MMA Heavyweight Rankings: September Edition

The heavyweights! The weight class that was once a bunch of tough guys is now filled with talent. Let’s take a look

Antonio Silva (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

10. Antonio Silva – Silva is on a two fight losing streak. But those losses were HUGE. His last fight against #2 Cain Velasques was a devastating loss that left Silva a bloody mess. But Silva still has a lot of potential to crack the top 5 at some point. And defeating Travis Brown in October will help him get there.

Mark Hunt (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

9. Mark Hunt – How did Mark Hunt make the top 10 in 2012? By defeating big names like Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo. It is some crazy stuff and I hope he keeps on rolling. He is 38 and his days are winding down so I hope he keeps getting fights and can end his career on a high note.

Big Nog (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – Big Nog has been relevant for so many years that it is starting to get ridiculous. He is coming off of a loss to #6 Frank Mir but before he was caught in a fight ending kimura he was on his way to actually knocking Frank Mir out cold. Big Nog has a fight in October against Dave Herman which will likely be highly entertaining.

Josh Barnett (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

7. Josh Barnett – Barnett’s last appearance in the cage had him on the wrong end of an absolute beat down from #5 Daniel Cormier. There is no news on his next fight but it will most likely be a big name and a lot of fun.

Frank Mir (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

6. Frank Mir – in May Mir got to become another victim of champ Junior dos Santos. Mir was scheduled to fight #5 Daniel Cormier by going over to Strikeforce to fight Cormier. However, Mir was injured. Now we have to wait and see who is next for Mir.

Daniel Cormier (MMAjunkie.com)

5. Daniel Cormier – Cormier is one of the most exciting heavyweights today. He is currently 10-0 with big wins over #10 Antonio Silva and #7 Josh Barnett. There does not seem to be a ceiling for this guy and I believe that he could drop to 205 and give #1 Light Heavyweight Jon Jones the toughest test of his career. 

Fabricio Werdum (MMAjunkie.com)

4. Fabricio Werdum – Werdum has had a flawless return to the UFC by absolutely man-handling Roy Nelson and then brutally KO’ing Mike Russow. Werdum is about 1 fight away from a title shot but whoever he fights they better watch out for Werdum’s improved standup. 

Alistair Overeem (MMAjunkie.com)

3. Alistair Overeem – Overeem has been on an absolute destructive tear since the end of 2007. His last fight was a brutal win over former champ Brock Lesnar. Overeem later tested positive for PEDs and cannot reapply for a fighting license until December of this year.

Cain Velasquez (photo by MMAjunkie.com)

2. Cain Velasquez – Cain may be the best overall heavyweight alive. His standup striking is good but not on the level of #1 Junior dos Santos’ striking but he has amazing wrestling that dos Santos has not had to go up against just yet. Cain lost to dos Santos by KO before he had a chance to even try to take him down. When they fight again and if Cain fights smart he could win.

Junior dos Santos (photo by mmaweekly.com)

1. Junior dos Santos – Junior might be the best pure boxer in MMA and he has left a path of destruction in his wake on his way to being one of the most fearsome champs alive. If he beats Cain, I am not sure who can beat him.

Let us know what you think!

MMA Middleweight Rankings: September Edition

Another division that has had a long reigning champion is the middleweight division. Anderson Silva is the king but let us check out the whole division.

Alan Belcher (Photo my MMAjunkie.com)

10. Alan Belcher – Belcher has had an up and down career that seemed to be over when he suffered detached retinas. But he overcame that and since that has been on a roll; most recently TKO’ing Rousimar Palhares in the 1^st round. His next fight is against Yushin Okami. A win over Okami will catapult him up the rankings and bring him closer to that title shot.

Brian Stann (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

9. Brian Stann – The war hero with a ton of power in his punches is coming off a big KO win of Alessio Sakara. That win earned him a #1 contender match against Michael Bisping; which takes place this Saturday (September 22^nd) and we get to see this one live. If Stann wins he will most likely fight Anderson due to how well that fight would sell in America.

Mark Munoz (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

8. Mark Munoz – Munoz is one of my favorite fighters. However, he is coming off of a humiliating loss to #2 Chris Weidman. Munoz was utterly destroyed (thanks to a late stoppage by the ref) and it was so bad I looked away. However, Munoz is an OSU man and they have the hearts of lions and will come back strong. Munoz can beat almost anyone at 185 and I can’t wait to see him back in there.

Luke Rockhold (Photo by Fight! Magaxine)

7. Luke Rockhold – Rockhold has not lost since 2007 and has looked unbeatable since joining Strikeforce. He is coming off of a huge win over Tim Kennedy and is going to defend his title again in November against Lorenz Larkin. Rockhold should be able to submit him without a hitch.

Time Boetsch (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

6. Tim Boetsch – What is going on? “The Barbarian” is not only back in the UFC, not only dropped down to 185 but is beating the best of the best at 185. So, weird but so awesome. Boetsch is a blast to watch (except his last fight). I am very happy to see him doing so well. He is coming off of two huge wins over top #15 middleweights Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami. He now has a date against #2 Chris Weidman; which will certainly be the hardest fight of his life. However if he wins he will certainly fight for the title setting up a true Hollywood style career comeback.

