Analysis by Kid Nate
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.
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 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.
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 ElbowJanuary 30, 2012 by Kid Nate - 120 comments
January 31, 2012 by Kid Nate - 19 comments
January 31, 2012 by Anton Tabuena - 25 comments
January 31, 2012 by Brent Brookhouse - 157 comments
January 31, 2012 by Josh Nason - 46 comments
MMAmania.comJanuary 30, 2012 by Brian Hemminger - 4 comments
January 30, 2012 by Adam Guillen Jr. - 66 comments
January 30, 2012 by Thomas Myers - 32 comments
January 30, 2012 by Brian Hemminger - 9 comments
January 30, 2012 by Adam Guillen Jr. - 11 comments
Copyright © 2012 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Newsletter Signup About Us Frequently Asked Questions Terms of Use Privacy Policy Guiding Principles Advertise With Us Contact Us
Certain photos copyright © 2012 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
•
Odds Shark 
