Analysis by Kid Nate
It's not quite a #1 vs #2 match, but May 23rd's UFC 98 Light Heavyweight title fight between #1 Rashad Evans and #3 Lyoto Machida will just have to do.
Compiling the rankings of twenty top mixed martial arts web sites, the USA TODAY / MMA 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, Strikeforce and ProElite are viewed by the experts who cover the sport.
| Rank | Fighter | % | Promotion | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashad Evans | 99 | UFC | 1 |
| 2 | Quinton Jackson | 94 | UFC | 2 |
| 3 | Lyoto Machida | 92 | UFC | 3 |
| 4 | Forrest Griffin | 89 | UFC | 4 |
| 5 | Mauricio Rua | 78 | UFC | 8 |
| 6 | Keith Jardine | 67 | UFC | 7 |
| 7 | Wanderlei Silva | 60 | UFC | 6 |
| 8 | Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | 58 | Affliction | 9 |
| 9 | Renato Sobral | 53 | Strikeforce | 10 |
| 10 | Chuck Liddell | 48 | UFC | 5 |
| 11 | Thiago Silva | 46 | UFC | 11 |
| 12 | Dan Henderson | 45 | UFC | 12 |
| 13 | Luiz Cane | 44 | UFC | 13 |
| 14 | Rich Franklin | 29 | UFC | 14 |
| 15 | Tito Ortiz | 25 | Unsigned | 15 |
| 16 | Vladimir Matyushenko | 21 | Free Agent |
16 |
| 17 | Brandon Vera | 19 | UFC | 17 |
| 18 | Matt Hamill | 18 | UFC | 18 |
| 19 | Steve Cantwell | 15 | UFC | 19 |
| 20 | Sokoudjou | 14 | Affliction | 20 |
| 20 | Rafael Cavalcante | 14 | Strikeforce | 21 |
| 22 | Jason Brilz | 13 | UFC | 25 |
| 22 | Jon Jones | 13 | UFC | 22 |
| 24 | Muhammed Lawal | 13 | WVR | 23 |
| 24 | Jared Hamman | 13 | Strikeforce | 23 |
It's not quite a #1 vs #2 match, but May 23rd's UFC 98 Light Heavyweight title fight between #1 Rashad Evans and #3 Lyoto Machida will just have to do.
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 »