UFC 137 Results: Top 25 Pound-for-Pound Fighters in MMA

Tim McTiernanOct 30, 2011

On Saturday night, there was one top 25 pound-for-pound fighter in action—BJ Penn—and one who was looking to make his way onto to the list in Nick Diaz.

After three rounds, both fighters left the cage battered, bloody and beaten, but Diaz left with his hand raised and he did it impressively.

He was able to beat Penn decisively, and in the process, he earned his shot at the welterweight title, held by Georges St-Pierre.

With the loss, is Penn still on the list? What about Diaz, how high is he ranked?

Lets take a look at the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA.

No. 25: Urijah Faber

1 of 25

Age: 32

Weight Class: bantamweight

Record: 25-5

Last Fight: Unanimous decision loss to Dominick Cruz at UFC 132

Next Fight: Brian Bowles at UFC 139

Urijah Faber is the former WEC featherweight champion but is 0-3 in his past three title fights, including his loss of the title and losing while challenging for two more.

Faber was last seen dropping a competitive unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz at UFC 132.

His next fight will be a No. 1 contender match with former bantamweight champ Brian Bowles at UFC 139.

No. 24: Chad Mendes

2 of 25

Age: 26

Weight Class: featherweight

Record: 11-0

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Rani Yahya at UFC 133

Next Fight: TBA

Chad Mendes is the No. 2 featherweight in the world, and his 11-0 record will back that up.

Mendes has wins over Erik Koch, Rani Yahya, Michihiro Omigawa and Cub Swanson. That's not a bad resume.

Mendes is next in line for a title shot, so expect to see him against champion Jose Aldo sometime soon.

No. 23: Joseph Benavidez

3 of 25

Age: 27

Weight Class: bantamweight

Record: 15-2

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Eddie Wineland at UFC on Versus 5

Next Fight: TBA

Little guys gettin' some love!

Joseph Benavidez is recognized as the No. 2 bantamweight in the world, as his only two losses have come to the current champion in the division, Dominick Cruz.

Benavidez' last fight saw him win a unanimous decision over the former champ, Eddie Wineland, at UFC on Versus 5.

Benavidez will likely be looking for a No. 1 contender match, and because he won't fight Urijah Faber because they are teammates, he will likely have to wait.

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No. 22: Alistair Overeem

4 of 25

Age: 31

Weight Class: heavyweight

Record: 34-11 [1 NC]

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum

Next Fight: Brock Lesnar at UFC 141

We all know of the recent saga of the issues with Overeem.

He wouldn't be able to fight in September, so he was pulled from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. He then signed on to fight someone in October at a Golden Glory event.

Then, he was released by Strikeforce, and now, he's fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. What a year for Overeem.

If he defeats Lesnar, he is going to get a shot at the heavyweight title.

No. 21: Dan Henderson

5 of 25

Age: 41

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 27-8

Last Fight: TKO victory over Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Next Fight: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139

"Dangerous" Dan Henderson is the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and No. 21 on the list.

Henderson won the belt by a TKO of Rafael Cavalcante in the third round of their title fight.

In Henderson's last fight, he got Fedor Emelianenko by TKO in the first round, and with that, officially etched his name in with the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

No. 20: Gilbert Melendez

6 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: lightweight

Record: 19-2

Last Fight: TKO victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley

Next Fight: Jorge Masdival at Strikeforce 37

Gilbert Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, and according to some, 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's title.

He will now be taking on Jorge Masdival on Dec. 17.

No. 19: Ben Henderson

7 of 25

Age: 27

Weight Class: lightweight

Record: 14-2

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller at UFC on Versus 5

Next Fight: Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 1

Ben Henderson is the real deal.

At UFC on Versus 5, Henderson was able to easily handle the man who many considered the top contender to the lightweight title after Gray Maynard.

With that win, Henderson moved himself into contender position, and he will now take on Clay Guida in what is likely a No. 1 contender match.

