Top 5 contenders in each UFC division?

Name who you rank as the best 5 contenders for each title even if they've already challenged and lost.

Heavyweight-

Champion= Brock Lesnar

1= Frank Mir
2= Cain Velasquez
3= Shane Carwin
4= Junior Dos Santos
5= Big Nog

LightHeavyweight-

Champion= Lyoto Machida

1= Mauricio Rua
2= Anderson Silva
3= Quinton Jackson
4= Rashad Evans
5= Thiago Silva

Middleweight-

Champion= Anderson Silva

1= Vitor Belfort
2= Chael Sonnen
3= Nate Marquardt
4= Demian Maia
5= Wanderlei Silva

Welterweight-

Champion= GSP

1= Jon Fitch
2= Thiago Alves
3= Dan Hardy
4= Josh Koscheck
5= Paul Daley

Lightweight-

Champion= BJ Penn

1= Kenny Florian
2= Frankie Edgar
3= Gray Maynard
4= Takanori Gomi
5= George Sotiropoulos

HW:
Cain
Dos
Mir/Carwin
Nog

LHW:
Shogun
Anderson
Page
Lil Nog
Shad

MW:
Vitor
Sonnen
Nate
Maia
Wandy

WW:
Fitch
Thiago
Kos
Thiago
Hardy

LW:
Edgar
KenFlo/Gray
Griffin
Gomi

See, this is where Carwin gets to me...HOW in hell is he ahead of Junior dos Santos?

HW

1. Cain Velasquez: Notable wins since last loss- Big Nog, Rothwell and Kongo
2. Junior dos Santos: Notable wins since last loss: Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko CroCop, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga
3. Frank Mir: Notabe wins since last loss: Chieck Kongo
4. Shane Carwin: Only win of note- Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Big Nog coming off a loss to Cain Velasquez and losing 2 of his last 3

I'll only do that for the HW's since HW division rankings are so often based on hype rather than accomplishment *cough* Carwin *cough*

LHW

1. Mauricio Rua
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Jon Jones (fa real)
5. Randy Couture (fa real)

MW

1. Chael Sonnen
2. Vitor Belfot
3. Nate Marquardt
4. Demian Maia
5. Wanderlei Silva

WW

1. Josh Koscheck
2. Jon Fitch
3. Paulo Thiago
4. Thiago Alves
5. Paul Daley

Fact...Dan Hardy is all actuality is not even a top 5 contender

1. Frankie Edgar
2. Kenny Florian
3. Gray Maynard
4. TYSON GRIFFIN (come on people)
5. George Sotiropoulos

Gomi sucked in Sengoku, as if he's top 5 in UFC without having a single fight yet.

Gomi still has life

KenFlo will choke it out of him

I hope so, otherwise Kenny will make savage, if not quick work of him at the end of the month. My point is, the guy has stunk for a couple years now...if he still has life...let him show it in his UFC debut before we go shooting him in the top 5 over guys who have been beating top comp while he's been struggling with wikipedia red names for the past 2 years.

Is Silva really a contender at Light Heavyweight when he only takes pit stops in the division to satisfy his boredom ??

Lil' Nog needs more love on these lists.

HW
Mir/Carwin winner
Cain
JDS
Nog
Mir/Carwin loser

LHW
Shogun
Rampage
Evans
Lil Nog/Forrest winner
Jones

MW
Vitor
Sonnen
Nate
Maia
Wand

WW
Fitch/Alves winner
Kos
Thiago
Fitch/Alves loser
Semtex

LW
Florian
Edgar
Maynard
Gomi
Soto

Ali_1748 wrote:

Is Silva really a contender at Light Heavyweight when he only takes pit stops in the division to satisfy his boredom ??

This

Also, how is Wanderlei Silva a top contender for the middleweight belt after one fight? What about Alan Belcher, Yushin Okami, and Patrick Cote when he returns to action soon? By rights if Cote beats Belcher he should resume a top 4 spot on the contenders list since he never lost except to Anderson Silva by way of a blown ACL.

oops, replace Couture with Jon Jones and put Nog #4 on my list...lol

HW
1 Cain
2 Santos
3 Mir
4 Carwin
5 Big Nog
The 5 are pretty clear, the order can get a little mixed up though. The winner of Carwin/Mir moves ahead of JDS.

