Now everyone knows you can build a solid MMA organization around a few top fighters and some solid veterans. However to keep that organization going you have to bring some prospects to help keep the talent pool from getting stale. Now prospects can come out of nowhere like recent rising star Charles Oliveria or they can be brought up through The Ultimate Fighter. However this is doesn't always mean that the fighter in question is going to be a star. So I present to you The Good,The Bad,and The Ugly of prospects from the past and the present time.
The Good:
Jon Jones(11-1):Jones is probably the fastest rising prospect the UFC has ever had on their hands. The kid combines everything that makes a fighter exciting:he's got some of the flashiest(read:flashy not technical)stand up I've ever seen,he's got amazing greco-roman wrestling skills and tosses guys around like ragdolls. And the UFC did the right thing they brought him along slowly instead of throwing the kid to the lions early in his career. He showed great poise and class after his DQ loss to Matt Hammill. After another first round decimation of Vladimir Matyushenko Jones has been set to face Ryan Bader in a De Facto title eliminator matchup at UFC 126.
Ryan Bader(12-0): Darth Bader as he's called is one of the top fighters ever to come out of The Ultimate Fighter. He combines brutal knockout power and a wrestling pedigree to compliment it as well. He started slowly in the UFC winning a few fights by decision then announced to the world he was the real deal with a brutal knockout of Keith Jardine. Bader defeated grizzled veteran Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119 and is set to face fellow fast rising prospect Jon Jones at UFC 126.
The Bad:
Brandon Vera(11-6): Where to start with Vera...He's got a huge skill set but has yet to utilize it on a consistent basis. His start at heavyweight was impressive to say the least with 4 straight finishes in 4 fights including one over Frank Mir. However two straight losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum saw him drop to light heavyweight where he has been underwhelming to put it bluntly. We no longer see his brutal muay thai he seems timid to throw strikes and pays for it. After having his face rearranged by an elbow courtesy of Jon Jones,Vera suffered a similar fate against Thiago Silva. Vera was totally dominated throughout the fight and for the last minute he was utterly humilated as Silva slapped him in the face(and broke his nose in the process)and even played the bongos on his back. Following the loss the former title contender was cut from the UFC.
Luis Arthur Cane(10-3): Cane came into the UFC with a bang with 3 wins in 4 fights...then he hit a wall or more accurately Rogerio Nogueria hit him...HARD. The tko loss saw Cane dominated the duration of the fight and dropped Cane back down the ladder at light heavyweight. Then he was matched up with Cyrille Diabate and once again Cane cracked under pressure and succumbed to punches in the first round again.
The Ugly:
Anthony Johnson(8-3): Oh boy what an enigma Rumble can be when he's on fire and facing sub par competition he looks like a future champion for sure. Hes got power,wrestling,and strength but he also as the startling ability to miss weight by almost 6 pounds. Once he fought decent competition he fell harder then Enron's stock. His inability to make weight has prompted him to begin a move up to middleweight where honestly I think he won't have much impact seeing as he won't have a size advantage anymore and he won't be ready for a guy his size swinging fists at his face.
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou(9-7):Sigh...where to start with Soko so much hype followed him after his KO of Rogerio Nogueria at Pride 33 and his follow up KO of Ricardo Arona at Pride 34. However upon entering the UFC that man was gone,all the fans saw was a guy with little to no cardio dance around for a round or two before getting tko'd or choked out. Since his KO of Arona he's 5-6 overall and all his losses come by tko,ko,or submission and his wins over the likes of Bob Sapp,Kazuhiro Nakamura,and Jan Nortje. Now this guy had so much potential, he has great strength,good kickboxing and decent takedown defense. However he has no cardio at all and it costs him in every single fight he loses.
