It's Time To Vote! FIGHT FORUM'S Official UFC Rankings Thread - July 2008

[stillstanding]

Alright FF members, I have asked if I could take over until Heatwaves came back and received positive results. I will use Heatwaves old format and keep things the same for the most part. (If it is not broke, don't fix it) I will change things a little. For example, I will tally the votes at one time at the very end.




Your Vote Counts! It’s time for Fight Forum members to gather and rank the TOP 10 UFC fighters for each weight class.

Here are the rules for those of you who are unfamiliar:

1. Around the last week of every month, I’ll post a new thread for all Fight Forum members (mods are welcome as well) to rank their Top 10 UFC Fighters for each division.

2. Member rankings will end on July 2(to make up for lost time). I’ll then calculate all of the votes from each participating member to determine that month’s “Fight Forum Member’s Official UFC Rankings” and post a new thread with the official results of the Top 10 fighters in each weight class.

3. If you’re wondering how the calculations will be made, I’ll assign points for the ranking you give them. I.E. 10 points for 1st, 9 pts for 2nd, on down to 1 pt for 10th. The fighter with the most collective points in a particular weight class will be ranked 1st overall and so on.

4. Since you’re posting your Top 10 list for all to see, please maintain your integrity and vote with as little bias as possible.

5. The UFC rankings are intended to be for the upcoming month, not all-time. For rankings to be included in the overall results, all fighters must either have fought in the UFC within the last 12 months, have a current UFC fight scheduled or be signed to a new UFC contract, thereby qualifying their intentions to fight in the UFC in the near future.

6. For rankings to count, you must rank all ten fighters for each weight class. If you only rank six fighters at MW, for example, your rankings will not be included in the final tally.

7. You may edit your rankings after you first make them. If you edit, just edit your post. I will tally the votes at the on July 3 or July 4 (if I need more time but no later)

NOTE: Randy Couture is still ineligible for voting since his future with the UFC is in doubt. Andrei Arlovski is ineligible because he's no longer under contract with the UFC. Jake O'Brien and Tim Sylvia are also ineligible now that they've signed with other organizations. Tito is also is ineligible. He had his last fight against Machida



I appologize for not doing this sooner. For some reason I could not access FIGHTFORUM

[stillstanding]

My rankings:

HW
1. Big Nog
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Frank Mir
4. Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Brandon Vera
6. Heath Herring
7. Cheick Kongo
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Shane Carwin
10. Justin McCully

LHW
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Forrest Griffin
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Shogun Rua
7. Rashad Evans
8. Keith Jardine
9. Thiago Silva
10. Goran Reljic

MW:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Michael Bisping
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Chris Leben
8. Patrick Cote
9. Ricardo Almeida
10. Martin Kampmann

WW:
1. GSP
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Mike Swick
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parysian
8. Matt Hughes
9. Marcus Davis
10. Dustin Hazelett

LW:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Kenny Florian
4. Joe Stevenson
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Nate Diaz
9. Gray Maynard
10. Mac Danzig

[Mulla]

HW:

1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Heath Herring
5. Frank Mir
6. Cheik Kongo
7. Shane Carwin
8. Cain Velasquez
9. Justin McCully
10. Antoni Hardonk

LHW:

1. Rampage Jackson
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Keith Jardine
7. Rashad Evans
8. Thiago Silva
9. Goran Reljic
10. Shogun Rua

MW:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Yushin Okami
3. Rich Franklin
4. Dan Henderson
5. Nate Marquardt
6. Martin Kampmann
7. Patrick Cote
8. Thales Leitas
9. Michael Bisping
10. Ricardo Almeida

WW:

1. GSP
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Matt Hughes
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Mike Swick
9. Marcus Davis
10. Dustin Hazelett

LW:

1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Gray Maynard
9. Frankie Edgar
10. Nate Diaz

[asronn]

HW:

1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Heath Herring
5. Frank Mir
6. Cheik Kongo
7. Shane Carwin
8. Cain Velasquez
9. Justin McCully
10. Antoni Hardonk
1. Rampage Jackson
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6.Rashad Evans
7. Keith Jardine
8. Thiago Silva
9. Shogun Rua
10. James Irvin

MW:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Martin Kampmann
6. Nate Marquardt
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Patrick Cote
9.Chris Leben
10. Michael Bisping

WW:

1. GSP
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Matt Hughes
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Mike Swick
9. Marcus Davis
10. Dustin Hazelett

LW:

1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Kenny Florian
4. Frankie Edgar
5. Tyson Griffin
6. Clay Guida
7. Gray Maynard
8. Roger Huerta
9. Nate Diaz
10. Kurt Pellegrino

