MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Clarifacation on ProElite-CBS deal

Earlier this week MMAPayout.com referenced a report from The Hollywood Reporter that stated "CBS and ProElite will jointly sell advertising," under the terms of this agreement. Based on this report, and speculation inside the industry, MMAPayout.com concluded that ProElite would be "on the hook for selling half the commercial inventory of its CBS events."

Today a representative of ProElite told MMAPayout.com that while the companies will be selling the advertising jointly, ProElite is not responsible for any unsold inventory.

 

[Shogun Locc]

BET's 'Iron Ring' Debuts on March 18th
The trailer for BET's new reality show starring celebrity-owned fight teams (Ludacris, Nelly, Floyd Mayweather, T.I., Lil Jon and Dipset) competing in an urban-style UFC/mixed martial arts fight tournament:
Video link:
http://www.zilo.com/ironringfighting/teaser.flv

 

[RED HEAD STEVE]

Wand shocked about Pele

Support for friends. That is how Wanderlei Silva titled his latest post to fans on his official blog. “This week I received two pieces of very sad news, regarding the injuries of two good friends of mine: [Mauricio] Shogun and [Jose] Pele. I saw the video of Pele’s injury and was very worried, as the break seems to be very big, I wish him the best at this time. As a fighter I admire him a lot. Even though his recent results have not been good he is one of the toughest guys I’ve seen in MMA. Good luck to Pele, don’t give up! Never!” wrote the fighter, who has a fight scheduled against Keith Jardine. If he wins, the UFC’s head men want to promote a revenge match between Silva and Chuck Liddell this year, in December.

Wand also spoke of Shogun’s injury, on the same knee brother Ninja recently operated: “As for Shogun, I was very bothered by this injury, I think his desire to win was such that he his knee ligament could not withstand the pressure. Now it is time to do what needs to be done and enjoy your family, and you wish to visit your friend in Las Vegas, I’m waiting! I’m certain you would have destroyed Liddell, I know that more than anyone! Don’t worry more than you need to, it doesn’t help, these things take time… I know you are one of the top guys in the category and will show that soon, I admire you a lot, I know what you are capable of. Good luck.”

I THINK CHUCK WOULD HAVE WHOOPED SHOGUN RUA.

 

[Shogun Locc]

I THINK CHUCK WOULD HAVE WHOOPED SHOGUN RUA.

I don't think Chuck would have beat Shogun

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Pele' Recovering After Serious Injury

After suffering one of the most shocking injuries in combat sports at TKO 32, Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons is on his way to a full recovery.

The Brazilian kicked Brian Gassaway (Pictures) in their Feb. 28 bout and broke clean through his own right tibia and fibula. Surgery last Saturday morning at Montreal General Hospital was deemed a success, according to Landi-Jons' manager and trainer Bill Mahood (Pictures).

"They placed, actually, a titanium pin down the middle of his tibia, and the surgery was very successful," Mahood said. "The orthopedic surgeon feels that the leg will heal probably stronger than it was before. Pele is quite encouraged to the fact that now he has a titanium plate in the middle of his leg and he'll probably be able to kick harder."

Landi-Jons will be back to full training in a shorter time than most expected -- truly remarkable considering the grim nature of his injury.

"Recovery wise, we're looking at probably two weeks to walk on the leg and probably two and a half months before he's back to light training and then three, three and a half months before he's back to full training," Mahood said.

Difficult as it may be to see a teammate and training partner fall, it certainly hasn't had ill effect on those at the Revolution Fight team.

"Pele's already been hobbling around the gym, you know, in good spirits and encouraging everyone else to train hard and get on to good fights," Mahood said. "I think in that respect, everyone is just simply back to business. Unfortunately you hate to see something like that happen to one of your teammates, but it did and we're all back to business."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nelson, Hendricks Featured on ‘Inside MMA'

video link: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1482
Join hosts Bas Rutten (Pictures) and Kenny Rice as they discuss the latest mixed martial arts news from UFC 82: Pride of a Champion, HDNet Fights Presents: The 2008 IFL season opener and more.

This week's Inside MMA, featured exclusively on the Internet via Sherdog.com, includes IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson (Pictures), two-time NCAA wrestling champion and undefeated MMA fighter Johny Hendricks, and "Mask" from the reality series TapouT.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Turn it up a notch: MMAmania.com exclusive interview with Mark Coleman

I just got off the phone with former UFC heavyweight champion and the most recent inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, Mark Coleman.

What can you say about that?

Talking to Coleman is like talking to a salty sailor. Not only does he swear like one, but he’s got some amazing stories. Some are about the fish that got away. But others are about the 13-foot marlin mounted on the wall.

And even though he’s a former NCAA National Champion wrestler, former Olympian, first-ever UFC Heavyweight Champion, and first-ever PRIDE Grand Prix Champion, Coleman remains surprisingly humble.

They don’t make two of this guy. If they made a movie about him, Mark Coleman would be played by fucking Mark Coleman. That’s what I’m talking about.

Coleman and I have talked several times over the past few weeks, but usually off the record. The guy doesn’t do many interviews — he’s done two in the past year and a half, he says, and this is one of them.

Let’s get to it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Your announcement at UFC 82 that you are NOT retiring, of course, didn’t surprise me because we had talked a few weeks before that. You’re now set to face Brock Lesnar on August 9. Did you ask for this fight specifically?

Mark Coleman: I can’t say specifically, but I just made it clear to the UFC: Anybody. I was heading down to 205, actually. I’ve been on a real strict diet. I told them I’ll take on anybody — 205 or heavyweight. This is the one that made sense.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Sure, with two national wrestling champions against one another, it should be a good match. So after this fight, do you plan on dropping down to 205, or are you just going to see what happens?