LHW
1 Shogun - duh
2 Anderson - The #1* fighter in the world needs a title shot
3 Rampage - even with the BS he's 2-0 since losing the belt
4 Lil Nog - 6-0 since 08 even though Cane and maybe the Janitor were the only decent wins
5 Rashad
The winner Rashad/Rampage can move into 2b since I'm not moving Anderson

Farmer1906 wrote:

HW
1 Cain
2 Santos
3 Mir
4 Carwin
5 Big Nog
The 5 are pretty clear, the order can get a little mixed up though. The winner of Carwin/Mir moves ahead of JDS.

LHW
1 Shogun - duh
2 Anderson - The #1* fighter in the world needs a title shot
3 Rampage - even with the BS he's 2-0 since losing the belt
4 Lil Nog - 6-0 since 08 even though Cane and maybe the Janitor were the only decent wins
5 Rashad
The winner Rashad/Rampage can move into 2b since I'm not moving Anderson

Exactly what I got for those, very nice, what's the rest look like?

Heavyweight

1.Frank Mir
2. Cain Velazquez
3. Shane Carwin
4. Junior Dos Santos
5. Noguiera

Light Heavy

1. Rua
2. Anderson
3. Rampage
4. Lil Nog
5. Randy and Bones

Middleweight

1. Soennen
2. Vitor
3. Nate
4. Wanderlei
5. Maia

Welter

There is no contendor for GSP

Lightweight

Ditto

KingsOwn19 wrote:

See, this is where Carwin gets to me...HOW in hell is he ahead of Junior dos Santos?

HW

1. Cain Velasquez: Notable wins since last loss- Big Nog, Rothwell and Kongo
2. Junior dos Santos: Notable wins since last loss: Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko CroCop, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga
3. Frank Mir: Notabe wins since last loss: Chieck Kongo
4. Shane Carwin: Only win of note- Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Big Nog coming off a loss to Cain Velasquez and losing 2 of his last 3

I'll only do that for the HW's since HW division rankings are so often based on hype rather than accomplishment *cough* Carwin *cough*

LHW

1. Mauricio Rua
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Jon Jones (fa real)
5. Randy Couture (fa real)

MW

1. Chael Sonnen
2. Vitor Belfot
3. Nate Marquardt
4. Demian Maia
5. Wanderlei Silva

WW

1. Josh Koscheck
2. Jon Fitch
3. Paulo Thiago
4. Thiago Alves
5. Paul Daley

Fact...Dan Hardy is all actuality is not even a top 5 contender

1. Frankie Edgar
2. Kenny Florian
3. Gray Maynard
4. TYSON GRIFFIN (come on people)
5. George Sotiropoulos

Gomi sucked in Sengoku, as if he's top 5 in UFC without having a single fight yet.

You will get a PLUS for the HW rankings. I totally agree on the notion of being ranked according to what you have done and how you have done it. Not like so many others on here who rank according to their favs and potential (like having mousasi 3 in the LHW division LOL!!). With that said I would put Alves and Fitch in front of Kos. I don't agree with Randy at 5 either. Beating vera....barely.... and Mark Coleman are not good enough LHW wins. I would put little Nog above him and jones.

muay...i made a post taking Couture out of my top 5. I competley forgot about lil nog...i just have not got around to editing my original response.

As for Fitch and Kos...yeah, you can swap them as Fitch's recent W's have been of more value than Kos. As for Alves, he's been inactive for almost a year and got dominated by a GSP with a strained groin and a watermelon growing out of his elbow. I say #4 is about right for him at the moment.

Kind of fun to look back. What about doing an updated version?

kinda funny that ppl were talking about fitch getting a shot way back then...

killerofchicken wrote:

kinda funny that ppl were talking about fitch getting a shot way back then...

Yeah that guy should never be in any title discussion. Save that for Alves.

And today....

