ok ok..... Guys stop with Fedor already he wouldn’t get passed Velasquez in the UFC
The p4p list should be made up of fighters that dominate top competition no matter how boring. After all this isn’t a list of the most entertaining fighter list. Here are my picks.

1.Anderson Sylva- he toys with top competition and makes the look stupid at two weight divisions! No other fighter does that. Ok so he show boats all the greats do. ( Ali, Jordan, Mayweather, Kobe, etc ) I personally think he will sell more ppvs when he becomes the villain.

2.GSP- he’s a king pin in his weight class. So he’s a little boring to the KO obsessed American light beer fan. But the technique he displays in the cage is amazing and beautiful to watch.

3.Jose Aldo- entertaining and dominant, he destroys in the WEC which has the best fighters @ his weight.

4.Cain Velazquez- ok ok I know I know. But it’s a p4p and Velazquez competes at heavy weight which covers 205-265 which a lot of those guys @ heavyweight cut from 300lbs Cain walks around @240 and competes there not to mention hes undefeated and in line for a title shot.

5.Christine Cyborg Santos – she’s hands down the best fighter in a whole gender forget just a weight class.

I would put GSP as number 1.

Hes beat more guys that others would consider top ten pound per pound then any of these other fighters.

Gsp beat...
Penn,
Alvez,
Fitch,

Dudes who are ranked/were ranked top ten (Bj's loss really mixed things up).

I mean, fuck it. On what ground can anyone else be ranked higher than GSP? Certainly not because they can beat GSP. If that were the case rank Lesnar above GSP because he can beat him. But Lesnar is certainly not better in any aspect of the game. So for everyone who says Silva should be above GSP, take that into consideration... This is pound per pound, not who will win in a fight. If silva drops down and beats GSP then rank him number 1, but until then, he is a weight class above GSP and you can't say "Well he can beat him in a fight!" with that statement meaning anything at all.

Had a read through the comments and maybe its just me no one else commented , but look the the size difference between the 2!!...how the fuck is Silva going to safely make 170..I know penn is 155(which i thought he looked pretty gaunt at against edgar?) but he's natural walk around fit 170...sliva is crazy if he thinks he can maintain any power or stamina at that weight.

fedor is always fighting guys that outweigh him by 20 - 30 pounds...so have anderson silva stay at 185 but fight a guy that weighs 205 or more and see what happens

1.) GSP
2.) Fedor (normally this would be for AS, but that last one puts him in third)
3.) anderson silva(AS) hes still the shit, face it. hes just bored.
4.) jose aldo. face it(again), he would probably beat BJ
5.)BJ Penn... i got nothing to say about him right now, im discusted
6.)Maurico Rua.he lost to griffen...THATS IT!!! since pride anyway.he didnt lose to
7.)Lyoto Machida.boring, but been a badass latly.minus the rua fight that he lost
8.)GAYgard Mousasi. hes a badass.but i had to make a gay joke.come on, its funny
9.)John Fitch. hes a beast. face it(!). lots of 170lb-ers on this list.


10.) is a tie between koscheck, alves, and carwin. i know alves beat koshcheck, but i dont think he could do it again. and carwin BARELY deserves it. sure hes good, but are any of willing to call him a p4p yet? or do we all think hes gonna get butt f*cked but lesnar? thats what i thought. also i would not include faber, as he WILL lose to aldo, and i cannot think of any other heavyweights that deserve a p4p ranking. i guess dan hendo deserves a mention. would prob rank him 11th or twelth. also in thirteenth would be aoki, and fourteenth goes to rampage. and fuck you, im not going higher than 14. thats just re-dick-you-less!!! god we will miss you FOWLKES!!!

" ...Anderson Silva, whose performances depend completely on his opponents, and who has seemingly lost interest in everything but flashy striking."

^^
Awesome summation of the silva situation right now, in one sentence.

Truly "'nuff said".

For my rankings, I still can't choose between Fedor, GSP, or Silva. GSP dominates everyone, but doesn't finish nearly as many. Silva dominates everyone, but is clearly crazy and only finishes when he wants to. Fedor looked susprisingly vulnerable against both Arlovski and Rogers, but then convincingly knocked both of them to hell. It just is too hard. Oh well. I'll just pick them and not bitch out of making a decision.

1. Silva - despite his particular brand of crazy, he looks untouchable, and he pretty much won a perfect fight against a former belt-holder in the division above his.
2. GSP - has consistently fought tougher opposition than pretty much anyone for years; even before he was champion he practically cleaned out the division. Hasn't lost a round in years, and outperforms great fighters at their own game. Looks consistently better every time, besides his strange desire to fight a BJJ-only fight against Hardy.
3. Fedor - the best HW ever. I only put him at #3 because he hasn't come anywhere close to cleaning out his division, doesn't consistently fight the very best, and doesn't seem like he'll be fighting the next generation of HW fighters that are now dominating the UFC anytime soon. Also, hasn't dominated every second of his last several fights like the other top two have.
4. Lyoto Machida - a clear number 4 after dominating performances over nearly everyone he has fought, but a lackluster questionable decision in his last fight.
5. Shane Carwin - a giant, I know, but he is undefeated, has utterly destroyed all opponents, and has wins over Mir and Gonzaga.
6. Cain Velasquez - another HW, but has had only a few moments of vulnerability in posting wins over Big Nog, Rothwell, and Kongo.
7. Frankie Edgar - another tough pick with his loss to Maynard, but he did just dethrone Penn, which should count for a lot, and also posts top five divisional wins over Sherk and Griffin. No dominating performances, though.
8. Jose Aldo - looked awesome in defeating Mike Thomas Brown, but lacks other major names, so his competition is the only thing keeping him this low on my list. If he beats Faber, he probably jumps up into the top 5.
9. Junior Dos Santos - yet another HW, but he has crushed opponents including Gonzaga, Yvel, CroCop and Werdum.
10. Jon Fitch - Has only really lost to GSP in 7 years and 21 fights, but he lost so convincingly that he can't be above some of these others that are undefeated or haven't lost nearly as recently.

WHY DOES ANYONE STILL HAVE BJ PENN ON THEIR LISTS?

Sorry I'm late to the discussion, but hear me out.

Pound-for-pound is not a divisional ranking, and so ALL fights should be taken into account, not just his fights at LW. And everyone talks this nonsense about how Penn hadn't lost at LW in 8 years, but what kind of statistic is that? For nearly 5 of those 8 years he wasn't fighting at LW. In the meantime, since leaving LW he racked up 4 losses before his current one to Edgar.

And this is a PFP debate, so you might be able to excuse his loss to Machida which was way out of his weight range, but his 2 losses to GSP and one loss to Hughes at WW don't just get swept under the rug because you like the Penn. The idea that just because you perceive the Welterweights to be bigger than Penn does not change the fact that everyone weighed well within the bounds of the WW division when those fights happened. Penn didn't weigh under 155 when he faced them. He weighed 170 for most of them, and 167 for one fight, which is well within the range, so those count when considering rankings. He was a WW fighting other Welterweights.

If you just want to do it on perception, consider this: Matt Hughes was clearly smaller than GSP in his two losses to him, and was dwarfed by Thiago Alves (who came in 6 pounds heavy and missed the WW limit). Should we still consider Hughes as a PFP favorite because if you discount the GSP and Alves losses because they were clearly heavier, then you can say that Hughes hasn't *really* lost in over 6 years, and has only one loss in his actual weight range in over 9 years and 22 fights?

