Before we start, here's a brief disclaimer:
These rankings are based on a plethora of factors: win-loss record, method of victory, competition the fighter is facing, and the push given to them by the UFC matchmakers. I try to picture each weight class in the same way that Joe Silva or Dana White would, which means I factor in marketability and other things that rankings typically don't account for. These are completely different than skill-only rankings.
They are wholly my opinion and should be treated as such. Champions are given top billing because they are champions and regarded as the best in their division by the company, regardless of the skills or overall record. If a weight class has an interim champion, that fighter will assume the second position, with everyone else following.
These fighter rankings are published on Inside Fights and my Houston Chronicle UFC blog.
HEAVYWEIGHT (206-265)
1. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera (Interim Champion)
2. Brock Lesnar (Champion)
3. Randy Couture
4. Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Frank Mir
6. Shane Carwin
7. Cain Velasquez
8. Junior De Los Santos
9. Cheick Kongo
10. Heath Herring
NOTES
This division easily sees the biggest movement of the month, as Brock Lesnar defeats Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight championship in only his fourth professional fight. I typically give champions automatic billing over interim champions, but this is a special case.
There is no doubt that Brock Lesnar is a special talent and perhaps the most athletic heavyweight of all time and in roughly a year, he's going to be impossible to beat. His win over Randy Couture would certainly elevate him to the top in normal circumstances. I cannot rank him over Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, however, but thankfully we won't have to wait too long to see those two guys fight.
And yes, I'm already looking past the Frank Mir fight, as I cannot see any way that Mir will beat Minotauro... Gabriel Gonzaga leaps over Frank Mir by virtue of his dominating win over Josh Hendricks. Gonzaga is clearly a contender again and could very well face the winner of the title tournament in 2009, especially if Couture drops to light heavyweight as many expect him to do.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Fights against both Lesnar and Noguiera would be highly anticipated...Fabricio Werdum drops from these rankings due to being cut from the company... Heath Herring moves back into the top ten, mostly by virtue of there being no other viable options. His dominating loss to Lesnar in August looks significantly better for him after Lesnar's defeat of Couture.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (186-205)
1. Forrest Griffin (Champion)
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Rashad Evans
5. Anderson Silva
6. Wanderlei Silva
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Keith Jardine
9. Mauricio Rua
10. Thiago Silva
NOTES
Zero movement in this division, but once again it's the calm before the storm, as two major light heavyweight fights headline The Ultimate 2008 card in December: Forrest Griffin defends his title against Rashad Evans, and Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson will square off for the third time. Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin will fight in January, and Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell will face off in February, so this division could be turned upside down before the mid-point of 2009.
MIDDLEWEIGHT (171-185)
1. Anderson Silva (Champion)
2. Dan Henderson
3. Michael Bisping
4. Yushin Okami
5. Demian Maia
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Thales Leites
10. Martin Kampmann
NOTES
Demian Maia creates the most movement in the division with his stellar and dominating submission victory over Nate Quarry at UFC 91. Maia, who remains undefeated in MMA competition, revealed at the post-show press conference that he'd like to fight Anderson Silva next, but Dana White quickly put the kibosh on that one. There is a good chance that Maia could end up fighting Okami or even Michael Bisping next, and a victory over either of those guys would surely grant him a middleweight title shot.
WELTERWEIGHT (156-170)
1. Georges St. Pierre (Champion)
2. Thiago Alves
3. Jon Fitch
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Matt Serra
6. Matt Hughes
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Marcus Davis
9. Karo Parisyan
10.Dustin Hazelett
NOTES
Dustin Hazelett enters the top ten with his submission victory over Tamdan McRory. Hazelett has improved by leaps and bounds in every single fight he's had, and he's considered one of the top welterweight prospects in the company.
