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1. Anderson Silva (22-4-0)
The ever-fickle MMA fan base questioned Silva's top pound-for-pound status after his bizarre October outing with Patrick Cote. Seemingly a victim of his own violent success, MMA's middleweight ruler was criticized for in-fight passivity and lollygagging despite complete control over the bout at hand. However, Silva will likely get the opportunity to atone for the Cote debacle come February at UFC 95 in London, where a rumored 205-pound bout with Chuck Liddell could come to fruition.
2. Georges St. Pierre (17-2-0)
St. Pierre's August blowout of Jon Fitch easily supplanted Rich Franklin-David Loiseau as the most sustained, one-sided title fight in UFC history. "Rush" blasted Fitch for 25 minutes, turning the AKA product's survival into the most amazing part of the bout. On Jan. 31, St. Pierre will look to address the one continuously nagging question in his career when he takes on fellow pound-for-pounder and lightweight ruler B.J. Penn at UFC 94. Against “The Prodigy,” St. Pierre will aim to put a more definitive stamp on his 170-pound supremacy in what could go down as an all-time MMA classic.
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Fedor Emelianenko3. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
It could be temporary, but Affliction will give MMA's greatest heavyweight the opportunity to meet some of the division's best opposition. Emelianenko will finish his acting work on a forthcoming action movie in Thailand this month and then set about training for his Jan. 24 showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
4. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)
While the UFC's 155-pounders continue to duke it out for the rights to challenge Penn, come Super Bowl weekend the Hawaiian will look to avenge his controversial March 2006 split decision loss to Georges St. Pierre. For Penn, it is not only the chance to avenge a highly contentious loss but also to validate his celebrated status in notching what would be the biggest win of his career.
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
Things just got much more interesting for MMA's perennially second heavyweight. While he must first deal with Frank Mir on Dec. 27, if "Minotauro" emerges victorious, he'll meet up with Brock Lesnar in the new year. The fight would be the Brazilian's biggest bout in years and a potential stage for a vintage Nogueira performance.
6. Miguel Torres (33-1-0)
One of 2008's breakout stars, Torres will look to end the year with an emphatic statement against his toughest test to date when he takes on fellow chicano Manny Tapia in the headliner of the Dec. 3 WEC bill. While a victory would entrench him deeper as the kingpin of the emergent bantamweight division, he'll have little time for rest as the surging Brian Bowles takes on Brazilian banger Will Ribeiro on the same card, likely producing his next challenger.
7. Forrest Griffin (16-4-0)
After back-to-back surprises in taking out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Griffin has earned his status as the sport's top light heavyweight. The first challenge for the TUF 1 winner's title will come from TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. Another victorious performance would give Griffin back-to-back-to-back wins that would be tough for anyone in MMA to rival.
8. Quinton Jackson (28-7-0)
With the worst of his legal mess behind him, "Rampage" is now locked into a bout that could be as pivotal as any in his career. Having severed ties with former trainer Juanito Ibarra, who had been in the sidecar with Jackson for his resurgence, "Rampage" is now set for a third showdown with archrival Wanderlei Silva on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. Jackson will be under the microscope as fans and pundits look to see how he performs after training with England's Wolfslair Academy for his final chance to erase memories of his brutal highlight-reel stoppages at the hands of "The Axe Murderer."
9. Thiago Alves (16-3-0)
Alves is one of the sport's most dynamic young talents. But more than that, with his outstanding October victory over fellow welterweight elite Josh Koscheck, he has taken out three straight top-10 fighters in arguably MMA's richest weight class. When Alves finally does get a crack at the UFC welterweight crown, he will have more than earned it by beating top-shelf opposition in stirring fashion.
10. Eddie Alvarez (15-1-0)
Alvarez was considered a can't-miss welterweight prospect after completely rifling his first 10 opponents. However, he has come into his own since his cut to the lightweight division. His thrilling “Fight of the Year” candidates against Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri, two perennially outstanding lightweights, have affirmed him as one of the sport's great young stars. A plethora of intriguing bouts await.
