
UFC 130 Results: Top 25 Pound for Pound Fighters in MMA
UFC 130 is now in the books, and it was about as exciting as everyone thought it would be.
It did have some good moments, such as Brian Stann's knockout over Jorge Santiago and Travis Browne's knockout over Stefan Struve.
Aside from that, there were some relatively boring decisions throughout the card.
But there was one top 25 fighter in action in Rampage Jackson.
After winning a unanimous decision over Matt Hamill, where does he stand now?
Read on to find out.
25. Alistair Overeem
1 of 26
Age: 31
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Record: 34-11 [1 NC]
Last Fight: KO win over Todd Duffee at Dynamite!! 2010
Next Fight: Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion kicks off this list at No. 25.
Many will argue that he has not faced a quality opponent in years, but it cannot be argued that he has defeated everyone who's been put in front of him.
Overeem gets a definite quality opponent on June 18 when he takes on The Fedor Slayer, Fabricio Werdum.
24. Fabricio Werdum
2 of 26
Age: 33
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Record: 14-4-1
Last Fight: Submission victory over Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
Next Fight: Alistair Overeem at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum
And here is the Fedor Slayer himself.
I give Werdum the nod over Overeem because he already holds a victory over him and because he was the first person to legitimately defeat Fedor.
The Overeem-Werdum rematch happens on June 18 as part of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
23. Ronaldo Souza
3 of 26
Age: 31
Weight Class: Middleweight
Record: 14-2 [1 NC]
Last Fight: Submission victory over Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg
Next Fight: -
Next up is the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Ronaldo Souza.
Souza has some of the best jiu-jitsu in MMA, and he has used it to win 11 of his 14 fights.
In his last fight, Robbie Lawler rocked him once or twice, but he was still able to submit him in the third round with a rear naked choke.
22. Chael Sonnen
4 of 26
Age: 34
Weight Class: Middleweight
Record: 25-11-1
Last Fight: Submission loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117
Next Fight: -
Chael Sonnen comes in at No. 22 on the list, and if not for his poor submission defense (and long list of legal troubles), he could be much much higher.
Fans will know Sonnen for dominating Anderson Silva for the better part of five rounds before getting caught in a submission and losing in the fight for the middleweight title.
Here's hoping Sonnen gets back soon.
21. Shinya Aoki
5 of 26
Age: 28
Weight Class: Lightweight
Record: 28-5 [1 NC]
Last Fight: Submission victory over Rich Clementi at DREAM 17
Next Fight: -
Shinya Aoki is the current DREAM Lightweight Champion and has earned that belt with his slick jiu-jitsu.
Aoki fights at lightweight, but he is very tall at 5'11'', and he uses that to his advantage.
He is known as the "master of flying submissions" and has won 18 fights with submissions.
20. Dan Henderson
6 of 26
Age: 40
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 27-8
Last Fight: TKO victory over Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson
Next Fight: Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson
"Dangerous" Dan Henderson is the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and No. 20 on the list.
Henderson won the belt by TKOing Rafael Cavalcante in the third round of their title fight.
Henderson's next fight will be a non-title, catchweight fight against the legend, Fedor Emelianenko.
19. BJ Penn
7 of 26
Age: 32
Weight Class: Formerly lightweight; Currently welterweight
Record: 16-7-2
Last Fight: Majority draw against Jon Fitch at UFC 127
Next Fight: -
BJ Penn is next up at No. 19.
Penn is the former UFC lightweight and former UFC welterweight champion and is quite possibly the most dominant lightweight in MMA history.
Penn's last fight ended in a draw with Jon Fitch, but look for him to come back gunning for a title shot.
18. Brock Lesnar
8 of 26
Age: 33
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Record: 5-2
Last Fight: TKO loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121
Next Fight: -
The former UFC heavyweight champion is next.
Brock Lesnar was last seen getting embarrassed at the hands of Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, where his poor striking defense was shown again.
Lesnar ended up coaching on The Ultimate Fighter season 13 against Junior dos Santos, but was then forced to pull out of the fight due to a recurrence of diverticulitis.
Let's hope for a speedy recovery so we can see him back in the cage.
17. Rampage Jackson
9 of 26
Age: 32
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 32-8
Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Matt Hamill at UFC 130
Next Fight: -
Rampage Jackson is working his way back towards a title shot, even if he didn't look all that impressive last night.
