Top 10 Pound for Pound MMA Fighters in the World 8/15
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.
Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.
Posted in: Mixed Martial Arts
Tags: Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn, Best MMA fighters, Brock Lesnar, Dan Henderson, Diego Sanchez, Fedor Elemianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields, Jon Fitch, Lyoto Machida, Miguel Angel Torres, Miguel Torres, Mike Thomas Brown, MMA Top 10 lists, Quinton Jackson, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Thiago Alves, Top 10 MMA Fighters, Top 10 MMA fighters regardless of weight class, Urijah Faber
Agree with you on GSP losing to Silva in a match up. Do you believe Silva would beat Fedor in a match up. If you do I agree with your ranking. If you dont Fedor should still be rank #1. Silva fights now at 205 lbs. and cut weight to do it. Fedor fights at 225-230 lbs. and doent cut at all. Fedor fights anyone. I believe he has fought fighters that out weighed him by more than 50 lbs. serval times over his career. No doubt that Fedor could cut to 205 lbs. or Silva just fight him at whatever weight he wants to be at.
As for the UFC having overall better talent, I dont see it. Yes the UFC is the largest stage for MMA. But do you really think Lesnar is ready to take on Fedor? Mir has said Fedor is the best fighter out there in mma. Nogueira has already lost twice to Fedor. Randy Couture is a well past his prime late 40 something fighter that would get destroyed by Fedor, not a good fight.
Definition of Best Pound for Pound Fighter. The fighter who can win against the largest range of fighters regardless of weight classes. Based on that Fedor is got to be number 1. Heavyweights start at anything over 205 with no limit on the top end.
I can appreciate your thoughts guys, but best pound-for-pound doesn’t mean the same to me as it does to you. If we were basing it on your criteria, the whole list would be heavyweights. My list is based on the fighters that I think provide the most all-around skills while also posting the best results in their fights.
Fedor has the best record, but I truly believe that Anderson Silva would be a very tough fight for him. I think style-wise, it favors Silva, because Fedor doesn’t have a big size advantage. I also think Lesnar would be a problem for Fedor, but we will never find out now.
After watching Anderson’s last fight, I don’t know if there is someone out there that I believe can beat him, in any weight class.
Anderson has long been my pound for pound best. It is a very difficult concept to consider if Fedor and Anderson could fight one another. simply because the heavyweight division and the lightweight are two very different weight classes. In terms of Fedor joining strike force….I consider that a downgrade from the UFC, especially given that most of your top heavyweight contenders that are apart of strikeforce were practically run out of the UFC after several defeats ie… Andre Arlovski and Tim Sylvia the rest of the heavyweights are practically unknown
Drew is exactly right, just like with my old postings of this pound for pound.
Cutting weight, superior fighters, heavy competition is pound for pound. Fedor is with out a doubt a fall of fame fighter. But he DOESNOT face the level that GSP and Anderson do.
Plus loses early in a career to 11 in a row show the true growth. I want to see Hendo and Nate and Vitor get a chance at Silva before he retires. GSP has knocked off everyone, but Jake Sheilds who I like but is not in the same league.