Theres plenty more potential fallen prospects to write about but i chose a select few that stood out the most in my mind. Feedback is always welcomed and if you have any ideas for future topics look me up on facebook or check out the Addicted to Mixed Martial Arts group anytime.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Wrestling Era
Every now and then the UFC undergoes a passing of the torch from fighting style to fighting style. It all started with Royce Gracie at UFC 1 and from then on Gracie's jiu jitsu skills were king. Afterwards fighters like Dan Severn and Mark Coleman made wrestling the top style with dominant ground and pound the victories piled up easily. Then along came Chuck Liddell and the UFC entered a proverbial golden age as strikers dominated the sport and racked up highlight reel ko's on almost every fight card.
However the torch has been passed once again,this time however it has been passed back to the wrestlers. Love it or hate it the fact remains the wrestlers are always going to be around and are always going to be a threat. Nowadays it seems that almost every champion or top contender in each weight class is a wrestler and this is mostly true.
Lightweight:Frankie Edgar(champion),Gray Maynard(number one contender),Sean Sherk,Tyson Griffin
Welterweight:Georges St Pierre(champion),Josh Koscheck(number one contender),Jon Fitch,Jake Shields
Middleweight:Chael Sonnen(number one contender),Yushin Okami,Nate Marquardt
Light Heavyweight:Rashad Evans(number one contender),Ryan Bader,Jon Jones,Phil Davis,Randy Couture,Tito Ortiz
Heavyweight:Brock Lesnar(champion),Cain Velasquez(number one contender),Shane Carwin
Now some of these divisions have alot more top wrestlers then others but the trend is obvious the top of each division will always have wrestlers there.
Now with wrestlers dominating the divisions theres bound to be some issues and lo and behold there is...lay and pray. Now not all wrestlers are guilty of this fighters like Jon Jones and Lesnar are far from fighters like Jon Fitch or Rashad Evans. Lesnar is probably the best example of how to wrestler in MMA, take your opponent down and then pound them out until the fight is over or the ref stops the fight. Now not to say Fitch isn't a good wrestler but he fights like its a wrestling match gets a takedown and then makes little to no attempt to finish a fight unlike Lesnar who goes into a fight looking to hurt his opponent(something he usually succeeds in).
Many fighters are becoming fed up with this trend,recently after his teammate was wall and stalled for three rounds(fight was andre winner vs nik lentz) Dan Hardy made several comments on wanting to change the rules so they don't favor wrestlers as much. Call it sour grapes after a loss but to some extent Hardy is correct. Now I don't propose that the rules are altered drastically, but I believe they should institute the card system that was used in Pride FC. The chance that their winnings may be reduced will light a fire under more fighters to finish their fights.
So which style will take the torch from the wrestlers? I honestly believe the torch won't be passed so much as shared between wrestlers and jiu jitsu practitioners. The issue most BJJ guys have in the sport is securing a takedown(Charles Oliveria and Demain Maia anyone?)if an already good jiu jitsu guy can improve his wrestling game you have a very dangerous combination of someone who can take you down and submit you as well.
And it's a bit of a stretch to say wrestlers are ruining the sport, when in reality fighters should thanking them. The threat of being taken down is so great in each fight it forces fighters to evolve their gameplan and improve their skills. That doesn't sound like such a bad thing the more well rounded fighters are the better the chances that us the fans get more exciting fights.
However the torch has been passed once again,this time however it has been passed back to the wrestlers. Love it or hate it the fact remains the wrestlers are always going to be around and are always going to be a threat. Nowadays it seems that almost every champion or top contender in each weight class is a wrestler and this is mostly true.
Lightweight:Frankie Edgar(champion),Gray Maynard(number one contender),Sean Sherk,Tyson Griffin
Welterweight:Georges St Pierre(champion),Josh Koscheck(number one contender),Jon Fitch,Jake Shields
Middleweight:Chael Sonnen(number one contender),Yushin Okami,Nate Marquardt
Light Heavyweight:Rashad Evans(number one contender),Ryan Bader,Jon Jones,Phil Davis,Randy Couture,Tito Ortiz
Heavyweight:Brock Lesnar(champion),Cain Velasquez(number one contender),Shane Carwin
Now some of these divisions have alot more top wrestlers then others but the trend is obvious the top of each division will always have wrestlers there.