The truth is, Penn has lost several fights and people just discount his losses due to excuses.
-He loses to Machida, but it doesn't count since Machida is much bigger.
-He loses to GSP, but that doesn't count since it was a BS decision and BJ is really a natural LW (despite the fact that he looked every bit as big as GSP in this fight - but that was because he was chubby, which only adds to his excuse that he is only a LW fighting at WW, so it really shouldn't count).
-He loses to Hughes - well, that doesn't count since he broke a rib (that mysteriously went unchecked by the ringside athletic commission doctors, and is only verifiable by his own postings). Plus, Hughes is a WW and Penn is really a LW, so it doesn't count.
-He loses to GSP again, and this time is supposedly better trained than ever before, but that doesn't count because GSP was clearly bigger than him and possibly had a quarter-ounce of vaseline rubbed on his back.
-He loses to Edgar, but that doesn't count since again it was clearly a BS decision and BJ might have had the sniffles, and we all know BJ is the better fighter and would win the rematch (nevermind that if BJ's losses at WW shouldn't count because he is a natural LW, then shouldn't we doubly count his loss to Edgar against him because by that logic Penn was beaten by a natural Featherweight?).

No other fighter on the PFP list would be given nearly the leeway for having that many losses, whether inside or outside their "natural" weight. If Anderson Silva went and got smoked by Forrest Griffin at 205, would he still be at the top of the list? He might still be on it after one loss, but not in the top 5. For Penn, this is not a LW ranking, this is PFP, and all wins and all losses should count. Feelings about how you "just know" a fighter is better than their record indicates do not count. Based on a fair ranking of records, BJ belongs nowhere near a PFP list anymore, and would have to work very hard to get back on it.

"BigWill83 Says:
Fri, 04/16/2010 - 07:51
Anyone else notice that Chael Sonnen is right...Anderson spoke perfect english and even yelled back when BJ was leaving. Unless he knows the proper phrases, the guy is a bigger douche for putting on, "no peaki ingles" after a fight"

Anderson Silva doesnt talk after the fights because of his douche manager Ed Soares not only he doenst let Anderson talk he doesnt translate what Silva is saying properly he completly changes the question for Silva and if he doesnt like Silvas answer he makes up an answer that he thinks is better so Ed Soares is the one to blame for this he is a major asshole.

1. Fedor
2. Moussasi
2. GSP
3. Anderson
4. Aldo
5. Machida
6. Edgar
7. Penn
8. Aoki
9. Hendo
10.Diaz

1. Fedor - All that really matters...

Buncha sexist bastards.... forgot cyborg..... that is a chick right?

#1 - Penn
#2 - Fedor
#3 - Shogun
#4 - Machida
#5 - Jones

Time for a super unpopular opinion... Ben is absolutely right and here is how the list looks in my eyes (i know it wont be agreed upon by any of my fellow potato nation members)

1.) GSP (Even though he can't finish, he still fights the entire fight and dominates)
2.) Fedor (This won't last if he is not tested soon)
3.) Nick Diaz (He has come on strong and Destroyed everyone in recent memory)
4.) Cris Cyborg (The most dominate woman in the world)
5.) BJ Penn (Losing a fight your suppose to win 10 out of 10 times hurts)
6.) Anderson Silva (You have to fight to be the worlds best fighter)
7.) Machida (If he dominates Shogun he definitely moves up)
8.) Jose Aldo (So explosive and dangerous, if he does to Faber what he has done to everyone else he should skyrocket up this list)
9.) Jake Shields (has an impressive list of wins, if he beats Hendo he could break top 5)
10.) Gegard Mousasi (No one for him to fight in Strikeforce, lets hope he can get a quality opponent after King Mo)

Why in the world are people putting lesnar on their lists.fedor would clown him. Silvas a dick but he's still 1 or 2 on the list. GSP is below Silva simply bc silva destroys people hypothetically he would have beat everyone he fought. Although p4p is hypothetical so suck a dick

@sp00ki kabuki - yes i copy and pasted since i did not wanna scroll back and forth for spelling -

What weight classes has Carwin, Fedor, or Jon Jones fought at aside from their respective where you discount GSP and ignore on them. as was said earlier, these lists say more about us than they do about the fighters but hypocritical much?

1. Fëdor
2. GSP
3. Machida
4. Aldo
5. Penn

I think Frankie's decision over Penn was a legit win, but like Ben, I'm giving BJ the benefit of the doubt. Even though I hate him.

Anderson Silva doesn't make my list for two reasons:

1) In order to be a top p4p fighter, first you have to be a fighter. Anderson is not a fighter. I maintain that if Forrest hadn't run face-first into his jab, even that fight would have turned into a farce. Anderson was clowning in that one, too.

2) I think he lost to Maia. I scored it 48-47:
Round 1 - Silva, 10-9
Round 2 - Silva, 10-9
Round 3 - 10-10
Round 4 - Maia, 10-9
Round 5 - Maia, 10-8

Maia was more effective in Round 5 than Nate Quarry was against Kalib Starnes, and no one complained about 30-24 in that one.

I'm not happy about my 3rd-5th, but if Fëdor and GSP aren't your top two (in either order), you're tripping.

Silva may not be entertaining at times, but lets be honest with ourselves. He is the only person in the world who can toy with top level competition. Thats something that Fedor and GSP can't do even when fighting guys like Hardy or Rogers. I know everyone wants to drop Silva because he's playing around to much in the ring, But lets face it GSP DOES NOT WANT TO FIGHT SILVA!!! Dana doesn't want Silva to beat GSP ether and that is what would happen if they ever met. I would loooove to here someone argue that GSP would simply gnp Silva. Please please explain how he would do something that Dan Henderson couldn't do.

O and BJ has fallen from grace. He has waaay to many losses now. I've been a BJ Penn fan since he started and this was the last time I could listen to everyone's excuses and trick myself into believing them. First it was cardio, then it was weight, then it was that he only loses to the best guys, etc. This was it for me, BJ is out of the top 10 forever in my book.
1. Silva
2. Fedor
3. GSP
4. Jose Aldo (a little premature, but I don't feel like updating this after Fabers trip to the hospital)
5.Gegard

Silva - Just because he has weird performances, doesn't mean his ranking should fall. He is still dominating everyone. Period
Fedor - No explanation needed, the only reason he is number 2, is because Arlovski was boxing the shit out of him, and since then he hasn't had a real test, Brett Rogers has heavy hands, but that's about it.
GSP - although he is a phenomenal wrestler, not only have we seen him get TKO'd by someone who never should have, but since then all he has done is rode out decisions.
Penn-Because of his loss, he falls a couple notches, but he is still one of the best.
Aoki - How is no one putting Shinya Aoki on this list? He is the best ground guy in the game, and his creativity to get it to the ground is unmatched.
Mousasi - He hasn't had a real test since '08 (Melvin Manhouf) so he can't be too far up the list.
Aldo - Although devastating, he needs a bit more tenure before moving up. A win over Faber will get him another rank, assuming Mousasi loses.
Shogun - He has been in the sport a very long time, and has huge wins over dangerous opponents, and we all know...he beat Machida.
Machida - One under Shogun since he got beat, but this low on the list because his only big opponent was Rashad

I cant think past this cause they all get muddled, Lesnar needs more fights, Carwin will be a HUGE challenge, Diaz...seriously? I want to put King Mo on here but...he hasn't really fought anyone yet. I think too many people are forgetting the overseas MMA in these lists. I would even go as far to say Gomi is still up there. Hell I wanted to put Genki Sudo and Bas Rutten just for kicks!

Stak40>> i waited all damn day for half a list? Naw, playa.

***
Have a good weekend, man. I'll see you and Bo later.

Ok, ok. I know you all have been stuck to your screens waiting on my list, so i decided to bless you all and send you into your weekends feeling satisfied.

First off i would like to state that a win is a win. Decision or TKO/KO/Submission. Only time this doesnt apply is if there is some questionable judging.

