Is there really any debate here? Silva beat both Henderson and Franklin and not only did he beat them, he dominated them. No one has even come close to giving Anderson a scare and it doesn't look like it will happen soon.
It's hard to imagine a top 10 list of anything that wouldn't feature Fedor's name at the top. Although he had somewhat inactive prior to the Sylvia fight, his ease of victory and unmatched skill set put him in this top spot. His past wins over Mirko Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and just about every other big guy in the game help to assist his recent downturn in competition. The less than a minute it took him to finish off the former UFC champ was one of the most impressive feats the sport has seen.
The Canadian One is quickly making a case to be the greatest welterweight of all time. Georges has been unbeatable since dropping his belt to Serra - at no point in either recent fight (Serra II, Hughes III) did I believe Hughes was in trouble. His wrestling is better than collegiate wrestlers, his striking is as varied as it gets, and his will to win is among the greats. It will take a ton to beat GSP.
Baby Jay is so good that there's no one left for him to fight at 155. After making Sean Sherk look terrible, he has planned a move to 170, which is the only place he'll truly be challenged. He's beaten everyone the UFC has to offer and a fight against Huerta or Florian would just force the GSP fight to happen later in his career. Bad move.
You have to go back more than two years to find Faber's last loss. Since that drop to Tyson Griffin, Faber has been on fire, stepping up his competition and his performances. After a big win over wrestling legend Jeff Curran, Faber was otherworldly against top contender Jens Pulver. It does not look as though Faber will be moving anywhere soon.
Lyoto Machida
Streak: 13 wins Record: 13-0 Previous Ranking: N/A Big Wins: Ortiz, Sokoudjou, Franklin, Penn
The top competition in the UFC comes in the form of dominant yet unorthodox striker Lyoto Machida. Tito Ortiz looked like a kid against Machida and Sokoudjou, who made this top ten, was absolutely dismantled by The Dragon. His adaptation of karate styles makes him nearly impossible to beat. Both Machida and Liddell appear to be one win from a title shot.
Quinton Jackson
Streak: 1 loss Record: 28-7 Previous Ranking: N/A Big Wins: Liddell, Henderson, Lindland
Yes, the Forrest loss wasn't pretty, but prior to that, Jackson was 3-0 in the UFC, hadn't lost in over three calendar years, and he was the champion of the toughest division in the toughest organization on the planet. One loss bumps him to the 3 spot, and it will be interesting to see if he can rebound.
Minotauro, the UFC's newest champion, slides easily into this second place spot with his win over Tim Sylvia. A wizard off his back, Nogueira represents a very different but no less successful crop of heavyweights just as comfortable on the ground as throwing bombs. Big Nog hasn't lost since October of 2006, making it difficult to consider him any less than second best.
Torres hasn't lost in a half a decade and when he wins, which he does often, it's usually in the most impressive fashion around. He finishes 85% of his fights, making him a fan favorite and a P4P darling.
Forrest Griffin
Streak: 3 wins Record: 22-4 Previous Ranking: N/A Big Wins: Rua, Jackson
Winner of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Griffin finished his climb to the top with a win over Jackson. An on again, off again winning fighter, Griffin solidified his spot among the best with a submission win over Mauricio Rua. At the time, many considered Rua to be the best in the world. Now that he has the belt, Griffin is the right choice for the top position.
11. Norifumi Yamamoto 12. Takanori Gomi 13. Randy Couture 14. Dan Henderson 15. Chuck Liddell 16. Jon Fitch
MMA Madness' Rules of Rankings
1.) For a fighter to be ranked, he must have:
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fought within the last two years
2.) For a fighter to be ranked in a new division, he must have:
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declared his intention to move divisions (ex: Dan Henderson)
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fought two consecutive fights at the new weight (ex: Hayato Sakurai)
3.) A fighter shall not be ranked at two weights
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He is ranked at the old weight until one of the two examples under #2 occurs
4.) Rankings will not rely on transitive properties
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ex: Alves beat Hughes, Hughes beat GSP, thus Alves beat GSP is not acceptable logic
5.) Rankings are based on a full body of work & strength of schedule, not just the last fight
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ex: Michael Bisping has just two wins at MW, but his resume includes a win on The Ultimate Fighter and a win over Matt Hamill (full body)
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ex: Matt Hughes has lost two of three (as of 6/08), however, that slump would not drop him as far as a younger fighter who lost two of three (full body)
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ex: Additionally, Hughes' losses have been to top competitors, so losses to GSP and Alves don't hurt as much as another fighters loss to Mike Swick (strength of schedule)