Now with wrestlers dominating the divisions theres bound to be some issues and lo and behold there is...lay and pray. Now not all wrestlers are guilty of this fighters like Jon Jones and Lesnar are far from fighters like Jon Fitch or Rashad Evans. Lesnar is probably the best example of how to wrestler in MMA, take your opponent down and then pound them out until the fight is over or the ref stops the fight. Now not to say Fitch isn't a good wrestler but he fights like its a wrestling match gets a takedown and then makes little to no attempt to finish a fight unlike Lesnar who goes into a fight looking to hurt his opponent(something he usually succeeds in).
Many fighters are becoming fed up with this trend,recently after his teammate was wall and stalled for three rounds(fight was andre winner vs nik lentz) Dan Hardy made several comments on wanting to change the rules so they don't favor wrestlers as much. Call it sour grapes after a loss but to some extent Hardy is correct. Now I don't propose that the rules are altered drastically, but I believe they should institute the card system that was used in Pride FC. The chance that their winnings may be reduced will light a fire under more fighters to finish their fights.
So which style will take the torch from the wrestlers? I honestly believe the torch won't be passed so much as shared between wrestlers and jiu jitsu practitioners. The issue most BJJ guys have in the sport is securing a takedown(Charles Oliveria and Demain Maia anyone?)if an already good jiu jitsu guy can improve his wrestling game you have a very dangerous combination of someone who can take you down and submit you as well.
And it's a bit of a stretch to say wrestlers are ruining the sport, when in reality fighters should thanking them. The threat of being taken down is so great in each fight it forces fighters to evolve their gameplan and improve their skills. That doesn't sound like such a bad thing the more well rounded fighters are the better the chances that us the fans get more exciting fights.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Breaking Bones
Jon Jones is one of the fastest rising prospects the UFC has had in quite a long time. However recently people have for some reason crowning him champion when in reality he is still a little ways away from coming close to championship material. Now that isn't to say Jones isn't a freakishly great athlete and fighter but there is quite a bit left to be seen in his fighting abilities. Now the main issues i see with Jones are: Submission Defense,How he reacts to fighting off his back,and what happens when he fights a top striker or wrestler. Now his next fight will be against the winner of Ryan Bader/Rogerio Nogueria and that fight will answer all or most of those questions above. So now lets get down to breaking(down)Bones Jones.
1.We have no idea what Jon Jones has in terms of jiu jitsu skill on the ground. Yes he submitted Jake O'Brien with a modified front choke but that says nothing at all about his overall skill. Submitting O'Brien honestly shouldn't cause people to declare that Jones can submit people at will, it's not like O'Brien is some jiu jitsu ace. And in previous fights Jones often makes a fatal jiu jitsu mistake that his somewhat lackluster opponents haven't capitalized on yet, he leaves his hands posted on the mat. Doing this is a big no-no in bjj as leaving your arms out gives an opponent multiple ways to lock in a submission. Now let's look at his potential fights in the future if Rogerio beats Bader then Jones has one hell of a good submission guy to face. And Rogerio is no slouch on the ground and Jones's elementary mistakes will cost him the fight.
2.Jones has yet to face a top flight wrestler who can neutralize one of his biggest assets. Now granted Hammil was a good wrestler but honestly Hammil is nowhere near the caliber of someone like Ryan Bader or even fellow prospect Phil Davis. So what would happen if Jones couldn't take someone down? His striking is good but its more flash then actual skill so i can't see him trying to outbox an opponent. So having someone to neutralize Jones in the wrestling game would help pave the way to showing that Jones is in fact not invincible.
3. Jones has yet to face a single top ten fighter in the Light Heavyweight Divison. Yup it's true so far in the UFC he's had fights against: Stephan Bonnar,Jake O'Brien,Andre Gusmao,Matt Hammil,Brandon Vera,and Vladimir Matyushenko. Now he has the loss to Hammil due to illegal elbows however in the rest of his wins he's dominated his opponents thoroughly. But lets look at his opponents a little bit closer.
