UFC on FOX 3: Power Ranking the Main Card Fighters

This seems like a fun idea. Here's what we're going to do: we're going to rank each of the main card fighters for Saturday's UFC on FOX 3 card in New Jersey.

We'll ignore their individual weight classes, the same way we do when we're constructing pound for pound lists.

The idea here, at least in my head, is that we'll get a sense of the best and worst fighters on each card. Of course, all of you will probably wholeheartedly disagree with me and tell me where I screwed up. Some of you will also tell me I'm a moron and that pound for pound lists are a myth, but I'll ignore you because I think they're a fun way to stimulate conversation.

Because everyone knows that the chance to argue with each other is the real draw behind doing rankings.

So let's take a look, in traditional reverse order, at the Power Rankings for UFC on FOX 3.

8. Pat Barry

Despite what the picture above conveys, Barry has been much more subdued than usual in the lead-up to his fight with Lavar Johnson.

He's usually the most jovial guy in the room. I remember one time, during fight week, when Barry sat in the hotel lobby with a circle of fans and talked for five hours about MMA, other sports and life. By the time he left, they were all best friends, because that's what Pat Barry is. He's your best friend.

There's been none of that this time around. Barry realizes how tough Johnson is and how important the fight is to his prospects in the UFC. A loss won't mean he'll be cut, but it sure won't help.

7. Lavar Johnson

Lavar Johnson has so much muscle. I noticed it during Thursday's press conference in New York. He is one giant heavyweight. He's also a dude that rebounded from a gunshot wound to the stomach and is now fighting in the UFC. That's something.

A knockout win over Pat Barry isn't going to earn Johnson a shot at the UFC title. But it'll give him plenty of notoriety, especially if the fight is an exciting one. 

6. Rousimar Palhares

Palhares' history of zaniness in the Octagon makes him one of the major reasons I'm looking forward to this show. Sadly, he's been seeing a sports pscyhologist to help him overcome the kind of mental lapses he experienced against Nate Marquardt and Dan Miller, so the days of highly-entertaining and confusing Palhares bouts may be over.

But in all seriousness, this is an important fight for Palhares. He's already one of the scariest men in the UFC. A win over a good fighter like Belcher – especially by one of his trademark leg submissions – would put him right in the mix.

5. Alan Belcher

Belcher, as his nickname suggests, is one of the most talented all-around fighters in the middleweight division. But he's never strung together an important series of wins; every time he goes on a nice little winning streak, he always suffers the kind of loss that sends him to the back of the pack.

A win over Palhares would give Belcher four consecutive wins for the first time in his UFC career. More importantly, it would earn him top 10 consideration for the first time and fights against higher-profile opponents.

This is a must-win.

4. Nathan Diaz

Diaz has been promised a title shot if he beats Jim Miller on Saturday night. Miller's not receiving the same treatment, but we'll delve into that in a later slide.

Put simply, this is the biggest fight of Diaz' career. His name value escalates him over other, worthier contenders for the belt. This is not to say that Diaz is not a championship-level fighter, because I fully believe he has that capability. He's just not there yet. 

But if he dominates Miller the way he did Donald Cerrone and Takanori Gomi? It'll be tough to deny that he's in the hunt for the gold.

3. Josh Koscheck

Koscheck has been especially surly with the media and fans as of late. I think he understands the importance of this fight. It's not impossible for Koscheck to make his way back to Georges St-Pierre, but it's going to be very tough.

A loss to Hendricks may permanently end his title hopes at welterweight.

2. Johny Hendricks

Hendricks is promised a title shot if he beats Koscheck on Saturday night, but it's not as simple as it sounds. There's very little chance interim champion Carlos Condit will accept another fight before Georges St-Pierre returns in November. The only fight Condit will accept is a rematch with Nick Diaz, and that would require Diaz beating the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Not very likely.

Which means that Hendricks will be waiting at least nine months and possibly more if he chooses to wait for his title shot. But that doesn't lessen the importance of this fight with Koscheck. 

1. Jim Miller

Dana White said Miller still needs a win or two before he gets a title shot, but I still believe he's a higher-ranked fighter than Diaz, even though Diaz can secure a title shot by beating Miller. 

I've never understood how a title shot can be at stake for one fighter in a main event, but not for the other guy. If you're putting two fighters in a main event, you're selling the public on the idea that they're two evenly-matched fighters with a reason to punch each other in the face. 

If Diaz deserves a title shot with a win tomorrow night, so does Miller. It's that simple. And he'll prove it in the fight.