[kev0]

HW
1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Heath Herring
5. Cheick Kongo
6. Frank Mir
7. Brandon Vera
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Cain Velasquez
10. Antoni Hardonk

LHW
1.Rampage Jackson
2. Chuck Liddell
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Wanderlei Silva
6. Mauricio Rua
7. Keith Jardine
8. Rashad Evans
9. Thiago Silva
10. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

MW
1. Anderson Silva
2. Rich Franklin
3. Dan Henderson
4.Yushin Okami
5. Martin Kampmann
6. Thales Leites
7. Michael Bisping
8. Nate Marquardt
9. Patrick Cote
10. Nate Quarry

WW
1. George St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Matt Hughes
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Karo Parysian
8. Mike Swick
9. Marcus Davis
10. Matt Serra

LW
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Kenny Florian
4. Joe Stevenson
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Nate Diaz
8. Joe Lauzon
9. Mac Danzig
10. Gray Maynard

[Pitbull]

HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Heath Herring
5. Cheick Kongo
6. Brandon Vera
7. Frank Mir
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Mark Coleman
10. Cain Velasquez

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Mauricio Rua
5. Rameau Sokoudjou
6. Thiago Silva
7. Forrest Griffin
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Keith Jardine
10. Goran Reljic

MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Nathan Marquardt
4. Rich Franklin
5. Yushin Okami
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Thales Leites
9. Demian Maia
10. Nate Quarry

WELTERWEIGHT
1. George St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Matt Hughes
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Dustin Hazelett
9. Mike Swick
10. Marcus Davis

LIGHTWEIGHT
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Tyson Griffin
5. Kenny Florian
6. Joe Lauzon
7. Roger Huerta
8. Clay Guida
9. Gray Maynard
10. Nate Diaz

[Mulla]

@ Stillstanding, just letting you know Ive edited my rankings as I forgot to include Leitas in the MW and Stevenson in the LW rankings!


Also, just curious to know how people are ranking Lesnar above people who have actually won fights in the UFC?

[T-Bone]

Originally Posted by Mulla

Also, just curious to know how people are ranking Lesnar above people who have actually won fights in the UFC?

War Mulla!

[FatCat]

Originally Posted by Mulla

@ Stillstanding, just letting you know Ive edited my rankings as I forgot to include Leitas in the MW and Stevenson in the LW rankings!


Also, just curious to know how people are ranking Lesnar above people who have actually won fights in the UFC?

Even more curious is Thiago Silva being ranked above Shogun.

Edit: And Wanderlei and Forrest...

[FatCat]

HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
4. Brandon Vera
5. Heath Herring
6. Cheick Kongo
7. Frank Mir
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Cain Velzaquez
10. Shane Carwin

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Keith Jardine
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Mauricio Rua
8. Rashad Evans
9. Sokoudjou
10. Thiago Silva

MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Martin Kampmann
7. Ricardo Almeida
8. Michael Bisping
9. Thales Leites
10. Demian Maia


WELTERWEIGHT
1. George St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Josh Koscheck
4. Thiago Alves
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Matt Hughes
7. Karo Parysian
8. Matt Serra
9. Dustin Hazelett
10. Mike Swick

LIGHTWEIGHT
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Kenny Florian
4. Joe Stevenson
5. Nate Diaz
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frank Edgar
8. Tyson Griffin
9. Roger Huerta
10. Clay Guida

[Mulla]

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Even more curious is Thiago Silva being ranked above Shogun.

Edit: And Wanderlei and Forrest...

Shogun's had one fight in the UFC and lost. His previous win was nearly 18 months ago in Pride (which I spose can now be considered for these rankings, with the buyout). Thiago and Wanderlei have both won fights since Shogun's loss, Wanderlei's to a top10 fighter, and Forrest....well...Forrest BEAT Shogun.

So as much as it pains me, Ive gotta rank them above Shogun.

Thats not to say I think they'd beat Shogun (or beat him again in Forrest's case) but I based my rankings on achievements and unfortunately Shogun hasnt achieved a lot recently.

btw I see you've also ranked Wandy and Forrest above Shogun too?!



Now can you explain how you ranked Lesnar (0-1 in UFC) above Shane Carwin (1-0 UFC) and Velasquez (1-0 UFC)?

[FatCat]

Originally Posted by Mulla

Shogun's had one fight in the UFC and lost. His previous win was nearly 18 months ago in Pride (which I spose can now be considered for these rankings, with the buyout). Thiago and Wanderlei have both won fights since Shogun's loss, Wanderlei's to a top10 fighter, and Forrest....well...Forrest BEAT Shogun.