Gusmao:0-2 in the UFC no longer with the company
Bonnar:6-6 in the UFC however is mainly around due to his fight with Forrest Griffin that helped ignite the UFC(Dana White has been quoted as saying Bonnar and Griffin will always have a job in the UFC)
O'Brien:4-3 in the UFC no longer with company
Hammil:8-2 in the UFC however both losses came to top competition while his wins are over mainly undercard quality opponents
Vera:7-5 in the UFC however most of his wins(4) come at Heavyweight,at LHW he has a record of 3-3 and has looked less than impressive with two of his wins coming over bottom competition.
Matyushenko:2-1 in the UFC however Vlad has yet to truly establish himself as a legit threat in the divsion and has yet to finish an opponent in the octagon.
Now that is far from top competition he's fought two guys who were cut shortly after,the two gatekeepers of his division,and a guy who has no set place in a divison. He has alot to prove in possibly the most stacked divison in the UFC today. I want to see him fight someone who is going to test his heart and chin,someone who isn't afraid to trade with him. Jones has yet to be truly tested by anyone how's he going to react when someone like Bader or Rogerio slams a big right cross on his chin and rocks him? What happens if Jones gets taken down and has to fight off his back? There are so many unanswered question about some of his skills that I think its crazy that people want to declare the man champion before fighting any top ten competition.
This isn't trying to say that Jon Jones isn't a good fighter, it's very apparent he's freakishly talented but I feel like he has alot of areas to work on before he will become the invincible machine that people seem to think he is right now.
Once again thanks for reading and feel free to message or e-mail me any suggestions for future articles or ways to improve my writing.
1.We have no idea what Jon Jones has in terms of jiu jitsu skill on the ground. Yes he submitted Jake O'Brien with a modified front choke but that says nothing at all about his overall skill. Submitting O'Brien honestly shouldn't cause people to declare that Jones can submit people at will, it's not like O'Brien is some jiu jitsu ace. And in previous fights Jones often makes a fatal jiu jitsu mistake that his somewhat lackluster opponents haven't capitalized on yet, he leaves his hands posted on the mat. Doing this is a big no-no in bjj as leaving your arms out gives an opponent multiple ways to lock in a submission. Now let's look at his potential fights in the future if Rogerio beats Bader then Jones has one hell of a good submission guy to face. And Rogerio is no slouch on the ground and Jones's elementary mistakes will cost him the fight.
2.Jones has yet to face a top flight wrestler who can neutralize one of his biggest assets. Now granted Hammil was a good wrestler but honestly Hammil is nowhere near the caliber of someone like Ryan Bader or even fellow prospect Phil Davis. So what would happen if Jones couldn't take someone down? His striking is good but its more flash then actual skill so i can't see him trying to outbox an opponent. So having someone to neutralize Jones in the wrestling game would help pave the way to showing that Jones is in fact not invincible.
3. Jones has yet to face a single top ten fighter in the Light Heavyweight Divison. Yup it's true so far in the UFC he's had fights against: Stephan Bonnar,Jake O'Brien,Andre Gusmao,Matt Hammil,Brandon Vera,and Vladimir Matyushenko. Now he has the loss to Hammil due to illegal elbows however in the rest of his wins he's dominated his opponents thoroughly. But lets look at his opponents a little bit closer.
Gusmao:0-2 in the UFC no longer with the company
Bonnar:6-6 in the UFC however is mainly around due to his fight with Forrest Griffin that helped ignite the UFC(Dana White has been quoted as saying Bonnar and Griffin will always have a job in the UFC)
O'Brien:4-3 in the UFC no longer with company
Hammil:8-2 in the UFC however both losses came to top competition while his wins are over mainly undercard quality opponents
Vera:7-5 in the UFC however most of his wins(4) come at Heavyweight,at LHW he has a record of 3-3 and has looked less than impressive with two of his wins coming over bottom competition.
Matyushenko:2-1 in the UFC however Vlad has yet to truly establish himself as a legit threat in the divsion and has yet to finish an opponent in the octagon.
