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.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Russian heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko told the UFC to get stuffed, and signed with rival MMA promotion Strikeforce. As you can imagine, Dana White wasn’t too happy about this.

- James Irvin officially became the most cursed MMA fighter in history.

- Josh Barnett’s latest steroid bust, which single-handedly destroyed Affliction’s MMA promotion, actually saved the sport of mixed martial arts.

- Speaking of ‘roids, BJ Penn is pretty sure that Georges St. Pierre uses them, because how else would you explain his physique? You know, other than genetics and hard work…

- Sengoku’s featherweight grand prix finals turned into a clusterbang of injuries and racism.

- Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski may have attempted suicide after two straight knockout losses.

- Busty French-Canadian ring girl Edith Labelle exited the UFC under mysterious circumstances. Rumor has it, she was too drunk to work UFC 100 last month.

- Swing by CagePotato.com Saturday night starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the UFC 101 pay-per-view broadcast. You can get familiar with the card by reading this debate on the major topics of the event, and our always-helpful gambling advice. And remember: This ain’t Las Vegas, and it ain’t New Jersey. This is Philly.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- In a press conference held Friday, UFC boss Dana White announced the returns of Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, and promised to be close on another deal that will “change the UFC forever.”

- Unfortunately, getting Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko into the UFC remains a pipe-dream — and it will remain that way as long as Fedor has morons like Jerry Millen in his camp.

- Josh Barnett insists that he’s innocent of his latest steroid charge. His urine, however, is telling a different story.

- Speaking of ‘roids, we ran down every single steroid bust in MMA history, from Tim Sylvia’s ill-fated attempt to lose his gut to Kevin Randleman’s infamous “dead human or live animal” incident.

- Strikeforce’s August 15th show continues to undergo major changes, with Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi brought over from Affliction’s canceled “Trilogy” card, Jay Hieron coming in to replace Joe Riggs, and Mitsuhiro Ishida replacing injured lightweight champ Josh Thomson. Luckily, Gina Carano is still looking quite healthy.

- Also in the wake of Affliction’s collapse, the UFC swooped in to rescue Ben Rothwell, Paul Daley, and Joe Lauzon’s little brother.

- Kenny Florian talked to us about his gameplan for BJ Penn, and set the record straight on that text message he may or may not have sent Penn that may or may not have accused Georges St. Pierre of greasing.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre, and Dan Henderson were dominant at UFC 100 — but Lesnar’s post-fight antics made him a villain in the eyes of many fans.

- The UFC’s new ring girl is hot, blonde, and all-natural.

- Kimbo Slice’s “Ultimate Fighter” housemates should be thankful he wasn’t allowed to bring a gun on the set.

- Fedor Emelianenko will probably never face Brock Lesnar in the UFC due to disagreements on contract terms. But that isn’t stopping some bookmakers from offering bets on the non-existant fight.

- Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg visited New York to hype the biggest women’s MMA match of all time. Sounds like a perfect time for Carano’s scumbag ex-boyfriend to release that sex tape.

- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is not a fan of either Rashad Evans or Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

- PRIDE legend Igor Vovchanchyn will return to action in September, while Jose Aldo and Mike Brown will get it on for the WEC featherweight belt in November.

- Floyd Mayweather Jr. says white people invented MMA because they couldn’t compete in boxing. What a fascinating theory, Professor Money…

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.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s dry-humping of a female reporter became the year’s most uncomfortable MMA viral video.

- Saturday’s monumental UFC 100 show will feature “Girl Next Door” Holly Madison as a celebrity Octagon Girl, and two very worthy additions to the UFC Hall of Fame.

- With the bookings of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs, Strikeforce’s “Carano vs. Cyborg” mega-card will now feature four title fights.

- In other Diaz Brother news, Nate Diaz is headlining the next UFC Fight Night event, despite having lost his last two matches, and plans on getting knocked dead this time.

- The UFC’s new stance on sponsorships is taking money out of the pockets of their fighters.

- After screwing the UFC by defecting to DREAM, MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has decided to screw DREAM and return to the UFC.

- The full cast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” was revealed. Does Kimbo Slice have a chance?