Mark Coleman: I really hope to hell I’m not dropping down to 205, because that would mean I would have lost the fight with Brock. If I beat Brock, then of course I’m moving on to another heavyweight. I’ve been in this sport a long time, I don’t even want to talk about potentially losing. I don’t want to talk about the next fight. Let’s put it this way, if I’m at 205 the next fight, it’s not a good sign. I was heading that way just in case. I didn’t find out about this fight until Thursday night (February 28). I didn’t need any time to give them an answer.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Before joining the UFC, Lesnar reportedly was walking around at 295, but of course he has to make the 265 limit. Knowing Lesnar’s sheer size, how do you plan to prepare for the fight?

Mark Coleman: Are you asking if I’m gonna try to gain some weight?

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well, sure, but also just to deal with his weight.

Mark Coleman: I didn’t anticipate this match-up and just found out about it myself. In my mind, I thought I was possibly going to be fighting at 205 my next fight. So yeah, I am a little light. I’m probably walking around at 225. But there’s no sense in me trying to add a bunch of weight, because it’d be useless weight. I’ve been real strict on my diet to weigh 225, but I’ll probably come in around 230.

But you’re right, how am I going to deal with this guy’s size and strength? I said back in ’96 and was one of the first guys to say that, in this sport, size does matter. So it is an important factor. I’m going to have to hopefully overcome it with my experience and my quickness. In other words, I don’t want to take this guy on straight forward. I’m going to get a lot of input from other people to help me prepare for this fight. And I’m looking at it like I need to improve in all areas.

I’ve got five months — almost half a year. I have to improve my game in all areas. And I have to most definitely come in in incredible cardio shape so that I can move. I don’t want to take this guy on straight forward and have to stand still with him. Because, like I said, size is an advantage, and as wrestlers, both Brock and I know that. But I’ll find a way to overcome that, there’s other ways to beat size, as Frank Mir showed ya.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Sure, in that fight, Mir showed that Lesnar was still a novice when it comes to submission defense, which is understandable given his newness to the sport. Do you plan to exploit this at all, his submission defense, or lack thereof?

Mark Coleman: Well I don’t want to give your readers too big of a laugh and try to say I’m gonna fucking try to submit Brock Lesnar. I don’t anticipate that happening. That’s his weakness, and we all know that jiu-jitsu and submissions are not exactly my strength. I do plan on working in that area quite a bit in the next five months, but no, I don’t plan on submitting him.

I am gonna get a lot of people’s input on this. I’m going to go to a real training camp for once, and let somebody coach me. There’s many reasons why I haven’t done that in the past. But truth is, my game’s not where I want it to be right now. Still, you can’t look back and do things differently, you can’t change the past. But I got five months, and I plan on doing it right for the next five months. I’ve done pretty well doing things my way, but people have offered me their assistance — experts in the MMA field — and I’m gonna take advantage of it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Seeing as how your last fight in the UFC was at UFC 18 in 1999, do you think this puts you at a disadvantage or should the rookie Lesnar be worried about his own lack of experience?

Mark Coleman: Well I have to hope that experience is the one thing that’s on my side. In the last question, you asked how I’m going to deal with his size and strength. Well, that’s one of the answers. I have to give myself the advantage in the experience area. That’s a good thing, because if Brock’s had 10 years of experience … well. I highly respect Brock, and I said after his fight with Mir that he’s an incredibly dangerous fighter. When he does eventually get that experience, I look for him to do very well. But for now, that’s the one reason I think I can beat this guy — because of my experience. I’ve been doing this … 12, 15 years now.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You will be fighting Lesnar in his home state of Minnesota. Does that work to his advantage or are you not concerned about that?

Mark Coleman: Well it can work to his advantage, but it can work against him as well. There’s gonna be a lot of pressure on Brock Lesnar in front of his hometown fans. Some people can handle it, some people just thrive on it, but other people can crumble under that pressure. So I really don’t know. We’ll find out that night.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I read somewhere that you signed a four-fight contract with the UFC. Is that right?

Mark Coleman: Yeah. It’s a four-fight deal.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): With wins over some of MMA’s biggest names, from fellow UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, what is your all-time favorite fight that you’ve been a part of?

Mark Coleman: It’s very close, but the Don Frye fight at UFC 10 was very, very special. Coming from a wrestling background to all of a sudden being on pay-per-view and winning that thing. And also, I was 31, but I was still 21 in my mind. Plus, I was getting a pay check for doing something that I just absolutely love and enjoy. It was just a perfect night for me.

When I grew up as a kid, I grew up wanting to be a middle linebacker or a tailback in the NFL, or a Major League Baseball player. But that’s because I didn’t have nobody to watch doing mixed martial arts, doing the Ultimate Fighting Championship. If I would have seen that as a kid, that’s what I would have wanted to do, for sure.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The Don Frye fight was an exciting fight, I actually watched it recently.

Mark Coleman: And it was the first, you know. But they were all great. UFC 10 was my best moment, but the PRIDE Grand Prix was very special because I had been so counted out. I needed that one. My career had been counted out as being over, and to be able to make a comeback like that was a good feeling. It took me a long time and a lot of bucks just to get back in this baby.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): After discussing your fight with Lesnar, Dana White was asked about how he feels about Fedor Emelianenko. White said he thinks Fedor doesn’t deserve to be in the Top 5 Heavyweights in the world. He said Fedor’s last “real” fight was in 2005 against Mirko Cro Cop, and that Fedor “hasn’t fought anyone since.” Considering you fought Fedor since that time, do you have any comment on White’s description of Fedor?

Mark Coleman: Well, Dana White says what he wants, when he wants. I have no problem with his opinion. The bottom line is, Fedor hasn’t fought that much at all in the last couple years. No doubt about it, Dana is correct there. And I definitely wasn’t at my best when I fought Fedor as well. So, it doesn’t bother me. That’ll motivate me as a matter of fact. Hearing something like that just motivates me.

I definitely have to come back against Brock Lesnar a much better fighter than I was against Fedor. And I plan on having a much better training camp. Let’s hope and pray that I can avoid any serious injuries, because when you train hard, you take risks.

When I did win all these other fights back in the day, when I did win my wrestling matches, it was because I paid my dues, I busted my butt, I took a lot of risks in practice. You’re only as good as how hard you train and how smart you train. You gotta be willing to take risks in practice to be great in a fight. And there’s been a lot of times in the past that I haven’t been able to do that for one reason or another — lack of notice for a fight, etc.