1. Spider-No one has even come close to beating him no matter if he is on his game or dancing around like bitch in MW and LHW. Until he loses, damn what you think about his character.

2. GSP-Tim Duncan of MMA. Great all around. Wins most of the fights he should. I believe he has the potential to even be dominant in MW.

3. BJ-Not losing in your weight class for 8 years speaks for itself. Has fought many of the top fighters. Problem has always been figuring out which BJ is going to show up. Hasn't been too much of an issue lately but obviously was last weekend since he lost to a scrub.

4. Fedor- I agree, he is exciting to watch, finished a lot of good fights and has fought a couple of great fighters. However, if you arent fighting the best of the best on a regular basis, 4 is a high as you get.

5. Shogun- He is a bad mamajamma and we all know he should be the champ.

Honorable mentions: Evans. Mousasi, Aldo, ,"Bones" Jones
All of the HM's have the potential to do great things in the future some need some more big fights to really be considered.

1. Fedor- he beats everyone in convincing fashion. and extra points on sticking it to dana white on the business side. white screws fighters and fedor screwed white.
2. A. Silva- can beat anyone he wants, and when he does fight he looks like one of thoes over the top unrealistic action movies.
3. Lyoto- so dangrous, i think he got pulled into his own hype and relaxed on the shogun fight.
4. B.J. Penn- awesome in all areas of the fight game, vicious, and not afraid to fight anyone (he fought lyoto at LHW)
5. Nick Diaz- great boxing skills and sick jitts, along with amazing cardio. after watching his fights in the ufc again i dont think he lost any of them IMO. can beat anyone at 170 while getting high everyday.
6. Jose Aldo- amazing speed and precision. I dont see him losing to anyone for a very long time.(except a freak ko or somthing)
7. Mousasi- He is the next fedor.
8. Carwin- very strong, extremly inteligent, and humble. he doesnt buy his own hype.
9. Jon Jones- has completely destroyed (litterly) everyone he has faced.
10. GSP- i didnt even want to put him on this list because he only fight at WW. go up or go down, cause the guys he is fighting are jokes. anderson silva would have beaten anyone that gsp has and in more spactular fashion.

(sorry for all the bad spelling, but i just dont care)

FUCK! You dickwads are definitely irritating me and my ignorant hate of the Fedor machine. Fuck him, his managers, M-1 Russia. May they burn in hell.

On a lighter note, here's my top 5, In very particular order:

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. Silva
4. Penn
5. Aldo

nice

Trufleshufle13 Says:

if you disagree with my list ill fight you.

See you by the bike racks after school. Winner gets to keep his one-three.

1. Chris leben
2. Fedor
3. Stephan Bonnar
4. GSP
5. Mark Coleman
6. Tim Sylvia
7. Anderson Silva
8. Bj Penn
9. Brock Lesnar
10. Kimbo Slice


if you disagree with my list ill fight you.

@ccman
Respect for the Crystal Method ref. it's "another world another time" u were close.

I feel you and know all about the "paper champion" stauts in boxing. Werdum is resting on his past accomplishments, much like many HW MMA fighters....This fight will not raise Fedors stock(agreed).... to that point most fighters stock at the top of p4p rankings will not go up much more if they win their next fight anyway.

Until the crystal cracked my friend, until the crystal cracked....Fedor needs to lose for his stock to go down, it cannot go down if he keeps winning, if he beats Werdum handily, you can't fault him for that, I wouldn't praise him too much, but the fact that nobody has taken him out cements his position for now at the top in my books.

1 Fedor - Although the fact that M1 global hand picks his opponents is kinda bs, and sure he beats BIG guys but has yet to beat a freak like carwin or lesnar, still takes the top for technically being undefeated with hardly any decisions
2 Penn - nearly unbeatable at lightweight yet has competed at heavyweight (without gaining the extra weight) against Machida no less.
3 GSP - best a mixing it up on top of being the best athlete with skills in all areas (only 3rd because he has yet to change weight classes)
Honorable mentions; Aldo, Faber,Shogun,Velasquez,Mousasi
Why i didn't pick Anderson Silva.. He's a counter puncher not a fighter. You can't be P4P best if you run like Kalib Starnes and only look good when some guy charges recklessly in the first rounds (Irvin, Griffin, Leben). Cote, Leites, Maia showed that Silva won't fight unless he can counterpunch all day.

1. Fedor - Undefeated for over a decade. Deadly standing and on the ground, and has a granite mental game. Fighting is 100 percent mental.

2. Machida - Undefeated, rarely takes damage, still unique. I think he comes out ready to kill at the next UFC. If he hasn't learned how to be aggressive and kill like he did with Rashad, that could be a problem this late in his game.

3. Jose Aldo - Insanely fast and insanely good at defending a take down against bigger guys. This guy is a world breaker.

4. Anderson Silva - It looks like he has big flaws in his mental game and that makes a big difference. To me, he looked afraid to lose his belt, afraid to be on the ground, and even afraid to take a punch. He's been on top too long and he's buying into the hype. This is how a champ acts before a champ loses.

5. GSP (Yes it is his fault he can't put on an armbar correctly, or strike accurately) He's not quite the well rounded martial arts the UFC hype train would lead you to believe, but he's still dominate. and boring. Very boring.

6. Cain Velasquez - Knocked out Nog and is a world class wrestler. Who can say that? I know he hasn't had a ton of fights, but speed kills. I'd rather have him in my list than Lesnar. Don't know how anybody could put Lesnar in their lists at all.

7. BJ Penn - He should have called the fight if he was sick, and he should have taken it to the ground. Oh well. Can't dismiss his body of work, though personally he hasn't fought enough in my mind.

8. Shogun - Driven and powerful. If he can beat Machida his stock rises.

9. Mousasi - Would be higher if he was facing a higher level of competition. And honestly, I don't think He'll be able to take King Mo saturday night. Still, very talented.

10. Aoki. Fun to watch, insane, and Japanese.

rlh61>> Word.

***

Obviously, this debate is mostly subjective, and who we include and where reveals much about us, rather than who the best fighters are. I knew that my top 5 would raise some hackles, with Fedor at 4 (!!!) and some cat named Aldo at 2. For the record, Fedor was higher and is gradually sliding. Aldo is too high right now, but i like watching him so eff you guys. And this will probably change by Monday, and be much different by summertime.

But it's a fun debate to have, and a clever way for the Bens to keep us occupied for an afternoon.

***

Incidentally Ben, how about a permanent feature where users vote for best P4P top 10, with new votes weekly? I bet we could come up with a decently coherent picture that would compare favorably with any group of experts out there. Vox populi, vox dei, baby. I bet Scott and his people could bang something out. Just a thought.

@RLH - here here. M-1 needs to go back to their 4th rate russian promotions (which SUCK) and get of the Fedor nipple.

And again my disclaimer - I am a fedor fan, I am disgusted by his managements handling of their product, since that is all he is to them, depriving fans of real tests for him, i discount Fedor of late due to his lack of competition, not lack of ability. but as we have seen for years, ability is only worthwhile when prooven, and prooven recently in MMA.

I understand your criteria GOM, but if this was boxing it would be called record padding. I hold it in the same light as Mayweather fighting a VERY old de la hoya, he gets the name on his resume, paid insane money, and hopes over time people forget that Oscar had one foot in the grave. Werdum is total hit or miss fighter (ko'ed by JDS, who i would give credit if fedor beat) and will be given the submission version of punchers chance against Fedor. Again, still can not see how this raises Fedors P4P stock.

@ReX13

I like your list, but I think I would put Fedor higher. He really needs to get business taken care of in Strikforce (Werdum and the winner of Overeem/Rogers) then move to UFC and put an end to his part of this debate. If he can take the UFC belt, I think he's the hands-down P4P best. If he loses, he drops out of this discussion leaving the debate between Silva and GSP...which is another possible match up.

