30 Under 30: The Future of Mixed Martial Arts Part 4

All right, it’s time for the fourth and final installment of 30 Under 30: The Future of Mixed Martial Arts (because 30 Under 29 didn’t sound as cool)

Check Out Part 1 – http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/5/2259598/top-30-under-30-the-future-of-mixed-marital-arts-part-1 

Check Out Part 2 - http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/7/2264480/top-30-under-30-the-future-of-mixed-martial-arts-part-2

Check Out Part 3 - http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/15/2277789/top-30-under-30-the-future-of-mixed-martial-arts-part-3

                I should explain that this isn’t a straight up Pound for Pound rankings list, there are a few other factors involved, which is why you will see certain "unproven" fighters above known vets. This isn’t just a list of who is a better fighter, or who would beat who. I took into account a fighters current accomplishments (belts, wins over notable opponents, overall record, etc) a fighters age (I tend to rank younger guys higher, because I feel like they have more room for improvement) a lastly a fighters potential and room for improvement (this one is a little hard to put into words, or judge really. It’s basically my opinion on how good a certain fighter can get, think Jon Jones pre fighting Ryan Bader, we all knew he was going to be good, but he hadn’t beaten any big name yet.)

                Another rule I established, is that for a fighter to be considered for this list he must have been born in 1982 or later, meaning that fighters that are currently 29, but will turn 30 within 5 months aren’t eligible, which means that guys like Frankie Edgar (October 16, 1981) Yushin Okami (July 21, 1981) and Shogun Rua (November 25, 1981) won’t be part of this 30 under 30 list.

Without further adue let’s get on with the fourth and final installment starting at #5…

List So Far

HM5 – Ryan Bader

HM4 – Alexander Gustafsson

HM3 – Scott Jorgensen

HM2 – Tyson Griffin

HM1 – Shinya Aoki

#30 – Mark Hominick

#29 – Rory MacDonald

#28 – Michael McDonald

#27 – Erik Koch

#26 – Jake Ellenberger

#25 – Brendan Shaub

#24 – Rick Story

#23 – Diego Nunes

#22 – Eddie Wineland

#21 – Ben Henderson

#20 – Anthony Johnson

#19 – Jim Miller

#18 – Demetrious Johnson

#17 – Anthony Pettis

#16 – Carlos Condit

#15 – Thiago Alves

#14 – Joseph Benavidez

#13 – Phil Davis

#12 – Chad Mendes

#11 – Gegard Mousasi

#10 – Hatsu Hioki

#9 – Melvin Guillard

#8 – Nick Diaz

#7 – Eddie Alvarez

#6 – Junior Dos Santos

#5 –

#4 –

#3 –

#2 –

#1 –

#5 Cain Velasquez

via video.ufc.tv

Cain Velasquez                 United States                    6-1          245lbs                   9-0                          28 years old        BE Ranking - #1

Cain is the current UFC Heavyweight champion and the first "Mexican Heavyweight Champion" in combat sports (whatever that means). He is known for having arguably the best cardio in the HW division, and pushing a ridiculous pace. Also, he has a pretty bad tattoo across his chest. He became the UFC champ by beating Brock Lesnar at UFC 121.

Current Accomplishments

Well obviously the big one is being the champ. He is one of the least experienced fighters in this list, yet he has accomplished more in 9 fights than most people accomplish in their entire careers. He holds wins over Jake O’Brien, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Brock Lesnar. He is a former NCAA all American, and holds a brown belt in Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu.

Age

Cain Velasquez is 28 years old, but he will be turning 29 in two days making him the second oldest fighter in this list. Cain has never been KOed (in fact he’s never lost a fight round), but he was rocked numerous times in the Cheick Kongo fight. He also recently suffered a pretty significant shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined for almost an entire year now. Cain is in his athletic prime right now, he lost a year because of the injury so he needs to take advantage of the time he has left. He was once considered the future of the HW division, but now he is almost 30 years old. A lot of questions about his shoulder will be answered at UFC 139 when he fights Junior Dos Santos.

Potential/Room for Improvement

One of Cain’s biggest assets is his ability to rapidly improve from fight to fight. He has grown from leaps and bounds ever since he co-headlined his first UFC card at UFC 99 against Cheick Kongo. In the Kongo fight he showed that he was a great wrestler, but lacked finishing ability, and showed that he still needed to work on his stand-up. In the following three fights Cain not only showed his finishing ability, but also showed a vastly improved stand-up game knocking out Big Nog, and Lesnar, and TKOing Ben Rothwell with relentless ground and pound.

Cain has the accomplishments, and I think still has the potential to be even better; the only reason why he isn’t higher is because of his age. A win over Dos Santos would not only show that his shoulder is better, but it also that he is still the future of the HW division.

