Top 10 Lightweight Rankings
Posted by Drew Ellis (06/29/2011 @ 9:41 pm)
The lightweight division is as impressive a group as any in MMA.
The top 10 list features a number of different styles and contenders, but each fighter could arguably beat everyone else on the list.
Still, here are my updated top 10 lightweight rankings.
1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar holds on to the top spot as he still is the UFC champion. An injury kept him from facing Gray Maynard in their long-awaited trilogy fight, but those two should collide soon and be able to settle the score as to who deserves to be the champion.
2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard is still unbeaten but missed out on his opportunity to win the championship when he had Edgar beaten at UFC 125. Now, he will have to wait for a third shot at Edgar this fall where he can perhaps prove to the world that he is the top lightweight in the world.
3. Gilbert Melendez (19-2) – Melendez could legitimately compete for the UFC title, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to do so. Now that the UFC is tapping into Strikeforce, perhaps a champion vs. champion bout is in the near future. Until then, Melendez looks as if he will continue to tear up Strikeforce competition.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Bellator, Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC
Tags: Anthony Pettis, Clay Guida, Dennis Siver, Eddie Alvarez, Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Lightweight Division, Melvin Guillard, Shinya Aoki
Top 10 Lightweight Rankings
Posted by Drew Ellis (05/04/2011 @ 5:43 pm)
For the most part, rankings fighters in each division starts easy and ends tough.
That isn’t the case for my lightweight rankings.
Of any division in MMA, the lightweights are the toughest to sort through. The group is very top-heavy and even the distant contenders are hard to decipher.
Nonetheless, here is my top 10 list for the lightweights. Feel free to add your take on who should be in the top spots.
(If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, or welterweight rankings, click on the links)
1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar is the UFC Lightweight Champion and the lone lightweight in the world to clearly dominate the great B.J. Penn. Edgar will get his chance to put his stamp on the top spot when he faces Gray Maynard for the third time on May 28, but the fact that Edgar pulled out a draw at UFC 125 after that brutal first round is a testament to his abilities. Edgar’s speed, hands, and wrestling are a very impressive combination, especially for a man that could arguably fight at featherweight.
2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard has yet to lose and if he didn’t put everything he had into knocking Edgar out in the first round of their UFC 125 bout, he would be the champion today. Maynard was once just a wrestler, but is now showing strong striking ability. If he can put forth a full 25 minutes in May, he will become the champion and take over the top spot in my rankings.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Bellator, Dream, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC
Tags: Anthony Pettis, Clay Guida, Dennis Siver, Eddie Alvarez, Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Lightweight Division, Melvin Guillard, Shinya Aoki