I’ve done a lot of training on short notice, so I’ve trained a lot against machines, running against the hill and stuff like that. But the only way to really get better is by going against another man, if not two different men, if not three different men. It’s called shark bate. I gotta go back and get shark bated and take the risk of getting injured. If I don’t train 100 percent for Brock then I don’t stand a chance. But if I do train 100 percent, I still have to be smart, because at my age, the injuries just don’t heal up. So I gotta train harder and smarter than I did in the past.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you lined up anybody specifically for your training camp, or are you still in the process of doing that?

Mark Coleman: No, I’m still in the process. Right now I have five months, which I’ve never in my life had five months. That was the best thing about getting this call. With my most recent fights, I would get a call and it’s an opponent like a Fedor, a Cro Cop, a Nogueira. In all those fights, it was short notice. I’m not blaming the organization, I should have stayed in shape year round. But personally — I’m not speaking for all fighters — but I personally have a tough time shifting gears, turning it up a notch, if I don’t have a contract signed. It’s distracting. You don’t even necessarily need to know your opponent, just finding out I got a fight in five months would have kicked my ass in gear.

But in the past, I had a lot shorter notice, which makes it hard to train. On the one hand, the organization’s counting on you to step in that ring, but on the other hand, you can’t be going out and getting suplexed in practice when you got a fight in 25, 30 days.

I just had two guys in practice yesterday — two guys in one of the first times they went at it. I saw the potential for injury happening, and sure enough 15 minutes into practice, one of them … I’m praying to God, we don’t know how bad it is, but a possible knee blown out, in practice. So you gotta train hard, but you gotta make sure the other guy’s on the same page. You gotta train smart.

But like I said, whenever I’ve done good it’s because I’ve taken a lot of chances in practice and turned it up a notch. You have to be a little lucky in this sport, and I was lucky enough to get through some good camps in the past and not get injured. I have to be able to avoid the injuries, but like I said, if I train (for Lesnar) like I did against Fedor, well then I’ll get my ass whooped. But I don’t plan to train like I did against Fedor.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I gotta ask, in watching tape of your celebration following the first ever PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix, when you bounced off the ropes, do you still get a laugh?

Mark Coleman: I don’t laugh too easy. I’ve seen it enough times when I don’t really laugh. It amazes me how many people do get a kick outta that, so I have no problem with it. I guess it’s funny to me. You gotta be remembered for something. If I wasn’t known for something, then I wouldn’t have got this offer, so it don’t really matter I guess.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Mark, as an NCAA National Champion wrestler, former Olympian, first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion, and first ever PRIDE Grand Prix Champion, I think you’re known for a hell of a lot more than that. You’ve had an amazing career, and as a fan of you and as a Bucks fan, I’m looking forward to seeing you back in the Octagon.

Mark Coleman: Oh, are you a Bucks fan?

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Hell yeah, I’m from the Dayton area originally.

Mark Coleman: Well good. Go Bucks.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Thanks again, Mark. Really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. Anyone you want to thank before we wrap this up?
Mark Coleman: No problem. Thanks. I’d like to of course thank my beautiful kids and all the MMA fans out there. I’d also like to plug my sponsors MMA Authentics and Cage Fighter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Update on Xyience vs. Bergeron lawsuit (3/8)


Even though Xyience’s legal team (the third different team appointed since the company filed suit against Rich Bergeron) got their time extension granted (making the next hearing in the case on 4/3 — two days after Xyience heads to bankruptcy auction for sale), Clark County court records show that Mr. Bergeron filed several motions this past Monday (3/3).

Amongst the filings that Mr. Bergeron filed in court: A motion to strike Adam Frank’s affidavit as perjured testimony and a motion to strike an order on Xyience’s ex-parte motion for an extension. The first filing is 15 pages long and the second filing is 13 pages long.

Meanwhile, some interesting Zuffa-related court news. On Monday at 9 AM, there will be a hearing regarding a lawsuit filed by Steven M. Spector against Zuffa LLC. Zuffa is trying to get the case dismissed against them. In addition, there is a second court case involving Zuffa LLC that is going to a jury trial on June 30th at 9:30 AM (pre-trial hearing is set for 6/26 at 10:30 AM). This is a lawsuit filed by an individual named Jed Leist and Matt Hughes is named as a primary defendant. The case number is 07-A-538523. The attorney for Hughes in the case is Mark Gentile.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Chuck Liddell On Keith Jardine: "I’m going to ask for a fight against him."

Chuck Liddell lost a decision to Keith Jardine at UFC 76 and has been clamoring for a rematch ever since.
"I’d consider a rematch with him - that’s one of the things I really want to do," Liddell told The Sun.

“I want to get back and settle that, I was off that night, I wasn’t quite me at UFC 76.

Liddell went on to all but guarantee Jardine a title shot if he gets the belt back.

“I don’t know if he’s someone who can get into title contention - we’ll see what happens. When I get the title back I’m going to ask for a fight against him. I’m going to give him a shot at it.”

First Liddell will have to get past the undefeated Rashad Evans; who has agreed to face Liddell and serve as a replacement for the injured Shogun Rua at UFC 85 on June 7.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tito Ortiz Wants You To Participate In His Next Reality Show On G4

Settle The Score: UFC Style! A New TV show starring Tito Ortiz and set to air on G4 is looking for people interested in settling a problem inside The Octagon.
Do you have a beef with someone and tried everything to solve it but can't? Did your best friend steal your girl? Did your old roommate shaft you on your rent? Did you have a falling out with your best friend and have no way to solve it? We're also looking for competitive friends or friends with a problem they need to solve and the only way to do it is to fight it out!

UFC Champion Tito Ortiz is going to train you to battle out your problems in The Octagon!! We are looking for ALL SHAPES AND SIZES to walk into the ring and settle it once and for all.

