UFC Rankings: Top 25 Pound For Pound

The last few weeks have been historic for the UFC, as they have added two new weight classes and their biggest draw was dominated in devastating fashion by a much smaller (and more skilled) opponent.

Meanwhile, their biggest acquisition in the last year squeaked out a decision victory, (and looked completely exhausted doing it) and a fighter who they have repeatedly buried on the undercard earned himself a title shot in underwhelming fashion.

With all of the turnover, I assumed that now is the perfect time to shift through the roster and find out who he best really are. Here are the top 25 fighters in the UFC.

25. Jon Jones (12-1)

Everyone’s favorite young fighter, Jonny “Bones” Jones kicks off the power 25. The up and comer from Greg Jackson’s camp is slowly working his way towards a title shot and has earned himself more hype than any fighter in recent memory. After dominating performances against established fighters like Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Matt Hamill (in a controversial disqualification loss; his only loss of his career) and Stephan Bonner, Jones will fight the UFC’s other 205lb prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 126.

24. George Sotiropoulos (13-2)

The most unlikely contender in the lightweight division, George Sotiropoulos just keeps on winning. After debuting at Welterweight and appearing on The Ultimate Fighter, Sotiropoulos has won six straight UFC fights, including four straight at 155. George is inching his way closer to a shot at the Lightweight title and a win over Joe Lauzon at this weekends UFC 123 might make him just another win away.   

23. Forrest Griffin (17-6)

It’s been over a year since the original Ultimate Fighter winner competed inside the Octagon, winning a split decision over Tito Ortiz at UFC 126, and his standing in the division has taken a hit. With young stars like Jon Jones and Ryan Bader nipping at his heels, Griffin needs to get another victory quickly, and will have the chance to do so against Rich Franklin at UFC 126 in February.  

22. Yushin Okami (26-5)

Possibly the most underrated fighter in the UFC, Yushin Okami is widely considered the best middleweight in the UFC to have never earned a title shot. All of that will change shortly. After winning a very tedious decision against Nate Marquardt at UFC 122 last Saturday night, Okami has finally broken through and earned himself a crack at the winner of Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. It is noteworthy that Okami does hold a victory over Silva, albeit by disqualification.

21. Shane Carwin (12-1)

One of the largest heavyweights in the organization, Shane Carwin quickly mowed down the every opponent the UFC could throw at him, ending all of his first four bouts inside the Octagon in the first round. Carwin showed his heart against Gabriel Gonzaga after getting rocked and coming back to throw a knockout punch of his own, and followed that victory with another win of former champion Frank Mir, winning the interim championship in the process. However Carwin lost by submission to then champion Brock Lesnar after hurting Lesnar in the first but being unable to finish, gassing out in the process.

20. Rampage Jackson (30-8)

Rampage Jackson is one of the most recognizable fighters in the sport, and he’s only gotten more famous since he made his feature film debut as B.A. Baracus in The A-Team.  But even though he’s found success on the silver screen, Rampage has hit a speed bump in the UFC going just 2-2 in his last four fights. A loss to hated rival Rashad Evans particularly hurt, and Rampage finds himself trying to get back into title contention when he faces Lyoto Machida next week at UFC 123.  

19. Chael Sonnen (25-11)

The most controversial politician in MMA, Sonnen opened his mouth often when it came to Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who he faced last August at UFC 117. Sonnen said he was going to give Silva the fight of his life and he delivered, winning the first four round in convincing fashion before being submitted by a triangle choke with just less than two minutes left in the fight. After the fight it was revealed that Sonnen tested positive for elevated testosterone levels and he was suspended. Sonnen will appeal the suspension.

18. BJ Penn (15-7)

Being one of the best fighters in the world came naturally to BJ Penn and his motivation seemed to suffer because of it. Often criticized for being in lackluster shape, Penn seemed to finally be to fighter that he was expected to be after he dominated top contenders Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez. But at UFC 112 Frankie Edgar did his best Matt Serra impression and shocked the world, beating Penn by unanimous decision. While most considered the win a fluke, Edgar proved otherwise and beat “The Prodigy” once again at UFC 118. Penn will try to avoid losing three straight for the first time in his career the weekend at UFC 123 during his rubber match against Matt Hughes.

