Analysis by Kid Nate
November is the big month for heavyweights. Ok, well it's not quite as big as it was going to be until yesterday, but it's still big.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings present the top 25 fighters in MMA for the seven major weight classes. These world MMA rankings are the most accurate reflection of how the top fighters in MMA across all promotions like UFC, WEC, Affliction and DREAM are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Emelianenko | 100 | M-1Global/Strikeforce | 1 |
| 2 | Brock Lesnar | 96 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | 88 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Frank Mir | 87 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Josh Barnett | 71 | WVR | 5 |
| 6 | Shane Carwin | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Junior dos Santos | 70 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Brett Rogers | 67 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 9 | Randy Couture | 65 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Andrei Arlovski | 51 | ??? | 10 |
| 11 | Alistair Overeem | 49 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 12 |
| 11 | Cain Velasquez | 49 | UFC | 11 |
| 13 | Fabricio Werdum | 41 | Strikeforce | 13 |
| 14 | Jeff Monson | 26 | Free Agent | 14 |
| 15 | Gabriel Gonzaga | 25 | UFC | 15 |
| 16 | Cheick Kongo | 22 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Ben Rothwell | 22 | UFC | 19 |
| 18 | Tim Sylvia | 21 | Adrenaline | 16 |
| 19 | Pedro Rizzo | 20 | Free Agent | 18 |
| 20 | Aleksander Emelianenko | 19 | ProFC | 20 |
| 21 | Roy Nelson | 19 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Antonio Silva | 18 | WVR | 22 |
| 23 | Marcio Cruz | 18 | Art of Fighting | 23 |
| 24 | Gilbert Yvel | 17 | Fight Force International | 24 |
| 24 | Semmy Schilt | 17 | K-1 | 24 |
November is the big month for heavyweights. Ok, well it's not quite as big as it was going to be until yesterday, but it's still big.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyoto Machida | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Rashad Evans | 93 | UFC | 3 |
| 3 | Quinton Jackson | 86 | UFC | 2 |
| 4 | Mauricio Rua | 84 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Forrest Griffin | 80 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Anderson Silva | 71 | UFC | 9 |
| 7 | Thiago Silva | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Gegard Mousasi | 65 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 9 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | 56 | UFC | 8 |
| 10 | Luiz Cane | 50 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Rich Franklin | 38 | UFC | 10 |
| 12 | Dan Henderson | 38 | UFC | 13 |
| 13 | Keith Jardine | 31 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Chuck Liddell | 26 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Renato Sobral | 25 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 16 | Brandon Vera | 23 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Wanderlei Silva | 23 | UFC | 15 |
| 18 | Jon Jones | 23 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Matt Hamill | 19 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Vladimir Matyushenko | 18 | UFC | 20 |
| 21 | Tito Ortiz | 17 | UFC | 21 |
| 22 | Vitor Belfort | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 22 | Sokoudjou |
16 | DREAM | 23 |
| 24 | Mark Coleman | 16 | UFC | 25 |
| 25 | Paulo Filho | 15 | DREAM | 24 |
Well #1 Lyoto Machida broke the string of UFC Light Heavyweight champions who failed to make a single title defense. But after his UFC 104 bout with #4 Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, we're not hearing much talk of the "Machida Era."
