Rankings: P4P

While rankings tend to be severely subjective and in may cases altogether without merit, there are also instances that the rank of a fighter is justified. Unfortunately, it all comes back to opinion when determining who the top 10 fighters in the world are and how they line up sequentially. And we all know the old saying when it comes to opinions, just like assholes, everyone has one.

Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....

P4P:

1. George St Pierre
While most pundits have chosen one Anderson Silva as the p4p king of our sport, I must go with the UFC's resident French Canadian phenom. His record speaks for it self. His last 10 wins have been top 10 wins. No one else can boast that kind of record against that kind of competition. If not for the Serra loss, this would not even be a conversation. Silva's dominance comes very close, but I feel that GSP has more than redeemed himself of the Matt Serra loss.

2. Anderson Silva
His utter destruction of former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was like watching a cartoon. Silva's ability to finish guys and make them look like 1-1 fighters is unparalleled. The only reason he is not #1 is the lackluster performances against Leites and Cote and the fact that, though not his fault, his competition has not been to the level of George St Pierre's.

3. Fedor Emelianenko
Despite his sheer dominance over the last 7 years, outside of Mirko Cro Cop and Nogueira, Fedor's Pride run has been filled with opponents that were beneath him, or not relevant at the heavyweight class. Yes, yes, some will argue that guys like Heath Herring and Semmy Schilt were relevant, but those fights were 7 years ago, not to mention that those oppopnents no longer matter now. The Arlovski and Sylvia fights were quality wins, but at this point it seems that those fights were more of an indictment on the 2 former UFC heavyweight champs than kudos for the Last Emperor. Regardless, until he's beaten or goes back to fighting guys like Zulu or a featherweight, he will remain a top 10 mainstay.

4. Lyoto Machida
Undefeated, 3 top 10 wins in his last 5 fights, 2 top 15 wins in his last 5 fights, current reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. Machida's record speaks for itself. But what is more notable about him is his fighting style. His use of Shotokan Karate as a base for his fight style sets him apart from his contemporaries. Most critics and pundits alike feel that he is at least 2 years ahead of the rest of the division if not the rest of the MMA world. His new found aggression and ability to finish opponents only adds to the most unlikely UFC draw. Should he keep his current pace, Machida may surpass Chuck Liddell as the most dominant light heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen. Since Liddell, no light heavyweight champion has defended the title more than once. Machida's march to greatness begins with Shogun Rua in October.

5. BJ Penn
One of the most charismatic and polarizing figures in all of MMA. He is either considered by most to be either the most talented fighter in the world or the most overrated. Regardless, Penn's endless quest to test himself has availed him a spot here on the top 10 P4P rankings. Beginning with his improbable win over then P4P king Matt Hughes, to his domination of Takanori Gomi, Penn has made a habit of defeating fighters he wasn't supposed to, and losing fights he should perhaps have taken easily. Regardless, the run Penn has put together in the lightweight division has been impressive. It looks like BJ Penn may finally live up to the potential that so many thought he had.

6. Mike Thomas Brown
MTB goes from quality lightweight to the best in the world at featherweight. Proving that when skill and ability are fairly equal, size matters. Brown fought for years as a healthy sized lightweight fighter and had great success doing so, earning quality wins over fighters like Mark Hominick and Yves Edwards. Fast forward a few years and move down a weight class and you get the #6 best fighter in the world. Brown's run at 145 lbs has run through Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia, and a former pound for pound stalwart Urijah Faber, twice. Thusly showing that MTB is the RFD (Real Fucking Deal).

7. Jon Fitch
While I wouldn't put the boring label on Fitch, he is the MMA equivalent to Tim Duncan. Calling him the Big Fundamental would certainly not be a stretch as he is well rounded in all facets of the game. With a shiny 10-1 record inside the UFC, Fitch has cemented himself as the perrenial 2nd best welterweight fighter in the world as he is unfortunately the Scottie Pippen to George St Pierre's Michael Jordan. Regardless, Fitch has dominated the competiton he has faced outside of GSP, putting him in the upper echelon of the MMA world.

8. Quentin Jackson
5 top 10 fights at 205 with 4 wins out of those 5 puts Mr Jackson at the numero 8 spot on our rankings. While controversy still swirls around Jackson's 2008 road rage rampage, it cannot be denied that he has racked up the neccesary wins to keep himself in the mix in the pound for pound rankings. Jackson is receiveing some flack for taking on a movie role instead of participating in his scrapped match with Rashad Evans in December, however, a return in early 2010 against Evans is tenatively planned. Should he win that fight, Jackson can only climb higher on this list.

9. Miguel Torres
A stinging defeat by TKO at the hands of relative new comer Brian Bowles drops Torres to near the bottom of the list. However, Torres'record prior to the loss was as impressive as they come. Torres needs to win his next fight to stay relevant in the pound for pound conversation, but his ability and talent cannot be denied.

10. Rashad Evans
"Sugar" was on the run of his life before he hit the wall in the form of Lyoto Machida. Undefeated in 13 fights, Rashad saw his streak crumble as Lyoto put a punctuation on his win against the Greg Jackson trained fighter by knocking him out cold. Regardless, a KO of Chuck Liddell and a TKO of Forrest Griffin land Evans in the last spot on this list.