USAT/SBN October MMA Consensus Rankings: Light Heavyweight
by Kid Nate on Oct 29, 2009 10:33 AM EDT
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48 comments
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyoto Machida | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Rashad Evans | 93 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Quinton Jackson | 86 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Mauricio Rua | 84 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Forrest Griffin | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Anderson Silva | 71 | UFC | 9 |
| 7 | Thiago Silva | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Gegard Mousasi | 65 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 9 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | 56 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Luiz Cane | 50 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Rich Franklin | 38 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Dan Henderson | 38 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Keith Jardine | 31 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Chuck Liddell | 26 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Renato Sobral | 25 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 16 | Brandon Vera | 23 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Wanderlei Silva | 23 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Jon Jones | 23 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Matt Hamill | 19 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Vladimir Matyushenko | 18 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Tito Ortiz | 17 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Vitor Belfort | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 22 | Sokoudjou |
16 | DREAM | 23 |
| 24 | Mark Coleman | 16 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Paulo Filho | 15 | DREAM | 24 |
Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.
Well #1 Lyoto Machida broke the string of UFC Light Heavyweight champions who failed to make a single title defense. But after his UFC 104 bout with #4 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, we're not hearing much talk of the "Machida Era." The two appear set for an immediate rematch with date TBD.
#2 Rashad Evans will face #7 Thiago Silva at UFC 108. This is in lieu of headlining UFC 107 against #3 Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in a battle of the TUF season 10 coaches. Rampage, of course, has decided to focus on his movie career.
#5 Forrest Griffin will now headline UFC 106 against #21 Tito Ortiz. This is truly one of those fights where the commercial realities of the fight business are utterly overshadowing the sporting aspects.
It appears it will be some time before #6 Anderson Silva fights at Light Heavyweight again, at least long enough for him to defend his middleweight title once. But I wouldn't be surprised if Shogun Rua takes the belt to see Anderson suddenly make a serious run at the 205lb title.
#8 Gegard Mousasi is expected to have a non-title fight against #22 Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers in November.
#9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and #10 Luiz Cane will meet at UFC 106. Cane is a pretty grim welcome wagon to face in your UFC debut, but Little Nog has faced the best in his day.
#16 Brandon Vera will welcome #9 heavyweight Randy Couture back to the light heavyweight division at UFC 105. This is Vera's big chance to establish himself as a popular attraction and emerge as a contender in the division. The legendary Couture, of course, will be fast tracked to a title shot if he manages to beat Vera.
*Please note that these rankings were compiled BEFORE UFC 104.
Based on the premise that all MMA rankings are subjective but that it’s still useful and informative to know who the online MMA community as a whole ranks as the best fighters in MMA, we collect and average the rankings of the top MMA websites to produce our consensus rankings.
We compile the top MMA rankings from each of our sources and award 25 points for a first place ranking, 16 for a 10th place ranking, 1 for a 25th place ranking. A formula is used to "normalize" the data so all fighters are awarded points from those lists that do not include a full 25 fighters. This formula ensures that each ranking site awards the same number of total points regardless of how many fighters they choose to rank. Each fighter’s total is divided by the number of possible points to determine their standing in the Consensus Rankings.
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Rampage and Rashad are still above Shogun? Were these rankings done before 104?
by omigawda on Oct 28, 2009 11:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Also Griffin’s above Anderson. I’ve very confused.
by omigawda on Oct 28, 2009 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Some of the rankings probably haven’t updated since 104. And Griffin has a much bigger body of work at 205, I think some of the sites only rank Anderson at 185.
by ufc4 on Oct 28, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Everything you just said.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Oct 28, 2009 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They don’t rank Anderson at 205 after he easily knocked out a supposedly top 5 guy? That seems problematic.
Griffin’s recent performances have been pretty bad, I think he’s ranked far too high.
by omigawda on Oct 28, 2009 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Some sites only rank a guy at one weight class and if you have to pick one weight class for Silva it’s going to be middleweight.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Oct 28, 2009 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well that’s not really a consensus ranking of light heavyweight then.
by omigawda on Oct 29, 2009 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It is his place in the division…based on where he is ranked…by the various sites…
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Oct 29, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s not my point. Some sites don’t rank him at all at LHW because he’s more dominant at MW. It’s unlikely anyone actually thinks Anderson Silva isn’t a top 10 LHW.
by omigawda on Oct 29, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
we agree that this is a blind spot in our system
but guys that jump between weight classes mess up divisional weight classes, there’s just no way around that.
We can’t control the decisions of our ranking sources as to what weight class to include a fighter in.
Our rankings accurately reflect the split in opinion among the community about what to do with fighters who jump between classes.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 29, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know, I was more pointing out a flaw of such a broad attempt at forming consensus. True consensus would require all participants to do their rankings within the same rules. I suppose it reflects a split in opinion on how to do rankings, but it doesn’t really reflect a split in opinion about how good Anderson Silva or Dan Henderson are.