So as much as it pains me, Ive gotta rank them above Shogun.

Thats not to say I think they'd beat Shogun (or beat him again in Forrest's case) but I based my rankings on achievements and unfortunately Shogun hasnt achieved a lot recently.

btw I see you've also ranked Wandy and Forrest above Shogun too?!



Now can you explain how you ranked Lesnar (0-1 in UFC) above Shane Carwin (1-0 UFC) and Velasquez (1-0 UFC)?

Yes, Shogun is 0-1 in the UFC, but that doesn't change the fact that he absolutely destroyed the current champ. Not only has Thiago beaten a list of nobodys, but he's done it quite unimpressively. On top of that, he hasn't showed any flashes of brilliance in any of his fights. In fact, he's shown that he has a shallow gas tank and gets very sloppy at times. Thiago belongs ahead of nobody in the top 10, **** he almost got KO'd by a guy who could easily fight @ 185 and his main strength was : "master of the flying knee". LOL!

Lesnar on the other hand has shown flashes of brilliance. Granted he lost the fight (to a top ranked fighter, who did Cain and Shane beat?), it was complete domination up until that point. His only glaring weakness is his submission game. Cain and Shane Corwin are of the same cloth as Brock, only he's bigger, faster, and stronger than both of them. From what I've seen of them in the Octagon, Lesnar seems to have all the tools to shut both of them down, and considering they're all unproven, I'll give the nod to the raw strength and athleticism of Brock.

And I was actually referring to Pitbull ranking Thiago above Wandy and Forrest, not Wandy and Forrest being ranked above Shogun.

[Harms]

1. Big Nog (1)
2. Frank Mir (2)
3. Fabricio Werdum (3)
4. Gabriel Gonzaga(4)
5. Brandon Vera(5)
6. Cheick Kongo (6)
7. Heath Herring (7)
8. Justin Mcully(8)
9. Cain Velasquez(9)
10. Eddie Sanchez(10)


LHW
1. Rampage Jackson (1)
2. Forrest Griffen (3)
3. Lyoto Machida (2)
4. Chuck Liddell (5)
5. Wanderlei Silva(7)
6. Shogun Rua (8)
7. Rashad Evans (4)
8. Thiago Silva (10)
9. Keith Jardine (9)
10. Sokudjou (10)


MW
1. Anderson Silva (1)
2. Yushin Okami (2)
3. Dan Henderson (3)
4. Thales Leites (6)
5. Martin Kampmann (-)
6. Rich Franklin(5)
7. Patrick Cote (7)
8. Nate Marquardt(4)
9. Jason Macdonald (8)
10. Michael Bisping (9)

WW
1. Georges St. Pierre (1)
2. John Fitch (2)
3. Diego Sanchez (4)
4. Josh Koscheck (5)
5. Thiago Alves (7)
6. Mike Swick(8)
7. Matt Hughes (3)
8. Marcus Davis (6)
9. Karo Paryisan(6)
10. Matt Serra(2)

LW
1. Bj Penn(1)
5. Kenny Florian (5)
3. Roger Huerta (3)
4. Joe Stevenson (4)
5. Sean Sherk (2)
6. Tyson Griffen (6)
7. Spencer Fisher (7)
8. Clay Guida (9)
9. Mac Danzig (10)
10. Nate Diaz (-)

[Pitbull]

Originally Posted by Mulla

Also, just curious to know how people are ranking Lesnar above people who have actually won fights in the UFC?

I base my rankings on wins and who beats who.

So I ranked Lesnar @ 8. He lost to Mir, so it knocked him down to the bottom, but I still believe his raw, natural talent gives him the ability to upset a few guys. So there I'm just comparing skills vs skills.

I'll admit, it's pure speculation on my part.

[Drewplata]

Does anybody else think it would be advantageous to wait until after the next UFC to do these rankings?

[KungFuGrip]

HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Fabricio Werdum
3. Heath Herring
4. Gabreil Gonzaga
5. Cheick Kongo
6. Brandon Vera
7. Frank Mir
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Mark Coleman
10. Cain Velasquez

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Chuck Liddell
4. Wanderlei Silva
5. Rameau Sokoudjou
6. Thiago Silva
7. Forrest Griffin
8. Mauricio Rua
9. Keith Jardine
10. Goran Reljic

MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Ricardo Almeida
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Thales Leites
9. Demian Maia
10. Drew McFredries

WELTERWEIGHT
1. George St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Matt Hughes
7. Karo Parisyan
8. Mike Swick
9. Dustin Hazelette
10. Marcus Davis

LIGHTWEIGHT
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Tyson Griffin
6. Joe Lauzon
7. Roger Huerta
8. Clay Guida
9. Gray Maynard
10. Nate Diaz

Thanks Stillstanding for doin this. It's mighty swell of ya.