Remember Fedor in the past 2 years have beaten, Glass Jaw Arlovski, after terrible looking few minutes, Tim Sylvia who a 45 yearold 218lbs Randy destroyed earlier who also lost to Glass Jaw. His style is great for pride as many strikers couldnt handle him. Until he fights in a cage under cage rules with heavy top 3 fighters he isnt pound for pound. If he beats Brock, Frank Mir, Randy, Josh then he’d face top level fighters and be hard to keep out of #1
Wow you really believe Silva can beat Fedor. I wish Fedor would drop down to 205 lbs. and fight Silva, he has enough bodyfat that it shouldnt really be an issue. I myself believe that Fedor would overwhelm Silva with power punches the likes that Silva has never faced. We know Fedor can take shots from the best hitting heavyweights and has true heavyweight knock out power. Fedor can also take Silva down, no question in my mind about that too if he wanted to. I believe you are giving Silva way too much credit to say that he could beat Fedor. Roy Jones Jr. beat John Ruiz to win a heavyweight title but he didnt fight Lewis who was the real champ. Thats because Jones knew Lewis would have killed him. There is a reason that larger fighters cut to make lower weight classes. Tito Ortiz use to cut weight to 205 lbs. so he wouldnt have to fight larger guys and he would have an advantage over most of his opponents. Silva is doing the same thing. Its a smart thing to do as a fighter. With heavyweights one shot can end a match,it is by far the most dangerous weight class to fight in, that is why they get all the attention. Do you really think Silva could have fought as a heavyweight and domanate the division like Fedor has. I dont believe that you really think that. If I was you I would take a step back and rethink your line of thinking on Silva being able to beat Fedor. I really dont see how Silva is going to end a match against Fedor and come out ahead. What is he going to do trade blows with him or is he going to take him down and submit him. Can you at least tell me how Silva would beat Fedor in a match up.
Much like Arlovski was doing against Fedor, I see Silva out-boxing Fedor. Silva has the patience to stick with the game plan and has the quickness to stick and move against Fedor. If Fedor is going to go in for a shot, he is going to eat a hard shot and even if the fight goes to the ground, Silva has the BJJ and long legs to neutralize Fedor in my mind.
If you take Fedor in his prime does he beat Silva, sure, there is a good chance of that hapenning. But today, right now, if the two were to fight tomorrow, I give Silva the edge in overall skill. You say Tito and Anderson cut to not get dominated, but Tito is a far cry from Anderson Silva and Silva is moving up in weight now. He isn’t backing down from a bigger fighter. I think you think so highly of Fedor that you don’t want to acknowledge that someone could have more talent than him.
I respect Fedor, he was the p4p king for years, but in my book, I don’t consider him the best now. Father time is starting to catch up with him, and he isn’t going to be fighting the best any more. Werdum is a joke of a challenge for the so-called best and Overeem and Rogers are good, but not the marquee fights that could truly cement his legacy.
I respect your opinion and am not going to tell you you are crazy. It is easy to sit here and say that the biggest guy would win a fight, but we also know that BJJ can change that theory. If you really think Anderson Silva would get destroyed by Fedor, I think you are being as neive as you think I am being.
But, for now, we will agree to disagree and I appreciate your input on the list.
You went from Fedor being number one to Fedor now third and now Silva can beat Fedor in a fight? Silva’s bjj is a lot better then Nogueira? Who lost twice to him. Dont get me wrong I love Silva he is awesome. But beating Fedor I think you love Silva too much. However it is very close for the top three. I see agruements that can be made for all three. Love mma. =)
Just wanted to make it clear that I believe anything can happen in a fight Douglas vs Tyson, and I believe that Silva does have a chance against Fedor but it is a small one. Silva would have to fight the perfect fight against the human cyborg. Wish Fedor would look more like a fighter instead of a couch potatoe. The thing that makes both of these fighters great is how calm they are during a fight. Neither one gets rattled. They both have the Zen type mind set in a fight. Love both fighters, cant go wrong with either one being number one.
its not about someone who is 207 going against 237. Its how bad you beat people in your division, how the competition is, how you win, then comes the rest.
fedor is a monster in Heavyweight but not best pound for pound.
Silva or GSP or anyone else moving around in weight classes and winning is just more dominating proof. If Fedor can prove he beats every heavyweght worth while and cuts to 205 and beats top level 205 he’d be #1.
I think you are thinking too much inside the box. Weight classes are things that we make up. If you divided all the fighters by weight every 15-20 lbs. into weight classes and didnt stop dividing it at 205 lbs. and kept going on with it to lets say 400 lbs.. How many weight classes would there be? How many weight classes did Fedor cross over and beat then? The reality of it is GSP and Silva are really only 15-20 lbs. apart at most. Why doesnt GSP fight Silva. Isnt that the only real fight left for GSP. Unless GSP and Silva want to prove to the world that they are the greatest and fight a champion who is 25-100 lbs more then them and fight Fedor or Lesnar. Lesnar is easy 285 lbs. who has to cut down to 265 lbs.. Just like I dont see Silva beating Fedor I dont see Silva or GSP beating Fedor or Lesnar. BTW as far as Fedor goes the only fights I see left for him to fight is Josh Barnett and Lesnar that make any sense maybe Mir too. Love the way Lesnar is developing as a fighter. He is the new generation of true heavyweights.