No. 18: Clay Guida

8 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: lightweight

Record: 29-8

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Anthony Pettis at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

Next Fight: Ben Henderson at UFC on Fox 1

Coming into 2011, who would have thought that Clay Guida would possibly be one win away from a title shot?

Well, that's where he finds himself now, because when he defeated the No. 1 contender, Anthony Pettis, at The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale, Guida proved to everyone that he is a gatekeeper no more.

Guida gets a chance to become the No. 1 contender when he takes on Ben Henderson at UFC on Fox 1.

No. 17: Lyoto Machida

9 of 25

Age: 33

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 17-2

Last Fight: KO victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129

Next Fight: Jon Jones at UFC 140

Lyoto Machida is a former light heavyweight champion, and he wants that belt back.

Machida was last seen knocking out Randy Couture in highlight-reel fashion with a front kick.

Machida was going to step in and fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but he ended up screwing himself over when he asked for Anderson Silva money.

However, in the long run, it worked out, as Machida now gets the next title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 140.

No. 16: Gray Maynard

10 of 25

Age: 32

Weight Class: lightweight

Record: 10-1-1 [1 NC]

Last Fight: TKO loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 136

Next Fight: TBA

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, Frankie Edgar, and in their rematch, they fought to a split draw, and in the third fight of the trilogy, Maynard lost to Edgar in the fourth round via TKO.

Maynard will look to rebound and start his climb back up the ladder, hopefully when someone else is champion, as Dana White said a fourth fight between Edgar and Maynard will not happen.

No. 15: Brock Lesnar

11 of 25

Age: 34

Weight Class: heavyweight

Record: 5-2

Last Fight: TKO loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121

Next Fight: Alistair Overeem at UFC 141

The former UFC heavyweight champion is next.

Brock Lesnar was last seen getting embarrassed at the hands of Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, where he showed his poor striking defense yet again.

Lesnar ended up coaching on the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter against Junior dos Santos, but was then forced to pull out of the fight due to a recurrence of diverticulitis.

Lesnar will now headline UFC 141 when he stands opposite the cage from the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem.

No. 14: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

12 of 25

Age: 33

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 32-9

Last Fight: Submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 135

Next Fight: TBA

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was finished by Jon Jones in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke.

Jackson may have been finished in the Octagon for the first time in his career, but against Jones, he looked better than many expected.

Rampage may have had the best performance against Jones out of anyone thus far, and that's quite a statement.

Rampage is looking to fight at UFC Japan in February, but we'll see if that ends up happening.

No. 13: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

13 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 20-5

Last Fight: KO victory against Forrest Griffin at UFC 134

Next Fight: Dan Henderson at UFC 139

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua could still be a dominant fighter in the UFC and his knockout of Forrest Griffin proved that.

Shogun is now 4-3 in his UFC career, and according to Dana White, he is only one win away from a second shot at the light heavyweight title.

He is now in a likely No. 1 contender match against Dan Henderson at UFC 139.

No. 12: Chael Sonnen

14 of 25

Age: 34

Weight Class: middleweight

Record: 26-11-1

Last Fight: Submission victory over Brian Stann at UFC 136

Next Fight: TBA

Chael Sonnen comes in at No. 12 on the list, and it's about time he moved up.

After being out for 14 months, Sonnen came back and submitted Brian Stann in the second round of their fight.

Not only did Sonnen submit Stann, but he did it while easily controlling Stann on the ground and was never in any danger.

Sonnen made a huge statement in his post-fight interview too, as he called out Anderson Silva and issued a huge challenge.

Sonnen wins, Silva leaves the division; Silva wins, Sonnen leaves the UFC.

No. 11: Rashad Evans

15 of 25

Age: 31

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 16-1-1

Last Fight: TKO victory over Tito Ortiz at UFC 133

Next Fight: TBA

Rashad Evans is the former light heavyweight champion and is probably the unluckiest fighter on the entire UFC roster.

He beat Rampage Jackson for the No. 1 contender 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 Jon Jones. He was going to fight Phil Davis, but after injuries caused some changes, he agreed to take on Tito Ortiz, who he defeated by a second-round TKO.