Please Come Back Heatwaves, you are a good man.

[Pitbull]

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

And I was actually referring to Pitbull ranking Thiago above Wandy and Forrest, not Wandy and Forrest being ranked above Shogun.

Again, I compare skills vs skills.

Whenever a guy gets an upset win like Forrest did against Shogun, for me, he must consistently show he can beat the top guys.

Forrest is not an elite level grappler or striker, but he gets by because he's in such good condition.

As much as I like Wand, the guy is 2-3 in his last five fights. Granted this was against top competition, but it helps to prove my point. Show me you can consistently beat top competition and you will be ranked higher. It also doesn't help that dropping to MW would be a better fit for him.

So Wand and Forrest are not top 5, IMO. And I believe Thiago would be the favorite in the fight if he ever fought those two. Hence he's ranked higher. If he loses to them, I'll adjust accordingly.

[FatCat]

Originally Posted by Pitbull

Show me you can consistently beat top competition and you will be ranked higher.

My point exactly. Thiago hasn't beaten anyone ranked remotely close to the top 10, upset or no upset. Forrest's conditioning and work ethic alone would make him the favorite against Thiago. Same with Wandy.

Wand is 2-3 vs. the elite of the elite. Losing to Dan Henderson, Cro-cop (a heavyweight) and a close fight vs. Chuck Liddell shoudn't be grounds for someone to drop below someone that hasn't even proven he can last 3 rounds cardio wise, let alone compete with an elite level fighter. And Shogun was supposedly injured in his bout so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt unless he loses badly in his next outing.

I'm just flabbergasted time and time again that Thiago Silva is mentioned by most (well, anyone) as a contender. His stand-up is sloppy at best, he hasn't even shown that he has KO power and his most impressive performance was a GnP finish over a guy with absolutely zero ground skill. If he was demolishing the C level fighters he's getting matched up against, I could see a case being made, but he's looked very average vs. everyone except Alexander. I need see waaay more from him to mention him amongst contenders. Especially proven competitors like Wandy and Forrest.

[T-Bone]

HW
1. Nog
2. Werdum
3. Gonzaga
4. Mir
5. Vera
6. Herring
7. Kongo
8. Velasquez
9. Carwin
10. Hardonk

LHW
1. Rampage
2. Machida
3. Chuck
4. Forrest
5. Wandy
6. Shogun
7. Sokoudjou
8. Jardine
9. Thiago
10. Rashad

MW
1. A.Silva
2. Henderson
3. Ace
4. Okami
5. Marquardt
6. Leites
7. Cote
8. Almeida
9. Bisping
10. Kampmann

WW
1. GSP
2. Fitch
3. Thiago
4. Koscheck
5. Diego
6. Karo
7. Swick
8. M.Davis
9. Hazelett
10. Serra

LW
1. BJ
2. Florian
3. Sherk
4. Stevenson
5. Nate Diaz
6. Huerta
7. T.Griffin
8. Joe Lauzon
9. Danzig
10. Maynard

[asronn]

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

My point exactly. Thiago hasn't beaten anyone ranked remotely close to the top 10, upset or no upset. Forrest's conditioning and work ethic alone would make him the favorite against Thiago. Same with Wandy.

Wand is 2-3 vs. the elite of the elite. Losing to Dan Henderson, Cro-cop (a heavyweight) and a close fight vs. Chuck Liddell shoudn't be grounds for someone to drop below someone that hasn't even proven he can last 3 rounds cardio wise, let alone compete with an elite level fighter. And Shogun was supposedly injured in his bout so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt unless he loses badly in his next outing.

I'm just flabbergasted time and time again that Thiago Silva is mentioned by most (well, anyone) as a contender. His stand-up is sloppy at best, he hasn't even shown that he has KO power and his most impressive performance was a GnP finish over a guy with absolutely zero ground skill. If he was demolishing the C level fighters he's getting matched up against, I could see a case being made, but he's looked very average vs. everyone except Alexander. I need see waaay more from him to mention him amongst contenders. Especially proven competitors like Wandy and Forrest.

what do you mean if? he has finished them all in the 1st round?? How do you get anymore dominant then that?