#4 Gilbert Melendez

via www.strikeforce.com

Gilbert Melendez                        United States                    5-9          155lbs                   19-2                29 years old        BE Ranking #3

Gilbert Melendez is the current Strikeforce lightweight champion, and hopefully a future UFC number one contender. He is without a doubt the best fighter currently outside the UFC, and some argue that he is the best lightweight in the world. He is known for his wars against Josh Thompson, and for being involved in the infamous Nashville brawl (even thou he tried to break it up, and didn’t actually do anything wrong).

Current Accomplishments

Gilbert is one of those few fighters that have beaten multiple ranked opponents outside of the UFC. He is the two-time Strikeforce LW champion, and holds wins over Clay Guida, Tatsuya Kawajiri (twice), Mitsuhiro Ishida, Josh Thompson and Shinya Aoki. He has also avenged his only two losses, which were both by decision.  

Age

Gilbert recently turned 29 making him the oldest fighter on this list. He has been fighting for almost 9 years, and has never been knocked out or seriously injured in a fight. He is without a doubt in his prime right now, and I expect him to stay at this level for a good 3 or 4 years.

Potential/Room for Improvement

I think we can all agree that the Gilbert Melendez that we are seeing right now is the best Gilbert Melendez to date. A great example of how far Gilbert has come is a comparison between his first fight against Crusher in 2006, and his last fight against Crusher in April. The first fight was a back and forth affair that resulted in a close decision. The second fight was anything but close, from the start of Round 1 Gilbert dominated Kawajiri like no one had ever done before. This shows just how much Gilbert has improved in the four and a half years since his New Years fight against Kawajiri. Chances are Gilbert is unlikely to keep improving at such a rapid pace, but who’s to say that he can’t still get better? Like Velasquez, the only reason why he isn’t top 3 is because of his age.

#3 Dominick Cruz

via video.ufc.tv

Dominick Cruz                   United States                    5-8          135lbs                   18-1                       25 years old        BE Ranking #1

I might not like Dominick Cruz, but it’s hard to ignore his accomplishments. He is only 25 years old, and he is already arguably the greatest bantamweight of all time. He is known for his elusive striking style, his incredible cardio, and his feud with Urijah Faber.

Current Accomplishments

Cruz holds wins over Charlie Valencia, Joseph Benavidez (twice), Brian Bowles, Scott Jorgensen, and Urijah Faber. He is one of the youngest Zuffa champions ever becoming the WEC Bantamweight champ when he was just 24 years old. His only career loss was at the hands of Urijah Faber back in 2007, and he has since avenged that loss at UFC 132 in one of the best fights of the year. Also, he recently became a blue belt in BJJ.

Age

Cruz is 25 years old (soon to be 26), and has been fighting for over 6 years. He’s never been knocked out, and the only serious injury that he’s suffered has been a broken hand. Unless someone figures out his style, he should stay on top for a while.

Potential/Room for Improvement

Cruz is still young and he definitely still has to improve on some things. While he has been very successful with his elusive style, he still isn’t a very technical striker. He is very fast, and very elusive, but he is no Jose Aldo. It’s only a matter of time before someone figures out his style, or someone with enough power catches him while he is coming in with his hands down. Urijah proved that while he is very allusive he can still get hit. It would benefit him to continue to work on his stand-up, and not get too arrogant about how good he really is. He also has a ways to go on his Jiu Jitsu, his only career loss was via submission, and he just became a blue belt. If Cruz continues to improve and put everything together, he will be an even better fighter than he is right now, which is a scary thing to think of.

#2 Jon Jones

via video.ufc.tv

Jon Jones            United States                    6-4          205lbs                   13-1                       24 years old                        BE Ranking #1

I’m sure that by now you had all guessed who the top 2 guys on the list were, but you might have not known in what order they would be ranked. For all intents and purposes Jon Jones is the 1b to Jose Aldo’s 1a, but for the sake of it being a "numbers only" list I have decided to place Jones at the #2 spot.

We all know Jon Jones, as the flashy young UFC light heavyweight champ. He first caught my eye after he threw Stephan Bonnar around the cage like he was a ragdoll at UFC 94. Jones is best known for his exciting style, his charming personality, and dislike of fake UFC belts. Jones is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, and currently has the longest reach of any fighter.

Current Accomplishments

Jones has been fighting for 3 short years, and in that time he has beaten the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, (and unofficially Matt Hamill) on his way to becoming the youngest UFC champion of all time. Jones is also a former national JUCO champion, and trains out of Jackson’s MMA, one of the best camps in the world.  

Age

Jon Jones is 24 years old (Fun Fact: he is the only fighter that has had a birthday since I started this list). Like I mentioned before he has only been fighting for a little over 3 years making his MMA debut at the age of 20. He’s never been hurt in any of his fights with the exception of the Brandon Vera fight where he has stunned by an Illegal up-kick from Vera. In my opinion as long as Jones stays at Light Heavyweight and doesn’t try to become the HW champion he will be known as one of the best fighters of all time.

