After a big win at UFC 101, Anderson Silva has moved up the mixed martial arts pound-for-pound rankings. But is he now the No. 1 fighter in the world? Not in my rankings, which are below.
Top 10 Pound for Pound Fighters in MMA
1. Fedor Emelianenko: I'm sticking with Fedor, based on his incredible consistency and his ability to finish opponents quickly. But to stay at the top, he needs to fight high-quality opposition regularly. We'll see whether he does now that he has spurned the UFC's offer to sign with Strikeforce.
2. Anderson Silva: His ability to move up a weight class and dominate a bigger opponent has Silva hot on Fedor's heels. One more win could be enough to vault him to the top.
3. Georges St. Pierre: He's dominating his own weight class, but he falls behind Silva because Silva can dominate two weight classes.
4. Lyoto Machida: The fight I really want to see is Machida vs. Silva. I'll settle for Machida vs. Shogun Rua at UFC 104, though.
5. B.J. Penn: When he's in shape, he simply dominates the lightweight division. Kenny Florian couldn't keep up with him, and I don't think Diego Sanchez will be able to, either.
6. Mike Brown: With Miguel Torres going down, Brown is now the best fighter in the WEC.
7. Rampage Jackson: Rampage has won eight of his last nine (and I think he deserved to win the decision against Forrest Griffin) and consistently takes on Top 10 opponents. Rampage is such a colorful character that I sometimes think people overlook his talent as a fighter.
8. Brian Bowles: Bowles' shocking upset of Miguel Torres was perhaps the single most impressive performance of the year in MMA.
9. Rashad Evans: His fight with Rampage Jackson in December will be the next time MMA fans get to see two Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the cage together.
10. Miguel Torres: After having his 17-fight winning streak snapped, Torres has a big challenge ahead of him, with a rematch against Takeya Mizugaki possibly on the horizon. He says he's looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know by telling me on my MMA Twitter page, starting with @MichaelDavSmith.
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