Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) in August 2005 showed just how intelligent he is in the ring, and it also displayed the champ’s toughness. His last experience in PRIDE was a gift, as the Russian walked through untested Brazilian Zuluzinho. At this stage, Fedor has beaten every worthwhile heavyweight PRIDE has to offer — which means he’s beaten nearly all the heavyweights in the world worth fighting. While Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures) was pegged as Fedor’s next challenge, the loss and injury against Alistair Overeem (Pictures) has effectively ended that talk. Mark Hunt (Pictures) now appears to be the fan favorite. Questions continue to linger about a Fedor-Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) contest. At this point I don’t see anything that prevents Fedor from dominating that bout. He is the best fighter in the world. The PRIDE champion is recovering from recent hand surgery.