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson Silva | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Nate Marquardt | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Dan Henderson | 93 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Jorge Santiago | 79 | WVR | 5 |
| 5 | Demian Maia | 77 | UFC | 6 |
| 6 | Vitor Belfort | 68 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Chael Sonnen | 67 | UFC | 10 |
| 8 | Yushin Okami | 64 | UFC | 4 |
| 9 | Robbie Lawler | 52 | Strikeforce | 8 |
| 10 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | 52 | UFC | 9 |
| 11 | Kazuo Misaki | 37 | WVR | 11 |
| 12 | Jake Shields | 31 | Strikeforce | 19 |
| 13 | Michael Bisping | 29 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Paulo Filho | 29 | DREAM | 13 |
| 15 | Alessio Sakara | 25 | UFC | 17 |
| 16 | Patrick Cote | 25 | UFC | 16 |
| 17 | Nate Quarry | 23 | UFC | 20 |
| 18 | Nick Diaz | 22 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 18 | Ronaldo Souza | 22 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 17 |
| 20 | Alan Belcher | 19 | UFC | 24 |
| 20 | Hector Lombard | 19 | Bellator | 15 |
| 22 | Thales Leites | 17 | MFC | 18 |
| 23 | Ricardo Almeida | 16 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Wilson Gouveia | 14 | UFC | NA |
| 24 | Jason Miller | 14 | DREAM/Strikeforce | NA |
| 24 | Dan Miller | 14.28571429 | UFC | NA |
This division has gone from being a chaotic mess less than two years ago to being a division enduring a reign of terror by undisputed #1 Anderson Silva and his manager Ed Soares. Anderson has taken to toying with the UFC's booking plans the way he toy with opponents.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges St. Pierre | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Jon Fitch | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Thiago Alves | 92 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Josh Koscheck | 81 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Mike Swick | 76 | UFC | 7 |
| 6 | Matt Hughes | 75 | UFC | 4 |
| 7 | Jake Shields | 72 | Strikeforce | 6 |
| 8 | Carlos Condit | 60 | UFC | 8 |
| 9 | Paulo Thiago | 47 | UFC | 10 |
| 10 | Martin Kampmann | 44 | UFC | 11 |
| 11 | Paul Daley | 36 | UFC | 9 |
| 12 | Marius Zaromskis | 35 | DREAM/Strikeforce | 15 |
| 13 | Dan Hardy | 34 | UFC | 12 |
| 14 | Nick Diaz | 27 | Strikeforce | 18 |
| 15 | Jay Hieron | 27 | Strikeforce | 16 |
| 16 | Karo Parisyan | 27 | UFC | 13 |
| 17 | Matt Serra | 22 | UFC | 26 |
| 18 | Dan Hornbuckle | 22 | WVR | 14 |
| 19 | Hayato Sakurai | 21 | DREAM | 16 |
| 20 | Dustin Hazelett | 21 | UFC | 22 |
| 21 | Marcus Davis | 20 | UFC | 19 |
| 22 | Anthony Johnson | 20 | UFC | 29 |
| 22 | Brock Larson | 20 | UFC | 25 |
| 24 | Chris Lytle | 19 | UFC | 21 |
| 25 | Mike Pierce | 18 | UFC | 19 |
The MMA world waits to hear when #1 Georges St Pierre will be recovered from the groin injury suffered in his UFC 100 title defense. We're also waiting to see if an even semi-credible challenger will emerge.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B.J. Penn | 100 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Shinya Aoki | 96 | DREAM | 2 |
| 3 | Eddie Alvarez | 87 | Bellator/DREAM | 3 |
| 4 | Kenny Florian | 80 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Frank Edgar | 76 | UFC | 5 |
| 6 | Gray Maynard | 72 | UFC | 8 |
| 7 | Diego Sanchez | 71 | UFC | 7 |
| 8 | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 70 | DREAM | 6 |
| 9 | Joachim Hansen | 56 | DREAM | 8 |
| 10 | Sean Sherk | 45 | UFC | 10 |
| 11 | Tyson Griffin | 34 | UFC | 13 |
| 12 | Mizuto Hirota | 31 | WVR | 15 |
| 13 | Gilbert Melendez | 30 | Strikeforce | 14 |
| 14 | Joe Stevenson | 30 | UFC | 20 |
| 15 | Gesias Cavalcante | 27 | DREAM | 12 |
| 16 | Josh Thomson | 26 | Strikeforce | 11 |
| 17 | Satoru Kitaoka | 22 | WVR | 16 |
| 18 | Eiji Mitsuoka | 22 | WVR | 19 |
| 19 | Kurt Pellegrino | 20 | UFC | 23 |
| 19 | Clay Guida | 20 | UFC | 22 |
| 21 | Jamie Varner | 19 | WEC | 18 |
| 21 | Nate Diaz | 19 | UFC | 24 |
