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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist 1. Anderson Silva: UFC - UFC Middleweight Champion
"The Spider" is so good that he is actually getting bored, and his most recent fight was for the most part a glaring example of this. When there are no challenges, men will often create them and Silva most definitely made his fight with Patrick Cote a bit more difficult than we all imagined it could be.
Sometimes this can lead to complacency and other times it can provoke a fighter to prove once again why he was so very feared and respected. I would imagine the latter to be the case with Silva and truly feel that his next fight will serve to silence any critics he may have out there.
Cote is not exactly a can of a fighter, but we expected Silva to cut through him with ease; and collectively we felt let down as if we were owed so much more than was delivered. With Dana White's remarks it seemed as if it were the right time to try and pick at a chink in Silva's armor.
A fighter like Silva comes around only once in a while, if even that often, and our time to enjoy him is running out as he nears the end of his great career. There may only be a few fights left for him, and no real significant challenges left to face, but the opportunity to go out on top may be just the very thing that sparks him on his final run; and we would be fools to take for granted a single one of these fights. Silva is by far the best middleweight and were it not for a man they call Fedor would be the absolute pound for pound best in this entire sport.
2. Rich Franklin: UFC - Former UFC Middleweight Champion
There are two things about "Ace" that you can always count on.
A. He will show up with a black eye.
B. He cannot do a thing against Anderson Silva.
As far as the black eye goes, he just is prone to these and sports one more often than your childhood buddy who was always falling into the door around the same time his father ran out of bourbon. Rich is kind of like Pete the Pup from the "Our Gang" series, in that he is pretty friendly, loyal and part of the show but never the main character; and he forever has a black circle around his eye. I am sure there is a lost short film in which Stymie and Spanky are running a dogfighting ring; and perhaps the sight of Alfalfa swinging a stick menacingly was to Petey what staring across the Octagon at Anderson Silva is like for Rich Franklin.
Franklin has no answer for Silva, and this was the impetus behind the decision to move up to the light heavyweight ranks. Rich looked great against Matt Hamill, and certainly has a great chance against Dan Henderson at UFC 93, but he really is a middleweight fighter through and through. Should Silva decide to move up and officially campaign at light heavyweight, it would make perfect sense for Rich to drop back down in weight and go about his business there.
Rich Franklin is still one of the world's best middleweight fighters, and he would probably be favored against any fighter at 185 lbs. who is not named Anderson Silva. Until it becomes certain that the book is closed on Rich's career as a middleweight, it is a must that he be ranked this high as he clearly was the second best fighter in the division.
"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler has looked nothing short of impressive in his 10 fights since leaving the UFC by winning 8 of them against only 1 loss, and 1 fight which was ruled a no-contest. Of the 8 victories, 7 came by way of KO; and his only defeat came at the hands of Jason Miller when he was submitted in their fight from September of 2006 for the ICON sport promotion based in Hawaii.
Lawler's UFC record stands at a relatively unimpressive 4-3, but he was only 22 years old when he last appeared in the Octagon; and until that point seemed incapable of delivering on all of his promise. I liken him to a fireballing minor league pitcher who gets called up in September and racks up strikeouts while stirring up the emotions of the fans and then seems to not be ready for the big show in the following April.
Lawler could throw bombs and was a crowd pleasing fighter, but he had not been forced to do anything other than swing for the fences against fighters who could not match his strength until hitting the wall in the UFC. His KO loss to Nick Diaz was an absolute shock to me, and it seemed to expose Lawler; but in my mind it showed he was a young fighter who just hadn't been forced to become the best he could be just yet.
His loss to Evan Tanner closed the door on his UFC career for the time being and most seemed content to write him off as nothing more than a balls out slugger who would probably entertain more fans than win fights. Getting the chance to hone his skills away from the UFC was probably the best thing for him, as it gave him time away from the spotlight to develop without the pressures of expectations that he once faced.