17. Brock Lesnar (5-2)

The most physically intimidating fighter in MMA, Lesnar saw his UFC title reign come to a halt when he was utterly destroyed by Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. Now the promotions most bankable star will be forced to move back up the ladder, although if he wins he’ll move up a bit quicker than most. Lesnar still has plenty of exciting matchups including a rubber match with Frank Mir, battles against Pride legends Mirko Cro Cop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, or even a battle against the mammoth belly of Roy Nelson.

16. Josh Koscheck (15-4)

Arguably the most hated fighter in the sport, Josh Koscheck has been making fans loathe him for over five years. The cocky American Kickboxing Academy welterweight patronized Canadian fans after his win over Paul Daley at UFC 113 in Montreal and he’ll now get the chance to play the ultimate villain when he goes back to the largest city in Quebec and takes on golden boy Georges St. Pierre for the 170lb title. In the meantime Koscheck will continue to earn more hate as the coach opposite St. Pierre on The Ultimate Fighter 12.

15. Joseph Benavidez (13-2)

Constantly coming up just short, Joseph Benavidez is one of the best 135lb fighters in the world. Urijah Faber’s right hand man, Benavidez has been near the top of the bantamweight division for a while, beating everyone in his path except for champion Dominick Cruz.  After losing a decision to Cruz earlier this year, Benavidez stepped in and choked out Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 52 last week on short notice. Look for Benavidez to earn another title shot in 2011, or if he’s lucky, the UFC will add the flyweight division, and he will have the opportunity to be champion for a long time.

14. Vitor Belfort (19-8)

The next contender for Anderson Silva’s middleweight title, Belfort beat, perhaps, the most fitting opponent to earn that shot, when he toppled Rich Franklin at UFC 103 last September. A veteran of the UFC, Pride, and Affliction, Belfort has had a roller coaster ride of a career, starting out as the hottest young star in the business before hitting a rocky patch in the middle part of the decade. Now Belfort seems to have hit his prime and will look to knockout the most dominate champion in UFC history at UFC 126.

13. Gray Maynard (10-0)

He doesn’t always win pretty, but Gray Maynard has finally earned his UFC title shot. Maynard was pegged as a favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter 5, but was upset in the semifinals by Nate Diaz. “The Bully” then entered the UFC and rattled off eight straight wins against top competition, including current champion and future opponent Frankie Edgar. Maynard will attempt to recreate his victory over Edgar at UFC 125, where he will battle “The Answer” for the Lightweight championship.

12. Junior Dos Santos (12-1)

The protégée of the Nogueria brothers, Junior dos Santos has made a number of the UFC’s top heavyweights his own personal punching bag. Dos Santos shocked top contender (and future Fedor slayer) Fabricio Werdum in is UFC debut at UFC 90 and then preceded to knockout top fighters like Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, Gilbert Yvel, and Gabriel Gonzaga. His streak earned him a number one contenders bout against Roy Nelson at UFC 117, which dos Santos won easily and he will now face newly crowned champion Cain Velasquez sometime in 2011.

11. Lyoto Machida (16-1)

The man who single handedly made karate cool again, Machida is one of the most elusive and explosive fighters in the 205lb division. Since winning the title against Rashad Evans at UFC 98, Machida has split fights with Shogun Rua, the second of which cost him his title and his perfect record at UFC 113. Rua brutally knocked out “The Dragon” and sent Machida back into to wolf pack of contenders in the light heavyweight division. Machida can earn himself a spot back into title contention with a win of Rampage Jackson at UFC 123.

10. Rashad Evans (15-1)

“Sugar” may have had to wait longer than he would have liked, but he eventually got to face (and defeat) Rampage Jackson at UFC 114. Using a smart, yet, not exactly entertaining game plan, based on primarily clinch work, Evans beat his foe by unanimous decision and earned himself first dibs on champion Shogun Rua. Unfortunately, Evans will have to wait once again, as Rua is expected to be out until at least March with a knee injury.

9. Jon Fitch (23-3)

The most consistent fighter in the UFC, Jon Fitch has been one of the most unbeatable fighters in UFC history. Although, Fitch has often been criticized for lay and pray (i.e. laying on top of your opponent) he is nonetheless one of the top welterweights in the world. Sporting a 13-1 record in the UFC, with his one loss coming at the hands of champion Georges St. Pierre, Fitch has overcome virtually every challenge the UFC has thrown in front of him. Even with his lack of finishes, a win over Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126 will likely lock up another title shot for the AKA fighter.

