USAT/SBN April MMA Consensus Rankings: Light Heavyweight

by Kid Nate on Apr 30, 2010 1:12 PM EDT in MMA Rankings

Rank	Fighter	%	Promotion	Last Rank
1	Lyoto Machida	100	UFC	1
2	Mauricio Rua	93	UFC	2
3	Rashad Evans	91	UFC	3
4	Quinton Jackson	88	UFC	4
5	Forrest Griffin	80	UFC	5
6	Anderson Silva	76	UFC	6
7	Antonio Rogerio Nogueira	75	UFC	8
8	Muhammed Lawal	61	Strikeforce	23
9	Gegard Mousasi	54	Strikeforce	7
10	Thiago Silva	54	UFC	9
11	Jon Jones	48	UFC	20
12	Rich Franklin	42	UFC	11
13	Randy Couture	38	UFC	12
14	Dan Henderson	35	Strikeforce	10
15	Luis Arthur Cane	33	UFC	13
16	Ryan Bader	30	UFC	14
17	Keith Jardine	27	UFC	15
18	Chuck Liddell	26	UFC	17
19	Vitor Belfort	26	UFC	19
20	Renato Sobral	23	Strikeforce	18
21	Brandon Vera	22	UFC	16
22	Tito Ortiz	16	UFC	21
22	Matt Hamill	16	UFC	23
24	Paulo Filho	14	DREAM	22
25	Vladimir Matyushenko	13	UFC	25

Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

Finally, after waiting since UFC 104 last October, MMA fans will get the rematch between #1 Lyoto Machida and #2 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 113 on May 8. The first fight was a classic of MMA strategy, heart and technique from two great fighters at the top of their games. We can only hope the second installment will be as exciting. It is reasonable to hope for a more definitive outcome as the first fight was marred by controversial scoring.

The first challenger to whoever wins Machida/Rua will likely be the winner of #3 Rashad Evans vs #4 Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 114. Although, Machida's utterly definitive win over Evans at UFC 98 makes a Machida/Evans rematch somewhat unlikely should they both win.

The same card will feature #5 Forrest Griffin against #7 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a fight whose winner will be in the thick of the title hunt. Hardcore fans are holding out hope for a rematch of Shogun vs Nogueira ASAP. Their first fight in PRIDE's 2005 GP was one of the best MMA bouts of all time and both men appear to have only improved in the interval.

Yes we are aware that #6 Anderson Silva utterly depantsed and humiliated Griffin at UFC 101, but several of our rankings sources only rank Silva as a middleweight. Hopefully Silva will fight serious LHW competition again soon so we can see just how high he really ranks at 205lbs.

#8 Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal rises dramatically from the #23 spot by virtue of his decision win over #9 Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: Nashville. With DREAM.14 no longer kicking off their Light Heavyweight tourny, it's up in the air who Strikeforce will find to challenge their new champ.

No word yet on who's next for #10 Thiago Silva. He's denied a rumored bout with #16 Ryan Bader. #11 Jon Jones is rumored to face #25 Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC on Versus 2. #12 Rich Franklin will be facing Chuck Liddell at UFC 115.

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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Comments

I’m already seeing commercials for Rampage/Rashad and Machida/Shogun hasn’t even happened yet.

If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 29, 2010 12:25 AM EDT reply actions

wwwwwwwwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

5 Forrest Griffin 80 UFC 5
6 Anderson Silva 76 UFC 6

Still good lol’s every time I read that. Yes I know why it’s there, still absurd.

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

by Cory Braiterman on Apr 29, 2010 1:58 AM EDT reply actions

i couldn't agree more

he destroyed griffin. if the problem is silva having only two fights at LHW, then remove him from the divisions rankings all together! makes the rankings look stupid with shit like that.

by LeeroyJenkin$ on Apr 29, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Each of our panelists have different ways of deciding where to rank guys.

