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UFC Power Rankings
July 8, 2008
By Brad Young
VegasInsider.com
T he latest power rankings for the Ultimate Fighting Championship saw the biggest changes involving the light heavyweight division. Forrest Griffin is the newest champion in the UFC's marquee division, and his rise to the top creates numerous possibilities for this stacked division. A rematch between Griffin and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson won't happen until the end of the year at best, especially since 'Rampage' is suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission until January 2 due to a leg injury he suffered in the fight. That suspension can be cleared early by an orthopedic doctor depending on the severity of the injury.
Does that open the door for former champion Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell, who has an early September matchup with Rashad Evans? The most likely scenario involves Griffin against Liddell late this year (should he get past Evans), and Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva against Jackson at the annual Super Bowl weekend show. Silva and Jackson met twice in Japan's Pride, producing a pair of exciting contests that saw Silva retain his title both times.
However plans always fall by the wayside with upsets and injuries, but the light heavyweight division is loaded. It will also be interesting to see who undefeated Lyoto Machida gets to fight next, along with Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua who is still recovering from a knee injury. The UFC continues to produce quality matchups, meaning some exciting fights and possibilities down the road.
Without further delay, let's break down the updated UFC rankings for all their divisions.
| Lightweight standings (155 pounds) |
| Rank |
Boxer |
Skinny |
| 1 |
BJ 'The Prodigy' Penn (13-4-1) (champion) |
Penn continues to remain in the mix of best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA after his destruction of former champ Sean 'The Muscle Shark' Sherk at UFC 84: Ill Will. Soon after the victory, Penn stated that he wanted a rematch with welterweight champion Georges 'Rush' St. Pierre. However, UFC President Dana White is on record saying that 'The Prodigy' needs to clean out his division before fighting outside of his weight class. |
| 2 |
Kenny Florian (9-3) |
Florian has won his last four fights after dominating Joe Lauzon with a second-round technical knockout from punches and elbows at UFC Fight Night 13 in early April. The Massachusetts native is now slated to fight Roger Huerta at UFC 87, with the winner getting a shot at Penn. Florian has already fought for the belt, but lost to Sherk by unanimous decision at UFC 64: Unstoppable. |
| 3 |
Roger 'El Matador' Huerta (20-1-1) |
Huerta has won all six of his UFC fights after submitting Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida with a third-round rear-naked choke at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale. 'El Matador' was making more headlines since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but his fighting skills make him a viable threat in this division. Huerta can now fight for the title and headline a major UFC card with a victory over Florian later this summer. |
| 4 |
Sean 'The Muscle Shark' Sherk (32-3-1) |
Sherk has to go back to the proverbial drawing board after getting knocked out by Penn at the end of the third round. The powerful wrestler was unable to take Penn to the ground, and was outclassed in the stand up. 'The Muscle Shark' still remains a dominant force in this division, and his next bout could occur against Joe Stevenson or the loser of the Florian-Huerta fight. |
| 5 |
Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson (29-8) |
Stevenson got back on the winning track by beating Gleison Tibau with a guillotine choke in the second round at UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin. 'Daddy' doesn't figure to get another title shot anytime soon after getting dominated by BJ Penn earlier this year. Stevenson now has 13 submission victories to go along with his six knockouts and 10 decisions, while losing once by knockout, three times by submission and four decisions. | |
| Welterweight (170 pounds) |
| Rank |
Boxer |
Skinny |
| 1 |
Georges 'Rush' St. Pierre (16-2) (champion) |
St. Pierre proved he is one of the sport's best pound-for-pound fighters when he manhandled Matt 'The Terror' Serra at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II with a second-round technical knockout due to knees to the body. 'Rush' has now avenged both of his mixed martial arts losses, and will defend his title against Jon Fitch in early August. St. Pierre now has seven wins by TKO, five by decision along with four decisions. |
| 2 |
Jon Fitch (17-2) |
Fitch has won 15 fights in a row, and improved to 8-0 inside the octagon after earning a unanimous decision over Chris Wilson at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion. The Indiana native has earned his title shot due to his well-rounded style, winning four times by knockout, along with five submissions and seven decisions. Fitch's biggest victories to date are a split-decision win over Diego Sanchez and a second-round submission against Luigi Fioravanti. |
| 3 |
Thiago 'The Pitbull' Alves (15-3) |
Alves replaces Matt Hughes on our list after his thorough domination of the former champion at UFC 85: Bedlam. Alves is now in the welterweight title mix, but has had a hard time making the 170-weight limit in the past. The Brazilian fought Hughes four pounds overweight, but did record his 10th knockout victory in that contest. |
| 4 |
Josh Koscheck (11-2) |
Koscheck recorded a unanimous decision victory over Chris Lytle at UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin, but his boring fight style hasn't endeared him to mixed martial art fans. There has been some discussion that Koscheck might move down to lightweight for a title shot at Penn, but his next matchup will probably be in the welterweight division against a top-10 opponent. |
| 5 |
Diego 'The Nightmare' Sanchez (19-2) |
Sanchez figured to carve up this division before getting a title shot. However, back-to-back losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch derailed those plans before the New Mexico native rebounded to back-to-back victories against David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti. 'The Nightmare' now has six knockout victories, nine submission wins and four victories by decision. | |
| Middleweight (185 pounds) |
| Rank |
Boxer |
Skinny |
| 1 |
Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva (21-4) (champion) |
The Brazilian Muay Thai fighter is atop many pound-for-pound rankings, and is dominating the UFC's weakest division. Silva appears to have cleared out the middleweight division after beating Dan Henderson with a second-round submission at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion. 'The Spider' just had an undisclosed surgery, but is now moving up to light heavyweight July 19 to battle James 'The Sandman' Irvin. |
| 2 |
Dan Henderson (22-7) |