$1000 to each person booked for the show.
To apply click:
http://www.gotcast.com/castings/Settle-The-Score/50416

 

[Shogun Locc]

Brad Morris vs. Cain Velasquez Added to UFC 83

Heavyweights Brad Morris (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Cain Velasquez will make their UFC debuts when they meet at next month's UFC 83 event.

The organization today announced the preliminary-card bout on UFC.com.

UFC 83 takes place April 19 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and features a main event between UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and interim welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

With the addition of the Morris vs. Velasquez bout, UFC 83 now features 10 official bouts -- and it could become 11 if a long-rumored bout between middleweights Ed Herman and Demian Maia is made official.

Morris is a veteran of King of the Cage and BodogFIGHT. The Australian has won eight of his past nine fights, which includes three submissions, three knockouts and two decisions. His only career losses were to Jim York (9-1) and the UFC's Soa Palelei (8-2).

Velasquez, meanwhile, has been a long-rumored UFC recruit who earned a contract after just two professional fights (both were won via knockout) with Strikeforce and BodogFIGHT. The Arizona State All-American wrestler trains with the American Kickboxing Academy and had been lauded by his teammates as a future contender.

 

[UCDgreek]

Wand shocked about Pele

Support for friends. That is how Wanderlei Silva titled his latest post to fans on his official blog. “This week I received two pieces of very sad news, regarding the injuries of two good friends of mine: [Mauricio] Shogun and [Jose] Pele. I saw the video of Pele’s injury and was very worried, as the break seems to be very big, I wish him the best at this time. As a fighter I admire him a lot. Even though his recent results have not been good he is one of the toughest guys I’ve seen in MMA. Good luck to Pele, don’t give up! Never!” wrote the fighter, who has a fight scheduled against Keith Jardine. If he wins, the UFC’s head men want to promote a revenge match between Silva and Chuck Liddell this year, in December.

Wand also spoke of Shogun’s injury, on the same knee brother Ninja recently operated: “As for Shogun, I was very bothered by this injury, I think his desire to win was such that he his knee ligament could not withstand the pressure. Now it is time to do what needs to be done and enjoy your family, and you wish to visit your friend in Las Vegas, I’m waiting! I’m certain you would have destroyed Liddell, I know that more than anyone! Don’t worry more than you need to, it doesn’t help, these things take time… I know you are one of the top guys in the category and will show that soon, I admire you a lot, I know what you are capable of. Good luck.”

speaking of wandy. i was in vegas last weekend and i saw him at Tryst. i thought i was seeing things at first but it was him. real nice guy talking to everyone who came up to him. just another reasont o respect the guy.

 

[Shogun Locc]

speaking of wandy. i was in vegas last weekend and i saw him at Tryst. i thought i was seeing things at first but it was him. real nice guy talking to everyone who came up to him. just another reasont o respect the guy.

yeah he is a class act with a warrior spirit.

 

[heyzel]

Melvin Guillard Posts Rage in the Cage Victory

by Dann Stupp [mmajunkie] on Mar 08, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Melvin Guillard (21-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC), the once-promising UFC lightweight who suffered embarrassing back-to-back defeats in the UFC, rebounded for a vital victory at Friday's Rage in the Cage 105 event.

Guillard posted a unanimous-decision victory over Eric Regan in the main event of the night's 10-fight event.

The show took place at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix,

 

[heyzel]

Couture confirms that he'll go back to the UFC!!!

On the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show Randy Couture stated that he would be willing to go back to the UFC if they sign, now free agent Fedor Emelianenko. Couture also stated that if he did go back to the UFC that it wouldn't be under his current contract. He said a new contract would have to be worked out. Couture has stated many times that Fedor is the only fight he wants. The current interim heavyweight champion is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Dana White has offered that fight to Couture on more than one occasion, but its not likely that Couture would take that fight considering his statements about only wanting to fight Fedor in the past.

 

[heyzel]

Y! Sports pound-for-pound Top 10

Y! Sports pound-for-pound Top 10
By Dave Doyle, Yahoo! Sports

Month in and month out, there are nine fighters you can almost guarantee will be ranked among the world’s top 10 pound-for-pound mixed martial arts.

By and large, the pundits agree that at this time Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Quinton Jackson, B.J. Penn, Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Urijah Faber, Dan Henderson and Randy Couture all deserve a place among elite, but disagree on where they should be placed.

The No. 10 spot, though, has been in flux. This month, Miguel Torres becomes the third fighter in four months to claim the final position in the Y! Sports Top 10. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua held it for two months. Rua was preceded by Gilbert Melendez.

Several others consistently knock on the door, but haven’t gotten in. Here’s a look at Torres, Rua and three combatants who haven’t cracked the top 10:

Torres: The newly crowned WEC bantamweight champion is officially 24-1, but others have pegged his real record as 33-1, including several fights against much larger men back in the days when it was hard for the 135-pound group to find quality opponents in their weight class. Torres’ national visibility should help lift the recognition of the bantamweight division in general.

Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto: Yamamoto has won 14 consecutive matches, including victories over Jeff Curran, Caol Uno, Genki Sudo and Rani Yahya. But he never fought in PRIDE or the UFC, which has hurt his visibility among North American voters.

Rua: Still one of the world’s best light heavyweights, the last impression most voters had of “Shogun” was his submission loss to Forrest Griffin in September. Five months later, Rua pulled out of his planned June match with Chuck Liddell because of a knee injury, which will keep him out of the spotlight longer.

Gesias “JZ Calvan” Calvancante: A fighter with a legitimate beef over his exclusion from the poll. The American Top Team lightweight is 12-0-1 in his past 13 fights. He has a highly anticipated matchup with Shinya Aoki in DREAM’s debut card on March 15 in Japan.

Paulo Filho: The WEC middleweight champion boasts a 16-0 record, but a dismal performance on national TV in his last title defense against Chael Sonnen, in which he looked terrible for the better part of two rounds before pulling out the win with an armbar, didn’t help his ascension up the rankings.

The Yahoo! Sports MMA Top 10 pound-for-pound poll, the only one of its sort in mainstream sports media, features 15 reporters and editors from the major national sports websites; newspapers that cover MMA; and legitimate MMA-only news-related websites. Each voter selects their top 10, with 10 points awarded for a first-place vote, 9 for a second, etc., down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote.