Before I read any other comment given on here I have to say whoever said Silva has the BJJ to beat Fedor has obviously never seen Fedor fight. Fedor has fought Antonio “Minotauro” Noguiera on 3 occasions and not submitted once. Noguiera taught Silva everything he knows and his a ton more experienced when it comes to BJJ and this was back when Nog had only one loss and it was to Henderson on a split decision.
Fedor’s biggest fights on this list would be GSP and Machida. I don’t think you guys are giving Machida enough credit here. He beat Rashad Evans who beat Forrest Griffin. I believe Machida can beat Silva by decision. No knockouts going that way. Machida has beat every single bit of competition given to him while Silva moves up, beats Griffin, and now all of a sudden the best fighter ever.
Silva’s biggest flaw is his ground game and I think a wrestler like GSP can handle him and keep him there for 5 rounds and just pound him. He may have great Jiu-Jitsu, but Hughes beat Gracie and Gracie is one of the best of the best when it comes to submissions. He may have been old, but Mat Hughes isn’t very young and Gracies were the ones who started BJJ here anyways so his submissions would still be the outstanding. (I say the ground is his biggest flaw because he is rarely taken there. If somebody could hold him down like GSP did to Alves, they can keep him from landing great strikes and, if you know your BJJ, can keep him from getting any submissions.
Lesnar on his back = loss
Period.
Just remember the Gracies are the most important thing when it comes to BJJ, but they didnt start it nor was the first few UFC as relivant as they are today. Why? Because you had 1 other fighter who knew submissions, Shamrock, and he did well in the old days. The Gracies showed the world new stuff, great stuff infact, but it was Kano Judo with a new name. MMA has changed, no more gi, advanced wrestling and overall skills that kill 1 dimension fighters.
Fedor is awesome, he is running out of people and time. He also shows he has no desire to fight the best anymore. People need to understand in Pride the few wrestler/ground fighters did well cuz they where the minority. Different rules, a ring and not a cage, ect…
Fedor vs Randy
Fedor vs Mir
Fedor vs Lesnar
Fedor vs Barnett
Fedor vs Alrovski 2
After these happen, then he can be called the top.
In the UFC, which I love, it is biased to certain
styles. You press people up against the cage lay
on them and pound them out. Pride didnt allow that most of the time.
Different world.
I think Silva brings a different submission style to a fight because of his length and his striking ability. Silva also has a little more mobility these days that Nogueira, who looks awful for a 33-year-old man. I don’t discredit Fedor’s abilities, I just don’t think he would dominate Silva on the ground like others do. I think Silva would be able to avoid strikes and attempt submissions to force the fight back to the feet.
great arguments for no. 9 and no. 10. – well spoken.
who would be on the outside looking in?
i would imagine rampage, hendo, maia, marquardt, and carwin
i think some people are taking the “him vs. him” argument too literally.
pound-for pound means, Ceteris paribus (“all things being equal”), who would be the best figher on the planet?
its to eliminate size so you can ask questions such as: “if sugar ray leonard and joe frazier were the same size, who would win?”
pound-for-pound is to account for skill, technique, and speed/power relative to their size.
with that said, i believe anderson silva is the best in the world, with no disrespect to fedor or GSP.
Brennan,
In your outside list, all are good fighters, but for me Maia and Carwin still have some big questions to answer. Both have steam rolled their competition, but for me to be in the top pound for pound situation, you need to have been in a war where you overcame adversity or showed that you can go 15-25 minutes. Now, either both are just that good that it will never be an issue, or we have yet to see what they are really made of. Both have great tests ahead.
