USAT/SBN July MMA Consensus Rankings: Lightweight
by Kid Nate on Jul 29, 2010 6:48 PM EDT
in MMA Rankings
45 comments
Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.
| Rank | Fighter | Points | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Edgar | 349 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | B.J. Penn | 335 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Gilbert Melendez | 309 | Strikeforce | 3 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 304 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Eddie Alvarez | 286 | Bellator | 5 |
| 5 | Shinya Aoki | 286 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 7 |
| 7 | Gray Maynard | 276 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 228 | DREAM | 8 |
| 9 | George Sotiropoulos | 182 | UFC | 15 |
| 10 | Evan Dunham | 181 | UFC | 14 |
| 11 | Benson Henderson | 144 | WEC | 10 |
| 12 | Jim Miller | 137 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Tyson Griffin | 133 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Mizuto Hirota | 130 | WVR | 11 |
| 15 | Sean Sherk | 125 | UFC | 9 |
| 16 | Joe Stevenson | 93 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Takanori Gomi | 85 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Diego Sanchez | 83 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Kurt Pellegrino | 72 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Gesias Cavalcante | 68 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 23 |
| 21 | Josh Thomson | 66 | Strikeforce | 24 |
| 22 | Gleison Tibau | 49 | UFC | 20 |
| 23 | Luis Palomino | 44 | Bellator | 22 |
| 24 | Joachim Hansen | 42 | DREAM | 25 |
| 25 | Kazunori Yokota | 41 | WVR | 21 |
At UFC 118 in August, we'll see if #1 Frank Edgar's win over #2 B.J. Penn at UFC 112 was a fluke or a precedent.
#4 Kenny Florian and #7 Gray Maynard will also meet at UFC 118, ostensibly to determine the next title challenger.
#3 Gilbert Melendez has graciously declined #5 Shinya Aoki's invitation for a rematch at DREAM.16 and will instead be recuperating from injuries until late this year.
#5 Eddie Alvarez has also been eager to get a date with Melendez and his bosses at Bellator are all about it. Strikeforce's Scott Coker hasn't been quite as eager for that dream match. Alvarez will defend his Bellator title against tournament winner Pat Curran sometime this fall.
The emergence of #9 George Sotiropoulos and #10 Evan Dunham as bona fide contenders definitely injects some excitement into the UFC's lightweight division. Sotiropoulos earned his bones by dominating #19 Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116. Dunham's rise has been even more meteoric, coming largely at the expense of #13 Tyson Griffin 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.
We are now moving to what JCS of Fight Matrix has described as assumed rankings in an attempt to rank fighters who move between weight classes. This has been the biggest problem with the consensus rankings and we believe this new methodology will rectify that.
Let's take Anderson Silva for instance. 87% (13 of 15) of our panelists have him at Light Heavyweight and 100% (15 of 15) at Middleweight. On the 13 ballots that ranked Silva at 205, we took the average (21.2). We then reduced that number by half the percentage of Light Heavyweight ballots that he was not included on. Say he's not on 30% of them, then we do a 15% penalty on the average that we found in the previous step. That number is then used instead of the usual "normalization number" to provide points from those not ranking the fighter in the weight class in question. This avoids fighters being excessively penalized by confusion about which weight class they belong.
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Utterly irrelevant question
When did he go from Frankie to Frank?
Is this like when Larry Fishburne turned into Laurence?
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by some schmuck in texas on Jul 29, 2010 6:52 PM EDT reply actions
I go back and forth on that
but they seem to be calling him Frank when it’s official.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I'd say this is a fairly reasonable top 10
and then shit goes crazy when you hit Ben Henderson. He should be below Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin, Sherk, Thompson, and even a handful of guys coming off losses. I’d rank Melvin Guillard and Gleison Tibau above Ben Henderson.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Talkin boost
I really can’t understand how Edgar can possibly be the No. 1 lightweight in the world after winning the title being such a massive underdog. I couldn’t be certain as i write this but, i am (almost) sure that Aoki. Florian, Maynard, Melendez and possibly even Alvarez were above him before the fight.