Carwin/JDS winner
...
....
HW is hurt...
Mir
Lesnar
Schaub
Brown Mittrione


Rampage
Evans
Machida
Rua/Forrest winner


Okami
Maia/Munoz winner tied with Brian Stann
Sonnen = tied with Bisping/Meyham winner


Jon Fitch
BJ Penn
Carlos Condit
Kos/Sheilds winner


Maynard
Miller
Guida
Guilliard
Siver


Mendez
Nunez/Florian winner
Gamburian/Griffin winner
FW is being out paced in UFC

Faber
Benavidez
Bowels
Torres
McDonald
BW is becoming a baller division

HW
JDS
Carwin
Mir
Schaub/Nog winner
Roy Nelson
The SF HWs should be able to help the top of the division soon enough.

LHW
Rashad
Rampage
Machida
Shogun/Forrest winner
Phil Davis

MW
Okami
Stann
Munoz/Maia winner
Bisping/Mayhem winner
loser of 2 fights above

WW
Fitch
Diaz
Condit
BJ
Story

LW
Maynard
Miller
Bendo
Guida
Pettis
This division has the most worthy challengers IMO

FW
Mendes
Nunes/Florian winner
Tyson/Manny winner
Erik Koch
Dustin Poirier

BW
Faber
Mighty Mouse
lil Joe
Bowels
Scotty and Torres tie

HW
1 JDS/Carwin winner
2 Schaub (if he wins)
3 Brock
4 Mir
5 Nog (if he wins)
...man the HW division is not deep at all

LHW
1 Rashad/Davis winner
2 Rampage
3 Shogun/Forrest winner
4 Machida
5 Bader

MW
1 Okami
2 Sonnen
3 Stann
4 Muñoz/Maia winner
5 Wand if he beats Leben or Bisping if he beats Miller

WW
1 Fitch/Penn winner
2 Story/Nate winner
3 Kim/Condit winner
4 Diaz
5 Hughes/Sanchez winner or Rumble

LW
1 Maynard
2 Miller
3 Guida
4 Showtime
5 Siver or Gullard

FW
1 Mendes
...okay can't think anytime time to goto the gym. Maybe I'll finish later.

Heavyweight-

Champion= Cain Velasquez

1= Junior Dos Santos
2= Brock Lesnar
3= Shane Carwin
4= Frank Mir
5= Big Nog

LightHeavyweight-

Champion= Jon Jones

1= Rashad Evans
2= Quinton Jackson
3= Lyoto Machida
4= Mauricio Rua
5= Forrest Griffin

Middleweight-

Champion= Anderson Silva

1= Yushin Okami
2= Chael Sonnen
3= Demian Maia
4= Vitor Belfort
5= Brian Stann

Welterweight-

Champion= GSP

1= Jon Fitch
2= BJ Penn
3= Jake Shields
4= Carlos Condit
5= Rick Story

Lightweight-

Champion= Frankie Edgar

1= Gray Maynard
2= Jim Miller
3= Clay Guida
4= Sean Sherk
5= Melvin Guillard

Featherweight-

Champion= Jose Aldo

1= Kenny Florian
2= Chad Mendes
3= Mark Hominick
4= Manny Gamuryan
5= Diego Nunes

Bantamweight-

Champion= Dominick Cruz

1= Urijah Faber
2= Joseph Benavidez
3= Brian Bowles
4= Demetrious Johnson
5= Miguel Torres

I am going to assume this to mean top contender based on both ability and likely hood of getting a shot in the future. No factoring will be given to who "deserves" shots based on imaginary internet fan opinion. Only who really will get shots and who really has a chance of winning. My rankings will weigh ability, style match ups against the current champ and title shot likelihood.

HW.

1. Carwin
2. JDS
3. Overeem
4. Silva
5. Fedor

LHW.

1. Machida
2. Rampage
3. Jones
4. Shogun
5. Henderson

MW.

1. Yushin Okami
2. Wanderlei Silva
3. Brian Stann
4. Jacare
5. Chael Sonnen

WW.

1. Nick Diaz
2. Rick Story
3. Carlos Condit
4. Jon Fitch
5. Koscheck

LW.

1. Maynard
2. Melendez
3. Miller
4. BJ Penn
5. Clay Guida

FW.

1. Chad Mendes
2. Mark Hominick
3. Kenny Florian
4. Diego Nunes
5. Hatsu Hioki

BW.

1. Urijah Faber
2. Demetrious Johnson
3. Joseph Benavidez
4. Brian Bowles
5. Miguel Torres