MMA Pound-for-Pound Top 10
1. Georges St-Pierre
With Fedor Emelianenko suffering his first career defeat, the Canadian sensation tops the pound-for-pound list in this month's rankings. A well-rounded master gameplanner, St-Pierre has practically cleaned out the 170-pound division. If he defeats Josh Koscheck in their rematch, a showdown with prospective signee Jake Shields could be the stiffest test of St-Pierre's career.
2. Anderson Silva
Despite several highly criticized performances, "The Spider" remains unbeaten in his last 12 fights. The sharpest striker in the sport will work diligently on his submission game under trainer Sylvio Behring in order to prepare for his UFC 117 clash with Chael Sonnen, one of the division's most talented pure wrestlers.
3. Mauricio Rua
The former Pride grand prix winner's resurgence culminated with a first-round knockout of Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. However, Rua will be sidelined until March 2011 due to a nagging knee injury that will require surgery. Upon his return, Rua will likely be matched up against top contender Rashad Evans.
4. B.J. Penn
Arguably the most talented fighter on this list in terms of pure skill, Penn dropped several spots after a controversial decision loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112. Rightfully weary of leaving their UFC 118 rematch in the hands of judges, "The Prodigy" needs to be aggressive and well-conditioned. If he decisively dispatches Edgar, a permanent move to 170 pounds is still a possibility.
5. Fedor Emelianenko
After his shocking submission setback against Fabricio Werdum, many pundits were quick to drop "The Last Emperor" from their pound-for-pound list altogether. But Emelianenko's track record speaks for itself. Being caught only once in 35 pro bouts is still an impressive feat for Emelianenko, who is likely to rebound like a true champion. After all, Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Mauricio Rua don't call him the best fighter on the planet for the sake of being polite.
6. Jose Aldo
The 23-year-old WEC featherweight champion is 7-0 since joining the Zuffa-owned promotion. After dismantling Urijah Faber and Mike Thomas Brown, Aldo skyrocketed up the rankings with seemingly no challenges left at 145 pounds. The Nova Uniao and Team Black House member awaits Manny Gamburyan in his next bout at WEC 51 in September.
7. Jake Shields
Now officially a free agent, Shields is expected to announce a deal with the UFC in the coming weeks. Coming off recent triumphs over Dan Henderson, Jason Miller and Robbie Lawler, Shields will make an immediate impact. It remains to be seen whether the Cesar Gracie-trained grappler opts to continue fighting at middleweight or drops back down to 170 pounds.
8. Lyoto Machida
"The Machida era" was short-lived, but the Brazilian karate guru remains a viable title contender. Machida's manager Ed Soares recently announced that he was ready to make a return against top competition. Despite the Machida camp targeting an interim title bout against Rashad Evans, Machida should work his way back to the top by fighting the likes of Quinton Jackson, Jon Jones and Rich Franklin.
9. Frankie Edgar
Edgar defends his lightweight championship against B.J. Penn at UFC 118. The 28-year-old New Jersey native will need to be at the top of his game to once again emerge victorious against one of the sport's all-time greats. However, Edgar should not be discounted based on his past career successes against the likes of Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin and Jim Miller.
10. Gilbert Melendez
With a resume that includes wins over Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Josh Thomson, the Strikeforce lightweight champion could be one of MMA's most overlooked fighters. After impressively avenging his only career losses, it remains to be seen what Strikeforce has in store for "El Nino," although recent signees Vitor Ribeiro and Gesias Cavalcante could be worthwhile title challengers.