Henderson has lost both of his matchups with the UFC, but they came against Silva and light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. The Team Quest fighter has stated that he will stay at this weight class, and there might be a future matchup with either Rich Franklin or Nate Marquardt. |
| 3 |
Rich 'Ace' Franklin (23-3) |
Franklin remains one of the best fighters in the talent-thin middleweight division. The Ohio native has few options of regaining his title with Silva dominating the division. His best bet is to keep winning, like his latest triumph over Travis Lutter at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II. There are a couple of interesting fight possibilities for the popular ex-champion. |
| 4 |
Yushin Okami (22-4) |
Okami is a big middleweight that creates matchup problems for some of the smaller fighters. His victory over Mike Swick last year prompted the American to move down a weight class. Okami remains one of the elite middleweight fighters after dominating former champ Evan Tanner in early March with a second-round knockout. The Japanese fighter is also the last person to beat Anderson Silva back in 2006. |
| 5 |
Michael 'The Count' Bisping (16-1) |
Bisping has already fought twice this year, racking up first-round TKO victories over Charles McCarthy and Jason Day. The Englishman won the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, and the only blemish on his resume is a light heavyweight setback to Rashad Evans by split decision. Bisping has won 11 of his fights by knockout, along with four submission wins and one decision. | |
| Light-Heavyweight (205 pounds) |
| Rank |
Boxer |
Skinny |
| 1 |
Forrest Griffin (16-4) (champion) |
Griffin is the current title holder in the UFC's marquee division after upsetting Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as a $2.00 underdog at UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin. The winner of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter has defeated Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and Jackson his last two fights, and probably won't enter the octagon again until the end of the year. Griffin now has three victories by knockout, seven submissions and six decisions, while losing twice by knockout and twice by decision. |
| 2 |
Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida (13-0) |
Machida has quietly moved up the light heavyweight rankings after his past two victories over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Tito Ortiz. 'The Dragon' doesn't have the most exciting fight style, and that may hurt his chances to get the next shot at the title. The Brazilian continues to prevail with his methodical approach, winning eight times by decision along with three knockouts and two submissions. |
| 3 |
Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell (21-5) |
Liddell got back on track with his victory over rival Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79: Nemesis by unanimous decision, ending the first two-fight losing streak of his career. 'The Iceman' is now slated to face Rashad Evans at UFC 88: Breakthrough in Atlanta, with a possible title shot on the line. Liddell has 13 knockout victories, one win by submission and seven decisions while losing four times by knockout and once by decision. |
| 4 |
Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva (32-8-1) |
Silva dominated Keith Jardine with a brutal 36-second knockout victory at UFC 84: Ill Will. 'The Axe Murderer' really needed a win in that spot after suffering through a three-fight losing streak, and performed with flying colors. The popular Brazilian striker now has 22 knockout victories, along with four submission wins and six decisions. |
| 5 |
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (32-8-1) |
Jackson lost his title with a unanimous decision setback to Griffin, and suffered a knee injury in the process that might have him out for the rest of the year. 'Rampage' remains in our rankings after beating Liddell for the title and defending it against Dan Henderson. If his injury heals quickly, a Jackson-Griffin rematch could be in the cards but a third meeting with Wanderlei Silva is also intriguing. | |
| Heavyweight (206-265 pounds) |
| Rank |
Boxer |
Skinny |
| 1 |
Antonio Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira (31-4-1)(champion) |
Nogueira made history by beating Tim 'The Maine-iac' Sylvia at UFC 81: Breaking Point to become the first fighter to win the Pride and UFC heavyweight titles. The Brazilian was dominated the first two rounds against Sylvia, but prevailed after securring a third-round guillotine choke. His jiu jitsu will create problems for a number of heavyweights not named Frank Mir. |
| 2 |
Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) |
Werdum is another Pride export that started slowly inside the octagon, but is now a contender after his impressive first-round knockout of Brandon Vera at UFC 85: Bedlam. The Brazilian has already faced Nogueira two years ago in a Pride event, dropping a three-round unanimous decision. Werdum figures to be on the short list of title contenders in this weakened division. |
| 3 |
Gabriel 'Napao' Gonzaga (9-3) |
Gonzaga remains in the top-five of the weakened heavyweight division, rebounding from a two-fight losing streak to dominate Justin McCully with a first-round Kimura submission at UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin. The Brazilian has won three times by knockout, six times via submission and three times by decision. The loss of heavyweights Mirko 'Cro Cop, Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia to other organizations keep Gonzaga in the title picture. |
| 4 |
Cheick Kongo (11-4-1) |
Kongo is another fighter that remains in our top-five rankings even though he is coming off a loss. The French kickboxer dropped a split decision to Heath Herring at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion, snapping a two-fight winning streak. Kongo is a force standing up, but will have to continue to work on his ground game if he wants to become a serious title contender. |
| 5 |
Frank Mir (11-3) |
Mir is enjoying a great 2008 after beating Brock Lesnar with a first-round kneebar at UFC 81: Breaking Point. The former champion has just been selected to be a coach of TUF 8 opposite 'Minotauro,' meaning he will get a shot at reclaiming his title sometime later this year. That will be an entertaining matchup between two jiu-jitsu specialists. Mir has seven submission victories along with one knockout and three decisions. | |
Schedule of upcoming UFC events: *
UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin, July 19, Palms Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy, August 9, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
UFC 88: Breakthrough September 6, Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
UFC Fight Night 15: September 17, Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska
UFC 89: October 18, NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
*The schedule of upcoming events is subject to change due to various reasons. The list is from numerous internet sources that includes ufc.com.
Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com |
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