Now that is far from top competition he's fought two guys who were cut shortly after,the two gatekeepers of his division,and a guy who has no set place in a divison. He has alot to prove in possibly the most stacked divison in the UFC today. I want to see him fight someone who is going to test his heart and chin,someone who isn't afraid to trade with him. Jones has yet to be truly tested by anyone how's he going to react when someone like Bader or Rogerio slams a big right cross on his chin and rocks him? What happens if Jones gets taken down and has to fight off his back? There are so many unanswered question about some of his skills that I think its crazy that people want to declare the man champion before fighting any top ten competition.
This isn't trying to say that Jon Jones isn't a good fighter, it's very apparent he's freakishly talented but I feel like he has alot of areas to work on before he will become the invincible machine that people seem to think he is right now.
Once again thanks for reading and feel free to message or e-mail me any suggestions for future articles or ways to improve my writing.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Pound For Pound Top Ten
Quick Note: this list does not take into account UFC 118
This list was assembled by a group consensus in the Addicted to the UFC group on facebook and i'm here to break down each ranking and fighter for you readers.
1. Georges St Pierre(20-2/UFC Welterweight Champion)
St Pierre has been on an absolute tear since he lost to Matt Serra at UFC 69 and whats scarier is he gets more and more dominant with each fight. His last fight was a five round dismantling of top fighter Dan Hardy and he's slated to face Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 in St Pierre's native country of Quebec. This of course will happen after the two fighters are done coaching against each other on the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter. I see no reason why St Pierre doesn't deserve the top spot out of all the current champions no one has been nearly as dominant as St Pierre and it's only a matter of time before St Pierre cleans out his current division.
2. Anderson Silva(27-4/UFC Middleweight Champion)
Oh boy Silva never ceases to amaze fight fans everytime he's inside the octagon whether it be scoring a highlight reel knockout,a last minute submission, or dancing for 3 rounds he always surprises us each time. Silva posses one of the greatest title reigns in MMA today and even more amazing is over 90% of it he hasn't been challenged at all and scored easy victories. The only thing costing Silva the top spot is his recent performances against Demain Maia and Chael Sonnen. In the Maia fight it transitoned from title fight to dancing with the star audtion as Silva basically ran for 15 minutes and infuriated UFC president Dana White. The Sonnen fight saw Silva get dominated for 22 minutes before submitting Sonnen with a triangle choke. He has a rematch with Sonnen on tap potentially for the UFC's end of the year show.
3. Fedor Emelianenko(31-2 with 1 NC)
Fedor was at one time thought to be unbeatable,then Fabricio Werdum shattered that image with a first round submission victory over the Last Emperor. Now thats not to say Fedor is a chump by any means but it drops him from the number one postion on a lot of lists he still however remains one of the most dangerous fighters on this planet. With an uncanny ability to either knock you out or submit you he is a threat no matter where the fight should go. There have been questions about the level of competition he's faced but every fighter goes through a span of fights against sub par competition. His next fight is TBA but hopefully Scott Coker will find something soon or Fedor's stock will continue to drop on this and many other lists.
4. Jose Aldo(17-1/WEC Featherweight Champion0
Aldo has been on fire since he's joined the WEC reeling off 7 straight wins in the organization and 10 fight streak overall. He crushed WEC goldenboy Urijah Faber at WEC:Faber Vs Aldo and easily retained the title he won from Mike Brown at WEC 44. His scary combo of speed and power remains unmatched by anyone in the division thus far and the fact that he's a black belt in jiu jitsu as well makes him that much more well rounded. He's slated to take on Manny Gamburyan for his title at WEC 51. Here its widely assumed that Aldo will shock us all again with his almost unnatural abilities.