Maia
Is an amazing BJJ fighter.
I had the privilege of attending his seminar at
our school and he is even more amazing in BJJ.
However his wrestling is average and striking is well, below average. If he improves his striking then look out cuz no one will beat him on the ground.
Maia, as you guys may have seen on UFC 102, has a glass jaw. So unless he does something to fix that, then he is going to be knocked out by anybody who has good striking. I still am not going to count him out for anything because I know he is going to come out better than ever for his next fight.
I see that he is training striking with Wanderlei Silva now.. There is something to look out for in the future.
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. Anderson Silva
4. Diego Sanchez
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
7. Brian Bowles
8. Miguel Torres
9. Randy Couture
10. Gegard Mousasi
Anderson Silva is good but GSP and Fedor would beat him at 185 and 205 respectively.
Fedor is the best heavyweight in the world, he’s beaten Nog and would destroy Lesnar. Mir has never been a real contender, he’s just a gatekeeper to test the ground games of up and coming new fighters. Would have been great to see Fedor vs Couture a few years back but it didn’t happen and Randy’s not getting any younger.
GSP vs Silva would settle the best pound for pound debate for a long time to come. I’d bet on GSP. GSP has faced some very good fighters while Silva cuts weight to dominate a very weak division rather than fighting at his natural weight. Even when Silva fought at 205 he didn’t fight one of the best. He fought Forrest Griffon another gatekeeper carefully chosen for a stylistic mismatch heavily in Silva’s favor.
I would pt BJ Penn somewhere on that list..
Watched Fedor throw Mousasi around like a rag doll before submitting him by arm bar. Watched Couture vs Nogueira in a very interesting battle. Nogueira definitely won the fight. Can’t wait to watch Fedor vs Brett Rogers it should be highly interesting as well. Damn wish I could watch Fedor vs Lesnar. Still think Fedor would beat Lesnar at this point in their careers but it still would be great to watch.
First of all anyone who puts brock lesnar as number 5 on best pound for pound fighters in the world has some serious issues concidering he has fought like what 4 times. Secondly, how ever you look at what “pound for pound” means fedor still cant be compared to. If you look at recod in their weight classes, fedors is better. If you look at the range of guys they have fought in the weight classes fedor still has it. There is no one out there that can stop fedor in his weight class…. yet anderson can still be stopped by machida
anderson can still be stopped by machida
Who is not in his weight class
hello anonymous where have you been anderson silva is now fighting at 205 lbs. >.<
and I agree fedor is tops in my book. Doesnt matter if he doesnt fight in the UFC or not, he is still the king of mma.
The top five at least are:
1.Anderson Silva
2.Fedor Emelianenko
3.George St. Pierre
4.Miguel Torres
5.Urijah Faber
You could make the argument between Anerson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko but I think Anderson Silva could beat Fedor Emelianenko simply because he has better striking and and jiu-jitsu. In a fight it would definitely be close but it is pound-for-pound, not who can beat up who regardless of weight class.
Fightfan, just because Anderson Silva’s most recent fight was as 205 doesn’t mean much since has back and forth between 205 and 185, he just fought at light heavyweight to go against Forrest.
Lyoto Machida is a good fighter but not pound-for-pound material, especially since most of his victories are from decision. To truly prove you can be a pound-for-pound fighter you also need some weight variants in your fights.
BJ Penn is the best lightweight in the world today but not in the top PFP fighters list because at least right now PFP he just can’t stack up against other fighters of other weight classes.
Randy Couture is certainly not close to being one of the top PFP fighters today, arguably earlier in his prime but not now.
Maia is a good jiu-jitsu fighter but PFP not yet deserving of being on the same list as Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko. Maybe in the future but definitely not now.