- Swing by CagePotato tonight (Saturday) beginning at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET for our liveblog of UFC 100, in which Brock Lesnar clashes with Frank Mir for the second time, Georges St. Pierre defends his belt against Thiago Alves, and Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson battle for a middleweight title shot. Get hyped for the historic event by watching this unofficial tribute, and this official one.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship celebrates a monumental landmark tonight with UFC 100. To celebrate the 100th Pay Per View show for the Mixed-Martial Arts company, the UFC has put together a stacked feature card headlined by three main-event caliber fights. Overall the main card has five fights, including two championship bouts. The show takes places from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET. Here are my predictions for the main card bouts.

Heavyweight Championship (265 pounds): Champion Brock Lesnar (3-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-3) – This fight is tough to call. Mir one the previous meeting at UFC 81 in February of 2008, but since, both fighters have vastly improved. Lesnar has been over-powering and shown solid boxing in his wins over Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Mir has been on a tear in his last three fights, picking up quick wins over Antoni Hardonk, Lesnar, and Minotaro Nogueira. Mir became the first to stop Nogueria back at UFC 92, which set up the rematch with Lesnar. In this fight, I think Mir’s improved boxing will play a big factor. In the first meeting, Lesnar landed big punches early and pounced on Mir, nearly stopping the fight before Mir pulled of a knee-bar submission. In this fight I think Mir will be able to dictate where the fight goes more than he did in the first meeting. With Mir’s composure and elite level submission ability, I see Mir surviving Lesnar’s early onslaught and then successfully pulling off a submission. I take Mir by submission in round three.

Welterweight Championship (170 pounds): Georges St. Pierre (18-2) vs. Thiago Alves (15-3): This fight really to me is the best fight on the card and should be the most competitive and best display of all-around athleticism. St. Pierre has been on a tear, winning his last five in very convincing fashion. St. Pierre is thought to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but is facing a very tough test in Alves. Alves presents some new challenges that St. Pierre has never faced. First, Alves will be the larger fighter. Though weighing in at 170 pounds, by fight time, Alves is believed to weigh at least 190 pounds. Will the size advantage hurt GSP’s chances to take Alves down? Second, Alves has tremendous leg kicks, which GSP has never dealt with in a fight. If Alves is able to land a series of kicks to GSP’s lead leg, it could severely hurt St. Pierre’s ability to use all of his weapons. St. Pierre is known for being light on his feet and quick, but with an injured leg, that speed and agility will be much slower. Overall, I think that Alves’ weight cut will be a factor. He looked very depleted at the weigh ins and I don’t suspect that he can fight five full rounds. He will need to end the fight early, and GSP possess the ability to avoid the big strike and fight out of tough positions. I think St. Pierre’s championship pedigree carries him to a win by TKO in the fifth and final round.

Middleweight fight (185 pounds): Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michael Bisping (18-1): This is the battle between the Ultimate Fighter coaches from season nine with the winner likely getting a title shot against champion Anderson Silva in the future. Bisping is unbeaten at middleweight, having beaten Charles McCarthy, Jason Day, and Chris Leben, while Henderson is coming off wins over Rousimar Palhares and Rich Franklin. Bisping is a game fighter, but his biggest weakness has been takedown defense. In his only loss to Rashad Evans, Evans scored takedowns at will. Henderson is an Olympic caliber wrestler and should be able to score the takedowns when he needs them. I don’t see this being a classic slugfest, but more of a control fight by Henderson. I will take Hendo by decision.

Welterweight fight (170 pounds): Jon Fitch (18-3) vs. Paulo Thiago (11-0): Thiago scored an unlikely knockout win over Josh Koscheck at UFC 95 and now gets a chance to push himself even higher up the UFC ranks with a win over Fitch. Thiago was losing to Koscheck prior to his knockout, and his likelihood of another upset is not good. Fitch has not been stopped in the UFC and Thiago can’t hit harder than some of the men that have already hit Fitch. I see Fitch using his wrestling to keep the fight on the ground where he will either score late submission or ride out the decision win. To keep with his track record, I will take Fitch by decision.

Middleweight fight (185 pounds): Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5): Akiyama is making his UFC debut against Belcher. One of the keys in this fight is how Akiyama handles his first fight in the UFC. Many fighters that have established themselves outside of the UFC and stepped into the octagon have struggled, including Dennis Kang, who lost his UFC debut to none other than Belcher. Belcher is riding a mild winning streak of two fights. Belcher shows great potential and talent, yet has lost convincingly to lower-grade fighters like Kendall Grove and Jason Day. Belcher has the ability to win, but I think this fight is where his streak fizzles out. I see Akiyama outclassing him for a submission victory in the second round.

–Written by TSR MMA contributor Drew Ellis