LIGHTWEIGHT (146-155)
1. BJ Penn (Champion)
2. Kenny Florian
3. Sean Sherk
4. Tyson Griffin
5. Roger Huerta
6. Clay Guida
7. Nate Diaz
8. Joe Stevenson
9. Frankie Edgar
10.Spencer Fisher
NOTES
Kenny Florian is certainly the indisputed number one contender for BJ Penn's lightweight title at this point. He disposed of Joe Stevenson in stunningly easy fashion, and he'll likely wait until May for his next fight...Joe Stevenson drops to 8th after his loss, with Clay Guida and Nate Diaz jumping over him in the rankings.
POUND FOR POUND
1. Anderson Silva (Middleweight Champion)
2. Georges St. Pierre (Welterweight Champion)
3. BJ Penn (Lightweight Champion)
4. Forrest Griffin (Light Heavyweight Champion)
5. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera (Interim Heavyweight Champion)
6. Quinton Jackson
7. Lyoto Machida
8. Thiago Alves
9. Kenny Florian
10. Brock Lesnar (Heavyweight Champion)
NOTES: Brock Lesnar knocks Randy Couture out of the rankings and enters at the ten spot. I debated considerably before putting Lesnar here because of the stir I know it will create, but I felt like a dominating win over Randy Couture (previously ranked No. 5) simply HAD to count for something.
Jeremy Botter is the editor-in-chief of Inside Fights, a blog title covering the world of mixed martial arts and boxing. He serves on the rankings committee for the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts.
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about 1 month ago
Jeremy, glad to see you post your rankings on here. And congrats on getting the nod to serve on the WAMMA- that's huge and you deserve it. Since I tend to agree with most of what you write (at least in the end after you out logic me) I find it more enjoyable to debate you on the finer points of your rankings and get stellar analysis out of you.
HW- I agree with your logic on having Nog over Brock for now. And your right we dont have to wait too long. You have Gonzaga at No. 4 and say in your analysis "he is clearly a contender again and could very well face the winner of the title tournament in 2009." It would make sense for Couture, now that he is staying in the HW division, to fight either Gonzaga, or Mir if he loses.
However the UFC seems to be pitting Couture agaisnt Liddell, who you at No. 7 in the LHW division. The winner looks to be the No. 1 contender to the HW champion. Is PPV buys & marketing enough for Liddell to leapfrog Gonzaga and Mir, both of whom are top 5 heavyweights by your own volition?
LHW- I cant argue with most of this. Although I thin Silva is just a little too high in the rankings. Also we have debated this in the last- I think Rich Franklin needs a home here. Ironically the WAMMA rankings have Franklin ranked No. 8 and they dont even have Shogun Rua ranked who have at ranked at No. 9. They both have one fight at LHW- Franklin beat Hammill while Shogun lost to Forrest.
Franklin is a legend in the UFC while Shogun was a legend in Pride. I also think Franklin is more marketable then Rua which is a big part of your rankings. Franklin was marketable enough to secure a fight with Henderson and get top billing at UFC 93, with Shogun fighting Mark Coleman and getting 2nd billing.
Those are all the thoughts I will leave for now. Great overall rankings-
from about 1 month ago
Honestly, I probably have a bias towards Rich Franklin over something that happened a few years back. I asked him a question he didn't like regarding his first loss to Anderson Silva, he responded in a way that sucked, and the end result was that he became one of my least favorite fighters. I know this is totally wrong and I shouldn't let that bias creep in when doing rankings, but that's probably what it is. He's in my WAMMA rankings.
Shogun: he's here based on past reputation alone. This is one case where the past record outweighs what he's done in the cage. He's been far too good for far too long for one fight against Forrest Griffin to drop him from being the best light heavyweight in the world to being out of the top ten, especially when you consider that he was injured going into the fight and hadn't been able to train very much.
Regarding Couture/Liddell, these rankings were compiled before that story came out. And yes, absolutely, PPV buys and drawing power are enough to put Chuck Liddell back in the title hunt with just one win, especially if it's over Couture and it's for the heavyweight title. I'll have more on it in my Friday column at insidefights.com, but this fight actually hasn't even been offered to Couture or Liddell. It's something that has been talked about internally, but neither fighter has been contacted about it. That's not to say it won't happen, just that everyone is going crazy over a fight that hasn't even been discussed with either fighter yet, and they certainly haven't broached the idea of Liddell moving to heavyweight yet.
about 1 month ago
Great article Jeremy, cool rankings and very realistic if you ask me.
