I've always been one for rankings. Even so, I would be one of the first to tell you that rankings are mostly useless, and always debatable. This especially concerns P4P rankings. While checking out Sherdog's P4P rankings, in my opinion a couple of their picks were questionable and I addressed in the following email:

How do you all at Sherdog calculate your p4p rankings? I love your articles and your staff, but I feel like I might be missing something here. 

My definition of p4p : a comparative study of dominance in your division.

Under this definition (I'm sure you have your own, that's the beauty/curse of p4p disccussions), a couple fighters really stick out like a sore thumb. 

Firstly, I notice that Jon Jones, champion of the 205 pound division, is ranked lower than the number 2 and 4 welterweights in the world. The number two (John Fitch) welterweight is coming off a draw, and the number 4 (Jake Shields) is 1-0 in the premier MMA organization! I respect both men immensely, but neither is the essence of dominance.

Further down the list, Mauricio Shogun Rua Clocks in at number 9. That's higher than the unranked and once beaten bantamweight champion Dominic Cruz. Now the bantamweight division is new and in flux at the moment, so any rankings must be taken with a grain of salt, but surely a divisional champion has shown more than the 205 pound former champion who came off a loss which Sherdog's own Tim Leidecker described by stating "nothing" went right for him

So I pose the same question to you Bloody Elbow readers: What do pound for pound rankings mean to you?

Disclaimer: I know that Sherdog gets a lot of heat around these parts, however I enjoy their writing, and in no way do I mean this to be a roast of their rankings, their staff, or their site. I merely believe this is a sounding board for interesting debate. Have at it!