Lawler found himself in Elite XC, and after stopping Murilo "Ninja" Rua for the Elite XC Middleweight championship would step under the bright lights once more as Elite XC and the sport of MMA made their network television debut on CBS. Lawler's fight against Scott Smith was the lone bright spot of this telecast, and it was a shame that it was forced to end due to an untintentional foul in the 3rd round. Both men made excellent showings in this fight, but this was the moment when the new and vastly improved Robbie Lawler made it known to a larger audience that he would no longer be just a precocious power puncher but a force to be reckoned with.
The rematch with Scott Smith proved this to be true as this fight was nowhere near as competitive as their first and Lawler won with ease in the 2nd round. Again this fight took place on CBS and served as a showcase of sorts, or perhaps an audition tape, as Elite XC would fold less than four months later.
Robbie Lawler is ready made for a return to the UFC, and his skills are finally where they need to be in order for him to not only make a splash but stand a chance at challenging for the title. I for one would welcome a Silva-Lawler fight, and you can be certain such a tilt would put butts in the seats and eyes on the television. Perhaps Elite XC was never worthy of even having championship belts made, but a fighter like Robbie Lawler is a championship caliber fighter, and it shall be interesting to see what 2009 has in store for the "Ruthless" one.
4. Yushin Okami: UFC - Top Contender
Okami sports a 23-4 record in his career and is 6-1 in the UFC, with that sole loss coming at the hands of Rich Franklin. Okami holds a victory over Anderson Silva, but by no means did he really defeat "The Spider." Their fight at Rumble on the Rock 8 was a bell to bell domination by Silva, and Okami only won because Silva's kick to the jaw came while Yushin's knees were on the ground and thus it was deemed illegal and grounds for a disqualification.
Okami had finally scored a successful takedown of Silva and was working some ground and pound when Anderson reached up with his leg and connected his heel to Yushin's jaw. There was no way Okami really had a chance to win this fight, but he does hold a victory over Silva in terms of the record books and this could perhaps inspire a rematch between the two.
Okami will next be facing Dean Lister at UFC 92, and has looked very good recently with his last victory being a KO over Evan Tanner at UFC 82. He is an ever dangerous fighter who could pose serious problems to anyone in this division and as such I have ranked him accordingly.
5. Paulo Filho: Formerly of WEC - Last WEC Middleweight Champion
Filho would have been ranked as high as number 2, but it could be viewed as a gift that I am even ranking him at 5 considering all of his recent troubles. This is a fighter who seemingly has all of the skills but lacks the mental capacity to put them to use, and as such could be a lifetime underachiever in this sport.
His career record stands at 16-1, and that one loss is a HUGE one as it came at the hands of Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 in what was quite possibly the worst MMA fight in history between two elite fighters. Filho did not belong in the cage on that particular night and should not fight again until he gets his house in order.
If this guy can get straight and refocus his energies it is likely that we will see him again, but for his sake I would rather he disappear for a while and come back when he is actually ready rather than use his name value to remain active for smaller promotions, tarnishing everything he had ever accomplished.
6. Matt Lindland: Affliction - Top Middleweight Fighter
Matt Lindland will take a fight at any weight class, but he is at home in the middleweight division. Whether you call him "Woogie" or "The Law", if you have a fight card and call Lindland up, the man will show up ready and willing to fight. At 38 years of age it would appear he doesn't have too much longer in the fight game, but for whatever time he has left it is a certainty that he will be a challenge to anyone he could face.
Lindland fought Fedor Emelianenko for the failed bodogFIGHT promotion and lasted a hell of a lot longer against the "Last Emperor" than Tim Sylvia did. The fact he took the fight speaks volumes; and Matt is definitely one of those fighters who will fight anywhere, anytime and against anybody.
Were it not for a t-shirt incident, it is conceivable that he could still be competing in the UFC, but I wouldn't imagine that he will get such a chance to return any time soon. He only has a few more years left in this game and a promising political career to tend to, but as long as he remains active it is a lock that he will provide stiff competition for whomever he should face, and he is definitely one of the best middleweight fighters in the world.
