UFC 136 Results: Power Ranking the 10 Best Fighters at 155 or Lower
On Saturday night, three of the top 10 pound for pound best fighters were in action. All three of them were 155 pounds or less.
The lightweight division has had some of the greatest fighters in the history of the game.
Fighters such as BJ Penn, Jens Pulver and now Frankie Edgar have all graced the lightweight division.
Now with the addition of the WEC, we get the opportunity to see fighters such as Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber get the publicity that they deserve.
With this massive new influx of talent, who are the best fighters under 155 pounds?
No. 10: Gilbert Melendez
1 of 10Gilbert Melendez kicks off this list at No. 10.
And please, before you go "oh he's so much better than that" just hold it right there.
Melendez may have the talent to be higher on this list, but he hasn't beaten anyone that makes him worthy of being higher on the list.
No. 9: Chad Mendes
2 of 10Chad Mendes is the current No. 1 contender to the UFC featherweight championship, and he likely would have fought for it on Saturday night if not for an injury.
Mendes is undefeated in his career, at 11-0, and he uses his outstanding wrestling to stifle his opponents.
He is most likely going to fight Jose Aldo next.
No. 8: Urijah Faber
3 of 10The former WEC featherweight champ comes in at No. 8 on this list, and the fact that he's so low should go to show how good the little guys really are.
Faber hasn't been all that consistent as of late, having gone 4-4 in his past eight, but his losses were to some top competition.
In fact, two of those losses are to guys higher than him on this list.
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No. 7: Joseph Benavidez
4 of 10Joseph Benavidez, or Joe-B-Wan Kenobi, is the consensus No. 2 bantamweight fighter in the world today.
Benavidez is 15-2, and his only career losses have come to the champion, Dominick Cruz.
Benavidez' next fight is likely to be for a top contender position, or it could be in the flyweight division, depending on when the division is added.
No. 6: Ben Henderson
5 of 10Ben Henderson is the former WEC lightweight champion, and a current top five lightweight in the world.
Unfortunately for Henderson, he lost the WEC title in its last event, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Anthony Pettis.
Since then, he has earned unanimous decision victories over Mark Bocek and former top contender, Jim Miller.
He is now in a No. 1 contender match against Clay Guida.
No. 5: Clay Guida
6 of 10Who would have thought that Clay Guida would be considered a top five lightweight coming into this year?
Guida was known as a gatekeeper for the majority of his career, but he finally seems to have it all together, as he has rattled off four straight wins, including one over former top contender, Anthony Pettis.
Guida is now taking on Ben Henderson at UFC on Fox 1, and should Guida win, he'll get a long awaited title shot.
No. 4: Gray Maynard
7 of 10Yes, Gray Maynard did lose to Frankie Edgar via TKO on Saturday night.
However, Maynard fought to a draw with Edgar prior to that, and he has proven himself to be an elite lightweight.
Unfortunately, now that he has already fought Edgar three times, he is unlikely to get another shot at him and could become the Jon Fitch of the lightweight division.
All roads to the title may go through him.
No. 3: Dominick Cruz
8 of 10Dominick Cruz is the current UFC bantamweight champion, and arguably a top five pound for pound fighter in the world.
Cruz is 19-1 in his MMA career, and at UFC 132 he avenged his only career loss by defeating Urijah Faber by unanimous decision.
In the UFC, Cruz has two title defenses, and in the WEC he had two defenses of that title.
Cruz is certainly one of the best fighters around today.
No. 2: Jose Aldo
9 of 10Jose Aldo is the current UFC featherweight champion.
On Saturday night, Aldo defended his title against longtime UFC lightweight contender, Kenny Florian.
Aldo is heralded by many as a top three pound for pound fighter in the world, and he is certainly one of the best around.
His combination of speed and lethal striking makes him a threat to anyone at any time.
His next fight is likely to be against Chad Mendes.
No. 1: Frankie Edgar
10 of 10Frankie Edgar is the current lightweight champion, and according to Dana White, the No. 2 pound for pound fighter in the world.
Edgar is one of the smallest lightweights, and White always says that he could make featherweight, and should be at featherweight.
For the time being Edgar has no plans of that, as he defended his title on Saturday night by defeating Gray Maynard via fourth-round TKO.
Edgar is arguably the best fighter at 155 pounds or under in the world today.
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