MMA Pound for Pound – Latest TOP 10 MMA Pound for Pound Rankings

#1	Anderson Silva		19.85%
#2	Georges St. Pierre		17.90%
#3	Fedor Emelianenko		17.55%
#4	BJ Penn		14.57%
#5	Lyoto Machida		10.99%
#6	Jose Aldo		6.12%
#7	Mauricio Rua		5.02%
#8	Dan Henderson		3.26%
#9	Gegard Mousasi		2.95%
#10	Quinton Jackson		1.78%

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Strikeforce Lightweight Gilbert Melendez and Dream Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki is set to fight each other on April 17 on CBS for what many considers as one of the most anticipated MMA pound for pound fight of the year. The fight is the fulfillment of a wish for Melendez who wanted to fight Aoki for quite some time already.

He announced his desire to fight the Dream champ after winning back his Strikeforce title last December. He even said that he started dreaming about the fight with one Aoki who is considered as one of the best MMA pound for pound fighters in the world. Melendez has won three straight matches after losing his championship to Josh Thompson in 2008 defeating MMA pound for pound greats such as Rodrigo Damm, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Thompson to regain his title. A victory with Aoki will solidify Melendez’s status as a MMA pound for pound champion.

The match with Aoki is not expected to be a run in the park for Melendez though because the Japanese MMA pound for pound fighter is considered as one of the most dangerous in the world. Like Melendez, Aoki has also defeated many MMA pound for pound greats such as Eddie Alvarez, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante. Known for his dreaded submission moves, Aoki latest victim is fellow Japanese Mizuto Hirota whose limb he almost twisted using an armbar.

Apart from deadly submission moves, Aoki is also known for his flashy spandex that he always wears for a fight. In his fight with Melendez however, he will be forced to leave his spandex tights at home and wear the more common wrestling trunks instead. This is because of the rule set by Strikeforce. Fighting without his trademark spandex is not the only thing that will be new to Aoki in the April 17. For the first time in his career, the Japanese MMA pound for pound champ will also be fighting inside a cage. As to how these developments will affect his chances of defeating fellow MMA pound for pound champ Melendez is yet to be determined.

It is necessary to clarify that the only Melendez title will be at stake during the fight. Melendez will fight a the champion and Aoki as the challenger. The Melendez vs. Aoki match is the third major MMA pound for pound match that Strikeforce has signed recently, the other two are the Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson fight and the Gerard Mousasi vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal match.

Another professional athlete from another sport has signed up with the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC and aspires to become a MMA pound for pound champion. This time it’s former boxing great James “Light’s Out” Toney who won Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year honors twice, in 1991 and 2003. Toney recently signed a multi-fight contract with the UFC. With his skills and experience in the boxing ring, Toney undoubtedly has what it takes to become a future MMA pound for pound champion but his entrance to the MMA arena has been met with mixed reactions at best.

It seems that many are quite unsure how tony would fare inside the octagon ring. Even UFC president Dana White admits that he is not sure about how Toney’s stint with UFC will turn out. “To be 100 percent honest with you, all [expletive] aside, I haven’t thought it out,” he said. Toney is not the first professional boxer to join the UFC but he is probably the most well-known. The stint of pro boxers in the UFC have been met with mixed results. Toney is aspiring to be the first high profile boxer to become a MMA pound for pound champion.

With a record of 72 wins, 6 losses, 3 draws and 44 knockouts in several weight divisions, Toney’s boxing career can be described as colorful. He tested positive twice for banned substances, once for steroids in 2005 by the New York Athletic Commission and then once again in 2007 by the California State Athletic Commission. These events resulted in Toney’s suspension in the sports of boxing. Now 41 years old, Toney is posed to revive his fighting career at the UFC and be among the great MMA pound for pound champions.

Though the date is not yet set on Toney’s big UFC debut, MMA enthusiasts the world over are already picking out possible opponents for the former boxing champ. Given Toney’s credential, it is likely that he will be matched with MMA pound for pound greats instead of up and coming fighters. The names of MMA pound for pound legends such as Chuck Liddell, Kimbo Slice, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Frank Mir and Rampage Jackson have all come up in discussions.

With his age, Toney is not expected to stay long in UFC. He will have limited chances to become a MMA pound for pound great so it is likely that UFC will square him off with an establish MMA pound for pound great already.

Mixed martial arts players and enthusiasts worldwide, including MMA pound for pound champions, are hoping for an Olympic stint in the near future. The clamor is being led by Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC which is the most popular MMA league in the world. UFC executives led by its president Dana White released a statement that they would support a move for MMA to be an official Olympic sport though they would not actively lobby for it to the International Olympic Committee. White is considered as one of the best MMA pound for pound fighters in the whole world and a pioneer in the sport.

The main argument of MMA players and enthusiasts for the inclusion of their preferred sport in the Olympics is the fact that the disciplines included in MMA such as wrestling, boxing, judo and taekwondo are already featured in Olympic games as individual events. Therefore, MMA supporters reason that including MMA in the Olympics is just a matter of adding an event that would incorporate these individual disciplines into one event – a move that is not likely to cause some major shake up in the quadrennial sporting spectacle.

Randy “The Natural” Couture, probably one of the most popular among MMA pound for pound greats and already considered a legend in the sport is a three-time Olympic alternate for wrestling and a semifinalist in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. Couture’s credentials may be used an argument that MMA pound for pound fighters have what it takes to become Olympic athletes.

The popularity of MMA has increased in recent years with MMA pound for pound champions now being recognized as legitimate athletes in the same way that professional boxers and basketball players are being regarded. MMA pound for pound greats such as Couture, Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva may not be as popular as boxing’s Manny Pacquiao or basketball’s Kobe Bryant but the size of their following is something that cannot be belittled.

As a testament to the sports growing popularity and worldwide recognition, UFC’s first show in Australia was a big hit with tickets being sold out within hours. The only UFC event that sold out faster was the one held at Montreal, Canada in April 2008. The entry of MMA in the Olympics is sure to propel the sport into greater heights.

Experts are divided as to whether or not people will see MMA pound for pound champions in the Olympic stage anytime soon. While many are optimistic that “the dream” will become a reality there are people who are taking a more cynical stance, believing that, while it is a good concept to include MMA pound for pound fights in the Olympics, it is too far-fetched of an idea to become a reality in the near future. These individuals believe that the rigid structure of the Olympics and the “loose” orientation of MMA pound for pound fights is inherently incompatible.

White though and other MMA pound for pound champs is not likely to easily give up their dream of seeing MMA pound for pound fights in the world’s most revered sporting arena. To these individuals, it is just a matter of time.