Matt Brown of HeavyMMA.com ranked the top 10 pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the word.

Check out his list:

10. Brock Lesnar
I know, a heavyweight in pound for pound rankings? Well, Lesnar could fight at superheavyweight and wreck people there too. He’s improving every time he enters the octagon and may very well end up as one of the best heavyweight fighters ever.

9. Dominick Cruz
Cruz (16-1) convincingly defended his WEC bantamweight title at WEC 50 by beating Joseph Benavidez for a second time. His lone defeat came at featherweight in 2007 against Urijah Faber, a fight he may get to avenge now that Faber has dropped to 135.

8. Gilbert Melendez
Currently on a four-fight win streak with victories over Rodrigo Damm, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Josh Thomson and Shinya Aoki, Melendez has established himself as the No. 2 lightweight in the world. It will interesting to see where he ends up as he is in contract negotiations with Strikeforce.

Check out the entire list here.

One month ago I had a lot of debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

After UFC 101, my questions were answered.

Long have I felt Fedor Emelianenko was the best in the world no matter the weight class, but that honor I now give to Anderson Silva following his absolutely flawless win over Forrest Griffin.

The Silva victory combined with Emelianenko opting to sign with Strikeforce puts Silva at No.1 in my book. When making this list I am considering the fighters as they are today, not as they were five years ago. Emelianenko looked a little sloppy in his last fight and is now going to have much easier competition as a whole in Strikeforce, whereas Silva and Georges St. Pierre have fought the best and looked impressive doing so.
So, here is my list. As always, I encourage healthy discussions.

1. Anderson Silva (24-4) – Middleweight/Light Heavyweight – UFC
If you really look at, the Silva vs. Griffin fight was every bit as big as St. Pierre vs. Penn from a standpoint that you had a champion from one weight class facing a bigger fighter that was one fight removed from being the champion in that weight class as well. Silva made Griffin look like Glass Joe from Mike Tyson Punch Out and basically made Griffin quit out of embarrassment (which has caused me to stop reading Forrest’s book, as he know seems to look like a hypocrite). After that display, I truly feel that Silva could not only be Light Heavyweight champion, I have serious beliefs that he is the kind of guy that could actually beat a guy like Brock Lesnar. His accuracy and power while backing up would be a problem for Lesnar in more ways than one. Brock wouldn’t be able to get a takedown without eating a solid knee or punch that could put him down. I know many of you think I am crazy probably, but that is the way I feel.

2. Georges St. Pierre (19-2) – Welterweight – UFC
I used to think GSP could give Silva a fight, but I don’t feel so good about that now. If Silva was to move to Light Heavyweight on a permanent basis, I would like to see GSP move up to middleweight for a new set of challenges. Guys like Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann don’t seem to present much of a challenge and nobody is going to be excited to see rematches with Jon Fitch or Thiago Alves. Middleweight could present some intriguing fights and would really test GSP.

3. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1-1) – Heavyweight – Strikeforce
Well, again this is all about present day and Fedor hasn’t done anything as of late to keep his top ranking while guys like Silva and St. Pierre are beating some of the best. Fedor had no control over what happened with Affliction: Trilogy, but the option to sign with the UFC was there and he turned it down. He has to know that UFC has better overall talent and hosting an exhibition sparring match with Gegard Mousasi is not going to get me excited. I think Fedor’s career is probably the best of anyone, but in terms of best fighter in the world today, I don’t see him as No. 1.

4. Lyoto Machida (15-0) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Machida is on his way to building an argument for the No. 1 spot after his quick finishes of Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. Machida has a unique style like Anderson Silva that has been hard for opponents to figure out. Machida vs. A. Silva is the fight people would love to see, but alas, it will not happen as both have stated they won’t fight each other due to their close bond. Machida is another fighter that seems to be able to transcend his weight class and I think could pose a great challenge to the heavyweight division.

5. Brock Lesnar (4-1) – Heavyweight – UFC
People hated the idea of Lesnar being on this list, but which fighter in the heavyweight division has looked better than him in the last couple years. Lesnar disposed of Randy Couture and Frank Mir and dominated Heath Herring. His speed, power, and agility are equal to any smaller-weight fighter, but he applies it all to a 285-pound frame. Lesnar is still learning but has clearly looked better in his last three fights than other heavyweights like Couture, Mir, Nogueira, CroCop, and Arlovski. Other up and comers like Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, and Brett Rogers still have to sustain wins over big names to surpass Brock.

6. BJ Penn (14-5-1) – Lightweight – UFC
Penn showed why he is the best lightweight in the world with his submission win over Kenny Florian at UFC 101. Diego Sanchez in up next for Penn, but I still feel the Hawaiian would rather be fighting at 170, where he thinks he can be the best there too. Perhaps with a few more wins at 155, Penn can take another crack at the 170-pound weight class.

7. Jake Shields (23-4-1) – Welterweight/Middleweight – Strikeforce
Shields is another fighter that has had success in multiple weight classes, but he is not higher on the list because his competition is not as deep as other fighters. I think Shields could be a great challenge for St. Pierre in the UFC, but for now he is set at Strikeforce, where the organization seems locked into to making him their marquee fighter.

8. Mike Thomas Brown (22-4) – Featherweight – WEC
Not much new on Brown, but he does have an upcoming fight with Jose Aldo, which may be a tougher fight than his two with Urijah Faber. Aldo is explosive, but a win for Brown would push him higher up the list.

9. Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) – Bantamweight – WEC
I know many will cry foul here, but I am not going to write off Torres. His loss to Brian Bowles was clear cut, but Torres had Bowles hurt prior to getting caught. I still look at Torres and see him as the best 135-pounder in the world. Bowles will have a chance to show the win was no fluke in the near future, but for now, I look at this loss like St. Pierre’s loss to Matt Serra. We all know then that Serra was not the best in the world, and I don’t see Bowles as the best yet either.

