MMA: Get to Know the Fastest Growing Sport in America

The MMA Fighters:

The UFC has five weight classes including lightweight (155 pound limit), welterweight (170), middleweight (185), light heavyweight (205), and heavyweight (265). 

In my opinion, the following are the top three fighters currently in the world in each weight class.  I have also included the MMA organization they represent in parenthesis. 

Heavyweight – 265 pounds

1) Fedor Emelianenko (Affliction MMA)

2) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC) 

3) Randy Couture (UFC)

Light Heavyweight – 205 pounds

1) Quinton Jackson (UFC) - pictured above

2) Mauricio Rua (UFC)

3) Lyoto Machida (UFC)

Middleweight – 185 pounds

1) Anderson Silva (UFC)

2) Dan Henderson (UFC)

3) Rich Franklin (UFC)

Welterweight – 170 pounds

1) Georges St. Pierre (UFC)

2) Jon Fitch (UFC)

3) Josh Koscheck (UFC)

Lightweight – 155 pounds

1) B.J. Penn (UFC)

2) Takanori Gomi (World Victory Road)

3) Shinya Aoki (DREAM)

Anderson Silva (UFC), who I have listed as the No. 1 middleweight fighter in the world, is also widely considered the very best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. 

Silva has rattled off seven straight decisive victories over the entire upper echelon of UFC middleweights including Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben, Travis Lutter, and Rich Franklin twice.

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