8. Jake Shields (26-4)

Going on a fifteen-fight win streak is never easy, but when you face the level of competition Jake Shields has, it’s incredible. With wins over top guys like Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Paul Daley, Dan Henderson, and Martin Kampmann on his resume, Shields is the owner of one of the most impressive runs in MMA history, especially since all but one of these fights has come outside of the UFC. Shields is now awaiting the winner of the St. Pierre-Koscheck title bout at UFC 124.

7. Dominick Cruz (16-1)

The current WEC bantamweight champion, Cruz is a win away from holding that same title, but with a bit more prestige. Cruz opened his WEC career at featherweight losing in his debut to then champion Urijah Faber. He then shed the extra ten pounds and moved to the 135lb weight class where he is undefeated and has beaten top contenders Brian Bowles and Joseph Benavidez (twice). Cruz will look to hold on to his belt at the final WEC event on December 16^th and become the first ever UFC bantamweight champion.

6. Cain Velasquez (9-0)

Cain Velasquez may have made the UFC marketing department collectively cringe as he knocked out Brock Lesnar and won the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 121. While he may not have the same drawing power as the former WWE superstar, Velasquez is probably the most well rounded fighter in the heavyweight division and even though he is in a weight class full of behemoths, he could hold on to the title for a long time at only 28 years old. Next up for Velasquez is knockout artist and Nogueira trained Junior dos Santos.

5. Mauricio Shogun Rua (19-4)

After a rocky start to his UFC career, Shogun is finally doing what was expected of him when he first signed with the promotion. After losing his debut against Forrest Griffin and winning an abysmal fight against Mark Coleman, Rua came back strong and defeated former champion Chuck Liddell to earn himself a title shot against Lyoto Machida. While many said that Rua didn’t deserve the opportunity to fight Machida, Shogun came out and fought a brilliant fight but lost a decision that many thought he should have won. The fight was so close that Dana White ordered an immediate rematch that Shogun won by a first round knockout. Rua will fight Rashad Evans in early 2011, possibly at UFC 128 in Abu Dhabi.

4. Frankie Edgar (13-1)

Always the underdog, Frankie Edgar is a fighter of the year candidate after beating former Pound for Pound great BJ Penn twice in less than a year. Edgar showed off his boxing skills and was even able to take Penn down a few times during their second fight, proving that he belongs at the top of the 155lb weight class. The Toms River, New Jersey native is now getting ready to try and avenge the only loss of his career, when he defends his title against Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on New Years Day. 

3. Jose Aldo (18-1)

One of the most devastating strikers in the world, Jose Aldo has dismantled the featherweight division. Currently riding a 11 fight win streak, including 8 straight in the WEC, Aldo has beaten every notable featherweight the organization has to offer, including former champions Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. Known for his deadly combinations and overwhelming leg kicks, Aldo enters the UFC as the featherweight champion and will defend his title against Josh Grispi in  the UFC 125 co-main event.

2. Anderson Silva (27-4)

Normally the most dominant fighter in MMA, Silva has looked human in his last few bouts. After a bizarre performance against Demian Maia at UFC 112, where Silva danced more than he fought and looked to be hurt by a punch in the fourth round, Silva was thoroughly crushed by Chael Sonnen for 23 minutes before pulling a triangle out of nowhere and holding on to his belt. Even tough his last few fights have been underwhelming, Silva is still one of the best in the world and will have the opportunity to prove it when he faces Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

1. Georges St. Pierre (20-2)

One of the true ambassadors of the sport, St. Pierre has become one of the most recognizable fighters in the UFC. Easily the most well rounded fighter in the game, St. Pierre has cleaned out the welterweight division, having beaten every fighter the notable UFC has to offer. If he wins a rematch with Josh Koscheck and then possibly a fight with Jake Shields, “Rush” will have to strongly consider moving up to middleweight to find challenges, ultimately leading to a super-fight with number two on this list, Anderson Silva. St. Pierre has stated that his goal is to go down as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and he is well on his way there.