5.Mauricio Rua(19-4/UFC Lightheavyweight Champion)
Shogun exacted sweet revenge on Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 to win the LHW title many thought he won against Machida at UFC 104. Shogun used his brutal standup skills to knockout the man many thought would hold the title for a long time in Machida. However the road doesn't get any easier as Rua has former champion Rashad Evans next in line for a title shot. This fight however is being pushed back into 2011 as Shogun must have another major knee operation and hopefully it won't affect him the way previous surgeries have and we continue to see the Shogun of old(minus the soccer kicks)
6.BJ Penn(15-7-1)(note this does not include the ufc 118 fight with Frankie Edgar)
Void....will write about after next list is published
7.Lyoto Machida(16-1)
Machida was thought to be unbeatable until Shogun Rua brutally knocked him out at UFC 113. However Machida remains one of the top fighters in the world as losing once shouldn't drop him off this list. In all of his previous fights Machida was in trouble for all of maybe 15 seconds, his elusivness makes him one of the most frustrating people to fight against as he dodges and moves very quickly. Machida is slated to fight again at UFC 123 in Detroit against a to be named opponent.
8.Jake Shields(25-4-1/Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion(never lost title)
Jake Shields is one of the UFC's biggest signings in years as it gives them a viable contender at two different weights. However it appears that Shields will be chasing after St Pierres title first. Shields is a dominant wrestler who brings very good jiu jitsu skills as well making him a dangerous ground fighter. Many questions his stand up and chin however in his last fight he survived a brutal on slaught against heavy handed contender Dan Henderson and then out wrestled him to a victory. He'll be matched up against a surging Martin Kampmann in a number one contenders fight at UFC 121
9.Nick Diaz(22-7/Strikeforce Welterweight Champion)
Diaz is...an enigma to say the least when he's not igniting full on brawls he remains one of the top welterweight fighters in the world. Currently riding a 7 fight win streak Diaz has been on fire finishing all of those fights by submission or tko/ko. Recently however he has tired(albeit poorly) to avoid having a grudge match with newfound rival Jason "Mayhem" Miller and this looks bad on the part of Diaz. He will be fighting and defending his title soon however though in a rematch against KJ Noons in a fight that has many scratching their heads after its announcement.
10. Jon Fitch(23-3)
Fitch remains the most consistent fighter in the UFC that isnt GSP. Now i said consistent not exciting as Fitch is the ultimate descision machine having 9 of his 13 wins inside the octagon go the distance. Now Fitch doesn't really need to be exciting to earn a title shot as he did after beating Thiago Alves at UFC 117. However questions linger if he'll fight his teammate Josh Koscheck should he win the title from St Pierre. However Fitch has publicly said he would move up to middleweight to avoid doing so. Either way Fitch remains a top threat at 170 pounds for almost anyone not named St Pierre
This list was assembled by a group consensus in the Addicted to the UFC group on facebook and i'm here to break down each ranking and fighter for you readers.
1. Georges St Pierre(20-2/UFC Welterweight Champion)
St Pierre has been on an absolute tear since he lost to Matt Serra at UFC 69 and whats scarier is he gets more and more dominant with each fight. His last fight was a five round dismantling of top fighter Dan Hardy and he's slated to face Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 in St Pierre's native country of Quebec. This of course will happen after the two fighters are done coaching against each other on the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter. I see no reason why St Pierre doesn't deserve the top spot out of all the current champions no one has been nearly as dominant as St Pierre and it's only a matter of time before St Pierre cleans out his current division.
2. Anderson Silva(27-4/UFC Middleweight Champion)
Oh boy Silva never ceases to amaze fight fans everytime he's inside the octagon whether it be scoring a highlight reel knockout,a last minute submission, or dancing for 3 rounds he always surprises us each time. Silva posses one of the greatest title reigns in MMA today and even more amazing is over 90% of it he hasn't been challenged at all and scored easy victories. The only thing costing Silva the top spot is his recent performances against Demain Maia and Chael Sonnen. In the Maia fight it transitoned from title fight to dancing with the star audtion as Silva basically ran for 15 minutes and infuriated UFC president Dana White. The Sonnen fight saw Silva get dominated for 22 minutes before submitting Sonnen with a triangle choke. He has a rematch with Sonnen on tap potentially for the UFC's end of the year show.