I understand you putting Nogueira in 1st and Lesnar 2nd but I really think that the UFC consider Lesnar no 1. Other then that I agree.
I kinda scratch my head why you put Rashad Evans in 4, he is the number 1 contender for the title, he should be number 2. I also agree with Brian, Rich Franklin deserves to be in the top 10, probably at 7 or 8. I'm a huge Anderson Silva fan but him being at 5 is a little too high after only 1 fight at LHW against a fighter that isn't even a top 10 fighter.
Nothing to say about middleweight other then Dan Henderson doesn't deserve 2nd place.
Really happy you consider Dustin Hazelett in the top 10, I live the guy and hope he makes it big someday.
Cool list in LW and P4P agree with 99% of both lists great job Mr. Botter
from about 1 month ago
Evans is a tricky one. He's the number one contender for the championship, sure, but it's only by virtue of his win over Liddell. Outside of that KO, Evans has done very little to distinguish himself as a draw and as an exciting fighter. I try to factor in all of that stuff when doing these, which is why I have him slotted at 4th instead of 2nd. He might be the de facto top contender for the title, but I don't think he's in the league of Rampage or Lyoto as far as being the complete package. Machida is there simply based on fighting skill, because he's certainly not a draw.
Henderson is the top contender for Silva's title until someone steps up and takes it. I couldn't put Bisping over him, at least not until he beats a top name. Demian Maia is awesome and I think it's only a matter of time before he's the #1 contender, but not right now. Henderson lost to Silva, but outside of that he's been one of the best middleweights in the world.
Hazelett is very, very impressive, and I think he'll be a top contender within 16 months.
Thanks for the comment.
about 1 month ago
Good work Jeremy.
The only ones I don't totally agree with are:
A. Silva: He hasn't beaten anyone notable at 205, yet is ranked above many of them.
Matt Serra: He's ranked above Hughes and Diego? He got lucky against GSP which was proven in the rematch. I don't think he belongs in the top ten at all. The rest of his record doesn't warrant it.
Nate Diaz: Above Joe Stevenson? I might be the only one but I though Manny was handily winning the TUF finale when Gamburian hurt his shoulder giving the win to Diaz. I like his BJJ but he hasn't fought any of the guys you ranked him above.
Ok, I'm done now. I'm curious how you came to these conclusions as I respect your knowledge and analysis. Likely there's something I missed, am wrong about or didn't know so I'd like to learn more.
from about 1 month ago
Jeff, these rankings are an attempt to paint a picture of how the UFC might be looking at its weight classes. Traditional rankings are done based on skill and record, but that isn't how the UFC books its fights. They factor in drawing power and how much money they can make off an individual fighter, and they book accordingly. So in an effort to be different, that's what I try to do with these rankings.
I guess my formula would probably be 40% skill/recent record, 40% drawing power/"push", and 20% the ability to have an exciting fight. I may be off on this, but I think that would be an accurate way to judge how Zuffa books fights.
So Anderson Silva has only beaten James Irvin at 205, but he's being pushed as the best pound for pound fighter in the world and will likely only be matched up with big names from the division from this point forward. I can't put a guy like that very low in the top ten, at least not by this system. In the WAMMA rankings I submitted, Silva isn't ranked in the top ten, but for the Total Rankings, he's there.
They're jarring, I know, and it takes some getting used to. I'm just trying to do something different than everyone else who does rankings.
from about 1 month ago
Good enough, It does make sense when I use the "formula".
I guess these guys should start creating some (fake) bad blood with each other and come to blows at the announcements like tyson did to really create a buzz and raise their "drawing power/push" AND their "ability to have an exciting fight" rankings since thats 60% of Zuffas factoring. White won't be much better than King at this rate.
