MMA Pound-for-Pound Top 10
1. Georges St-Pierre
The 29-year-old UFC welterweight champion is the only fighter delivering consistently dominant performances in the octagon. St-Pierre takes on American Kickboxing Academy product Josh Koscheck in a rematch at UFC 124 on Dec. 11 in Montreal, Canada. While Koscheck is as dangerous as they come, St-Pierre should have a clear advantage wherever the fight goes.
2. Anderson Silva
Although his fight against Chael Sonnen was the subject of more criticism than praise, the feared Brazilian pulled off a sensational submission in the fifth round to retain his crown. A rematch with Sonnen is next for the masterful striker, and there is no reason to doubt Silva can pull it off yet again. Unlike St-Pierre, however, "The Spider" possesses a clear weakness in his wrestling game, while the Canadian is proving to be as well-rounded as they come.
3. Mauricio Rua
Following knee surgery, Rua has been sidelined for a lengthy period and isn't expected back until mid-2011. In his last fight, he delivered one of the most impressive performances of his career, knocking out the highly touted Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. Now back in top form, Rua's next challenge will come in the form of American wrestler Rashad Evans.
4. Fedor Emelianenko
All the best fighters get caught at least once and "The Last Emperor" proved that when he was submitted by BJJ champion Fabricio Werdum this past June. The true test lies in how Emelianenko bounces back from defeat. The Russian wants to complete his Strikeforce contract by taking on Werdum in a rematch next year, although he is also in talks to compete on New Year's Eve in Japan with Josh Barnett as a possible opponent.
5. Jose Aldo
The WEC featherweight champion is running out of quality opponents and a potential move to lightweight is a real possibility next year. Before he gets too far ahead of himself, Aldo must successfully defend his title against Armenian judo specialist Manny Gamburyan at WEC 51 later this month.
6. Frankie Edgar
Edgar silenced his critics with a near-perfect effort against B.J. Penn at UFC 118. With back-to-back victories over the respected Hawaiian and past wins over Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin and Jim Miller, Edgar continues to maximize his potential. Edgar can avenge his lone career defeat in his next title defense against Gray Maynard, which is a fight that could give him problems stylistically. After all, the 5'6" New Jersey native is one of the lightweight division's smallest combatants.
7. Lyoto Machida
The Machida era was cut short as "The Dragon" suffered a stunning first-round knockout at the hands of Mauricio Rua this past May. The karate master can bounce back into title contention when he faces another former champion in Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 123 this November.
8. Jake Shields
A top contender at both welterweight and middleweight, Shields is readying for his UFC debut in a 170-pound clash with Danish fighter Martin Kampmann next month. Having already proven himself in other promotions by dispatching the likes of Dan Henderson, Shields could be just one win away from a shot at the welterweight title.
9. B.J. Penn
In terms of potential, Penn could very well be No. 1 on this list. However, Penn's questionable work ethic has led to successive setbacks in the octagon. The former two-division champion has vowed to return to action as soon as possible. In order to reclaim his aura as one of the greatest fighters in the world, Penn would be well advised to return to his roots by joining a legitimate gym such as Nova Uniao or the American Kickboxing Academy. His own camp in Hawaii just isn't cutting it anymore.
10. Gilbert Melendez
With the unpredictability of the UFC's lightweight division, Melendez is quietly making his case as the sport's premier 155-pound competitor. The Strikeforce torchbearer has avenged his only two losses and recently dominated Shinya Aoki. Melendez's next opponent remains a mystery, although a co-promotion with Bellator to make a fight with Eddie Alvarez would be the best possible challenge.