The only two guidelines placed on voters are: 1. Fighters need to have competed at least once within the past 12 months in order to be considered; 2. Fighters under suspension for banned substance or drugs of abuse usage cannot be considered until they are reinstated. For more on info on the panel, including links to their sites, go here.

10. Miguel Torres
Points: 10
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: E. Chicago, Ind.
Record: 21-1
Last month’s ranking: Unranked
Most recent result: def. Chase Beebe, R1 submission, Feb. 13
Analysis: Torres’ absence from the rankings until this point has more to do with the lack of exposure for bantamweights than it is any reflection on his skills. And Torres left no doubt about his skills with one of the finest displays of pure jiu-jitsu you’ll ever see in MMA during his WEC bantamweight title win over Beebe.

9. Dan Henderson
Points: 30
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight/middleweight
Hometown: Victorville, Calif.
Record: 22-8
Last month’s ranking: 7
Most recent result: lost to Anderson Silva, R2 submission, March 1
Analysis: Henderson is the only member of the top 10 who is coming off back-to-back losses. But then, those losses are to No. 1 Anderson Silva and No. 3 Quinton Jackson. So it wouldn’t be fair to be too harsh to a fighter who stepped up and provided fans with two of the biggest matches of the past six months.

8. Randy Couture
Points: 54
Affiliation:Under contract to UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Gresham, Ore.
Record: 16-8
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent results: def. Gabriel Gonzaga, Round 3 TKO, Aug. 25
Analysis: Don’t expect Couture to drop his grievances with the UFC anytime soon, as all indications are the wagons are circling in his camp and no dissenting thoughts are being allowed in. Fighters lose their eligibility for the poll if they go a full year without fighting, which would mean “The Natural” can no long be considered starting with the September poll.

7. Urijah Faber
Points: 55
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.
Record: 20-1
Last month’s ranking: 9
2007 results: def. Jeff Curran, submission R2, Dec. 12
Analysis: The winner of 12 consecutive matches, Faber defends his title on June 1 in Sacramento against Jens Pulver in what is shaping up as the biggest card in WEC history.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Points: 74
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC interim heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Record: 31-4-1
Last month’s ranking: 6
Recent results: def. Tim Sylvia, R3 submission, Feb. 2
Analysis: In his public posturing, UFC president Dana White continues to offer potential opponents to Randy Couture and not Nogueria. This is a legal maneuver to bolster the UFC’s claims in their battle against Couture. But most chatter seems to have Nogueira’s next matchup against Frank Mir.

5. B.J. Penn
Points: 87
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 12-4-1
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: def. Joe Stevenson, R2 submission, Jan. 19
Analysis: For all the talk that Penn’s pure skills are the best in the world, it has been four years since he’s pieced together as many as three consecutive wins. He has a chance for his third in a row with his lightweight title defense against former champ Sean Sherk on Memorial Day weekend in Vegas.

4. Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 89
Affiliation: M-1
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 27-1 (1 no-contest)
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Hong Man-Choi, R1 submission, Dec. 31.
Analysis: The formation of the M-1 promotion was announced in September. We’ve yet to see its first live event. On a possibly related note, Mark Cuban’s promotion, HDNet Fights, has yet to announce a make-up date for its cancelled February card in Dallas. Cuban is presumed to be the promoter who wants to put together a Couture-Emelianenko match, but one has to wonder at this point if he’s content to pile up MMA promotions to fill air time on his cable station, as opposed to investing in a major-league organization.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Points: 112
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight (UFC lt. heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 28-6
Last month’s ranking: 3
Most recent result: def. Dan Henderson, unanimous decision, Sept. 8
Analysis: Those who have tuned out The Ultimate Fighter over the past couple seasons should have reason to watch the upcoming seventh season, as the combination of Rampage and Forrest Griffin should make the show worth watching.

2. Georges St. Pierre
Points: 130 (2 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (interim welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 15-2
Last month’s ranking: 2
Most recent result: def. Matt Hughes, R2 submission, Dec. 29.
Analysis: After UFC 82, Dana White ripped into those who don’t consider Anderson Silva the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. But does such an assertion shortchange St. Pierre? Most won’t rank GSP ahead of Silva now, with St. Pierre’s loss to Matt Serra still looming. But if St. Pierre finishes Serra next month the way most people expect, that will put him at 9-1 in his past 10 fights, with his only loss in that span avenged.

1. Anderson “Spider” Silva
Points: 145 (13 first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 21-4
Last month’s ranking: 1
Most recent result: def. Dan Henderson, R2 submission, March 1
Analysis: Seven straight wins. Seven straight finishes. No match went longer than two rounds. Silva’s only loss in the past 38 months was a disqualification against Yushin Okami. His two fights before the Okami debacle also were finishes inside of two rounds. It has become clear we have Silva, St. Pierre, and then everyone else.

More


Votes for others: Kid Yamamoto, Mauricio Rua 8; Paulo Filho 5; Gesias Calvancante 4; Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Jon Fitch, Matt Serra 3; Sean Sherk 2; Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida 1.


Upcoming matches for top 10 fighters: No. 2 Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra, April 19, Montreal; No. 5 B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk, May 24.

 

[heyzel]

Toe-to-toe with UFC president Dana White

has been a lot of huge news in the mixed martial arts world the past couple of weeks.

EliteXC and CBS making a deal to put mixed martial arts on network TV in primetime. The UFC announced an endorsement deal with Bud Light, a blue-chip company that should help continue the UFC’s climb into the mainstream.

I got a chance to talk to the always outspoken president of the UFC, Dana White, to get his take on everything.

I usually run the audio of my interviews with the stories, but I would have spent all my time editing out White’s colorful language, so we’re going without this time.

Love him or hate him, White always speaks from the heart and speaks his mind.

