MMA Draft: Selecting the Sport's Top 32 Franchise Fighters

The NFL draft goes down this Thursday. What if MMA were to have its own version of that dog-and-pony show, in which franchises are (at least theoretically) made and broken in the course of 48 hours?

I think it would go a little something...like this. Presented herewith is the mock first round of such a draft, from No. 1 to No. 32.

For the sake of simplicity, every active fighter is eligible. But don't think this is just a power ranking of the 32 best guys. As in other drafts, age, health and "intangibles" factor in. So it's not a question of finding the best fighter today. The real question is, if you were running some kind of fighting organization, who would you want to be the cornerstone of your franchise for years to come?

And the First Pick in the 2012 MMA Draft Is...Jon Jones!

All the intrigue of Andrew Luck.

But what can you say? He's 24, he's a physical freak, he's "brand conscious," he just defended the light heavyweight title for the third consecutive time, he has never truly lost or even been threatened in a cage and his prospects at heavyweight might be even brighter.

As the draftniks like to say, this one's all upside. But it's also a sure thing.

2. Jose Aldo

After only 25 years on planet Earth and three fights in the UFC, Aldo has pretty much picked the shelves clean of MMA featherweights. It's just dented cans of lima beans now.

Hatsu Hioki or Pat Curran might have something to say about that, but not enough to sway anyone away from Aldo. No, it looks like Aldo might eventually have to gain 10 pounds if we wants legitimate challenges.

3. Rory MacDonald

Last weekend, the 22-year-old thoroughly dominated Che Mills to run his record to 13-1. He'd be the sport's biggest phenom if not for Jones.

To lapse back into draft parlance, MacDonald is a five-tool player. He hits hard, he has terrific size, his standup is creative, his takedowns are massively tough to resist, he can grapple and he can submit. Wait, that's six tools. Oh well.

He's also a guy who recognizes the important relationship between fighters and the public. He wants to get better, he's reasonably humble and candid and he understands the value of putting on a show.

Sounds like a franchise player to me.

4. Junior Dos Santos

The heavyweight champ is only 27. That's pretty young for a mass murderer.

At least he displays a nice smile while he's crunching your bones apart in the cage. That's what I like to call marketability.

5. Dominick Cruz

The UFC bantamweight champ is 26 and hasn't lost in almost five years. His stick-and-move style is not the most electrifying in the world, but it helps this season's The Ultimate Fighter coach stay away from big damage.

Now, Cruz is scheduled for the co-main event of UFC 148, an uber-jammed card on which Cruz will complete his trilogy with fellow TUF coach and rival Urijah Faber.

6. Benson Henderson

Maybe the first reach of the draft.

But where else can you slot him? At 28, Henderson isn't exactly young, but he's just now coming into his own, as he showed in February when he overpowered Frankie Edgar to capture the UFC lightweight title.

The squeaky-clean (almost annoyingly so) Bendo puts on exciting fights, and has cross-demographical appeal.

7. Georges St-Pierre

He's not a young man anymore. And he's coming off a serious knee injury.

But he's still the six-time-defending welterweight champ and the second-best fighter in the world. In fact, depending on how that return goes this November, GSP could be a serious value pick here.

8. Joseph Benavidez

Still just 27, Joe-Bi-Wan appears poised to strike down all comers in the UFC's fledgling flyweight division. It could be a reign of terror at 125.

9. Gilbert Melendez

The 30-year-old just defended his Strikeforce lightweight title for the fifth consecutive time.

Let me ask you a question: After "El Nino" completes his triology with Josh Thomson (and assuming he wins), who else is there?

If you said "Frankie Edgar," "Gray Maynard" or "Benson Henderson," you are correct.

His relatively low profile hurts his stock, but he could be the best lightweight in the world today. If the UFC ever gives him a chance to prove that claim in the Octagon, this pick has tremendous value.

10. Anderson Silva

Sure, he's the best in the world today. But what about next year, or the year after? The man is 37, after all, and not exactly injury-free.

And what if he loses to Chael Sonnen at UFC 148? What happens then, smart guy?

(Photo h/t: Cage Today)

11. Ronda Rousey

There are worse ways to energize a fan base than to draft the not-unattractive and rather brutally efficiently dominant new face of women's MMA.

12. Renan Barao

Barao could be a world champion before too long. The Nova Uniao bantamweight has the same potent concoction of skills that teammates and countrymen like Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva used to reach the top.

He's 25, he's explosive, he's versatile, and he hasn't lost since his first professional fight. And that was 30 fights ago.

13. Alexander Gustafsson

Alexander Gustafsson is ready for his closeup.

That was the message when he tamed the dangerous Thiago Silva a few weeks ago in front of a rabid hometown crowd in Sweden.

The 25-year-old's name has made its way onto the short list of those who could conceivably challenge Jon Jones at 205 pounds. We'll see how that goes.

14. Carlos Condit

An electrifying fighter who at age 27 brought home some UFC gold for his mantel. His five-fight win streak includes victories over Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald and, of course, Nick Diaz at UFC 143.