| 23 | Takanori Gomi | 17 | WVR | 17 |
| 24 | Roger Huerta | 15 | UFC | 26 |
| 25 | Donald Cerrone | 14 | WEC | 27 |
The lightweight division continues to be the biggest rankings dilemma in MMA. There are essentially two major pools of competitors virtually no cross-pollination in the last three years.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Brown | 100 | WEC | 1 |
| 2 | Urijah Faber | 96 | WEC | 2 |
| 3 | Jose Aldo | 88 | WEC | 5 |
| 4 | Hatsu Hioki | 85 | WVR | 4 |
| 5 | Bibiano Fernandes | 81 | DREAM | 11 |
| 6 | Rafael Assuncao | 74 | WEC | 8 |
| 7 | Leonard Garcia | 71 | WEC | 6 |
| 8 | Wagnney Fabiano | 66 | WEC | 3 |
| 9 | Takeshi Inoue | 60 | Shooto | 7 |
| 10 | Mackens Semerzier | 51 | WEC | NR |
| 11 | Marlon Sandro | 40 | WVR | 13 |
| 12 | Hiroyuki Takaya | 35 | DREAM | 19 |
| 13 | Josh Grispi | 33 | WEC | 9 |
| 14 | Yuji Hoshino | 30 | GCM | 15 |
| 15 | Joe Soto | 29 | Bellator | 17 |
| 16 | Norifumi Yamamoto | 28 | DREAM | 13 |
| 17 | Masanori Kanehara | 26 | WVR | 12 |
| 18 | Takafumi Otsuka | 25 | DEEP | 21 |
| 19 | Jameel Massouh | 24 | WEC | 20 |
| 19 | Michihiro Omigawa | 24 | WVR | 18 |
| 21 | Gustavo Falciroli | 23 | Shooto | 24 |
| 22 | Masakazu Imanari | 22 | DEEP | 22 |
| 23 | Wilson Reis | 21 | Bellator | 29 |
| 24 | Cub Swanson | 20 | WEC | 27 |
| 25 | Kazuyuki Miyata | 20 | DREAM | N |
American Top Team's #1 Mike Thomas Brown continues to be the top-ranked fighter in MMA's featherweight division. He is set to defend his title against #3 Jose Aldo at WEC 44 on November 18th in Las Vegas. As many have suggested, no one has truly pushed the Novia Uniao black belt, so it's not clear what can really be expected of the talented prospect.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Bowles | 100 | WEC | 1 |
| 2 | Miguel Torres | 96 | WEC | 2 |
| 3 | Masakatsu Ueda | 89 | Shooto | 3 |
| 4 | Takeya Mizugaki | 87 | WEC | 4 |
| 5 | Dominick Cruz | 84 | WEC | 5 |
| 6 | Akitoshi Tamura | 75 | WEC | 6 |
| 7 | Joseph Benavidez | 72 | WEC | 7 |
| 8 | Rani Yahya | 67 | WEC | 8 |
| 9 | Damacio Page | 63 | WEC | 9 |
| 10 | Will Ribeiro | 42 | WEC | 11 |
| 11 | Masakazu Imanari | 33 | DEEP | 12 |
| 12 | Manny Tapia | 30 | WEC | 10 |
| 13 | Eddie Wineland | 29 | WEC | 28 |
| 14 | Scott Jorgensen | 28 | WEC | 31 |
| 15 | Charlie Valencia | 27 | WEC | 15 |
| 16 | Jeff Curran | 27 | Strikeforce | 12 |
| 17 | Koetsu Okazaki | 27 | Shooto | 17 |
| 18 | Mike Easton | 26 | UWC | 24 |
| 19 | Eduardo Dantas | 26 | Shooto | 14 |
| 20 | Antonio Banuelos | 25 | WEC | 15 |
| 21 | Daiki Hata | 24 | DREAM | 18 |
| 22 | Chase Beebe | 24 | DREAM | 20 |
| 23 | Abel Cullum | 23 | KOTC | 18 |
| 24 | Artemij Sitenkov | 22 | EuroFight XFC | NR |
| 25 | Yoshiro Maeda | 21 | DREAM | 21 |
#1 Brian Bowles still sits atop the bantamweight division after upsetting previous bantamweight king # 2 Miguel Torres at WEC 42. Bowles is still nursing a hand injury, but has been making the media rounds. As we stated previously, Torres has linked up with noted trainer Mark Dellagrotte and helped out WEC rising star Mackens Semerzier before his upset of Wagnney Fabiano.
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. Show more »
Bloody ElbowNovember 7, 2009 by Leland Roling - 12 comments
November 7, 2009 by Chris Nelson - 968 comments
November 6, 2009 by Kid Nate - 455 comments
November 6, 2009 by Brent Brookhouse - 12 comments
November 6, 2009 by Chris Nelson - 16 comments
Watch Kalib RunNovember 7, 2009 by Zak Woods - 0 comments
November 7, 2009 by Zak Woods - 0 comments
November 7, 2009 by Zak Woods - 2 comments
November 6, 2009 by Zak Woods - 0 comments
November 6, 2009 by Zak Woods - 3 comments
MMA For RealNovember 7, 2009 by Matt Bishop - 1 comment
November 7, 2009 by Kelvin Hunt - 0 comments
November 7, 2009 by Kelvin Hunt - 191 comments
November 7, 2009 by Kelvin Hunt - 0 comments
November 6, 2009 by Kelvin Hunt - 187 comments
Copyright © 2009 Sportsblogs, Inc. About Us Frequently Asked Questions Terms of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