3. Fedor Emelianenko(31-2 with 1 NC)
Fedor was at one time thought to be unbeatable,then Fabricio Werdum shattered that image with a first round submission victory over the Last Emperor. Now thats not to say Fedor is a chump by any means but it drops him from the number one postion on a lot of lists he still however remains one of the most dangerous fighters on this planet. With an uncanny ability to either knock you out or submit you he is a threat no matter where the fight should go. There have been questions about the level of competition he's faced but every fighter goes through a span of fights against sub par competition. His next fight is TBA but hopefully Scott Coker will find something soon or Fedor's stock will continue to drop on this and many other lists.
4. Jose Aldo(17-1/WEC Featherweight Champion0
Aldo has been on fire since he's joined the WEC reeling off 7 straight wins in the organization and 10 fight streak overall. He crushed WEC goldenboy Urijah Faber at WEC:Faber Vs Aldo and easily retained the title he won from Mike Brown at WEC 44. His scary combo of speed and power remains unmatched by anyone in the division thus far and the fact that he's a black belt in jiu jitsu as well makes him that much more well rounded. He's slated to take on Manny Gamburyan for his title at WEC 51. Here its widely assumed that Aldo will shock us all again with his almost unnatural abilities.
5.Mauricio Rua(19-4/UFC Lightheavyweight Champion)
Shogun exacted sweet revenge on Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 to win the LHW title many thought he won against Machida at UFC 104. Shogun used his brutal standup skills to knockout the man many thought would hold the title for a long time in Machida. However the road doesn't get any easier as Rua has former champion Rashad Evans next in line for a title shot. This fight however is being pushed back into 2011 as Shogun must have another major knee operation and hopefully it won't affect him the way previous surgeries have and we continue to see the Shogun of old(minus the soccer kicks)
6.BJ Penn(15-7-1)(note this does not include the ufc 118 fight with Frankie Edgar)
Void....will write about after next list is published
7.Lyoto Machida(16-1)
Machida was thought to be unbeatable until Shogun Rua brutally knocked him out at UFC 113. However Machida remains one of the top fighters in the world as losing once shouldn't drop him off this list. In all of his previous fights Machida was in trouble for all of maybe 15 seconds, his elusivness makes him one of the most frustrating people to fight against as he dodges and moves very quickly. Machida is slated to fight again at UFC 123 in Detroit against a to be named opponent.
8.Jake Shields(25-4-1/Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion(never lost title)
Jake Shields is one of the UFC's biggest signings in years as it gives them a viable contender at two different weights. However it appears that Shields will be chasing after St Pierres title first. Shields is a dominant wrestler who brings very good jiu jitsu skills as well making him a dangerous ground fighter. Many questions his stand up and chin however in his last fight he survived a brutal on slaught against heavy handed contender Dan Henderson and then out wrestled him to a victory. He'll be matched up against a surging Martin Kampmann in a number one contenders fight at UFC 121
9.Nick Diaz(22-7/Strikeforce Welterweight Champion)
Diaz is...an enigma to say the least when he's not igniting full on brawls he remains one of the top welterweight fighters in the world. Currently riding a 7 fight win streak Diaz has been on fire finishing all of those fights by submission or tko/ko. Recently however he has tired(albeit poorly) to avoid having a grudge match with newfound rival Jason "Mayhem" Miller and this looks bad on the part of Diaz. He will be fighting and defending his title soon however though in a rematch against KJ Noons in a fight that has many scratching their heads after its announcement.
10. Jon Fitch(23-3)
Fitch remains the most consistent fighter in the UFC that isnt GSP. Now i said consistent not exciting as Fitch is the ultimate descision machine having 9 of his 13 wins inside the octagon go the distance. Now Fitch doesn't really need to be exciting to earn a title shot as he did after beating Thiago Alves at UFC 117. However questions linger if he'll fight his teammate Josh Koscheck should he win the title from St Pierre. However Fitch has publicly said he would move up to middleweight to avoid doing so. Either way Fitch remains a top threat at 170 pounds for almost anyone not named St Pierre
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