Deciphering a Bomb: The Most Explosive Fighter In Each UFC Weight Class

The UFC is better than ever with seven divisions and an abundance of talent both large and small.  They've stacked their roster with loads of explosive fighters, notably those at bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight.  

On the first day of 2011, we may have seen the best fight that we'll see all year.  The main event lightweight title match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard was one for the ages.

Between the WEC finale show in 2010 last month and that fight last Saturday, (both for lightweight titles which will be unified) we've honestly seen two of the best title fights ever. Now, we anxiously wait for a Maynard-Edgar III bout, followed by Anthony Pettis versus the winner to unify the two titles.  

Across the UFC, there will be many more exciting fights in 2011 as this is the best UFC roster yet.

New guys from the WEC like Leonard Garcia, Benson Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Urijah Faber may now shine in the Pay Per View spotlight. This packed roster will only continue to grow with even more talented, exciting fighters.  

For now, here is the list for most explosive fighters in the UFC.  

Honorable Mentions

Frankie Edgar is lightning quick and has defeated B.J. Penn not once..but twice. He's established himself as the top lightweight in the sport and is coming off of a recent draw with Gray Maynard. A third match with Maynard is in his future then a potential unification bout with Anthony Pettis somewhere down the line. Pettis and Edgar are two of the most exciting guys at 155 and in the entire sport.  

Edgar can run around for 25 minutes nonstop and still have something left in him. By outrunning/out-hustling Penn, he became champion then later retained the title against Penn.  

Leonard Garcia had the Match of the Year with "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung in 2010. Their bout was a nothing less than a war for 15 minutes and we wish it could've went on longer. Garcia is now back in the UFC and after a debatable decision victory over Nam Phan and will need to prove himself.

Garcia is explosive and exciting. He never stops throwing and is a solid veteran fighter.  He's another nice addition for the UFC in this merger. 

Junior Dos Santos will get his shot once Cain Velasquez is healthy. Though there's currently no timetable for Velasquez's return, Dos Santos is the clear No. 1 contender. JDS battled Roy Nelson for three rounds in a top-notch fight at UFC 117.   

"Cigano" is almost a mirror image of Velasquez which makes their title match even more interesting.  

Bantamweight: Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez is like a little ball of dynamite. Despite Dominick Cruz holding the belt currently, Benavidez is the most must-see fighter at 135. Despite a close, split-decision loss to Cruz in 2010, Benavidez remains a top title contender.

Overall, 2010 was an impressive year for Benavidez. He defeated Miguel Angel Torres in March via guillotine choke at WEC 47. 

Benavidez is so exciting to watch and often explodes on his opponent in a flash. Most of his wins have come by way of submission which makes him a duel-threat, though he doesn't possess KO power at 135. Then again, who at bantamweight truly does?  

Benavidez has all the tools to continue to succeed under the UFC tag. Expect him to hold the bantamweight title at some point in 2011 or 2012.   

Featherweight: Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo is the most explosive fighter in the world hands down. There's no more competition for him at featherweight and a move to lighweight is imminent. At 155, Aldo would face better competition. It may actually be competition for the young Brazilian because at the moment no one poses a threat to his title.

Aldo benefits greatly off of the move to the UFC as he now will receive even deeper world-class exposure. It already appears clearly obvious that the UFC wants to market and showcase Aldo as a top guy. This is smart business because that's exactly what he is.

The possibilities for Aldo at 155 would be endless.  

Potential bouts with Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, B.J. Penn, etc. are all appealing.  

There's no particular way to game-plan for a fighter of Aldo's caliber. He's just 145 pounds but so are all of his opponents and he has every advantage while he's in the cage. Aldo is so explosive that it's not even fair to his opponents.  

Lightweight: Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis is, as his nickname implies, "Showtime" in every which way. In his most recent win over Benson Henderson, Pettis took the WEC Lightweight Title in the WEC finale show. Now, he awaits a shot to unify the two belts against either Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard.

One thing's for sure, Pettis can put on an exciting fight with anyone in the world. A bout between Pettis and Edgar to unify the belts would be epic—an instant classic.

"Showtime" burst onto the scene on WEC but now will take on the UFC's very best at 155 pounds. His kick off of the cage against Henderson was definitely something out of Mortal Kombat and all of his fights are highlight reel worthy. That move in particular even got the attention of ESPN. It's already being called the "MMA Strike of the Century" just two weeks later.  

Everything that Pettis does looks like it comes out of some sort of video game.   

Welterweight: Georges St-Pierre

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

TORONTO - FEBRUARY 5: Ultimate Fighter Georges St-Pierre attends the Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Florida Panthers during a fight during their NHL game at the Air Canada Centre February 5, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo By Dave Sandford

Georges St-Pierre reminded the world just how good he can be in his latest win. In that fight last month, he swelled Josh Koscheck's eye shut with his left hand—this proved that GSP is lethal both on the ground and in the stand-up game as well.

Against Kos, he was able to stand for a majority of the fight and still be dominant. Koscheck was never really in the fight and learned that he should have kept his mouth shut on The Ultimate Fighter 12. Though it was all pre-match nonsense, the French-Canadian showed that he was the professional and settled his business in the octagon. Also, his team of fighters from the show performed much better.

GSP's become the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Recently, he's turned in one dominant performance after another in the UFC.  He needs a new, fresh challenge. Is Anderson Silva in his future? Or, will he remain at welterweight for now?  Only time will tell.   

Middleweight: Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva is the deadliest striker in MMA history. When he's in the octagon, he finds so many ways to defeat an opponent and we've seen this time and time again from this great champion.  

Just about all of Silva's knockouts are highlight reel worthy. He can strike with the best of them and his punches and kicks are vicious. But it's really his Muay Thai clinch that has catapulted him to the top of the MMA world.

Silva pulled off a world-class triangle armbar submission in his last fight against Chael Sonnen. This was very impressive as Silva is historically not a submission specialist. This showed that he's always able to add weapons to his arsenal and find ways to win.

Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones

Jon Jones is an amazingly rare physical specimen. His 84' reach is insane and has to be impossible to prepare for.

Maybe a wrestler could score a decisive victory against Jones, and well, his next opponent, Ryan Bader is indeed a natural wrestler.  

"Bones" Jones is only 23 and has incredible potential in the UFC. With a win against Bader, he will earn himself a title shot. From that point, there is no telling where his career may go.

Jones is like an avatar, literally. His limbs are so long that he has all the tools needed to overpower an opponent. Jones' shot at the title is coming very soon.

His quickness is marvelous and can't be matched by anyone in the UFC at 205.   

Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS - JULY 11: Brock Lesnar reacts after knocking out Frank Mir during their heavyweight title bout during UFC 100 on July 11, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Brock Lesnar is still the most explosive heavyweight in the UFC. Although he's now been exposed a couple of times, he is still scary good with his striking and incredibly quick for a 265-pounder. That's what makes him so hard to prepare against, not to mention that his wrestling is among the best in the sport.

Some are speculating that his recent fight against Cain Velasquez could be his last in the UFC. They are expecting that he will return to Vince McMahon's WWE, but there's no telling what Lesnar will do at this point but he's certainly been a huge draw in the UFC.  

If Lesnar were able to work on his glass chin, he'd be unbeatable. He can't take punches as well as people thought and his heart doesn't seem to be in it anymore.  

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