Thanks for the quick reply.
from about 1 month ago
The reason they book with this stuff in mind is simple: it draws the most money. And in the end, that's what the entire point of their business is, to try and make the most money they possibly can. It's the thing that makes them so successful, but it's also the thing that makes people draw comparisons between the UFC product and professional wrestling. They're really not that far apart, for better or worse.
from about 1 month ago
I'll admit I like seeing the big fights and as long as they don't become scripted or fixed I'll be interested.
from about 1 month ago
Same here, Jeff.
about 1 month ago
All I can say is it appears that you sure know what your talking about. Overall, great job, 5 stars.
BTW, seeing Brock on a P4P list is intriguing.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the compliment and the comment, Jeff.
Yeah, Brock on the P4P list was a tough decision. I struggled with it, but in the end I realized that using the system I'm using with this set of rankings, there's no way he couldn't be in the top ten. He's the biggest PPV draw in the company and he just TKO'd the guy I had at #5 in the P4P ranks, so I felt like those two things combined should probably be enough to add him to the list. If it were just fighting skill and recent/overall record, there's no way he touches the top 20 even just in the UFC. But since I'm factoring in the other stuff, it puts him way up on the list.
about 1 month ago
Good read, Jeremy,
I'd be interested to read your complete MMA fighters rankings.
from about 1 month ago
Here's the rankings I submitted to WAMMA this month. We also rank 145 and 135, but I didn't submit them this month because I joined the team after the deadline.
HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Josh Barnett
6. Randy Couture
7. Tim Sylvia
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Junior do Santos
10. Frank Mir
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Forrest Griffin
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Rashad Evans
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Anderson Silva
7. Chuck Liddell
8. Thiago Silva
9. Luiz Cane
10. Rich Franklin
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Yushin Okami
4. Robbie Lawler
5. Demian Maia
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Gegard Mousasi
8. Michael Bisping
9. Kazuo Misaki
10. Thales Leites
WELTERWEIGHT
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Thiago Alves
3. Jon Fitch
4. Jake Shields
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Matt Hughes
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Matt Serra
9. Carlos Condit
10. Dustin Hazelett
LIGHTWEIGHT
1. BJ Penn
2. Kenny Florian
3. Shinya Aoki
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Sean Sherk
6. Joachim Hansen
7. Gesis Calvancante
8. Takanori Gomi
9. Nathan Diaz
10. Tatsuya Kawajiri
about 1 month ago
Makes sense to me, Jeremy, especially since the Champs got the automatic first place.
I understand your reasoning behind placing Brock at #3. Other than Big Nog and Fedor, I wouldn't bet against Brock vs. anybody!
I'm glad you threw in Hanson and kept Barnett in the top five. And Florian as the # 2 lightweight sounds about right to me.
Thanks!
about 1 month ago
Good article. I could disagree on several little things all over the place... but it's mostly opinion. I'll just address one thing ... how in the world is Serra #5? I think that's a bit ridiculous.
P.S. Kampmann is moving down to 170.
from about 1 month ago
I know many disagree with me about Serra. I just think that factoring in all the things I do in these rankings, he ends up higher than he would if you went on straight skill and record alone.
I know Kampmann is moving to 170, but he hasn't fought there yet. I try to rank guys in the last division they fought in until they actually move, unless it's a champion and he's fighting in two weight classes.
about 1 month ago
Wow. I liked seeing your WAMMA rankings- surprised yall make them public. I am sure we could spend a a lot of time debating the nuances but for now I was curious your thoughts on Gerard Mousasi who you have ranked 7th in the MW division (I would personally have him higher). I had heard rumors of a fight with Vitor Belfort in Affliction. He has also talked about starting a boxing career, moving up to LHW, and of course he is currently the DREAM MW champ. It also looks like he is fighting in the 2009 ADCC championships. What do you see next for this talented young fighter, who is only 23 years old and already has 27 MMA fights?!
from about 1 month ago
I typically won't be making my WAMMA rankings public, but this month mine were turned in after the cut-off date, so they didn't count. From this point forward I won't be able to make them public.
Mousasi is great and I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
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