Bolts from the Blue // "He looks like a catfish" - Nick Hardwick on Brandon Siler
Bloody Elbow // " looks like your comment violated rule #4. and it’s a heck of a rule, rule #4" - Kid Nate

by Richard Wade on Apr 29, 2010 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

and you're missing the point of the rankings

they are NOT an attempt to rank their fighters. They are a success at documenting how the MMA community ranks the fighters.
This shows that Anderson Silva is seen as a serious force in the division but not an immediate threat to take the title. Which is about right simply because he won’t commit to doing that.

Follow me on Twitter @KidNate

by Kid Nate on Apr 30, 2010 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions

look, nate

You can justify it however you want, and I am acknowledging I know why it’s there. That doesn’t make it any less ridiculous to see. Personally, I think it’s just another absurd flaw in an absurd system (Heeyyooooooo, Ray Mercer). I don’t even know why you’re defending it, to be honest.

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

by Cory Braiterman on Apr 30, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

well

the thing I learned in obsessively studying MMA rankings systems when we put this one together is that none of them really work perfectly, or even very well.
I think accurately ranking MMA fighters is ultimately an impossible task.
That’s why we don’t try to do it and instead just try to document how the larger community is ranking fighters. If you don’t see the value in having these rankings as a reference, stop reading them.

Follow me on Twitter @KidNate

by Kid Nate on Apr 30, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

rephrase that last line

as a friend pointed out, i should have worded that last line as “don’t know why you see the need to defend it”.

Either way works, different gists, I suppose.

http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/

by Cory Braiterman on Apr 30, 2010 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I really don’t think a lot of people understand how the rankings are supposed to work. It is based on a fighters accomplishments (with most writers trying to use an objective methodology) and current position in divisional pecking order, not on “mythical who would beat who?” match-ups. It could be viewed as similar to the divisional standings in the NFL or NBA. In the 92-93 season, the Bulls were the best team in the league, but does that mean they should been seeded higher than the Suns and Nicks who had better regular seasons?

by John Nash on Apr 30, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

A lot of people won't understand this.

But you can even make a case for ranking Griffin higher than Silva at 205. Based on career accomplishments in the division.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Based on his victories since 2007 over Rua, Rampage, and Tito with losses only to Evans and Silva compared to Silva’s record on wins over Irvin and Griffin, i think you could make that case.

Although, personally I think Griffin has been incredibly lucky in and is really overrated. He faced an out of shape and beat up Shogun Rua, giving him a victory over the (at the time) #1 LHW, then won a controversial decision over Rampage, and finally got Tito Ortiz, a fighter who had just returned after an 18-month layoff from back surgery. Before that his best win was Stephan Bonnar.

His luck runs out May 29th.

by John Nash on Apr 30, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

When you start bringing the health of the fighters into the thought process

Subjectivity runs rampant. Even if Shogun was hurt, he still fought and that was his decision. He deserves the loss and Griffin shouldn’t be punished for anything that is beyond his control.

by truck on Apr 30, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

You’re making way too much sense about Griffin. No one is going to agree with you if you don’t stop doing that.

by The Darkness on Apr 30, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

How is Griffin more an immediate threat?

When thinking back the the original point their head to head match up. Last we’ve seen between these two was Griffin running back to the locker room at top speed to get away from him. It’s a joke lol.

John
http://ionnes.wordpress.com
Twitter me @ionnespoetry

by Ionnes on Apr 30, 2010 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

because he's actively contending for the title

Anderson won’t as long as Machida is champ and frankly Zuffa might not want to let him anywhere near the LHW belt because he can’t be counted on to deliver quality fights.
Unless you’re hearing something that I’m not, or something changes, Forrest is more likely to get a title shot at 205 than Anderson in the near future.
Do I think he will? No.
In fact I expect him to be thrashed by Little Nog and to drop in the rankings and this stupid head ache will go away.
But if Forrest beats Little Nog, which is a possibility, then he’ll be right back in the hunt.

