Who is the best pound for pound MMA fighter?

[GreenCloudCLF]

Is this an old question? Yes
Has every MMA writer tackled this question? Yes
Will some of you still vote and voice your opinions? Yes
Will this thread get heated? Hopefully

First, the definition:
"Pound for Pound" - If the skills of one fighter were put into someone in a different weight class, could he dominate? This does not mean if Fedor were to drop to 155 could he take out BJ Penn. Anyone losing 70 lbs could not function as well as they do at their current weight.

The line up:

Miguel Torres - (35-1) Last win:Round 2 (3:04) TKO of Manny Tapia
Last loss: Decision vs. Ryan Ackerman
Win streak: 16

Mike Brown - (20-40) Last win:Round 1 (2:23) TKO Urijah Faber
Last loss: Round 2 (3:38) Kneebar submission Masakuzu Imanari
Win streak: 8

BJ Penn - (13-4-1) Last win:Round 3 (5:00) TKO Sean Sherk
Last loss: Round 3 (3:53) Matt Hughes
Win streak: 3

Kenny Florian - (11-30) Last win:Round 1 (4:03) Rear Naked Choke vs. Joe Stevenson
Last loss: Decision vs. Sean Sherk
Win streak: 6

Georges St. Pierre - (17-2) Last win: Decision vs. Jon Fitch
Last loss: Round 1 (3:25) TKO vs. Matt Serra
Win streak: 4

Anderson Silva - (23-4) Last win: Round 3 (0:39) TKO vs. Patrick Cote
Last loss: Round 1 (2:33) DQ illegal kick vs. Yushin Okami
Win streak: 9

Rashad Evans - (13-0-1) Last win: Round 3 (2:46) TKO vs. Forrest Griffin
Last loss: Never
Win streak: 3 (since the draw)

Fedor Emilianenko - (29-1) Last win: Round 1 (3:14) KO vs. Andrei Arlovksi
Last loss: Round 1 (0:17) TKO (cut) Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
Win streak: 26 (10 since a No Contest)

[sanjuro_ronin]

That is a tough one, truly...
I am tempted to say this:

Most dominant: Fedro
Most complete - GSP
Pound-for-pound best fighter: Anderson Silva

[Pork Chop]

I say Fedor, simply because the size, weight, & height differentials between him and some of the guys he's fought have been ridiculous.

Hong man choi ranks in at 7'2", 352 pounds - that's 14 inches and over 100lbs difference!
The only guy that even comes close to that is BJ Penn and he doesn't have a great record against guys outweighing his normal fighting weight by 50 or 60lbs.
Sure, Anderson Silva may dominate guys that fight 20 pounds higher than his normal weight class, but there's not much of a height differential & a lot of guys have been known to make that 20lb jump.

[David Jamieson]

That is a tough one, truly...
I am tempted to say this:

Most dominant: Fedro
Most complete - GSP
Pound-for-pound best fighter: Anderson Silva

I second that, but spell it Fedor.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I second that, but spell it Fedor.

LOL, what, you didn't know about his Mexican upbringing ?

[David Jamieson]

LOL, what, you didn't know about his Mexican upbringing ?

I didn't know about the speech impediment either!

[GreenCloudCLF]

The media is now talking about rethink GSP as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. But is last nights fight proof? He beat someone who he probably out weighed by at least 15 pounds. BJ Penn weighed in at 168 and normally fights at 155. Can you be expected to perform as well 13 lbs heavier than your normal weigh in weight?

GSP did dominate Penn, but I don't think it has any bearing on best pound for pound fighter.

Thoughts?

[Vash]

Fedor is the only one on that list who can say "no one has beaten me. Ever."

His only loss came from a cut. Everyone else can say that, at least once, they were defeated.

GSP continues to improve, though, and he may approach Fedor-like status. But the Russian has cemented his place as the best.

[GreenCloudCLF]

Fedor is the only one on that list who can say "no one has beaten me. Ever."

His only loss came from a cut. Everyone else can say that, at least once, they were defeated.

GSP continues to improve, though, and he may approach Fedor-like status. But the Russian has cemented his place as the best.

This is why I voted for Fedor. Although arguements can be made that cuts are part of MMA, and losing by cut is still losing, he has still been able to string together 26 wins in a row, picking apart opponents when he sees his opening. Look at his fight vs Hong Man Choi. He attempted several armbars before finally landing it, because he saw the openings and that Choi wasn't defending against them very well.

[GeneChing]

Who do you think the pound-for-pound NON-UFC fighters are?

Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts
By NICK MEYER • FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER • February 2, 2009

With so many strong young fighters filtering into the world of mixed martial arts and the UFC from so many different countries, figuring out who the best fighters are regardless of weight class has become a hotly debated topic for fans.
Advertisement

Here are my rankings of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts today:

1. Fedor Emelianenko (29-1 MMA record)-

“The Last Emperor” proved he’s still the most devastating fighter on the planet by knocking out former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in his Affliction: Day of Reckoning fight.

2. Georges St-Pierre (18-2)-

The UFC welterweight champion jumps up over middleweight champion Anderson Silva on the strength of his dominant win over B.J. Penn and his phenomenal wrestling skills.

3. Anderson Silva (23-4)-

His upcoming fight with Thales Leites at UFC 97 doesn’t seem like a worthy challenge for Silva, but the only one left for Silva to tackle might be against St-Pierre.

4. Rashad Evans (13-0-1)-

The former Michigan State wrestler will likely be an underdog if he defends his UFC light heavyweight title against Lyoto Machida, but Evans thrives in that role.

5. Lyoto Machida (14-0)-

The Brazilian light heavyweight contender has proven that karate (Shotokan to be exact) is not only a viable UFC fighting style but that it can be the most potent martial art in all of MMA.

6. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (29-7)-

Jackson vs. Evans would have been a phenomenal light heavyweight title fight. Instead, Jackson gets a UFC 96 bout with Keith Jardine that is basically a tune-up for the Machida-Evans winner.

7. B.J. Penn (13-5-1)-

There’s no shame in losing to St-Pierre, but Penn barely got a punch in. Penn still rules the UFC’s lightweight division, however.

8. Kenny Florian (11-3)-

On a six-fight UFC win streak, Florian’s kickboxing and submission skills have evolved to the point where they’re among the best in mixed martial arts.

9. Jon Fitch (18-3)-

Another underrated UFC fighter like Florian, this welterweight’s five-round title fight loss to St-Pierre at UFC 87 looks a lot more impressive now.

10. Miguel Torres (35-1)-

The bantamweight champion of the WEC justifiably faces questions about the quality of his opposition, but there’s no questioning his diverse talents.

[GreenCloudCLF]

Who do you think the pound-for-pound NON-UFC fighters are?

**** close to my list. I must know what I am talking about.

His list is stupider though, because he has Jon Fitch on there. That guy should have been wiped out when GSP used him for 25 minutes of heavy bag work.

[yenhoi]

I voted other, but meant to vote for Silva, and he will saw GSP in half one day.

[Violent Designs]

Do some people here NOT know who Fedor is?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Do some people here NOT know who Fedor is?

Wouldn't surprise me.
Sambo champ to boot !
The only reason I choose Silva over Fedor is that I think Fedor is a robot.

[GreenCloudCLF]

Do some people here NOT know who Fedor is?

Poor Americans who think the UFC is the only MMA organization in the world.