Anderson is probably going to be fighting at 205lb for a while. He wants to give up his Middleweight Title altogether and go to 205(Read it up somewhere, too lazy to find the source). So, obviously, he is going to have some fights to come in the 205lb weight division…
I kinda disagree with the argument that Machida shouldn’t be on top Pound for Pound fighters list. He has won every fight he has been in and never lost a round in any fight he has been in. I personally don’t think it matters if his fights came down to decisions.Think about it: if he wins unanimously then he is obviously tearing his opponents apart. You don’t have to knock somebody our or submit them to be a great fighter. His style is unlike any other, making him hard to fight against anybody put up against him. He definitely deserves to be on a list more than ppl like Evans, Rampage, or Lesnar do.
Man I get a kick out of you guys who think Anderson Silva would beat Fedor. I havent seen Anderson Silva beat anybody that would leave me to believe that he could beat Fedor. Name me one fighter that he has beat to would even have a chance at Fedor. You guys think so highly of Silva you think that he can now beat the best heavyweight in mma. You are just flat wrong. Can Fedor be beat, yes he can. Can he be beat by Silva not likely. You say Silva has better striking than Fedor like Arlovski did. You say he has better jiu-jitsu than Fedor like Nogueira. Funny how ppls said the same things about those other fighters and who won. Now ask yourself could Arlovski and Nogueira beat Anderson Silva if they fought. You can keep believing that Anderson Silva is the greatest fighter in mma, but I think most mma fans know that, that title belongs to Fedor.
Well, Silva has the most complete game I have seen in MMA aside maybe from St. Pierre, as Silva lacks a wrestling background. But, Silva is able to get his opponents timing down quicker and better than anyone I have seen. To say he hasn’t beaten anyone is silly. He has beaten Franklin and Henderson, both who have had success in multiple weight classes, and he made Forrest Griffin look like a novice.
I think you are a Fedor fan and thus don’t want to remove yourself from your love of him. I love GSP, but I will gladly admit that Silva would beat him because I see Silva has skills that can’t be matched.
Fedor would have a great chance to beat Silva and would probably be favored, but I think Silva has the best chance of any fighter out there to win right now.
I still think Anderson Silva has more to prove before I can say he is better than somebody like Fedor. He may have beaten Henderson, Franklin, and Griffin, but Griffin isn’t the best fighter in the LHW division, Henderson isn’t at his prime, and Franklin seems to be better off in LHW or 195.
silva!!!!!!go beat the hell out off lesnar!!!!AND Mir train harder dude I know you can beat Brock.
Fyi, Rickson Gracie is my favorite fighter. And Im hoping that I can start believing in Vitor Belfort again. Belfort’s mma career has been such a rollercoaster ride. I hope he can keep his head together, because he has all the talent a mma fighter could ever hope to have. It makes me sad how many times he has let me down. Worse thing is I keep wanting to believe in him. Vitor you go man I know you can do it.
Hey, I didnt say Silva hasnt beaten anyone. What I said was he hasnt beaten anyone that I have seen that would leave me to believe that he could beat Fedor. So he has wins over Henderson, Franklin and Forrest Griffin, but can anyone of these fighters stand much of a chance against Fedor. The question was who has Silva beaten that would let a reasonable person believe that he would beat the best heavyweight in mma. If Silva beat someone like Mir, Norgueira or Lesnar I could see the agruement. But I look at all the fighters that Silva has beat and I dont see one that Fedor would just crush in a fight. Lesnar is the fighter I think that can end Fedors reign or has the best chance. I dont consider Lesnar in the top best pound for pound because he is so large at 285 lbs.
Anderson silva destroyed forest griffin, it is true, but although he is tremendously popular, Griffin has never been a top ten pound for pound fighter, and even when he was champ, many didnt even consider him the best light heavyweight in the UFC. Not to say it wasnt an immpressive win, but i mean Stephan Bonnar gave Forest griffin a run for his money, and i know he has evolved since then, but that win doesn’t in any sense mean he can beat Fedor. Fedor is not going to be rattled as easy as any of silvas previous opponents. As soon as silva shows how powerful and accurate he his, all of his opponents lose heart, and effectively give up, Hendo as an acception, its like when they find out hes the real deal, they stop their gameplan and get knocked out, Fedor is the most composed fighter in MMA and does not let oppenents skillsets throw him off his game. I agree with who is in your top three but i believe the order is off. I think GSP has the most well rounded game of any fighter in MMA history and would put him on top of my list of pound for pound fighters, next Fedor Emelianenko, and in third Anderson Silva, and by the way I think Silva might edge out a decision victory at 185 against GSP, but on the other hand if silva was at 170 he gets totally dominated.