Jackson hurt Matt Hamill a few times, but couldn't get the finish, although a hand injury probably had something to do with that.
Depending on the severity of the injury, Jackson may or may not get the next title shot against Jon Jones.
16. Junior Dos Santos
10 of 26
Age: 26
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Record: 12-1
Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Roy Nelson at UFC 117
Next Fight: Shane Carwin at UFC 131
Junior dos Santos got screwed out of a title shot.
After he beat Roy Nelson at UFC 117, he was supposed to get the winner of the Lesnar-Velasquez tilt.
But alas, Velasquez got injured, and JDS got to coach TUF.
Now, after Lesnar had to pull out due to illness, dos Santos will fight Shane Carwin for a No. 1 contender's spot.
15. Shogun Rua
11 of 26
Age: 29
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 19-5
Last Fight: TKO loss to Jon Jones at UFC 128
Next Fight: Forrest Griffin at UFC 134
Shogun Rua could still be a dominant fighter in the UFC.
In his last fight, he lost the LHW belt to Jon Jones via third round TKO.
Shogun is only 3-3 in his UFC career, but I still think he has what it takes to make another run at the title; after all, he is only 29 years old.
In his next fight, Shogun gets a chance to avenge a loss he suffered in his UFC debut when he takes on Forrest Griffin at home in Brazil.
14. Nick Diaz
12 of 26
Age: 27
Weight Class: Welterweight
Record: 25-7 [1 NC]
Last Fight: TKO win over Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Next Fight: -
The Strikeforce welterweight champion is next on this list, and if he had better competition, he could be higher.
Diaz was originally going to take a boxing match against former IBF Champion Jeff Lacy, but after a meeting with Dana White, he decided to stick with MMA.
Perhaps the fight against GSP may not be totally out the window after all.
13. Rashad Evans
13 of 26
Age: 31
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 15-1-1
Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Rampage Jackson at UFC 114
Next Fight: Phil Davis at UFC 133
Rashad Evans is the former LHW champion and is probably the unluckiest fighter on the entire UFC roster.
He beat Rampage Jackson for the No. 1 contender's spot and decided to wait for the title shot.
Once it was all set, he got hurt and lost his chance.
Then the timetable was off for a shot against Jones, so now he's going to fight Phil Davis.
We all want to see the Jones-Evans grudge match, so let's hope it can happen at some point in the future.
12. Lyoto Machida
14 of 26
Age: 32
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 17-2
Last Fight: KO win over Randy Couture at UFC 129
Next Fight: -
Lyoto Machida is another former LHW champion, and he may be next in line for a title shot based on the severity of Rampage's hand injury.
Machida was last seen knocking out Randy Couture in highlight reel fashion with a front jump kick or a flying jump front kick or a flying front kick or whatever you want to call it.
If Rampage is unable to fight Jones when Jones is ready, then Machida will probably get the nod.
11. Jake Shields
15 of 26
Age: 32
Weight Class: Welterweight
Record: 26-5-1
Last Fight: Unanimous decision loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129
Next Fight: -
Jake Shields is the former Strikeforce middleweight champion and a current UFC welterweight.
Shields may have lost to GSP, but he became the first person in almost four years to win a round from St-Pierre.
Shields may look to make another run at the welterweight belt, or he may try to move back up to middleweight and make a run there.
10. Jon Fitch
16 of 26
Age: 33
Weight Class: Welterweight
Record: 23-3-1 [1 NC]
Last Fight: Majority draw against BJ Penn at UFC 127
Next Fight: -
Jon Fitch is easily the second best welterweight in the world today.
Fitch's only loss in the UFC came to GSP, and he has been on a tear since then.
He has been lobbying for a second shot at GSP, and if he gets one more big win, it can no longer be denied by Dana White that he deserves it.
9. Gray Maynard
17 of 26
Age: 32
Weight Class: Lightweight
Record: 10-0-1 [1 NC]
Last Fight: Split draw against Frankie Edgar at UFC 125
Next Fight: -
Had the fight gods done this a little differently, Gray Maynard could have been the UFC lightweight champion.
Maynard holds a win over the current champ, and in their rematch, they fought to a split draw.
They were supposed to fight a third time this past Saturday, but Maynard and Edgar each suffered an injury that forced them to withdraw.