Here’s what Dana had to say:


Question: I sat down with (Top Rank boxing promoter) Bob Arum the other day and we were talking about the CBS-EliteXC deal and he was telling me how CBS wanted them to do a “time buy” to get boxing on their network. Arum said he would be unable to get a name fighter and generate the money necessary for that to be a good deal. Did you guys have a similar problem with CBS when trying to get the UFC on network TV?

Dana White: “Nah. See everybody is out there yapping like they know what they are talking about because they think I wanted too much control and all this (expletive) like the HBO deal. We had a couple of issues with the HBO deal, but nothing negative, nothing that … whatever. I’m still talking to HBO.

“The CBS deal didn’t work for us. At the end of the day, listen, when you are talking about a show like ProElite or any of these other shows, they will give up their right (expletive) to get on television. They will give away everything to be on TV.”

Question: That’s what Arum was saying, that they would be giving up so much just to get on network TV and it wouldn’t be worth it.

DW: “We run a (expletive) business here. We run a business, you know? How many bad moves have I made in eight years? Not many. We know what we need to do for this business. We drew a map and we know where we are going. We had a five-year plan, we just finished it, and we have another five-year plan. We have a 10-year plan. When I talk about our plan it’s not just for the UFC, but it’s for the sport. Who else is helping us spend money and paving the way for this sport? Nobody. ProElite isn’t kicking in any money and to help us get all these states open and moving to (expletive) Europe and all this other (expletive). We’re doing it ourselves. These guys are just riding in the wake. The way I look at it, MMA is a big block of cheese and all the little rats are running out of the (expletive) holes now trying to get a piece.”

Question: That’s my other question. Everybody says there is this big surge and rising popularity for mixed martial arts, but it seems like it’s the UFC getting this big surge and poularity rather than the sport itself? How do you see it?

DW: “You’re the first (expletive) smart guy that I’ve talked to who has actually really caught that. They come out with all these demos and all these numbers and all theses things that mixed martial arts is doing. Mixed martial arts isn’t doing that, the UFC is.”

Question: It doesn’t seem like all of these other new organizations are catching that wave of momentum?

DW: “You are absolutely right.”

Question: What does the Bud Light endoresement deal mean to the UFC?

DW: “People want to talk about (expletive) CBS. The only positive thing about the CBS deal is the fact that (President and CEO of CBS Corporation) Les Moonves, who is a legend in the television business, is interested in the sport. That’s big for the sport as a whole. But as far as monster (expletive) announcements and things that are huge, there is nothing bigger than the fact that the UFC signed (expletive) Anheuser Busch. They are the top sports marketing company in the world. They are No. 1, and when I say they are No. 1, No. 2 is so far below them it is not even funny. It’s gonna be big. I look at more, ‘Hey, it’s great. We got Bud Light as a sponsor. That’s fantastic.’ But these guys are going to be strategic partners for us. And I don’t think people really realize what that means and what that’s going to do for the UFC and fighters for the next couple of years.”

Question: Are we talking like the same thing they do for football with posters all over stores and everything?

DW: “Absolutely. Exactly.”

Question: How long were you working on these guys to get this deal done?

DW: “Eight years. Literally, we’ve been trying to get these blue-chip sponsors to be interested in the UFC since we bought the company.”

Question: What was it that when you finally got these guys into a meeting room that put this deal over the top?

DW: “I think when I walk in, and whether it’s a television company or a sponsor or whoever it is, once we get them in the building and they get to see the thing live, the live show is what always sells somebody. The bottom line is it wasn’t a matter of whether they liked the UFC or thought it was this or that, the numbers don’t lie. Eventually you get to a point where they are just like, ‘(Expletive) it. We tap out. We get it.’ The thing keeps getting bigger.”

Question: When are you bringing a show back to Southern California?

DW: “We’ll be back there this year I think. We’ll be down in the O.C. (at Honda Center). In the fall.”

Question: The other big thing out there is apparently Fedor Emelianenko is going to be a free agent again very soon. Is he somebody that the UFC would be interested in getting if he becomes available?

DW: “All I have to say about that is don’t ever (expletive) doubt us. All these (expletive) idiots out there that like to talk (expletive) and (expletive) don’t ever doubt us, man. Don’t ever, ever doubt us.

“The other thing is that goes with Fedor thing is all these people get out there and start talking. It’s like every (expletive) five minutes I’m answering questions about the new guy that’s going to take the UFC down. A year and a half ago it was the IFL. The IFL has a better model. They are going to take care of these fighters. They’re really going to take care of them. They are going to give them stock options. They are going to get medical benefits. They are going to give them a retirement plan. Here we are, the stock is at 8 cents now and they are going out of business. OK.

“The next guy was (Calvin Ayre and) Bodog. This guy is a billionaire and he’s doing this and that. Oh my God, look at the contract he gave Matt Lindland. Matt Lindland never got paid his (expletive) money. The money Matt Lindland was supposed to get paid from Bodog, he never (expletive) paid him. He’s like, ‘(Expletive) you. I live in Costa Rica. What are you going to do about it? The government can’t even touch me.’ OK.

“The next guy is (HDNet Fights’) Mark Cuban. He’s a billionaire, this, that and everything else. Then the CBS deal pops up and Mark Cuban isn’t as scary anymore. Look at CBS now. Every (expletive) day it’s somebody new.

“Let me tell you what, whether it’s the fans, the fighters or whoever, the fighters get taken care of in the UFC. I’ve made more (expletive) millionaires in mixed martial arts than anybody. Even that moron, Tito Ortiz. He’s an (expletive) liar. He was on Howard Stern and blatantly flat out lied about what he made. The guy has made millions. Remember the interview with him, ‘Booh hooh, I crashed my car into a tree. My life is over.’ I brought him back and made him a coach on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter. The guy has made millions of dollars, millions, OK. This is where it’s at. This is where the fighters are going to make the money.

“You got all these guys trying to put together companies. M-1 and this and that and all these different (expletive) things. They’ve never even put on a fight, yet. They’ve never even put on a fight and they are going to be the company to beat the UFC.