GSP may in deed have the best all around skills in mma as far as wrestling, submissions and striking. However I believe both Silva and Fedor have better mental and fighting spirit abilities. Silva’s striking is better than GSP and GSP’s wrestling is better than Silva’s. The bjj is really too close to call I think. Fedor’s sambo is world class and it is as good as any bjj for mma proposes. The reason I say I dont think GSP is as good as Silva and Fedor on the mental and spirit side is based on how poorly his loses were to Hughes and Sierra.
Vitor Belfort I knew you could KO Franklin in the first round. I have my fingers crossed that your head is on right now and you will become the new best pound for pound fighter in mma. I know you can beat Anderson Silva and GSP and maybe even Fedor. =P
Vitor dont let me down again.
ha ha Brock is only 5 MMA matches. And 1 loses. And number 5. lol
St. Pierre obviously did lose to Hughes and Serra, but he came back and beat Hughes twice and Serra once. You are bringing up the past, where he has learned from those mistakes. The great thing about GSP is that he learns from every fight and is more humbled than any other fighter. He is happy to win a fight, but works hard as if he lost. When he loses, he knows what he has to work on and works on it. You don’t call that mentally tough?
P.S. Silva has lost too. Poorly I might add.
And I am disappointed with how the decision went in Machida vs Shogun. I always knew Lyoto Machida was a great fighter, but I just realized he is only great when he is up against somebody who is aggressive. When put up against a fighter who adapts to Lyoto’s defensive style, Lyoto almost falls apart. He needs to learn how to become aggressive when he needs to be and maybe even take opponents down. Now I see why Lyoto is not in the top 3. Shogun is a great fighter though and he looks like he’s becoming a top contender for the Light Heavyweight division and might just earn the title.
GSP loses were much more recent than Silvas. Siva has not lose in the same time GSP has lose twice. But reguardless the loses were both bad one. Even though GSP won the rematches which is indeed a sign of a true champion and won decisively the fact is he like my favorite fighter Vitor Belfort cant be the best fighter pound for pound because of the loses. Fedor’s only lose happened almost 10 years ago and was by a doctor stoppage because of a cut. Until Fedor loses clearly it is almost impossible to rank GSP over Fedor.
There is no way Anderson Silva should be number 1. Fedor is and has been for years now the worlds greatest ever fighter. For you guys who say Andersons bjj would dominate Fedor on the ground…. that my friends is just insane! Fedor killed, yes thats killed Big Nog on the ground for 2 fights and Nog gave Anderson his black belt. Fedor is the best ever fighter because he has no weakness. He fights guys nearly 40lbs heavier than himself (and more), now can you really see Anderson doing that?!………….. hell…. freakin………… no! That right there says all you need to know. Deep down
Fedor does have a weakness.
Poor Striking. He has a decent chin.
Arlovski was picking him apart until he got foolish and his glass jaw lost again.
Trust me Pride ground game is not what UFC is.
Just like Striking in UFC
Fedor is a joke he has fought nobodys and washed up nothings
you guys think hes good because he beat guys like Lindland who was ok(middleweight)
Coleman whos old as shit and not even good to start with.
Nogueria hes so bad they made him fight Couture whos way past his prime and the only real fighter hes fought is Dan Henderson who would shit on him right now
Kevin Randleman must i say say more with his 17-13 record
Sylvia was just tall and who cares about that
And Andrei Arlovski can beat any fighter thats big named.