However...your other point was spot on...Fedor will fight anyone, but M1 won't let it happen. Throw in the relationship between DW and M1 and it seem likely we won't ever see Fedor fight the top-tier HW's the UFC has to offer.

And that, Potato Nation, is a damn cryin' shame...

Fuck it, the whole thing is a mess. I'm declaring Jon Jones #1 P4P and I won't be convinced otherwise.

And that Jim is my point exactly. fighting the toughest kindergardener around does not make him more than a kindergardener. AA's weak chin was guaranteed to be exposed, and he does not have 1 punch KO power so it was a matter of time. I just do not understand, even as a fan, how Fedor gets a pass on not facing real competition for a LONG time. Again, this is P4P right now in the world, not 5 years ago. And I have not seen Fedor fight anyone in a real long time that one could possibly say he fought the toughest out there, just the toughest available. Seriously, do you see werdum having a chance?

Now if he was fighting the other HW's people mention as possibles, i.e. the carwins, lesners, JDS, valezquez, ect. He would rocket right up there, fighting rogers lowers his stock, it does not raise it.

@ccman
The p4p list is rather ambigious as it pertains to qualifying #1, 2, 3 ,4 etc....
To me Fedor gets the nod for #1 based on what I have seen from his career in MMA. I am not from the "what have you done 4 me lately" school of thought when looking at fighters who are top ten p4p, I do concede that it should hold some sort of relevance, but it is more complex than that(I am not saying that's all u believe either). Fedor is not priveledged to fight in an ultra talented weight class, the heavyweight class to me is the thinnest talent wise, especially outside the UFC in MMA. Fedor has dominated the Heavyweights for a long time, shown versatility, excitment and what fans love most, highlight reel finishes. Fedor not fighting in the UFC does not exclude him from being at the top, because I do not feel there is a p4p top ten from the heavyweights in the UFC right now(JDS would be my choice, but the heavyweights are all a little green still).
To this day I have not seen a boring or lackluster Fedor title defense, that's why he get's the p4p #1 in my books.

Max,
Velaquez is a monster and he is one max 2 wins from making this arguement.
JDS the same, i think it sucks the 2 of them have been held out of the title arguement up until recently, i wanted Cain/carwin bad. would have been a great fight.
Shogun has and could be in the arguement and if his corner had not screwed him into not looking to finish machida would be in the mix, but thats the breaks. I did not disagree with the decision (i know rare) but also know if he had gone in with a killer instinct in the 5th he had a good shot at finishing the fight, which would probably have him top 5.
Penn got screwed too, he should be having a beer with Hamill right now discussing hits on Judges. That would make a great video blog.

1. GSP
2. Fedor
3. Anderson Silva
4. Machida
5. Aldo
6. Shogun
7. Aoki
8.Edgar
9.Penn
10.Lesnar

I acknowledge the loss. BS cut or not, it's a loss. It's important to note it was an illegal strike, however. And it happened 17 seconds into the fight. So excuse everyone if they do not count it, because in reality it should be a NC.

Anyway, you saying Arlovski didn't deserve to fight him is in-fucking-sane. Prior to his two losses to Silvia he was on top of the HW world. After those two losses? Oh, He won three more fights in the UFC. Then beat Rothwell and Roy Nelson, who, maybe ironically, are now seen as up-and-comers in the UFC HW division. Glass Jaw or not, outside of the UFC, that was easily the best HW that Fedor could have fought at that time.

Rogers then gave Arlovski a free ticket to the 5th Dimension. You can argue it all you want, but barring Uberbitchassreem (yw rex), Strikeforce didn't have much else to give him.

@ccman

Honestly, because I only posted champions I had a somewhat hard time making my top 5. You actually make great points, and I respect your opinion but please understand I'm not a UFC hater by any means. It's just that those fighters I find most dominant in their weight classes are not champions at this time. Some examples are Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Carwin, Shogun and of course BJ Penn, among others.

Note: I'd like to say I agree with you about Overeem, he is the worst kind of fighter who fights clear squashes just to stack up his record while avoiding competition. Overeem is the definition of a spineless coward.

Jim you kinda make my arguement for me, AA had no business in there with him and screwed himself.
Rogers was tossed in there and minus again one punch, was hurting him.
Overeem is a juiced up pussy who ducks all tough fights. 3rd in K-1 and bragging?? seriously?? using that as his arguement on why he does not need to defend a title? I would not even mention him ducking me to build my rep.

And fedor has lost, stoppage due to a cut, Love how only for Fedor can we gloss right over that.

otherwise keep em coming, work day is starting to move right along.

1) Fedor Emelianenko
2) Georges St. Pierre
3) Anderson Silva
4) Gegard Mousasi
5) BJ Penn
6) Jon Fitch
7) Shinya Aoki
8) Jose Aldo
9) Dan Henderson
10) Mike Thomas Brown

Max,

Mousasi appears more dominant against a very weak LHW in strike force..... very weak. Again, i like him, but i think the gun has been jumped very much so with him in this reguard. Machida has a very impressive hit list behind him. Still can not find anything to leap over him as they are in the same weight class.

Nick Diaz is agreed a better fighter now, but again, look at his competition. I like Kos over him, Fitch for sure. Heck i think Dan Hardy could beat Diaz. GSP would prison bitch him. I also agree not finishing Hardy said more about how tough Hardy is than anything on GSP. those submissions were brutal and he toughed it out through them, kudos to him, actually earned my respect.

Aldo impresses me but holding my jury out for 2 or 3 title defenses in a p4p, i have him 5th with a great chance to climb.

@ccman

Until he loses a fight. The man has a total of TWO decisions since 2004, to the same guy (Nog), and they were both unanimous.

So what if Arlovski landed a few shots? So what if Rogers (re)broke his nose in the opening moments? He doesn't fight like a Silva or a Machida. He fights who he can. There are those that more or less refuse to fight him (see: Overeem).

Fedor has destroyed everyone put in front of him.

Caps Lock Howie>> If you can't even fill out and defend a top 10 of your own, how can you tell who fits where? It's not easy....

@ccman

Note that I only included current title holders.

Mousasi appears more dominant to me @205 than Machida, especially considering the first Machida VS Rua matchup.

Diaz went 6-4 in the UFC, but that was then, this is now. I truly believe he could avenge every single one of his losses. If Diaz loses to Sakurai at DREAM 14, I will gladly rescind my opinion.

Jose Aldo has nowhere to go but up. Faber is going to have a very tough time with Aldo at WEC 48, and I say that as a Faber fan.

In regards to UFC champions and why I did not include them:

Lesnar - I feel he is very unproven. Carwin on the other hand is absolutely amazing and whoever wins this fight is undoubtly top ten p4p material.

Machida - Read my above thoughts on Mousasi.

Silva - Included so ignoring

GSP - Could not finish Hardy. I very much like GSP, but he does not finish in the same manner that Diaz does. Dan Hardy is great, but he's no Zaromskis.

Frankie Edgar - love that he's the new champ, but does that make him a top p4p fighter? Note that if Penn won he'd have likely been included in my top 5.

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. A. Silva
4. Lyoto
5. Hendo
6. Penn
7 .Carwin
8. Shogun
9. Mousasi
10. Aldo

In these arguements I always ask myself, exactly how long does a win carry weight when debating this?

you see the Fedor beat nog 2x and cro cop in their prime arguement EVERY SINGLE TIME, but those were like 5 years ago. Mir beat Nog and was first to knock him out, does he make the list according?? JDS did it fast, how much weight does that carry?? Gonzaga beat cro cop with his own signature kick.....