...Im still not sure how a guy with more wins, less losses, and more quality opponents faced is #3, while Silva is #1
The ever-fickle MMA fan base questioned Silva's top pound-for-pound status after his bizarre October outing with Patrick Cote. Seemingly a victim of his own violent success, MMA's middleweight ruler was criticized for in-fight passivity and lollygagging despite complete control over the bout at hand. However, Silva will likely get the opportunity to atone for the Cote debacle come February at UFC 95 in London, where a rumored 205-pound bout with Chuck Liddell could come to fruition.
2. Georges St. Pierre (17-2-0)
St. Pierre's August blowout of Jon Fitch easily supplanted Rich Franklin-David Loiseau as the most sustained, one-sided title fight in UFC history. "Rush" blasted Fitch for 25 minutes, turning the AKA product's survival into the most amazing part of the bout. On Jan. 31, St. Pierre will look to address the one continuously nagging question in his career when he takes on fellow pound-for-pounder and lightweight ruler B.J. Penn at UFC 94. Against “The Prodigy,” St. Pierre will aim to put a more definitive stamp on his 170-pound supremacy in what could go down as an all-time MMA classic.
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Fedor Emelianenko3. Fedor Emelianenko (28-1-0, 1 NC)
It could be temporary, but Affliction will give MMA's greatest heavyweight the opportunity to meet some of the division's best opposition. Emelianenko will finish his acting work on a forthcoming action movie in Thailand this month and then set about training for his Jan. 24 showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
4. B.J. Penn (13-4-1)
While the UFC's 155-pounders continue to duke it out for the rights to challenge Penn, come Super Bowl weekend the Hawaiian will look to avenge his controversial March 2006 split decision loss to Georges St. Pierre. For Penn, it is not only the chance to avenge a highly contentious loss but also to validate his celebrated status in notching what would be the biggest win of his career.
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1, 1 NC)
Things just got much more interesting for MMA's perennially second heavyweight. While he must first deal with Frank Mir on Dec. 27, if "Minotauro" emerges victorious, he'll meet up with Brock Lesnar in the new year. The fight would be the Brazilian's biggest bout in years and a potential stage for a vintage Nogueira performance.
6. Miguel Torres (33-1-0)
One of 2008's breakout stars, Torres will look to end the year with an emphatic statement against his toughest test to date when he takes on fellow chicano Manny Tapia in the headliner of the Dec. 3 WEC bill. While a victory would entrench him deeper as the kingpin of the emergent bantamweight division, he'll have little time for rest as the surging Brian Bowles takes on Brazilian banger Will Ribeiro on the same card, likely producing his next challenger.
7. Forrest Griffin (16-4-0)
After back-to-back surprises in taking out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Griffin has earned his status as the sport's top light heavyweight. The first challenge for the TUF 1 winner's title will come from TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. Another victorious performance would give Griffin back-to-back-to-back wins that would be tough for anyone in MMA to rival.
8. Quinton Jackson (28-7-0)
With the worst of his legal mess behind him, "Rampage" is now locked into a bout that could be as pivotal as any in his career. Having severed ties with former trainer Juanito Ibarra, who had been in the sidecar with Jackson for his resurgence, "Rampage" is now set for a third showdown with archrival Wanderlei Silva on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. Jackson will be under the microscope as fans and pundits look to see how he performs after training with England's Wolfslair Academy for his final chance to erase memories of his brutal highlight-reel stoppages at the hands of "The Axe Murderer."
9. Thiago Alves (16-3-0)
Alves is one of the sport's most dynamic young talents. But more than that, with his outstanding October victory over fellow welterweight elite Josh Koscheck, he has taken out three straight top-10 fighters in arguably MMA's richest weight class. When Alves finally does get a crack at the UFC welterweight crown, he will have more than earned it by beating top-shelf opposition in stirring fashion.
10. Eddie Alvarez (15-1-0)
Alvarez was considered a can't-miss welterweight prospect after completely rifling his first 10 opponents. However, he has come into his own since his cut to the lightweight division. His thrilling “Fight of the Year” candidates against Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri, two perennially outstanding lightweights, have affirmed him as one of the sport's great young stars. A plethora of intriguing bouts await.
...Im still not sure how a guy with more wins, less losses, and more quality opponents faced is #3, while Silva is #1