Anderson Silva would tear him up
and these guys would agree
Forrest Griffin, Thales Leites, Patrick Cote, James Irvin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Travis Lutter, Rich Franklin, Chris Leben
Roy are you a joke, Fedor is the number one heavyweight in every mma website with any credit. To state that Fedor joke shows your lack of respect for the sport and lack of knowledge of the fight game. If you want to state that you think Anderson Silva is better that is cool, if you want to say GSP is better that is cool. You are entitled to your opinion. However the you are in a very small group who think that Fedor is joke and dont give the man any credit for any of his victories over the last years.
First of all, the majority of people on this forum, let alone the mma bandwagon fans, probably hadn’t even heard of Fedor prior to PRIDE’s demise and the WAMMA match against Sylvia. With that being said I’m going to approach this as light-heartedly as I can.
For true fans of Fedor who’ve been following him since the Arona fight/World Sambo competition days, and have acknowledged him as one of the most complete MMA fighters of recent memory, would’ve found themselves with no reason to suspect otherwise. The arguement for the best p4p fighter between Silva, GSP and Fedor is a sound one. Sanctioning the thought of Silva defeating Fedor, is not and only represents inexcusable shallowness in one’s MMA knowledge.
Records aside, Emelianenko’s prominence as #1 is accredited to his incredibly well-rounded game. Obtaining a black belt level skillset in a specific form of martial arts is one thing, to compete at the olympic stage and blow the competition away for years is another. Fans who have not studied and actually trained in martial arts will blurt out sayings such as
“GSP’s wrestling will allow him to take down opponents with ease and keep them there…”
“Silva’s creative striking and bjj is unmatched…”
“Lesnar would dominate Fedor in the same fashion as vs Mir II.”
Empty words with no significant value – anyone can regurgitate what they see on tv or read somewhere. There are fans and then there are fans.
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Look at Hendo. If you know anything about MMA and wrestling incorporated in today’s game, you would acknowledge him as a true “master” of grw. Let’s talk about Nogueira. One of the greatest BJJ fighters of all time, mentor to Silva. Two different styles, two different fighters. I hold Silva in the highest regard and will say with confidence that his talent is second to none in the middleweight and l. heavyweight divisions – I mean who chokes out Hendo anyway, seriously.
BUT.
Fedor, dominated Nogueira at his prime, at his own game. Fedor’s striking is the Mike Tyson and Pacquiao of MMA. Fedor’s submission defense and submission offense is unrivaled, as it has been illustrated so clearly time and time again. Oh, did I mention half of his wins are from submissions? Submissions executed on brutes such as Coleman, Hunt and Randleman? Let’s not forget about where the other half comes from – lighting quick, pin-point precision single blows followed by tremendous combinations. The way Fedor gets banged up by opponents much larger and kinetically stronger than him in the guard and then effortlessly flipping the script via picture perfect offense, is the very reason, the man is in a league of his own. His agility and unrecognized instantaneous striking power is attributed to his training – the man axes logs and ties car timing belts to trees and hyperextends them like they’re bubble gum. As for his stamina and ability to take a shot, like Fedor himself said, the only fighter that ever hit him hard and hit him good was Fujita – look at how that fight ended abruptly.
THE REASON this forum even exists is because Fedor’s level of talent does NOT exist anywhere else in MMA. Top dogs are only top dogs within their confined competition. I won’t even bother with describing how ridiculously embarrassed Silva would be in Fedor’s guard but if the man wants to take a well versed 205 lb down and ground’n’pound him, he’ll do exactly that regardless of how much he weighs himself. Seriously, I could go on for days about Fedor’s capabilities but… I don’t wasting time.
Any of the other top contenders for p4p immortality, are outmatched by Fedor in every aspect of the game. Bottom line, weight class is irrelevant when it comes to who’ll kick who’s ass. The only way a lesser fighter(in every way) can beat a better fighter is by getting lucky, for lack of a better word – Serra vs GSP? *cough*
Don’t get me wrong, Silva’s 2nd in my book and I am in awe of GSP as well. But Fedor is out of their league, even at the same weight. Lesnar on the other hand I wouldn’t easily dismiss a potential upset, but would give Fedor the edge handsdown at this point in their professional fighting careers.
MMA. One love.