Again, i know Fedor was great, but in a current P4P arguement exactly how long does ancient history carry weight?

it is like saying Greece is the greatest country on earth because the beat persia, 2500 years ago but it happened.

Can we make a rule/agreement that fights have a shelf life when debating the CURRENT P4P champ?

I say 2 years, otherwise it is out of the equation.

If you do not have Fedor at the top of your list, you haven't been paying attention. Plain and simple.

THIS IS A TOUGH CALL. THIS IS ALSO VERY INTERESTING TO SEE DIFFERENT FIGHT FANS OPINIONS AND WHY.
1. FEDOR- AFTER BEING SLAMMED BY KEVIN RANDLEMAN IN ONE OF THE SICKEST BELLY TO BACK SLAMS OF ALL TIME ONLY TO RECOVER SECONDS LATER TO WIN BY SUBMISSION IS STILL THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THINGS IVE SEEN IN MMA. THE DUDE IS A MACHINE!
2. SPIDER SILVA- HANDS DOWN THE MOST ACCURATE, POWERFUL COMBINATION OF HANDS, KNEES, KICKS IN THE BIZ. CAN FINISH ANYONE IN ANY WEIGHTCLASS.
3. GSP- HAS TOOK HIS SKILL SET TO ANOTHER LEVEL. HAS AVENGED EVERY LOSS WITH AN IMPRESSIVE FINISH!
4. THE DRAGON MACHIDA- STILL YOUNG BUT HAS DOMINATED TOP COMPETITION. SAY WHAT U WILL ABOUT THE SHOGUN FIGHT, BUT HOW SOON WE FORGET, SHOGUN RUA WAS THE PRIDE OPEN WEIGHT CHAMPION.

5-10 CAN BE DEBATED. I HAVE SEEN FITCH MENTIONED IN SEVERAL LISTS BUT THAT TO ME IS A JOKE! RAMPAGE, SUGA RASHAD, ARE DESERVING! BUT I THINK SOME OF THE YOUNG GUYS SHOULD BE MENTIONED AS WELL; BONES JONES ANYONE?WHAT ABOUT JUNIOR DOS SANTOS AND SHANE CARWIN. THESE TWO HEAVYWEIGHTS ARE ON A VERY IMPRESSIVE KNOCKOUT STREAK YET I HAVENT SEEN THEIR NAMES ON ANY LISTS EITHER. LETS NOT SLEEP ON CAIN VELASQUEZ EITHER POTATO NATION!!!

1.Fedor-Most exciting fighter to watch.
2.GSP- #1 in the UFC
3.Aldo- Second most exciting fighter to watch
4.Silva- Most talented, but being corrupt keeps him out of the top three for me.
5.Penn- 8 yr undeafeted at 155 streak just got busted(barely), has the stones to fight champs in higher weight classes.
6.Rua- Take away Griffin and this guy has fought a who's who in the fight game at his weight category....wins the fights as well.
7.Machida- Apart from incredible skills, sent Tito packing with a loss, just for that he makes the list.
8.Mousassi- Most dominant fighter outside UFC at 205lbs, let's hope he signs with Zuffa next.
9.Aoki- Most dominant fighter at 155 outside of BJ Penn.
10.Cerrone-Third most exciting fighter to watch, great gimmick as well.

Honourable mentions:
-Ben Henderson
-Nick Diaz
-Jon Jones
-Brock Lesnar
-Vitor Belfort

1 - Fedor
2 - GSP
3 - Silva
4 - Penn
5 - Mousasi (if he wins this weekend)

@SOMEDUDE

JON FITCH IN THE TOP TEN POUND FOR POUND???? PLEASE PUT DOWN THE PIPE SIR!!!

Right now:

#1 Fedor - it has to be based on the facts. He has never had a moment like GSP getting KO'd by Serra, or A. Silva getting heel-hooked by Chonan, and is mentally the strongest, he wouldn't lose it like Silva did and just fuck around like a douche. He's never had a moment like that, and fought and defeated some of the best fighters in MMA history, while they were in their prime (Big Nog twice, Cro-Cop, etc). Meanwhile he has still maintained his prime fighting ability by destroying his last 3 opponents who were all ranked Top 10 at the time.

#2 GSP - He's a little more versatile than Silva, completely dominating.

#3 Anderson Silva - in order to be the best fighter in the world, you have to fight like the best fighter in the world. Not get warned by the ref for intentional stalling. There is a huge difference between saying you "could" have finished a fight and actually doing it, you have to go by what actually occurs - not what is possible.

#4-10 Whoever.

1. Silva (unstoppable, say what you want)
2. Fedor (same as silva, but hasn't fought many credible opponents in a while)
3. GSP (dominant, but needs more killer instinct)
4. Penn (proven dominant record, I give him the benefit of the doubt)
5. Aldo (I just see a lot of promise from that guy)

#1 Fedor WAMMA CHAMPION bitches

#2 Lesnar

i dont even know who the rest are.

you guys say fedor has fought anyone lately. he beat 2 top tens last year if you dont remember. even Dana White was scared fedor might get knocked out by Mr. T.

i mean cmon he beat Nogeura in his prime & took his belt. & beat Cro Cop in his prime as well. i think Fedor is finally in his prime so watch out mofos

Can you tell i have a slow day at work and milkin the clock a little?? LOL

You can absolutely see who is a UFC hater based off some of these lists. of course you can pick out a few fanboys as well, but seriously Max, your top 4 is a joke, nick Diaz went like 6-4 in the UFC. he looks better but could you really ever see him lifting the belt there?? no way.
Mousasi is good and growing but his level of competition is VERY weak. Could see him there in the future but now? come on.
Fedor is beaten to death so skipping, and Aldo needs to defend a belt before he can even be considered top 3.

1.) GSP- hasn't finished a few fights but has dominated the hell out them.
2.) Fedor- finished Rogers in his last fight pretty effectively.
3.) Anderson Silva- is good, when he wants to be.
4.) Machida (depends on his next fight)
5.) Carwin (beat Mir better than Lesnar did and Mir is really the only solid test both guys have had. Carwin did it better- it took Lesnar two tries.)
6.) Penn (let's see how he does next fight. Is Penn fading or was this just a fluke?)
7.) Lesnar (see "Carwin" above.)
8.) Urijah Faber (the real Prodigy- he's got so much untapped talent yet, it seems.)
9.) Shinya Aoki
10.) Any of the following: Rua, Hendo, Moussasi, JDS, Velasquez, Shields, Nick Diaz.

#1 - Fedor Emilianenko
#2 - Gegard Mousasi
#3 - Nick Diaz
#4 - Jose Aldo
#5 - Anderson Silva

Why do I place Silva at #5?

Because after the Spider's performance @112 I'm ashamed to even include him on this list.

1. GSP- The Hardy fight proved less about the weaknesses in GSP's and more about what a tough bastard Hardy is. Still GSP dominated the fight just like he has every fight since Serra's haymaker found paydirt. Easily the P4P best.

2. Fedor- If and when Fedor fights better competition I may decide to listen to the millions of arguments that Fedor is the P4P king, until then he will remain no higher than number 2 on my list. Silvia, Arlovski and Rogers ( and an upcoming win over Werdum) is not a list of heavys that exactly strikes fear in the hearts of other great heavys out there. That same list against Lesnar or Carwin or Velasquez and you get the same results.

3. Machida- Yes I believe that Rua put forth a great effort. I also believe the fight was closer than alot of people think. That being said this guy has probably the most impressive record against quality opponents on this list. Tito, Thiago Silva, Evan and Rua thats competition. Well maybe not Tito but definately the rest. If he wins the rematch against Rua in a more convincing fashion he will be gaining ground on Mr. Emelinenko.