7. Nathan Marquardt, UFC, Top Contender
Marquardt is not even 30 years of age and has fought 37 times in his career and his record currently stands at 27 wins against 8 losses against 2 draws. He is 6-2 in the UFC with his only defeats coming at the hands of current champion Anderson Silva and Thales Leites.
His most recent victory was an 82-second destruction of Martin Kampmann that may have been the impetus behind Kampmann's decision to drop down to welterweight. Marquardt looked stronger than ever in this bout and I would love to see him rematch Leites before possibly seeing if he could get the chance to do the same against Silva.
For a man to have so much experience and yet still be young enough to improve makes him a scary opponent for anyone to face in the future. "The Great" should get the chance to show us just how great he can be in 2009 and he for now is just barely on the outside and looking in at the very best of this division.
8. Thales Leites: UFC - Top Contender
His career record stands at 13 wins against only 1 loss with 8 wins coming by way of submission. His UFC record stands at 5-1 with the only loss of his young career coming at the hands of Martin Kampmann and by way of unanimous decision.
Leites is coming off of a magnificent victory over Drew McFedries at UFC 90 and the rear naked choke with which he finished the fight with was an absolute marvel. This 78-second dismantling of a game opponent made it look too easy for Leites, and this one came off more like a Mark Laimon demonstration clip than it did an actual fight. Leites is an amazing fighter who is getting better, and at only 27 years of age should be poised to enter the prime of his career if he isn't quite there just yet.
I would like to see him rematch with Nathan Marquardt as this would be a great litmus test for both men, and serve to clean up the situation that was Marquardt's loss due to point deductions. If not Marquardt than perhaps a showdown with Demian Maia in a fight that would certainly seem to have all the makings of a fantastic ground battle and elevate one man to the next level. As it stands now, Leites is hovering near the bottom of the top 10 but could be capable of making leaps and bounds in the next year or two.
9. Dan Henderson: UFC - Top Contender
Henderson is still one of the very best in the world; and even though he is moving up to light heavyweight in his next fight, he is still worthy of this ranking in my eyes.
Should Dan tuck a newspaper under one arm and head to the toilet while wearing a sauna suit, he could come back and fight at the middleweight limit once again and beat most in the weight class.
Until we are certain that "Hollywood" is in it for the long haul at 205, he should be considered one of the world's best middleweight fighters. Aside from Anderson Silva, I am not sure if there are too many guys who would be favored in a fight with Henderson; and for a 38 yr. old fighter to still be this good it really shows you how special he really once was. In a different time, Henderson would be a top name in MMA to even the casual fans; but the man is still a top fighter and as such shall hold this number 9 ranking in case he decides to take a number 2 and step back into the middleweight division.
Henderson has had an excellent career at both 183lbs and 205lbs, but I feel in the UFC that he would be better off remaining in the middleweight division and a second crack at Silva is something I wouldn't mind seeing. I rank him much lower than Franklin as I feel that it will be more likely that Henderson remains at 205 than "Ace."
Most folks have probably heard of moussaka, but it would be wise for them to have a taste of Mousasi by seeking out fight footage of this amazing fighter. Most opponents would much rather be forced to eat 5 plates of the Greek dish than to have to stand in front of this man for 5 minutes.
His record stands at 24-2-1, with 14 wins coming by KO and 8 of them by way of submission. He is only 23 years old and has 27 fights under his belt, which means that it is likely that we have not seen the best of him just yet. I would wonder about him becoming a bit shopworn, but his fights do not go more than 1 or 2 rounds as a rule; and no one I have seen has done much damage to him if any at all.
Mousasi is a best kept secret that all other fighters should hope remains one, as this man has all of the tools necessary to make a run to the top of this list.
Right now he is the equivalent of a mushroom, as he has done all of his developing in the dark in terms of exposure, and this will not change until he finds his way to the UFC as DREAM is never going to really reach the necessary audience in order to serve as the best showcase of Mousasi's talents.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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