MMA's Top 10 P4P rankings (Zuffa Not Included)

UFC fighters tend to dominate the pound-for-pound rankings, and with good reason. I thought it would be worth seperating out Zuffa-signed fighters and seeing how the best of the rest stack up against each other. I included Nos. 11-20 not in order because you could make an argument for some of those fighters being included in the top 10.

1. Fedor Emelianenko: Could there be any other at No. 1? I think not. Nothing else needs to be said. The only question is, “Who’s next for MMA’s greatest heavyweight fighter of all time?”

2. Gegard Mousasi: Perhaps I am a little too overzealous on Gegard, but I don’t care. The 24 year old went 7-0 in 2008 if you include his K-1 victory at DREAM’s New Year's Eve event. He also dominated DREAM’s middleweight Grand Prix tournament. The man is a phenom and I can’t wait to see what he does in 2009.

3. Shinya Aoki: The man’s nickname is “Tobikan Judan.” He is 19-3 and recently submitted Eddie Alvarez in 90 seconds. Now he needs to avenge his finals loss to Joachim Hansen in DREAM’s Lightweight Grand Prix tournament. If it weren’t for BJ Penn, Aoki would be the best lightweight in all of MMA.

4. Josh Barnett: Most people expected Barnett to dominate Gilbert Yvel, or get upset. Josh looked a bit out of shape, but he still managed to beat Yvel via a third-round ground-and-pound stoppage. Will he finally fight Fedor or will he find another excuse to avoid his long-time friend? Personally, I am more intrigued by a Barnett/Arlovski matchup.

5. Jake Shields: You didn’t think I would forget about EliteXC fighters who are being unfairly trapped under their contracts, did you? Shields is the best welterweight not under the UFC banner and once he is out from under his EliteXC contract, expect to see him fighting in the octagon. Whether or not he can handle fighters like GSP and Thiago Alves remains to be seen.

6. Andrei Arlovski: Sure he got caught by Fedor with a devastating counter punch, but he was winning the fight before Fedor landed it. Arlovski may leave MMA to pursue his boxing career, but he is still one of the best MMA fighters out there. I would like to see him re-sign with the UFC, but I would say that is 50-50 at best right now.

7. Robbie Lawler: Lawler suffers the same fate as Jake Shields. He is rumored to be an automatic sign by the UFC once his contract issues with EliteXC are resolved. If he doesn’t end up with the UFC, I would love to see him sign with Strikeforce and fight Cung Lee in 2009.

8. Eddie Alvarez: Alvarez may have lost to Aoki, but he is still one of the best MMA fighters not under UFC contract. He looks to stay busy, fighting with multiple outfits in 2009, but only DREAM can offer him top-tier fights (unless he signs with the UFC). Look for a fight with Hansen or Cavalcante in 2009 before he gets another crack at Aoki.  

9. Renato Sobral: The two best light heavyweights not in the UFC are Renato Sobral and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. I will give the edge to Sobral, who was impressive in his win over Sokoudjou. If Affliction sticks around, hopefully they will put together a fight between Sobral and Lil Nog. If not, perhaps Sobral will get another shot inside the octagon.

10. Jorge Santiago: With his win over Kazuo Misaki, Jorge might be the best middleweight not currently under UFC contract. He is currently riding a nine fight win streak. Santiago fights for both Sengoku and Strikeforce so look for him to stay busy in 2009. A fight with Frank Trigg or Cung Le would both be a welcome fight.   

Outside the Top 10:

Joachim Hansen
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Gesias Cavalcante
Alistair Overeem
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Josh Thomson
Melvin Manhoef
Vitor Belfort
Nick Thompson
Frank Trigg