4. Silva- Is he a great fighter Yes. Does he lose points because he is an irritating asshole No. What he does lose points for is the same thing that is plaguing Fedor. Lack of quality opponents. He hasn't fought a quality middleweight since Henderson in 2008. Cote, Leites and now Maia, give me a break. Maia could be a great fighter and he is definatly a tough dude, but Jesus Christ, to say that he has holes in his game would be like saying that Tito has a big head. You would be stating the painfully obvious. And then there will be some that say "What about the 205ers?" Well if anyone would like to tell me that James Irvin is a good test, then I'll show you someone that has abused drugs for way too long and Griffin although a tough guy and a likable guy is not nearly as good a fighter as people would have you believe. Silva needs to step it up.

5. Penn- Is he the best 155er in the world after his loss to Edgar? Without a doubt. Just because they were passing out free drugs to the judges in Abu Dubhi is not his fault. This was a clear case of the judges trying to make out what was happening while looking through the walls of their colons. This was the most ridiculously scored fight since Bisbing v. Hammill. If you read the blog on this site the other day, from the judge that scored the whole fight for Frankie you will immediatly conclude that he is in fact insane, and when I say insane I mean the, shitting in your hand and rubbing it in your hair kind of crazy. Again not BJ's fault. If anyone is interested I scored the first 3 Rounds to BJ, the 4th was a coin toss and the 5th to Frankie. So with that being said I believe the only thing BJ lost was his belt. His record remains intact and he is still undefeated at 155.

Now my commentary will be shorter.

6. Mousasi- This guy is scary good and undoubtedly the fastest mover on my list.
7. Diaz- Tough as fucking nails...and a pretty impressive list of opponents.
8. Aldo- A win over Urijah will solidify his spot on this list. A loss and they should cut the belt into three equal pieces and give Aldo a piece, Urijah a piece and Brown a piece. Its the only fair thing to do. Oh and none of them would be on this list.
9. Lesnar- No matter what anybody says this guy is a beast. Until someone can prove that they can beat him up, I won't believe it's possible. Also a win over
Carwin and he jumps probably 2 spots.
10. Fitch/Alves- I had Alves picked to beat Fitch. Because it didn't happen and Fitch pulled out another unimpressive lay and pray victory they must share this spot for now. That is until their fight goes down and Alves kicks his ass both in the Octogon and off this list.

REXTUM

It is quite obvious based on your comments that you know nothing about MMA and are obviously GAY!

#1 - Fedor (He is getting old and his best years are probably behind him, but until he gets beat, he's the king...I HATE M1 Global, we barely get to see Fedor fight once a year)

#2 - Silva (He's insane, but he's also insanely good)

#3 - GSP (Lay & pray FTW! Zzzzzz...)

#4 - Mousasi (The new Fedor. Will be the #1 PFP in 3 years or less)

#5 - Rua/Aldo (tie, love watching them both fight, kicks and knees, and damn do I miss Rua's soccer kicks)

The TRUE current top 5 P4P ranking.

Nothing else compares:

1. Fedor (despite no recent fights)
2. GSP (despite no finish)
3. Silva (despite freaky dance & run show)
4. Mousasi (despite being so chill)
5. Penn (despite loss to Edgar)

Holy shit Silva spoke perfect English in that video! What a McAsshole.

1. Fedor - can't lose - beats guys way bigger than him consistently, quick, and efficiently.
2. Silva - can't lose - the round 5 loss where he got out-struck by Maia....he didn't fight. He was standing there. If Maia didn't hit him I would have been truly worried.
3. GSP - can't lose - great cardio, best ground and pound in the world, doesn't even lose rounds.
4. Machida - has always been dominant up until the Rua fight. I think he will come back and spank Rua.
5. BJ - Put on a shitty fight against Edgar, but will come back strong and put Franky away.
6. Aldo - great ground game and serious knockout power.
7. Jon Jones - will eventually be top 3. He has spanked everyone he has fought and his only loss is a DQ for raping Hammill.
8. Rua - has always been a serious threat at 205 and showed that against Machida.
9. Valasquez - He will strip the belt from Lesnar's fat fingers soon enough.
10. Mousasi - Great record, can beat guys standing or on the mat, easily for the most part.

@ ben -
is it testing your patience to say that Edgar has at least faced top 10 talent in the past 5 years and should gain consideration based on that same as fedor gets consideration based on fights in another land and another time (i think i just quoted Crystal method)

@ rocejize

Whoa, whoa, whoa! No GSP in the top 5? You're a troll right?

1 - Fedor
2 - Silva
3 - Machida
4 - Aldo
5 - Penn

This is for current P4P, but mousasi would be way up there if he could just get in the UFC and cause some noise. Mousasi+UFC is only a matter of time, here is the thing that is most amazing about people like Mousasi and Jon Jones, their age. Mousasi is only 24... and even crazier Jon Jones is 22 !!?!?! Think about that for a second, their mma career is wide open and has so much room for growth and improvement. I am so glad I will be able to watch them as they pave a path for the new generation of MMA.

MidwestFightFan>> i tend to agree with you. Note how i ranked Fedor and why. Also, i saw the Arlovski fight the same way you did--AA was outboxing the invincible Fedor.

@CubicalGangster

You're crazy to have GSP at #4. The man hasn't been in danger in a fight since the Matt Serra fight and I think that was the last time he lost a round. Decisions against the best welterweights in the world isn't as terrible as everyone seems to think.

Since when does a fighter's status as one of the best in the world rely on finishing absolutely every fight? Is there no value in making the best fighters in your weight look like amateurs?

Alot of the responses to me are valid, but the bottom line is if you want to be called the best fight the best. Tim Sylvia was YEARS past his prime, and Arlovski was beating him until his glass chin lost him the fight..His management or not, he's not taking the fights that a so called best fighter in the world should be taking. I just want to see the best fight the best and have a hard time putting fedor #1 when he's (whoever) picking and choosing his opponents.

1. Fedor - for all the above reasons. Plus talent, skill and killer instinct.
2. GSP - he is great everywhere, dictates where the fight is going and is ever improving.
3. Penn - think he still deserves a top spot because he is such an all around brilliant and complete fighter.
4. Silva - because he is brilliant and has all the skill and ability in the world. But a big part of fighting is beating your opponent and putting him away. Which he refuses to do at times.
5. Mousasi - well, maybe because a 28-2-1 record says a lot (though he hasn't faced competition nowhere near the above athletes), maybe because he is so dangerous everywhere, maybe because he still has that killer instinct, or maybe because he scares the shit out of me.

The list would probably go on with Machida, Aldo (though I can't recall seeing him on the ground much), Rua, maybe Faber (haven't given up on him), and Jackson (a part of me still wants to say Torres, but WTF, Mulletman?).

@Destinationblood...
Throw in Tikki at #2 and we've got a list.

You know who you're not considering, but should (for your own well-being)? Carwin. Anyone who's won so many fights in so few minutes in the UFC deserves to be on that P4P list. I realize he isn't proven, but that's like saying a meteor isn't proven -- you know what it's going to do to your puny little planet when it smashes into it, even if it hasn't done it yet.

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. Anderson
4. Penn
5. Aldo

I would also like to propose the inclusion of JDS in the conversation. The man's been a recking machine and despite the fact that he hasn't challenged for the belt yet, I believe that he has the ability to woop ass at LHW if he wanted to. Just a thought. It will certainly become clearer after the summer if I'm completely off base here.

Bones should be somewhere also...

#1-James Toney

1-Fedor
2- Silva
3- Machida
4-Shogun /GSP
5- Aldo

its all about who youve faced and how well you dominated, three more performances by Aldo and hell have to be #1. GSP going 5 rounds is BS but his level of fighter is much more vast than the others excluding Machida who is still undefeated.
Fedor needs a top 10 guy asap or he wont even be in p4p by December

@ big Country - AA was ranked # 2 in STRIKEFORCE rankings, not world. As was Barnett. Neither was top 8 HW ranked in the world, probably not top 10.