“You think of this. You come over to my house this weekend and we kick back and watch TV. We put on (expletive) NASCAR. We’re like, ‘Holy (expletive). Look at all the (expletive) people at this race. All those fans and this and that. These guys got television deals and merchandise deals and all this crazy (expletive). You know what? Let’s steal two of their drivers, and let’s start our own (expletive) company. We’ll call it (expletive), you know, GASCAR instead of (expletive) NASCAR.’ That’s how (expletive) stupid it is. It’s the exact same thing, you know. NASCAR is huge. Nobody is going to jump out and start competing with NASCAR. But small races go on every weekend all over the country. All these guys eventually want to make it to NASCAR and become professional drivers.

“It’s the same (expletive) thing with the mixed martial arts market. The UFC is here. We’re pulling all the numbers. We’re doing all this (expletive). We’re the real deal. But every weekend, all over the country, all over the world, fights happen. That’s the way the business works. We need those smaller shows as a feeder system to get to the UFC. The whole (expletive) psycho internet thing where everybody wants to jump on and everybody is going to kick our (expletive), it’s all insane.”

Question: You said never doubt us, so in the back of your mind is there a possibility of Fedor fighting Randy Couture in the UFC?

DW: “You didn’t ask me about Randy Couture. You asked me about Fedor.”

Question: I know you guys have lawsuits in court with Randy, so does that mean he will never fight in the UFC again?

DW: “The other thing is, in eight years, not only have we taken this thing to a whole other level every year. When have we never (expletive) delivered? You know? Everybody was talking about, ‘Ooh, imagine if PRIDE could fight UFC?’ We got PRIDE. Now, we’re putting on all these big fights. It’s like every time we take it to another level, everybody takes it for granted and forgets where it was. When have we never delivered? When have we never delivered a big fight?”

Question: So does that mean it’s over with Randy?

DW: “I don’t even know about Randy. I haven’t even thought about Randy. We’re in court with him. As far as I’m concerned he’s the heavyweight champion of the UFC. He took his signing bonus and signed his deal. He’s got two fights left and he’s the champ.”

Question: You talk about all these PRIDE fighters you’ve brought over to the UFC and purchasing PRIDE, what do you think of the former PRIDE (staffers) starting up DREAM in Japan (with Fight Entertainment Group)?

DW: “All I care about is that we’re putting on big fights. You know what I mean.”

Question: A lot of people are talking about the new season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” I hear we’re going to see 16 fights in the first two shows. Tell me about the upcoming season?

DW: “It’s awesome bro. It’s so (expletive) awesome. I’m telling you right now, I’m so proud of the kids on this season. These (expletive) guys came to fight. They came to fight and anybody who is a fight fan, at the end of the day, what you want to see is great fights. I think that’s one of the things, when you talk about the UFC, that’s one of the things that we deliver on. When you pay your money, whether it’s for pay-per-view or you buy a ticket to the event, you get to see not just one great fight, a (expletive) whole night of greatt fights. One of the things that we’ve always wanted to bring back, and I think we’ve been successful, is bringing back great fights on free TV. For the fights you are going to see on this season of The Ultimate Fighter, and it doesn’t cost you a (expletive) dime, I’m telling you it’s the best entertainment on television.”

Question: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Forrest Griffin are such characters. What was it like dealing with them as coaches?

DW: “It was fun. It was different. Normally, you either got the guys who are friends or the guys who are at each other’s throats. This season, these guys aren’t friends and they aren’t necessarily at each other’s throats. I’ll tell you something . I’m not supposed to talk about this (expletive), but something that happened this season is they (expletive) got into it. Those two are class clowns, joking kind of guys, and they were the whole season and then some (expletive) goes down. They (expletive) get into it. This season is phenomenal, bro.”

Question: When Shogun went down because of the knee injury, and that was a fight a lot of people wanted to see him against Chuck Liddell, who are you bringing in to replace him?

DW: “Rashad Evans (vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 on June 7 in London). That’s the main event.”

Question: How do you feel about the way Chuck was able to get back on track against Wanderlei Silva?

DW: “Yeah, I think he is back on track, man. The type of fighter that he is and has been his whole career, the facat that the guy is almost 40 years old and still a bad (expletive), is very impressive.”

CARLOS ARIAS/The Register

 

[heyzel]

Buzz' Stings Shamrock at Cage Rage

LONDON, March 8 -- Robert "Buzz" Berry (Pictures) shocked the sold-out Wembley Arena on Saturday and knocked out MMA legend Ken Shamrock (Pictures) in the first round at Cage Rage 25.

Berry started with some hard low kicks before using a piston-like jab to keep his veteran opponent at a distance. Shamrock, however, did not appear to be troubled for the first couple of minutes, as he repeatedly caught the punches and looked for his chance to surge forward.

A wild flurry of punches from Shamrock, a forefather of modern MMA, gave him a chance to get inside. Berry, however, used his 20-pound weight advantage to manhandle Shamrock and escape from the clinch.

After three minutes, Berry began to taste some success in the standup. A glancing right hand from the Sunderland fighter put Shamrock on his back foot. Then a hard jab from "Buzz" swiftly followed by another right hand sent his 44-year-old opponent crashing to the floor and forced referee Grant Waterman to stop the contest.

"I said in the interviews, ‘I'm gonna knock him out,' and I did that tonight," a jubilant Berry told Sherdog.com. "I've worked really, really hard. I believed in myself. I knew I could do it and now I want to move on to bigger and bigger things. … Gary Shaw said he was going to make me into a superstar."

Asked if he would now replace Shamrock as a potential opponent for vicious brawler Kimbo Slice, Berry smiled from ear to ear and said: "If it's Kimbo … it's Kimbo.

In the chief supporting bout, Masakazu Imanari (Pictures) defended his Cage Rage world featherweight title in an incredible display. He stamped his authority on his bout against Jean Silva (Pictures) from the outset with a trio of hard low kicks. However, it was on the ground that the Japanese leglock expert would do his most impressive work.

He worked a beautiful omoplata attempt from rubber guard before sweeping his way into top position. Then Imanari impressed every section of the arena with his sublime skill and topped off his crafty display with a nasty inside heel hook that forced Silva to tap out frantically and howl in agony.

