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By Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist Heavyweight Division:
1. Fedor Emelianenko- Still tops in the world, and with a victory over Tim Sylvia and an upcoming fight with Andrei Arlovski, we can finally stop bitching about his lack of quality opposition.
2. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera- Can't wait for his whoopin' of Frank Mir and subsequent unification bout with Lesnar.
3. Josh Barnett- I really hope he gets his fight with Fedor someday, if for nothing else than the fact that he'll be able to sleep at night knowing he's just not quite on Fedor's level. But who is?
4. Brock Lesnar- Your NEW UFC Heavyweight Champion! It sounds just as weird saying it, thinking it, AND typing it. I don't think you can put him any higher than this just yet, but he can't be any lower either. Hell, even Matt Serra vaulted up to #1 on most people's welterweight list after his upset of GSP. Matt Serra?!
5. Randy Couture- Randy's mental game is better than anyone Brock will face. Unfortunately this is a game of styles (not inches), and Randy's just wasn't a good fit against Lesnar. I would still pick Randy to beat Big Nog and give Fedor a hell of a fight.
6. Andrei Arlovski- He's baaaack. He's looked fantastic in his last two fights, dispatching the best the IFL had to offer, and a looming clash with Fedor could see him rocket up the rankings with a win.
7. Fabricio Werdum- He should be punished for the loss to Dos Santos, but you can't put him below Gonzaga, and he's certainly better than the other fighters behind him. Dana White said he thinks we'll be seeing Werdum in the UFC again, but forgot to add this disclaimer, "but only after he re-proves himself to me in a couple fights in another organization".
8. Gabriel Gonzaga- I'll admit it. I predicted a Gonzaga win, but said it would be a lackluster, three round snoozefest. Umm...sorry. Please don't hurt me.
9. Tim Sylvia- The fighter we love to bash. There's a pretty big drop-off after the top 8 if you ask me, and Sylvia is the leader of the next level. His size will always cause problems for opponents, but his lack of natural athletic ability will always keep him from being great.
10. Shane Carwin- I know this is a bit high, but I'm rewarding the big guy for his exciting fights and emphatic finishes. I know he's still relatively new to the sport, but his wrestling and power give him a better than decent chance against anybody (including those at the very top of this list).
Agree? Disagree? Let me know at matt6buckeye@hotmail.com or head to the forum to chat.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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