Then Evans got injured and wouldn't be ready in time to take the fight against Jones.

Who knows when this fight will ever happen?

No. 10: Jon Fitch

16 of 25

Age: 33

Weight Class: welterweight

Record: 23-3-1 [1 NC]

Last Fight: Majority draw against BJ Penn at UFC 127

Next Fight: Johny Hendricks at UFC 141

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.

Unfortunately for Fitch, he got stuck with a fringe top-20 welterweight for his next fight as he takes on Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.

No. 9: Nick Diaz

17 of 25

Age: 28

Weight Class: welterweight

Record: 26-7 [1 NC]

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over BJ Penn at UFC 137

Next Fight: Georges St-Pierre at TBA

Honestly, who expected Nick Diaz to handle BJ Penn as easily as he did?

Diaz laid a three-round smackdown on Penn, and afterwards, Diaz took the microphone and called out GSP, who was in attendance.

After doing that, GSP was livid and he "flipped out," and Diaz will now get the next title shot against St-Pierre, and it will likely take place on Super Bowl weekend.

No. 8: Junior dos Santos

18 of 25

Age: 26

Weight Class: heavyweight

Record: 13-1

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Shane Carwin at UFC 131

Next Fight: Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1

Junior dos Santos is the man. He seems like the first person to take a fight, risk losing a title shot and still earn the shot.

Dos Santos spent 15 minutes beating down Shane Carwin and kept his shot at the title.

The Brazilian now gets the title shot against Cain Velasquez in the UFC's debut on network television on Nov. 12 at UFC on Fox 1.

No. 7: Cain Velasquez

19 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: heavyweight

Record: 9-0

Last Fight: TKO victory over Brock Lesnar at UFC 121

Next Fight: Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 1

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 also has insane striking, which could help him keep up with a guy like Junior dos Santos, and he is a strong wrestler in his own regard.

But if there's anyone who can stop him, it's dos Santos.

No. 6: Jon Jones

20 of 25

Age: 24

Weight Class: light heavyweight

Record: 14-1

Last Fight: Submission victory over Rampage Jackson at UFC 135

Next Fight: Lyoto Machida at UFC 140

Jon Jones is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and has all the tools to become one of the greatest of all time.

He has certainly taken his first step after defeating Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 by submission.

Jones can take the next step to MMA greatness if he is able to defeat Lyoto Machida in his next fight at UFC 140.

No. 5: Dominick Cruz

21 of 25

Age: 25

Weight Class: bantamweight

Record: 19-1

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus 6

Next Fight: TBA

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, which he has since avenged.

In his last fight, he was able to defeat another top contender, as he won all five rounds (on two judges scorecards) and defeated Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision.

No. 4: Jose Aldo

22 of 25

Age: 24

Weight Class: featherweight

Record: 20-1

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 136

Next Fight: TBA

Yes, that's right. I have Jose Aldo as the No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter.

Aldo's last two fights have been unanimous decisions and not over the level of competition that the others above him have faced.

Aldo is one of the most explosive fighters in MMA, but you wouldn't know it from watching his last two fights.

In the fight against Florian, many expected a brutal knockout from Aldo, but Florian hung around and gave Aldo a good fight.

Aldo's next fight is likely to be against Chad Mendes.

No. 3: Frankie Edgar

23 of 25

Age: 29

Weight Class: lightweight

Record: 14-1-1

Last Fight: TKO victory over Gray Maynard at UFC 136

Next Fight: TBA

Yes, Jose Aldo at No. 4 puts Frankie Edgar as the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA today.

Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion and a great young fighter.

Dana White summed it up very well at the post-fight press conference, when he said that Edgar was a 145-pounder who was winning at 155.

That's the definition of pound for pound.

Edgar is now one of the best.

No. 2: Georges St-Pierre

24 of 25

Age: 30

Weight Class: welterweight

Record: 22-2

Last Fight: Unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129

Next Fight: Nick Diaz at TBA

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 one another—this question 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 set to be against Nick Diaz, and this one will hopefully end in a finish—one way or another.