Look for the third fight between these two to happen as soon as possible; there's a lot of people who are in line after them.
8. Gilbert Melendez
18 of 26
Age: 29
Weight Class: Lightweight
Record: 19-2
Last Fight: TKO over Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley
Next Fight: -
Gilbert Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, and according to some sites, the No. 1 lightweight in the world.
I'm going to have to disagree with them, but I will call him the best fighter outside of the UFC.
Melendez was last seen beating Tatsuya Kawajiri in the first round of their fight for Melendez' title.
For Gilbert's sake, they really should combine UFC and Strikeforce, cause there's no real challenges left for Melendez.
7. Dominick Cruz
19 of 26
Age: 25
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Record: 17-1
Last Fight: Unanimous decision over Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis
Next Fight: Urijah Faber at UFC 132
Dominick Cruz is the former WEC bantamweight champion and the current UFC bantamweight champion.
Cruz is one of the best young fighters in the sport and has only one loss on his record.
He gets a chance to avenge that loss when he defends his title against Urijah Faber at UFC 132.
6. Frankie Edgar
20 of 26
Age: 29
Weight Class: Lightweight
Record: 13-1-1
Last Fight: Split draw against Gray Maynard at UFC 125
Next Fight: -
Frankie Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion and another great young fighter.
Edgar was last seen putting on one of the gutsiest performances in UFC history, when he was knocked down three times in the first round and was able to come back and fight to a draw with Gray Maynard.
Whenever the third fight between these two happens, it is sure to produce fireworks.
5. Cain Velasquez
21 of 26
Age: 28
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Record: 9-0
Last Fight: TKO win over Brock Lesnar at UFC 121
Next Fight: Winner of dos Santos/Carwin fight at UFC 137
Cain Velasquez is the current UFC heavyweight champion.
Velasquez is the complete package in the heavyweight division. He's a great wrestler who Brock Lesnar couldn't keep down. He has endless cardio, which is sure to help if he ever has to go all five rounds. He has insane striking, which could help him keep up with guys like dos Santos and Carwin.
There may be no one to challenge Velasquez for quite awhile.
4. Jon Jones
22 of 26
Age: 23
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 13-1
Last Fight: TKO win over Shogun Rua at UFC 128
Next Fight: -
Jon Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and has all the tools to become one of the greatest of all time.
Jones' last fight saw him outclass a legend, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and win the light heavyweight belt and become the youngest UFC champion of all time.
Jones' next fight will probably be against either Lyoto Machida or Rampage Jackson.
3. Jose Aldo
23 of 26
Age: 24
Weight Class: Featherweight
Record: 19-1
Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Mark Hominick at UFC 129
Next Fight: -
Jose Aldo is one of the most explosive fighters in MMA, but you wouldn't know it from watching his last fight.
In his last fight, he looked slow, and just unlike himself. It was later revealed that Aldo was sick and on antibiotics prior to the fight.
Look for Aldo's next fight (possibly against Kenny Florian if he beats Diego Nunes) to showcase what an explosive fighter Aldo really is.
2. Georges St-Pierre
24 of 26
Age: 30
Weight Class: Welterweight
Record: 22-2
Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129
Next Fight: -
Ah yes. Let the debate begin. Who really is No. 1? Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva?
Until one of them loses, or they fight, this is going to be a question that cannot be answered.
Georges St-Pierre is the current welterweight champion and was last seen winning a unanimous decision over Jake Shields at the largest MMA event in North American history.
His next fight is still up in the air, but maybe it will finally produce a finish from GSP.
1. Anderson Silva
25 of 26
Age: 36
Weight Class: Middleweight
Record: 28-4
Last Fight: KO win over Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
Next Fight: Yushin Okami at UFC 134
Anderson Silva is the current UFC middleweight champion, and Silva gets the nod as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Silva's last fight saw him knock out a fantastic striker, Vitor Belfort, with a front kick and punches.
Silva's next fight is going to be against the last man to defeat him (albeit by disqualification) Yushin Okami.
Thanks for Reading!
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I'm sure there's plenty of people who have their own opinions on the top pound-for-pound fighters.
Agree with me? Disagree?
Let me know in the comments.
In the meantime, every slideshow needs a little Brittney.
Thanks for reading.







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