It’s still generally accurate, but it can be annoying when BE discussion revolves around these rankings as though they are authoritative.
by omigawda on Oct 29, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bigger but not overly impressive. For every big victory there is a even bigger lose. Pluse he got crushed by the spider so this poll seems pretty invalide with current fight out comes.
by mmatokyo on Oct 29, 2009 6:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Oct 28, 2009 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me fix this
My top 10 (working under the premise that Rampage is retired):
1. Machida
2. Rua (tie)
2. Anderson Silva (tie)
4. Mousasi
5. Evans
6. Cane
7. Thiago Silva
8. Noguiera
9. Franklin
10. Griffin
by ufc4 on Oct 28, 2009 11:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The problem here is that we’re attempting to do different things. Bloody Elbow is trying to determine the consensus of various experts and systems and you’re trying to decide who you personally think are the top 10 guys based on who knows what criteria.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Oct 28, 2009 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Where are the participating ‘experts’ listed? Just curious to see who is involved…
by CSKit on Oct 29, 2009 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sources
* Five Ounces of Pain
* Inside MMA
* MMA 4 Real
* MMA Fighting
* MMA Ratings
* MMA Rocks
* MMA Weekly
* Sherdog
* Total MMA
* WAMMA
* Fight Magazine
* Fight Matrix
* MMA ELO
* MMA Playground
* TAGG Radio
* MMA on Tap
* MMA Torch
* 411 Mania
* Cage Potato
* Sports Illustrated
* Houston Chronicle’s Brawl Sports
It’s on the rankings page.
by Anton Tabuena on Oct 29, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
...yeah...they're not dead yet.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Oct 29, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They are dead…just not gone =X
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Oct 29, 2009 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
YOU CAN NEVER KILL WAMMA. I SHALL LIVE ON FOREVER MWAHAHAHA.
(zombie dance)
by ZombieWamma on Oct 29, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Damn
I heard the only way to kill these fuckers is with an Anderson Silva elbow to the upside-down WAMMA belt.
by ufc4 on Oct 29, 2009 1:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
It's a trick...
get an axe.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Oct 29, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mousasi hasn’t fought anybody yet..
by kanodogg on Oct 29, 2009 11:38 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
He just murdered a guy who was somewhere in the 10-15 range.
by ufc4 on Oct 29, 2009 1:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
wow.. UFC UFC UFC UFC all over..
only 4 of the 25 are non-ufc, and 2 are on the very bottom of the list.
by Anton Tabuena on Oct 29, 2009 3:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
How in the fukk do you put Anderson Silva in the top 10? He’s a great middleweight to be certain, but he’s only had 2 damm fights at lightheavy……Huh?
by coachbarbour on Oct 29, 2009 10:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Considering...
the last fight Silva had was a dominating performance over the #5 LHW, it kinda makes sense.
by CSKit on Oct 29, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’s better than Forest at LHW so he should be ranked above him.
by omigawda on Oct 29, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rampage needs to be taken off the list alltogether and Matt Hamill needs to be in the top 10 easy….
by coachbarbour on Oct 29, 2009 10:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Take it up with the sites that do the ranking…not with our site which just does the compiling
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Oct 29, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It seems the BE editors don’t do their own list to factor in, why is that?
by omigawda on Oct 29, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's been debated time and time again...
and we always end up not doing it. I don’t remember what the most recent excuse was.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Oct 29, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why...
would you remove ‘Rampage’? It’s only been seven months since his last fight, he fought the same day as Hamill. Does beating Mark Munoz and Reese Andy launch you into the top ten especially after getting TKO’d by the #11 LHW
by CSKit on Oct 29, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe because he’s retired? Was Barry Sanders ranked as a top 5 NFL running back the year after he retired?
by ufc4 on Oct 29, 2009 1:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
it typically takes sites 18 months to drop fighters for inactivity
Many a fighter has claimed to be retired only to come back.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 29, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well he asked why you would remove Rampage and it seems perfectly acceptable for now to remove him if some sites so choose.
by ufc4 on Oct 29, 2009 3:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
A lot of site ranked
Rich Franklin pretty highly, considering he is technically only 1-1 in that division, with his lone win vs. Matt Hamill.
by rzor on Oct 29, 2009 11:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
a lot of sites
carry over accomplishments from the old division to the new division.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 29, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also think they gave him credit
for the catchweight fights, since the intention of those was for him to move up in weight. His recent opponents have been moving on the way down in weight though, so it’s been a weird time to rank Rich lately.
by rzor on Oct 29, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Question
Will we ever get to see the spreadsheets again? The ones with each of the sites’ individual ranks? I always thought it was interesting to see the trends of what sites think about different fighters. Thanks.
by TDITZ on Oct 29, 2009 12:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Richard's got less time than he used to
but hopefully he’ll be able to show the charts.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Oct 29, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry about that. Part of the issue is the way having to have things ready for USAToday works and another part is that I have other deadlines during football season.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Oct 29, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Disclaimer: None of these are criticisms of the "consensus" system
1. Fighters MUST be ranked in every weight class at which they have recently competed. (Recently can reasonably be defined as “the last 2 years”, maybe 3). Anything else is just absurd!
2. Griffin vs Ortiz is not a bad fight, sports-wise. For one thing, Ortiz is ranked way too low – nobody has fought as many top LHWs as he has. Considering his victory over Griffin, his draw with Evans, and his close loss to Machida, he belongs near the bottom of the Top 10.
3. “Little Nog has faced the best in his day”? When was his last fight against a half-decent opponent? I’d put him no higher than 25, alongside Musasi, Sobral, Cane and Sokoudjou – none of whom have any notable victories except against each other! I rank those fighters between #20 and #25, until they prove otherwise by fighting some ranked competition.
by klown on Oct 29, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ortiz hasn’t fought in about a year and a half, I think his ranking is fair.
by ufc4 on Oct 29, 2009 9:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
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