10. Rashad Evans (13-1-1) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Rampage Jackson held this spot a month ago, but based of Griffin’s loss at UFC 101, I think that hurt Jackson’s stock, as he was unable to really damage Griffin much in their fight last summer. Evans made shorter work of Griffin and seems to be more of a multi-dimensional fighter than Rampage, who hasn’t changed up his game much over the years. When Evans and Rampage fight in December, that will answer the questions as to who should be in this final spot.

Honorable Mention: Thiago Alves, Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Jon Fitch, Shinya Aoki, Diego Sanchez

- On a side note, give me Gina Carano in an upset and Mousasi in a quick win at tonight’s Strikeforce card.

At one point following UFC 100 this past weekend, I felt like there are a lot of new questions about who the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is.

Georges St. Pierre certainly raised his stock with a definitive win over Thiago Alves, who was considered to be GSP’s toughest fight to date prior to UFC 100.

Brock Lesnar also deserves some consideration for his dominant performance over Frank Mir, which left many wondering who can beat him.

Here is my personalized top 10 ranking of who I feel are the top 10 overall fighters in the world. In making this list, I consider win-loss record, how convincingly the fighters have won their most recent fights, and their appeal to other fans. Well, here we go:

1. Fedor Emelianeko (30-1-1) – Heavyweight – Affliction
About a year ago, I was one of those people that claimed that Fedor was overrated and didn’t fight the best. Well, after two quick KO’s of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, you can’t argue that Fedor is not the best. The guy has virtually never lost, with his lone loss coming on a cut. The guy never changes his expression and never makes a mistake in his fights. Until someone beats him cleanly, Fedor will be at the top of my list.

T2. Anderson Silva (23-4) – Middleweight – UFC/ Georges St. Pierre (19-2) – Welterweight – UFC
I have Silva and GSP tied because of pure dominance in their weight class. As of late, Silva has not looked his usual self in his last two fights, but part of that is because his opponents have tried to avoid his lethal strikes. GSP has been dominant in another way, controlling his opponents four as long as it takes to win. GSP has fought the tougher competition as of late, but Silva has tougher fights in his future than GSP with Dan Henderson, Damian Maia, and Nate Marquardt looming while GSP has significantly less talented fighters like Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann to deal with. A super fight between these two is appealing, but it seems like GSP is hesitant to move up in weight right now.

4. Lyoto Machida (15-0) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Machida is unbeaten which certainly earns credibility, but in his last two fights, he has quickly finished two of the top Light Heavyweights in the world. Machida takes little to no damage in his fights and has pin-point accuracy in his strikes along with a sound jiu-jitsu game. It is tough to think of a fighter that will be able to disrupt Machida’s style, but Shogun Rua will try at UFC 104.

5. Miguel Angel Torres (36-1) – Bantamweight – WEC
It is a shame that not many know about Miguel Torres because he fights in the lesser-known WEC. But, if more fans saw Torres compete, there would be more MMA fans than ever. Torres is complete in every way and is the one fighter I can say leaves everything he has in the cage with each fight. His pacing is incredible and his diverse strikes make him one of the most entertaining fighters in the world. Torres may soon have to face the option of moving up in weight to set up potential super-fights with some of the other WEC’s top stars.

6. Brock Lesnar (4-1) – Heavyweight – UFC
I don’t like Lesnar, I think his attitude and approach to “entertaining” the fans is awful, but I can’t deny his natural ability. He has destroyed Heath Herring, Randy Couture, and Frank Mir in successive order, and he is just five fights into his professional career. As time moves on, Lesnar is only going to improve and get better in each area of fighting, which is a scary thought for every heavyweight. A fight with Fedor is the talk of the town right now, but I think Lesnar would be biting off more than he can chew with that right now. In another year or too, he certainly could dethrone “The Last Emperor”.

7. BJ Penn (13-5-1) – Lightweight – UFC
I also am not a fan of BJ Penn for his attitude on his opponents, but I also can’t deny his natural skills either. Penn’s flexibility is something no other fighter posses right now and is the reason he is considered one of the best in the world in any weight class. Penn’s record is not as strong as most, but his losses are deceiving, as he has fought many bigger fighters and given up 30 pounds or more in those fights. Losses to fighters like Machida should almost be ignored. As a lightweight, it is tough to think anyone can compete with Penn, let alone beat him.

8. Jake Shields (23-4-1) – Welterweight – Strikeforce
Shields is as hot as any fighter, winning his last 12, including his most recent win over Robbie Lawler in a bigger weight class. Shields is one of the best submission and grappling fighters in the world and many believe he could give Georges St. Pierre a run for his money.

9. Mike Thomas Brown (22-4) – Featherweight – WEC
Brown proved his worthiness to be WEC champion with a second win over Urijah Faber. Brown is a sound fighter that can stand on his feet and control on the ground. He may not be flashy, but he is dangerous anywhere in a fight and his level-headed attitude makes him a dangerous fighter.

10. Quinton Jackson (30-7) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Jackson has beaten some of the best in the world, but his split-decision loss to Forrest Griffin set him back. You could argue that Jackson didn’t lose to Griffin and could still be UFC champion, but he hasn’t backed off, beating Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine since losing the belt. Next up is Rashad Evans and a win there gives him a title shot that he should have had a lot sooner.

Honorable Mention: Thiago Alves, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Urijah Faber, Jon Fitch, Kenny Florian, Shinya Aoki, Nick Diaz.