Michael Bisping (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

5. Michael Bisping – “The Count” is the most underrated fighter in the UFC. The guy has a very technical and advanced boxing game and an exceptionally underrated ground game. He has an amazing 12-4 UFC record and is coming off an extremely close decision loss to Chael Sonnen that many people thought he won (including us here at CR). He has a #1 contender match this Saturday against #9 Brian Stann. If he wins that he will meet Anderson Silva.

Vitor Belfort (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

4. Vitor Belfort – The legend has stepped up to the plate and will be facing #1 light heavyweight Champion Jon Jones this Saturday in Toronto. I cannot wait to see this fight live and in person. What a whirlwind of craziness to have this fight happen. But if Vitor wins it will be one of the biggest upsets of all time. But Vitor will have the fan support and he feeds off of that. If he wins he will be light heavyweight champ again, reclaiming the belt for the first time since 2004.

Chael Sonnen (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

3. Chael Sonnen – The loud mouth is now 2-2 in his last 4 fights with one of them being a highly controversial win over #5 Michael Bisping. Granted both those losses are to the best fighter alive in any sport. But with the way he talks you would think he was 45-0 in MMA. But Sonnen decided to move up to light heavyweight and will be fighting Forrest Griffin in December which will not help his career at all.

Chris Weidman (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

2. Chris Weidman – possibly the most exciting prospect in the UFC, Weidman has been straight up destroying everyone in his path. He is 9-0 with 3 wins by (T)KO, 3 by submission and 3 by decision; which shows you he is versatile and can fight smart. He is coming off a humongous win over #8 Mark Munoz and has earned himself a #1 contender’s match against #6 Tim Boetsch  in December.

Anderson Silva (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

1. Anderson Silva – What can you say about this guy? He is the best fighter who ever lived in any combat sport. No one can touch him but it will be interesting to see #2 Chris Weidman fight him. But until he is dethroned he will be #1 for yet another 6 years.

185 is at a very interesting time! So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.

MMA Welterweight Rankings: September Edition

As we at CR continue our rankings, we make our way to the wrestling dominated welterweight division. Let's get to it!
 

          Ben Askren (Photo by Bellator)

10. Ben Askren – Askren is one of the best wrestlers to ever come to MMA and he has proven that to be true by wrestling his way to a 10-0 record. Askren has beaten some good competition but until he faces off with some guys in the UFC, we won’t be able to truly determine where he rates against the top 9 on this list.

     Nate Marquardt (Photo by MMAjunkie)

 9. Nate Marquardt – After a disappointing and bizarre end to his UFC career, he moved on to Strikeforce where he took of undefeated Tyron Woodley. Nate dominated the fight and ended up KOing Woodley and winning the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. 

 Rory MacDonald (Photo by MMAjunkie)

8. Rory MacDonald - Rory is arguably the most exciting prospect in MMA today. He is only 23 years old but already has dominating wins against Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. He has one of the brightest futures in the UFC and his next fight against BJ Penn of the Fox 5 card will show us just how successful he will be.

Jon Fitch (Photo by MMAjunkie)

7. Jon Fitch - Fitch has not fought since December 2011 where he was absolutely demolished in 12 seconds by Johny Hendricks. This was a huge loss for Fitch and brought him down from 2^nd place to 7^th. The welterweight division is a stacked one and a loss like that is devastating. His next opponent won’t be an easy one either as he takes on Erick Silva at UFC 153 in October.

 Jake Ellenberger (Photo by MMAjunkie)

 6. Jake Ellenberger – Ellenberger is coming off of a very disappointing loss to #5 Martin Kampmann in June. He was dominating but was caught flush with a knee to the chin. Before that fight, Ellenberger had won 6 straight with 4 of those coming by way of KO or TKO. The set back was big for him but he has the ability to turn it around when he faces Jay Hieron at UFC on FX 5 in October.

Martin Kampmann (Photo by Fight!)

5. Martin Kampmann – Kampmann could very well be the most exciting fighter in the UFC today. His last two come-from-behind wins over Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger were two Fight of the Year candidates. Kampmann is going to fight #4 Johny Hendricks in a fight that should be nothing short of amazing.

Johny Hendricks (Photo by MMAjunkie)

4. Johny Hendricks - The monster from OSU has been on a tear, taking out top competition since entering the UFC. He is coming off of wins against Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. Hendricks is scheduled to take on #5 Martin Kampmann in a fight that will determine who fights the winner of GSP vs. Carlos Condit.

Nick Diaz (Photo by MMAjunkie)

3. Nick Diaz - Diaz is many things. But mainly a mess and a brilliant fighter. He tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for a year starting of February 4^th, 2012, by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. So, until then Diaz will be inactive.

Carlos Condit (MMAjunkie)

2. Carlos Condit – Currently the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. Had to beat #3 Nick Diaz to win it. Condit has evolved into a very technical and calculated “Killer”. He has learned to use his reach incredibly well and has added a significant amount of power to his striking as well. He will soon be in the fight of his life against GSP and if he can somehow beat the champ, he will be the best in the world at 170.

GSP (Photo by MMAjunkie)

1. Georges St. Pierre – Has been the perennial UFC Welterweight Champion for many years. He won the title back at UFC 83. It has been that long since he has shown any type of weakness. The guy can be considered one of the top athletes alive in any sport. He will be fighting Carlos Condit in November at UFC 154 to unify the titles.

Exciting times at 170! So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.