Rogers was 5 after beating AA, still again, only in strikeforce.

Speaking of revisionist history.

1 - GSP = utterly dominates everyone he faces, may not be knocking everyone out, but nonetheless dominates every person he faces. I'd be shocked to see him lose a round in the forseeable future.
2 - Fedor = has been quite inactive hasn't exactly faced top level guys recently, his past gets him a 2
3 - Silva = talent-wise gets him a 3, even though I really dislike this guy
4-10 = who cares

1. GSP - For all the complaining about 'boring' fights of late, the simple fact is he dominates everyone he faces. which shouldn't that be the definition of P4P?? If we were to make a list of most entertaining almost all of these lists would not include any of their top 5.
2. Spider - Have to put him up there, mad as I am at his recent activities, he makes good fighters look really bad.
3. Fedor - I can not put him top 2 since it has been like 5 years since he has fought anyone legitimate (please do not mention Rogers, seriously). Until he steps back into the deep end, I can not raise him above 3, and I feel i am stretching him based on his wars in Pride, certainly not Fedor of now.
4. Machida - The same people who whine about the Shogun decision should be in arms over the Penn/Edgar one. And anyone who puts Moussai in front of Machida, when they are in the same weight class obviously has not looked at the level of competition they have both faced. records can be fluffed with fluff (it is the Boxing way doncha know)
5. I so wanna keep Penn here since he is the only one who will actually fight in any weight class (spider is a LHW, he can just cut a ton, walking weight of 220 is a LHW) and has moved through 4 of them, but after a loss (respecting the decision, painful as it is) I'm going Aldo here.

After this it is a mish mosh of on the cusp fighters who just need more time to really get there. Moussai needs to fight much better competition and i am hoping Mo is that, Hedo moved to the hot tub from the shark tank, Sheilds winning a belt from MAyhem is not gonna move him in my eyes, Faber (yes lost to brown 2x, once being flashy and once a decision with 2 BROKEN HANDS, from the first round could not punch??) will flash right back in with a win over Aldo.

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. Anderson
4. Machida
5. Penn
6. through 10 (in no particular order)
Rua, Aldo, Mousassi, Aoki, Urija F,

I have a problem with putting the "Big" heavyweights on a P4P list because despite their awesome size and power they aren't much of a threat. Let me explain, if Cocky McChestnar was the same exact guy he was now EXCEPT we weighted 175lbs he would get smashed. Being 7 feet tall and weighting 500lbs will guarantee nobody picks on you but it doesn't prove you can actually fight. Discuss.....

Once Carwin beats Lesnar he will surely enter most people's top 10 list, if not top 5.

@ PortlandMMA

Yea, Frankie Edgar is case and point for that idea.

I just don't feel like Fedor has been as overwhelming to his competition as GSP has. Now, I said it with about 1000 less words.

MidwestFight Fan>> I don't believe that Fedor is afraid of any competition, or even afraid of losing. Blame his management company.

Holy shit J Akuma MMA Math never works but your taking that shit to a whole other level.

Tim Silvia was also highly ranked when he got paid $800,000 for 30 seconds of work.

Wow Old Bald and Irish and I thought I was the only Shileds nut hugger, everyone else hates the guy but all he does is win, I don't think he's got much of a chance against Hendo but I'd love to see him win and then sign with the UFC.

@ Bigcountryscholeserol

GSP probably could have beaten Fitch, Alves, and Hardy in the same night; that's how dominant those decision wins were.

If Fedor fought Arlovski just before fighting Rogers, I would put my money on Rogers. Fedor beat those guys, no question, but Rogers and Hardy are probably comparable to each others divisional ranking (i.e. not that high) and Fedor DID NOT dominate Rogers.

How in the fuck any of you could put Carwin, Mir, Lesner, or Edgar for that matter, on ANY top 10 P4P list is fucking beyond me.

Arlovski was ranked #2 at the time of the fight. And Barnett (whose epic assfucking of that opportunity was not F.E.'s fault) was ranked top 3 when they were supposed to fight. Rogers was hovering at around #9 or 10 I think. Revisionist history is a convenient thing.

1. GSP -- Complete athlete, always learning, always prepared. He's gotten over hero worship (Hughes) and being humbled (Serra). I honestly don't think Rush will be beaten at 170. Certainly not anytime soon.
2. Aldo -- You watch a Jose Aldo fight, and you might catch yourself holding your breath. He smokes world class athletes, including the guy (Brown) who beat a guy (Faber) on all the P4P lists a couple of years ago. If Faber beats him and WEC featherweight becomes a paper-rock-scissors arrangement, he'll drop down. For now, he's on top of the heap, AND he has a badass facial scar.
3. Silva -- I wish i could bury him further down, but i can't. Whether or not he's batshit crazy (looks like it), he's still winning, and occassionally he looks like he's in the matrix. Let's hope somebody can challenge him.
4. Fedor -- He still needs to fight tip-top competition for me to rent space on his scrotum, but he has a few big names on his resume and a metric shit ton of fanboys.
5. Penn -- He says Fedor is better, so here he is. Note that Baby Jay is one of the longest-running top-performers out there, and think of where he'd be if he trained like he had a family to support. Or he cared.
6. Rua -- In his prime. Adjusted well to not being able to stomp dudes in the face, he's the cream of the crop from Chute Box. He beat the Dragon, but managed to lose the bout--rematch should be a knockdown dragout.
7. Machida -- We thought he was invincible, and he barely scraped by with a controversial decision. Whether he continues to slide or climbs back up depends on his showing versus Shogun.
8. Mousasi -- I just don't know where to put him, so he lands here. Still young and still unsettled at a weight, he won't sit at #8 for long--he's either moving up or down. Hopefully he'll get good competition both in StrikeForce and in Dream--he likely won't be signing with the UFC this time.
9. Fitch-Alves Winner -- Both big welterweights who beat people up, but unable to get the title because some fruity canadian guy whoops the piss out of them. Sometimes life, she is a cruel bitch, yes?
10. Frankie Edgar -- Stay with me here: Frankie Edgar is the second person in history to beat Penn at 155, which means we have to talk about him. Given that Edgar probably should be at featherweight, AND the upheaval in P4P, i'm giving him the nod. (Florian would totally tool him though. Get well KenFlo!)

On the cusp: Melendez-Aoki winner, Jake Shields-Dan Henderson winner, Bones Jones, various heavyweights and bantamweights once those rankings shake out.

Posting about Fedor's lack of "top competition" (read: non-UFC-signed fighters) when GSP just won a decision of Dan Fucking Hardy is like my great Grandfather complaining about how the cheese appetizer smells, while sitting there with a fully-loaded diaper.

I have a hard time with everyone putting Fedor at the top.. When is the last time he fought someone from the topten of his division? If he's the best why does he not fight for the tittle? I guess Arlovski might have been in the topten before that loss.. But barley..

I just can't see naming the P4P champ a guy who picks and chooses fights and pretty much flat out refuses to fight anyone with name or record anywhere close to being highly respected. Let me see him win a fight vs a truly dangerous opponent and Ill jump on this bandwagon with everyone else!

I think Shane Carwin belongs in there somewhere. Def. in the top 10...

CP still has the P4P Interwebs title.

@OBI

If he beats Henderson, I'd put him ahead of Silva at 6.

And what I wouldn't give to have seen Hendo get his rematch. Bah! He probably would have lost, but damn if he didn't clearly win that first round in their first fight.

