The UFC's #2s

Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I can hear it... That voice of football coaches past: "Second is only the first loser!" I shake my head and fling off the acrimonious words, thinking of the many times I've heard MMA vets say that just stepping into the cage is an act worthy of respect. While I have never stepped into a cage to fight, I have stepped onto the mats at several grappling tournaments and I can say that overcoming those butterflies is a small act of personal courage... at least for a big wuss like myself. What I am getting at here, however, is a discussion about number twos. In a previous entry, I espoused the 2009 UFC Elite Champions Class and found that most could agree on the topic. What followed afterward, with some MMA enthusiasts at home, was a discussion about who we would rank as the next best fighter in each weight class. The discussion was still limited to the UFC and the result was as follows:

Lightweight
Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez

21 - 2

In a UFC lightweight class that is stacked with exciting, well schooled talent, choosing a true number two sparked some heated debate. Names like Florian, Sherk, and even Maynard entered the discussion and more than a few of us lamented having to keep the talk to the UFC only. For my part, I felt very strongly about Diego as the selection for the true number two in this division (and since I'm the one writing, I get to put him on this list! =]). In Diego we are looking at a fighter who has competed at the top levels at welterweight and brings all that speed and stamina down to lightweight with the added benefit of being a bit over-sized for the division. If there was any question what a difference some size can make when matching skill to skill, just review the GSP - Penn fight from January.

It's a tad amazing that it's taken this long for Diego to get a title shot. Many fighters around him with later starts and less impressive performances have gotten shots while Diego had to drop a weight class to get himself in the picture. Diego's popularity may play a part, though. His unique personality has not won him the same legion of fans other TUF luminaries like Forrest Griffin have gotten. His original potential shot was derailed after his first loss at the hands of another TUF alum, Josh Koschek. He did, however, suffer from an MRSA infection at the time and, having experienced one myself, I can vouch for just how much that can affect his performance. In his next fight, he suffered his only other loss to Jon Fitch who is as good as they get next to GSP.

All told, I think Diego availed himself well in the thorough drubbing of Clay Guida and we are going to see BJ Penn facing his greatest lightweight challenge to date when the two finally meet. Diego's consistently impressive performances, incredible cardio, well rounded game, experience at welterweight, and aggression make him my pick for the true number two lightweight in the UFC.

Welterweight
Jon Fitch

19 - 3

This particular discussion did not involve a great deal of debate, although I will say we had fun speculating on how fighters outside the UFC would stack up. Fitch has been unstoppable in this division outside not being able to get past the champ, Georges St. Pierre. Jon's other two losses came early in his career before he had really developed his skills. In his loss to GSP, he pushed the fight to a decision and gave the "super elite" champ the best fight he's had in some time. One would be hard pressed to imagine anyone else at welterweight giving Fitch much of a fight. Perhaps a match with Thiago Alves would be compelling, but what after that?

I'm giving my true number two pick to Jon Fitch because he is tough as nails, as well rounded as they come, and proven time and time again against top level fighters at his weight.

Middleweight
Dan "Hollywood" Henderson

25 - 7

The one time Pride Middleweight AND Light Heavyweight Champion, Hendo is the only person we've seen take a round from Anderson Silva in recent years. Picking him as the true number two in this weight class is a close call, considering the recent performance (and continual growth as an MMA fighter) of Nate Marquardt. Hendo has proven himself in two weight classes, though, and might have the toughest chin in MMA. At middleweight, Henderson is just a brute with near unstoppable wrestling skills that lead to a solid ground and pound game. It's nice that the UFC will be giving us a fight between Hendo and Nate, so that we may see the closest two, three match-up perhaps ever.

My true number two pick at middleweight goes to Henderson for his ability to control where a fight takes place, his ridiculous chin, and on the merits of his performance against the stratospheric skills of Anderson Silva.

Light Heavyweight
Anderson "The Spider" Silva

25 - 4

It's hard to find things to say about Silva that haven't already been said. His striking game is on a level perhaps only shared by his friend Lyoto Machida. His take-down defense is fantastic. His ground game, although not often seen, is damn good. He's dominated the middleweight division for so long now that he's had to start kicking light heavyweight butts just to avoid boredom... And kick them he has. While he's only had a couple matches at the new weight class, his performances in them have been nothing less than devastating. Most recently, his mangling of former light heavyweight champ, Forrest Griffin has left everyone asking for a fight between Silva and the current title holder, but that is unlikely to occur anytime soon.

There was a time when one would think a non-title holding "Shogun" should have this hands down, but he has yet to prove himself fully again. Randy Couture might well make himself a contender here again as well, but time - one would think, right? - is ticking for him. My true number two will be Anderson Silva until someone dethrones him at light heavy. Anderson has one punch knockout power, is as elusive as they come, is next to impossible to take down, and can still work in crippling fashion when he is on the ground.

Heavyweight
Shane Carwin

11 - 0

If we're to believe that Nogueira's poor outing against Mir was all about health, it is tempting to put him in the number two spot. That still wouldn't explain his performance against Tim Sylvia, though, where he was beaten pillar to post before pulling a submission out of the genie lamp. Thus, I reserve my judgment on him until I see him in another big fight. I can't say my discussion group all agreed, but again... I'm the one writing this, so.... =]

To my eyes, there has been a shift in the heavyweight division, marked by the title being in the hands of the behemoth Lesnar. It was once said to me that size was wasted on the large. This was was a nugget of wisdom from a jiu jitsu practitioner I knew that pointed out the lack of technique often seen in larger fighter's games because they continually relied on their size and strength. Those days have seemed to pass now, though, with guys actually cutting weight to fight at heavyweight and having the skill to back it up. In this environment, I think it takes a guy with the skills AND size to be considered the true number two and that's why I have chose the wrestling standout, Shane Carwin.

I'm sure to receive much more debate on these picks than on my elite class ones and I certainly welcome it. It's always a fun exercise in "fandom" to haggle these things out.