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***Over the past several weeks, we here at the Torch have been bringing you our rankings for all of the weight classes. We continue to tackle a new division each week until all are covered, followed by updates after every major show.
During the week, each of the staff members will bring you a blog explaining why they chose the way they did in their top 10. This week, we've got lightweight division. Each staff member picked their top 10, and the overall rankings were figured out based on placement in the top 10 as well as how many ballots each fighter was on.
Are the rankings what you thought they'd be? Are we way off? Let us know at TorchRankings@gmail.com and we'll present our Torch Nation rankings as voted on by you, the Torch readers. So enjoy this, our first set of middleweight rankings; and look out for our staff's reasonings and explanations during the week. Next week: the Featherweight.
MMATorch Staff Rankings: The Lightweights
1. B.J. Penn
2. Eddie Alvarez
3. Kenny Florian
4. Shinya Aoki
5. Joachim Hansen
6. Sean Sherk
7. Gesias Calvancante
8. Takanori Gomi
9. Roger Huerta
10. Josh Thompson
Also receiving votes: Nate Diaz, Satoru Kitaoka, Sergey Golyaev, Nick Diaz, Chris Horodecki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, K.J. Noons
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
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