We need to define p4p a bit better. I mean I can really see how effective a 6'4" GSP would do against a Brock Lesnar.. how different would his movements be... So here's my thoughts you can only really include guys that have done well moving up and down in weight divisions.. proven that they can actually do it...so it really has to go to Anderson (unfortunately). I really dont like his last few efforts, but I've yet to see him even remotely in trouble in any fight. My second pick, against the above logic is going to be Fedor because well I think that if he were to take his physique seriously and cut weight to LH he would absolutely demolish anyone and everyone who set foot in the ring with him - he's and extremely quick HW im sure it would be improved moving down some.
So Summary
1 - Anderson Silva (he's actually proved it)
2 - Fedor - (i have no doubt he could prove it)
3 - GSP - (pure domination of his weight class)
4 - Gegard Mousasi - (pending this weekends result - I actually like King Mo in that one based on all out power i dont want him to win tho. but if Gegard is dominant he really should move up the ladder)
5. - Machida?, Shogun?, .... probably half a dozen others...

for number one i say its a toss up between fedor and GSP. fedor's invincibility is still unquestioned and his last handful of fights have been dominating performances. but yes he hasnt competed in 2010 yet. to me that leaves GSP as number one. i myself am hugely disappointed that the rush hasn't finished an opponent in some time but i will admit his fight against hardy was very close with the kimura and armbar attempts. even though he was unable to finish he dominated hardy.

1- GSP
2- Fedor
3 - Silva
4 - mousassi
5 - Carwin
6 - Aldo - this is where i think it gets tricky, im not sure how many top ten opponents aldo has finished but he has finished every opponent in the WEC so far and in incredible fashion. if he shows the same performance against the talented faber then i would think he belongs here.
7-10 - fitch, rampage if he beats rashad, machida, and henderson if he beats shields. the guys beaten a whose who and is still a dominate threat. his only recent losses are at the hands of other p4p position holders such as silva and rampage.

my last 2 possibles are aoki and penn. aoki's decision not to fight in america until recently has left him short of top 10 opponents but the guy finishes fights. if you dont agree watch his last new years eve fight. on the other hand penn destroyed florian and sanchez but is so sporadic with his concentration on training he's hard to gauge leaving him as an unsure bet. every fight you wonder who we're gona see; the dominate light weight champ who submitted florian, or the chubby lazy but talented fighter who showed up against gsp.

I agree with most of the guys here, Fedor should be nr 1. However, does entertainment value count when deciding pound for pound rankings? I mean Anderson wasn't even close to losing this fight or any other fight for that matter, so should that really affect his pound for pound status? If you ask me this fight against Maia was still more entertaining than any fight GSP has ever been involved in.

@ OBI

Makes for good discussion at least. =P

@ Goog

LMAO. I will redo my rankings accordingly. Spot on!

I think most posters will at least agree that Fedor, GSP and Anderson should hold the top spots (in whichever order). The one who has been consistently finishing the most fights should get the crown, all things being equal. Damn what I wouldn't give to see GSP tangle with Silva.

I'm gonna go with Mike Goldberg. His verbal ground and pound of correct fight terminology has left even the best of fights face down on the mat at every event dating back farther than UFC 32. The man has no equal.

Anyone else notice that Chael Sonnen is right...Anderson spoke perfect english and even yelled back when BJ was leaving. Unless he knows the proper phrases, the guy is a bigger douche for putting on, "no peaki ingles" after a fight

Just to chime in a lil'....

Why can't Shields be on the P4P list?

He's riding a 13 fight win streak and he's stopped challenging, though not top ten, competition. This is one of those things that make the P4P list difficult. Numbers don't lie. Shields is on a streak as long as Mousasi's. Shouldn't he be considered?

As much as I'm a Shields nut-hugger, I don't think Shields is in the top-ten on the P4P list. I'm just pointing out the loose-and-fast guterall reaction that points us towards one fighter on the P4P versus another.

Personally, I think it's a pretty pointless argument in the end. It's just too subjective.

I think if you were really going to decide who the world's best P4P fighter is, it would be the fighter that could beat every other P4P fighter regardless of weight class.

In that regard, I would have to give it to Fedor.

Thanks for the mention Ben.

I'm really interested to see where Mousasi lies in the P4P list as he's becoming my favourite fighter. I think the guy is damn cool and fights like a warrior with a confidence that is so far from arrogant it's almost paradoxical.

Anyway, for the most of it, I'm a British 'fair weather' armchair MMA fan that doesn't watch much MMA apart from the big money-backed events and 'historic' Pride-like cards.... probably like 99% of the people who post on here actually haha.

Fedor
GSP
Machida
Mousasi
Winner of Lesnar/Carwin
Silva (hah! fu spider)

1 - Fedor

2 - Silva

3 - GSP

4 - Penn

5 - I dunno, seeing the shit Jose Aldo does is amazing.

Machida should of lost to Shogun - he's not that dominant as people say, Shogun will more than likely win this next match.

Mousasi is about to lose to KingMo so he's off.

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. Silva
4. Machida
5. Aldo
6. Penn
7. Fitch
8. Mousasi
9. Diaz
10. Lesnar

 @ ytrebilThat's certainly part of it for me.  People don't like to give heavyweights a lot of love on P4P lists, but it's the only division where you can regularly compete against guys who are 20-40 pounds heavier than you.  Fedor's done that his entire career.

Fedor is still the #1 because he kicks ass and finishes fights like he always has.

Then, meaby GSP, Silva in no particular order.

and btw. this site is still P4P best MMA site on teh old interntes.

1. GSP - Not finishing Hardy is not a fault of GSP's. I saw a dominant fighter trying to rip another tough fighters arm clean off.

2. Fedor - Still tough and dangerous in all phases.

3. Anderson - I'm rating him down for lack of heart, not lack of ability. A good fighter should always give his very best effort, and Anderson refuses to do that.

4. Lyoto - Sidelined or not, close-call decision win or not, the man is DANGEROUS.

5. Rua - Bold statement, I know, but he put a hurting on the biggest "How do you deal with this guy?" question in his division.

6-10. in no order I can make sense of, Jose Aldo, BJ Penn, Gegard Mousasi, Frankie Edgar, and Brock Lesnar.

To answer your question -

#1 - Fedor

#2 - Silva

#3 - GSP

#4 - Mousasi

#5 - Penn

#6 - #10 - Diaz, Rua, Machida, Jackson, Henderson, Mir, Lesnar, Carwin, and many others, in no particular order.

@TheRealKadumel no they said fedor hasn't fought in 2010

Obviously since there no evidence that fedor can be beaten, or that he is unable to beat anyone he wants I would give him top spot.

I would suggest that GSP would be next. I just have to ask that if GSP broke Dan Hardys arm with that arm bar, would it even be in question? The only reason that didn't happen I can imagine is that the outlaw is really just a pale british gumby.

Next, Anderson Silva. Can't argue with his streak, and how dominate he looks at MW and LHW. Though it has been some time since he has been pushed for a long stretch. Hendo was the last to put a scare into Silva, taking a round from the spider. and those shots from Maia ( who isn't exactly the best striker ) got through. I can't help but wonder in those later rounds if a more precise striker with good staying power might have landed enough to put the fight in question...

I'll call Machida next. On the grounds that the last fight was just a set back from taking an opponent too lightly and properly spanks shogun in Quebec. If he doesn't dominate though...

 @ Kadumel:Sorry if that wasn't clear, I just meant Fedor hasn't competed yet in 2010.  I definitely remember the Rogers fight.  Great knockout...not an awe-inspiring performance, maybe, but it definitely kept his name in the mix.

BG I gotta disagree. You said Fedor hasn't competed since beating Arlovski, but you forgot about Rogers.

I maintain my ranking of Fedor as #1 P4P and that Aldo does not deserve to grace the list, nor does Shields.

I think Diaz is getting around number 10 though.