Sure he moves up, but really THIS rematch will show whether he is the true No.1. If BJ owns him then it just makes the whole thing stupid and pointless. Now i know Ranking are always subjective, but the people that make them, should try to stay closer to reality than this shouldn’t they?
Well, what’s farther away from reality? Putting the guy that just beat the #1 fighter at #1 even though it was an upset? Or keeping the #1 guy at #1 even though he just lost to someone he was massively favored to beat?
I think ranking the winner over the loser cuts a bit closer to reality.
If BJ owns him then it just makes the whole thing stupid and pointless.
And if Edgar wins again, it will have been stupid and pointless to keep BJ at #1 when he lost the first time.
I disagree
I think that rankings are progressive, not only based on your last fight but your fights over time. Everyone can have an off day. Really, we all know that nobody is perfect, so losing your #1 ranking to a massive underdog is quite silly, especially if they put you at #2. If Frankie gets #1 because of the fact that he pulled off that upset, then why doesn’t Penn drop further……..don’t answer that.
We know it’s because Penn already beat Florian, but that was my point, the shift was not realistic at all.
Besides
This ranking doesn’t demand an instant rematch, though the fight does. Frankie having pole vaulted such a distance should have left no doubt as to his place in the div. In truth the fight was close, and while i do say that Edgar was better that night, i think that Penn was WAY off his game. Anybody could see that this was not the BJ we had seen in his last 2 fights.
Oh well like i said it’s all subjective, but i think the ranking having a bit more stability could actually help in terms of promoting to a wider fan base. This sort of leap frogging doesn’t happen all too often in most other rankings.
I don’t think Edgar was really all THAT far down in the rankings. I know I had him in the top 15.
Anyway: if BJ just had an off night—that is, if what we saw against Edgar was a fluke and not an indication of where he’s at as a fighter right now—then the onus is on him to prove it. If he does, he goes back to #1. Until then, his ranking reflects his recent record, and so does Edgar’s.
So basically
if it turns out that BJ is done as a top contender, then Frankie gets top spot because he happened to be there the first time. Though two guys are soon to go at it, both of which where ranked higher, and one of which has already beat him.
I just don’t see any justification to that shift, unless Frankie’s ranking was completely off over the last 2 tears and that dec win over Franca was the answer.
Holding a belt AND being a face.
Varner held the same belt and had similar defenses, but is a heel. He didn’t get ranked the same way. I can’t help but feel like there’s a correlation.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
good point
a lot goes into the rankings whether the rankers are aware of what’s influencing their decisions or not.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Bottom line: he’s never beaten a top 25 fighter.
by JonathanSnowden on Jul 30, 2010 10:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really like Kenny Florian
But if he beats Maynard (as I expect) and BJ gets the belt back, I’d rather see George Sotiropoulos get the title shot. If Edgar wins, though a fight with Kenny would be grand.
"Nothing's ever what it seems. And even if it is, ends justify means." -Matt Good
Yeah I kinda feel the same way. I’m definitely a big fan of Kenny’s and I think he can take Frankie, but if BJ is the champ, Kenny should be one more fight away from a shot, cause he really did nothing in their first fight.
by Kwisatz Haderach on Jul 30, 2010 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
My LW rankings are being put on hold until BJ and Frankie and Florian and Maynard fight. Too much of a cluster**** until I can prove that BJ>Florian>Edgar>Maynard.
Hard core MMA fan since UFC 99
Maynard beat Edgar.
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by Derek Suboticki on Jul 29, 2010 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, two years ago. In my opinion, Edgar is the better fighter. I just have to wait for BJ to beat Edgar and Florian to beat Maynard. Then i think a rematch is highly likely.
Maynard looked like **** against Diaz. Edgard looked awesome against BJ Penn (despite me thinking he lost, he looked great).
Hard core MMA fan since UFC 99
I’m expecting Sotiropoulos to go up those rankings, and also Dunham to stumble a little bit. I don’t have a whole lot of basis for the Dunham prediction, admittedly. Gut feeling from watching him a few times.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
The same Sotiropolous that came within an inch of getting finished by Pellegrino?