Potential/Room for Improvement

When I hear the word potential, the first fighter that comes to mind is Jon Jones. He is just so gifted physically and athletically. He is larger than all but a few other fighters in his division yet he is still probably one of the fastest and strongest fighters. His wrestling is already top notch, and has shown noticeable improvements in each of his fights, especially since joining Greg Jackson’s camp. He is already the UFC champion yet he still has so many things that he can improve on. On his feet he still isn’t what I would call a technician. He gets away with some things because of his ridiculous reach, and impressive quickness. Plus most of his opponents are already on their heels because of his frightening judo throws and takedowns. His Jiu jitsu could also improve, I’m not sure what belt he is, but he’s probably only been training for a few years.  His biggest weakness is still probably his cardio. It showed in the Stephan Bonnar fight when he gassed in the 3rd, and we’ve seen glimpses of him getting tired, but he hasn’t gassed since then since h has finished every single one of his fights.

Bottom line, as long as Jones stays on the path that he is on he could very well be just as good as George St. Pierre if not even better.

#1 Jose Aldo

via video.ufc.tv

Jose Aldo            Brazil                     5-7                      145lbs                   20-1            24 years old                   BE Ranking #1

Before I begin, I’d like to explain why I have Jose Aldo ranked above Jon Jones. When it comes to age, both fighters are 24 years old, and in terms of potential things are pretty even. The biggest difference is career accomplishments. Even thou Jones is already the champion, I feel like Jose Aldo has done more in his career up to date. The bottom line is this; even thou Jon Jones might one day be known as the best ever, at this point in time Jose Aldo is a more experienced, more well-rounded, and an overall better fighter than Jon Jones.

Jose Aldo is a beast; there is no other way to put it. He is the best muy thai striker in MMA this side of Anderson Silva, and has beaten every single fighter put in front of him since joining the WEC. He is probably best known for his devastating leg kicks, and his sweet flying knee KO against Cub Swanson.

Current Accomplishments

Jose Aldo is the 3rd youngest Zuffa champion of all time (1st being Eddie Wineland, and 2nd being Jon Jones). He burst onto the scene in the WEC finishing all but one of his opponents. In the WEC/UFC Aldo has beaten name opponents like Jonathan Brookins, Cub Swanson, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Manny Gamburyan and Mark Hominick. He currently holds a 12 fight win streak, and is already the second longest reigning featherweight champ in Zuffa history (behind Urijah Faber). He is a terrific striker, holds a black belt in BJJ, and has very underrated wrestling.

Age

Like Jon Jones, Jose Aldo is still only 24 years old. He’s been fighting for almost 7 years, so he started his career when he was only 17 years old. I’ve yet to see him get hurt in a fight, although he was in some trouble in the 5th round of the Hominick fight. My only concern with Aldo is the neck injury that forced him to pull out of UFC 125, he looked like his usual self at UFC 129, but neck injuries are very serious, and could be career threatening. Hopefully he has no more issues with his neck/back and he has a long and prosperous career at the top of the FW (and possibly LW) division.

Potential/Room for Improvement

 It’s hard to imagine how much better Aldo can get seeing as how he’s already one of the best fighters in the word, but he is still only 24 and without a doubt he will continue to get better with time as long as he remains healthy. Aldo is already a fantastic striker, so I assume that if he makes any major improvements it will be on the ground. He did gas in the Hominick fight, but people forget that he was sick before the fight, plus he has a pretty rough weight cut.

At this stage in his career Aldo is already a complete fighter so he doesn’t have as much room for improvement as someone like Jon Jones, but make no mistake the best Jose Aldo is still to come.  

Breakdown

This is the final breakdown of fighters by division (including the honorable mentions).

HW - 3 (Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Brendan Shaub)

LHW - 5 (Jon Jones, Gegard Mousasi, Phil Davis, Alexander Gustafssonn, Ryan Bader)

MW - 0

WW - 7 (Nick DIaz, Thiago Alves, Carlos Condit, Anthony Johnson, Rick Story, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald)

LW - 7 (Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez, Melvin Guillard, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller, Ben Henderson, Shinya Aoki)

FW - 7 (Jose Aldo, Hatsu Hioki, Chad Mendes, Diego Nunes, Erik Koch, Mark Homminick, Tyson Griffin)

BW - 6 (Dominick Cruz, Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Wineland, Michael McDonald, Scott Jorgensen)

Youngest Fighter - Micheal McDonald (January 15, 1991)

Oldest Fighter - Gilbert Melendez (April 12, 1982)

Most Experienced Fighter - Melvin Guillard (40 fights)

Least Experienced Fighter - Brendan Shaub, Cain Velasquez, and Phil Davis (9 fights)

via ballyhooligan.files.wordpress.com

Well folks that’s it, it took me much longer than I originally anticipated, but it’s finally finished. I hope you all enjoyed my simple writing style and bad grammar (ha ha). I’d also like to say that I really appreciate all the criticisms as well as the positive feedback.

I kind of wish I would have put these out sooner, but it’s hard to just sit down and write when you have so many other things to do.

Blah, now I feel like I’m rambling, thanks to everyone who read this, and commented on the previous installments, and thanks for the recs.

Peace out,

Darkotto23