15. Chael Sonnen

At 35, he may not be at his peak for much longer. But he sure is there now, in every conceivable manner, whether you like it or not.

I'm not saying Sonnen's going to beat Anderson Silva at UFC 148. I'm just saying, Silva better be good and doggone ready.

16. Frankie Edgar

Someone always falls a lot farther down the ladder than you expect. That could be the case here. 

The former champion and all-time great lightweight warrior is universally beloved by fight fans the world over. He is also 30 years old. He is also probably older than that in physical terms, given the abuse he's taken in battles with Gray Maynard, B.J. Penn and Henderson. 

Of course, if or when he drops down to featherweight, his draft stock could get a big shot in the arm.

17. Urijah Faber

Look at that mug. No getting around it: "The California Kid" is tailor made to grace TV screens and building-sized billboards. When you're talking about your franchise, that can only help.

If the 32-year-old can overcome nemesis Cruz this summer, he's right back on top. But if he falls short, it's hard to see where Faber goes from here, given the roadblocks that would then exist at bantamweight and featherweight, where Team Alpha Male killer Aldo lurks. 

18. Pat Curran

His title-winning turn against Joe Warren is now famous for all the wrong reasons (see the video and the ref stoppage, which came about an hour and a half too late).

But that's not Curran's fault; Bellator's 24-year-old, newly minted featherweight champ is 17-4 and on a four-fight win streak.

19. Phil Davis

A charismatic personality and a brilliant wrestler, Davis, 27, will be a serious contender once he puts it all together. And by "puts it all together," I mean "acquires a standup game."

Hopefully for Davis' sake, Alexander Gustafsson is teaching as well as learning in that camp of theirs.

20. Rashad Evans

But wait, you ask. Why is Evans ranked below Davis when Evans bested Davis just last winter?

Well, he's five years older, for one. And for another, he just got picked apart by Jon Jones, sending him tumbling back down the pecking order.

He'll be back, but it's a long road.

21. Cain Velasquez

He is 29 and working his way back from a dos Santos knockout. But he's still a force to be reckoned with at heavyweight, and sooner or later dos Santos will probably have to reckon with him again.

22. Michael McDonald

At the tender age of 21, "Mayday" McDonald is already 15-1. After crumpling Miguel Torres last weekend, it's time for a real, true, serious test. Brian Bowles, maybe? 

23. Luke Rockhold

The 27-year-old Strikeforce middleweight champ hasn't lost in more than four years. More importantly, perhaps, he has a complete game and a healthy appetite for greatness.

If Strikeforce so desired, he could be a compelling poster boy for the promotion.

24. Jake Ellenberger

The thunder-fisted welterweight, 27, will have the chance to advance another step this June when he takes on fellow standup ace Martin Kampmann.

If he wins that one, there's not much farther he can go without running into a title shot.

25. Hector Lombard

A brutal and charismatic knockout artist (which he can confidently claim to be given his world-class judo base).

But he's also 34 years old and wasting away in Bellator. However, if the reports that he is, indeed, bound for the UFC are true, it's a career rejuvenator that suddenly makes this a big value pick.

26. Michael Chandler

Still just 26, the Bellator lightweight champ is a spotless 9-0, including a vanquishing of former top-five 155-pounder Eddie Alvarez to take the strap.

27. Chris Weidman

It was Weidman's less-than-sterling performance against Demian Maia that cemented his status as a real challenger at middleweight. In that fight, Weidman picked up a unanimous decision victory earned after taking the fight on just a couple weeks' notice.

The 27-year-old is a perfect 8-0 as a pro.

28. Fabricio Werdum

That brutal striking display against Roy Nelson proved Werdum has a far broader arsenal than your average one-trick pony. I'm still mentally replaying that knee he drove right up Nelson's nose.

At 34, he's no spring chicken, but I've got a good feeling about Werdum and his newly complete game's chances to make waves in the eight-sided cage.

Veteran bruiser Mike Russow is next.

29. Johny Hendricks

Hendricks hit all the radar screens at about the same time his left hand hit Jon Fitch's face at UFC 141. He'll try to do it again next month against Josh Koscheck, who is generally more highly regarded, but at 34 is also six years Hendricks' senior, and a lot less popular regardless.

30. Daniel Cormier

The Olympic wrestler with the ball-peen hands is 9-0 and probably ready for a big leap forward in competition regardless of what he does against Josh Barnett at the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix final.

31. Edson Barboza

The 26-year-old lightweight is the owner of a perfect 10-0 record and the knockout of the year so far for 2012.

32. Derek Brunson

Gotta take a flier sometime, right?

Why not give it a try with the all-American college wrestler, Greg Jackson trainee and Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu player?

This guy is not only undefeated (and now 3-0 in Strikeforce), but he's only gone out of the first round twice.

Here's hoping that delayed fight with Ronaldo Souza gets back on at some point.