Rob Broughton (Pictures) made his return in impressive fashion. He weathered a first-round storm of hard low kicks and punches from Neil Grove (Pictures) to bash his way back into the contest and claim a well-earned majority decision.

Grove looked extremely dangerous in the first five minutes. His work rate appeared to drop off in the following two rounds, though, allowing Broughton the chance to score with some hard shots.

To his credit, Grove soaked up the punishment like a dry sponge, but Broughton fought like a man possessed, charging in with looping left hooks and straight right hands to seal an impressive win.

In one of the most unusual conclusions to a fight in Cage Rage history, Tom Watson (Pictures) knocked out UK-stationed American serviceman Pierre Guillet (Pictures) with a stunning up-kick two minutes into the contest.

Guillet looked to be in good form when he took his opponent down with unexpected ease in the opening seconds of the fight. However, as the aggressive U.S. serviceman leapt in the air to deliver a brutal flying punch on his downed opponent, he was met with a perfect kick to the jaw from Watson that brought his night to an abrupt end.

Mustapha al Turk (Pictures) made short work of Gary Turner (Pictures) in their heavyweight encounter, bashing the overmatched former K-1 fighter and forcing him to submit with a stream of hard punches from rear mount.

The London Shootfighter caught an attempted kick from Turner and drove him into the mat with a well-timed takedown. Al Turk then applied some extremely effective pressure on the floor and gave Turner no choice but to give up his back.

Once in position, al Turk hammered his opponent relentlessly. After a vicious flurry of right hands, Turner understandably called it quits.

Ultra-aggressive Milton Keynes fighter Roman Webber (Pictures) let the occasion get to him in quite dramatic fashion. He tore across the cage to confront Italian opponent Ivan Serati (Pictures) in their light heavyweight encounter.

Serati duly took him to the floor and quickly unleashed a barrage of punches that ended the contest after only 48 seconds. The irate Italian then proceeded to goad his downed foe after the stoppage in retaliation for Webber's pre-fight posturing.

Henrique Santana (Pictures) showed vast improvements in terms of both his stamina and takedowns. He repeatedly took Michael Johnson to the mat to earn a clear-cut unanimous decision after three rounds of action.

Johnson landed some heavy blows in each round, dropping the Brazilian in the first round and landing a hard knee to the face in the third. Santana refused to buckle, however, and impressed the judges with an array of takedowns and submission attempts to take the win.

In the much-anticipated female fight, Aisling Daly (Pictures) showed that she is the real deal by dispatching of Aysen Berik in less than two minutes.

The pink-haired terror quickly took the fight to the floor and teed off on her overmatched opponent. A nasty flurry of punches soon left Berik damaged and in trouble, prompting her brother and cornerman Sami Berik (Pictures) to throw in the towel.

Ryan Shamrock (Pictures) -- the 18-year old son of headliner Ken Shamrock (Pictures) -- put in a gutsy but ultimately losing performance as he went toe-to-toe with aggressive Londoner Georgio Andrews.

In a wild contest, both fighters enjoyed success on their feet while the action flowed from one side of the cage to the other. However, after an entertaining first round, Shamrock could not continue due to a broken left hand.

In the opening bouts of the night, John Hathaway quickly took Marvin Arnold-Bleau out of his element and hammered him from mount position, and John Phillips came back from an early scare against Jake Bostwick (Pictures) to batter the South Londoner in just more than four minutes.

 

[Shogun Locc]

VIDEO: Cage Rage 25 - Ken Shamrock vs. Robert "Buzz" Berry

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED

The latest MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings were released on Friday, March 7. This system ranks the top ten MMA fighters from all across the world in each of the six most widely accepted weight classes, as voted on by MMAWeekly.

We take into consideration a fighter's performance in addition to his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most comprehensive rankings system in the sport.

As always, fighters who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible for top ten consideration until they have fought one time after the completion of their suspension.

Fighters must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to be eligible for top ten consideration.

Of note: Josh Barnett competed at the recent World Victory Road event in Japan, regaining eligibility in the heavyweight division. Also, Dan Henderson most recently competed in the middleweight division at UFC 82. He is now eligible at middleweight, and has been removed from the light heavyweight rankings.

Here are the current MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date as of March 7.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (over 205 pounds)

#1 Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

3. Randy Couture

4. Josh Barnett

5. Tim Sylvia

6. Andrei Arlovski

7. Fabricio Werdum

8. Gabriel Gonzaga

9. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic

10. Aleksander Emelianenko

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)

#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Quinton Jackson

2. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

3. Chuck Liddell

4. Lyoto Machida

5. Keith Jardine

6. Forrest Griffin

7. Wanderlei Silva

8. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

9. Ricardo Arona

10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185-pound limit)

#1 Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva

2. Paulo Filho

3. Rich Franklin

4. Denis Kang

5. Robbie Lawler

6. Nathan Marquardt

7. Kazuo Misaki

8. Yushin Okami

9. Dan Henderson

10. Frank Trigg

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170-pound limit)

#1 Welterweight Fighter in the World: Georges St. Pierre

2. Matt Serra

3. Jon Fitch

4. Matt Hughes

5. Josh Koscheck

6. Karo Parisyan

7. Jake Shields

8. Diego Sanchez

9. Carlos Condit

10. Marcus Davis

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (160-pound limit)

#1 Lightweight Fighter in the World: Takanori Gomi

2. Tatsuya Kawajiri

3. Shinya Aoki

4. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante

5. Mitsuhiro Ishida

6. Gilbert Melendez

7. B.J. Penn

8. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro

9. Joe Stevenson

10. Joachim Hansen

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 pounds and under)

#1 Featherweight Fighter in the World: Akitoshi Tamura

2. Urijah Faber

3. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue

4. Antonio Carvalho

5. Masakazu Imanari

6. Hatsu Hioki

7. Jeff Curran

8. Tenkei Fujimiya

9. Rafael Assuncao

10. Hideki Kadowaki