Follow me on Twitter @KidNate

by Kid Nate on Apr 30, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

2010 Brent Brookhouse Yearly Resume Rankings - Light Heavyweight

Mo Lawal
Rashad Evans
Ryan Bader
Jon Jones
Phil Davis
Randy Couture
Vladimir Matyushenko
Krzysztof Soszynski
Jason Brilz
James Te-Huna

These are based only on fights in 2010. Priority is given to fighters in the USAT/SBN Consensus Rankings. Wins over quality opponents (again with priority to wins over opponents ranked in the USAT/SBN CR) have most weight, followed by quality wins over non-ranked opponents, and then wins over scrubs. A fighter who has not fought in the current calendar year can not qualify to be ranked.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 1:20 PM EDT reply actions

...post 113 there will be a new #1 for the year

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Unless Shogun-Machida 2 is a Draw or No Contest.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Apr 30, 2010 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I have a different take form the King Mo / Mousasi

I lobve Mousasi, but I think that fight showed more than anything that Mousai has been greatly overrated at LHW. Mo was impressive in victory, but he wasn’t all that impressive with his takedowns and the skills he used to win weren’t anything over the top. He scored a lot of takedowns, but based on what I saw I have no reason to believe Phil Davis, Tito, Ortiz, Jon Jones or anyone with any sort of wrestling credentials couldn’t do the same thing.

I know there is a lot of things that go into rankings, but truthfully I think they are very much organinc. After seeing a new and very week side to someones game or an ability for them to get dominated by a relative novice, I think that should result in a drastic move down for the loser as opposed to a huge move up for the victor.

That fight didn’t provethat Mo was better than everyone he jumped, it proved Mousasi wasn’t as good as we thought.

That’s my take anyways. I think Mousasi and Lawal should both be down around 15 – 20 range.

by truck on Apr 30, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions

exactly

at the sherdog rankings, Bader is overvalued at #10 because he beat Jardine who was overvalued at #10 and Jones isn’t top #10 because he beat Vera who was valued about right at 27 or something…

by some schmuck in texas on Apr 30, 2010 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I would agree with this, unfortunately this project doesn’t allow for me to do that. His win was over a higher ranked opponent than anyone else has this year, thus he is ranked at #1 for the time being.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I def understand where you are coming from.

I think you are accurate if you are working purely from the numbers.

Seeing Mousasi get pushed around makes me think he was far overvalued though and I would argue that Rashad’s win over Thiago Silva (a fighter that should be ranked above Mousasi) was more deserving of the top spot.

by truck on Apr 30, 2010 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, it’s a part of the early part of the year where most fighters only have one fight. I’ve done this multiple years now and in the end things usually sort themselves out to be much more along the lines of what you’d think. Like right now anyone in the top 10 in the UFC would jump ahead of him with a second win because Mousasi was the only legitimate win at 205 that Mo can get without signing with Zuffa. Like, a win over Babalu won’t do anything for him really, but if Evans beats Rashad he’ll jump him, the winner of the Machida/Rua bout absolutely goes up to #1. If Bader beats Jardine he’d have 2 wins over top 20 competition which I would value more than a single win over a #7 fighter. So right there in 3 fights we’d have Mo bumped down to #4. As the UFC guys keep fighting ranked guys and Mo has to fight scrubs he’ll keep tumbling, and by the end of the year probably lands out of the top 10.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
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by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions

hmmm

If Evans beats Rashad?

by Geno Mrosko on Apr 30, 2010 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions

blarf...

if Evans beast RAMPAGE

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by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 30, 2010 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions

and another

if Evans beast Rampage?

by Geno Mrosko on May 4, 2010 1:12 AM EDT up reply actions

Just the clarify...

Yeah, I don’t always believe a fighter should jump the person he just beat…

I do think they should jump them, but I think the overrated fighter should move down. If Mousasi was truly the number 8 fighter he wouldn’t be getting dominate by a guy who is ranked number 23 and only has 6 fights under his belt.

by truck on Apr 30, 2010 2:29 PM EDT reply actions