Pound for Pound: MMA's Elite (Part 1)

Who is the greatest MMA fighter on the planet in terms of accomplishment and talent. Yes, there is a difference. I'm talking best fighters in the world who just get the job done and have won fights regardless of who they face. And then fighters who can beat anyone because they are that damn good but maybe have not beaten everyone they should have. As far as fighters with the talent, potential, and ability to beat anyone including your mom, 3 fighters come to mind. BJ Penn, Norifumi "Kid" Yammamoto, and Georges St Pierre. These three guys have the ability that all MMA fighters should strive to have. Their striking, wrestling, and jiu jitsu are all top notch. Well rounded in every aspect and could beat any and all comers if they were focused every time out.

Of the 3, GSP is the closest to actually being the best fighter on the planet. He has beaten the best welterweight fighters in the world already and only has 2 or 3 viable challengers left in his division that could really test him. And he has the opportunity to off one of those contenders coming next month. St. Pierre was beating up top guys 3 or 4 years ago and has only gotten better since then. Unless it's BJ Penn, I don't see GSP losing to anyone at 170 pounds for quite some time.

Speaking of Penn, in my opinion, this guy is the best fighter in the world in regards to natural ability. I know it has become a cliche, but if he's in shape, I don't see anyone at lightweight or welterweight for that matter, beating BJ penn. Probably the most well rounded fighter in MMA right now, Penn puts all aspects of the game together like James Bond puts together a 3 piece suit. A virtuoso of a fighter, he hits like Chuck Liddell, wrestles at the level of Matt Hughes, and grapples like, well, himself actually. Nobody grapples like BJ. Pure jiu jitsu, there are grapplers who are as good as him. For MMA, I would take his jiu jitsu over anyone's. To put it in perspective, I would have a hard time picking anyone in a fight against him at any weight class because he is good enough that there is a possibility he could win. I mean, he could find a way to choke out Korean giant, Hong Man Choi. He might have to bounce off the ropes in a ring and leap onto his back, but the fact remains, he could do it.

Kid, to this point, has done the least to cement himself as the best fighter in the world. He truly has the ability to become a giant in the MMA world, but has been unfocused and has aspirations outside of MMA that have hampered his rise. Between a failed bid for Olympic glory and indecision on what weight he wanted to fight at, "Kid" had stalled out. Unfortunately, things are not looking up for Kid as he has now injured himself a few days before his fight against Joseph Benavidez at Dream 5. Kid has all the talent in the world, but unless he can put it together with quality wins, he may not ever get to the lofty status as the pound for pound best in the world.

-R