Sot/Dunham would be a hell of a fun fight grappling-wise though, I’d love to see it.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Jul 29, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Inch? Methinks you need to buy a new measuring tape.
by Sergio Hernandez on Jul 29, 2010 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions
He wasn't almost finished.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
You don't think Sot would have been choked out if the bell didn't ring right then?
The last BJJ black belt to give Pellegrino his back ended up tapping.
Either way, suffice it to say that Dunham has managed to impress me more than Sot has, who is still riding a wave of hype due to his successful application of rubber guard against Stevenson and…not much else.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Jul 30, 2010 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Dunham has managed to impress me more than Sot has
He has managed to impress you more, that doesn’t mean everybody feels the same…
True, but I created an account on these boards to discuss topics with people.
Sorry for attempting to have a discussion, won’t happen again sir.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Jul 30, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
well Sot also managed to
flat out whip Batman’s ass for 2 1/2 rounds before that final flurry but the end shows that it was a close match.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Whip his ass?
I’d say he solidly outstruck and outgrappled him for two and a half rounds, but I never really saw a point where Pellegrino was in danger of anything except possibly gassing. Sot seems to be more of a grinding fighter against mid-tier guys like Stevenson/Pellegrino, so I’m having difficulties seeing him doing well against the upper tier of the division.
"Sometimes hype just ain't enough." - Jens Pulver on his win over BJ Penn
by lowellthehammer on Jul 30, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I like both fighters....
but you’re clearly biased. That clip is about the only 10 seconds of the entire 900 second fight in which Batman had the upper hand. The other 890 was all G-Sot. Pelligrino did a great job hanging in there and exploding at the end, but you could tell that GSot made the huge mistake of trying to breeze through the last 10 seconds instead of fighting to the bell and batman capitalized…finally. For the record, had there been another minute on the fight, I don’t think Pelligrino would have choked or submitted GSot. He may have won by GnP though.
GSot has also shown more than one of the most active and dominating ground games in mma recently. His boxing is crisp and fundamentally sound. He easily outstruck Dent, Stevenson, and Pelligrino on the feet.
Rankings are so boring. Logging on to BE and seeing stuff about rankings is like logging on to ESPN and seeing an article about Brett Farve being undecided about football. BORING!!!
I love your website. But rankings are lame. Its like an endless preseason prediction of a tournament that never takes place. But i am sure your rankings are the bestest…
Do you understand what "Consensus" rankings mean?
I think you have the wrong idea about where these lists come from otherwise your critique doesn’t make much sense.
keep in mind that rankings
only measure past accomplishments and not potential performance.
Also, this list is a compilation of the rankings of the top mma web sites and writers rather than an attempt to rank fighters. we’re just documenting the opinions of the mma community as we believe ranking fighters is at best subjective and at worst, hopeless.
and you’re making an assertion based entirely on your opinion with no evidence to support it.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
eeeehhhh...
MOST rankings measure past accomplishments. But a lot do base positioning on “who beats who?” type thinking.
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by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 29, 2010 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
See #11 Jon Jones
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by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 29, 2010 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Awww, my sick burn done got hid. =(
Regardless, complaining about these rankings are like complaining about Gallup Polls.
Yeah, you may not agree with it but that doesn’t mean that information presented isn’t an indication of what people THINK.
by Sergio Hernandez on Jul 29, 2010 10:04 PM EDT reply actions
I thought it was solid.
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by Richard Wade on Jul 29, 2010 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions
True
Though what people think and what’s actually happening in the sport may not be the same thing at all. I actually like seeing the rankings, i just think that sometimes these rankings have a…..sort of….brain fart.
Oh well….i just can’t wrap my head around the reasoning of Edgar’s rank. No big deal, very interested to see if he can use that confidence from the first win and come out even stronger this time actually.
honestly
I think Aoki’s loss was the biggest factor in Edgar making it to #1. normally when a bottom of the top 10 guy beats the #1 the #2 and #3 guys move up (see the heavyweight division), but in lightweight the #2 guy Aoki lost right away to Melendez who is himself regarded with some skepticism by many rankers.
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