Lightweight Rankings

[jmt225]

I apologize this thread wasn't created before. Our Admin IC25 has something against small guys. Go figure.

Anyway, here's an update as of August 12:

1. B.J. Penn (14-5-1)
The world has always wanted B.J. Penn to reign as a lightweight, and reign he did at UFC 101. After nullifying top contender Kenny Florian for 15 minutes, Penn turned on the heat in the fourth round and notched a beautiful rear-naked choke. Up next, "The Prodigy" figures to tame Diego Sanchez in the coming months.

2. Shinya Aoki (21-4, 1 NC)
Shinya Aoki drew criticism for pot-shotting his way to a unanimous decision win over Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro on July 20. However, the win set up a high-stakes rubber match for the rubbery grappler, as he's slated to meet Joachim Hansen for the Dream lightweight title on Oct. 6.

3. Eddie Alvarez (18-2)
Alvarez ended the Cinderella run of likely "Submission of the Year" winner Toby Imada on June 19, choking him out in the second round. A rumored bout against Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante didn't come to fruition, but Bellator's lightweight champion will have the luxury of courting high-quality opponents from both Bellator and Dream in the near future.

4. Kenny Florian (11-4)
Kenny Florian was game, but could mount little offense against lightweight ruler B.J. Penn in their Aug. 8 showdown. The loss was Florian's second in UFC lightweight title fights, and now he'll take his spot at the back of the line in an ultra-deep division.

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2)
Tatsuya Kawajiri showed the MMA world he still has a pulse when he took a unanimous verdict over Gesias Cavalcante in May. Unfortunately for the "Crusher," he was unable to make good on his promise of defeating superstar striker Masato under K-1 rules, and was knocked out in one-and-a-half lopsided rounds on July 13.

6. Gray Maynard (7-0, 1 NC)
Maynard has continued to rack up one-sided wins inside the UFC, but talk of a title shot has been elusive for the former Michigan State Spartan. Maynard's next chance at impressing fans and UFC brass alike will come Sept. 16 in Oklahoma City, when he meets returning Roger Huerta on a Spike TV telecast.

7. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
Not wanting to hear any more discussion about him cutting to 145 pounds, Edgar made a strong statement that he can hang against elite lightweights, staying a step ahead of former UFC champ Sean Sherk for the full 15 minutes of their May 23 bout.

8. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
A deflating loss to Frank Edgar in May left Sherk with no clear place in the UFC's lightweight division. In order to stay afloat and remain relevant, the former UFC 155-pound champion will need to knock off tough Brazilian Gleison Tibau, a fighter who shares his predicament, at UFC 104 on Oct. 24.

9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1)
In their Aug. 2 encounter, Mizuto Hirota withstood Satoru Kitaoka's early submission storm and wore down the Sengoku champ. Hirota smashed Kitaoka with a barrage of knees in the fourth round to claim Sengoku's lightweight crown.

10. Satoru Kitaoka (25-9-9)
In the first defense of his Sengoku lightweight title, Kitaoka was outlasted by the hard-hitting Mizuto Hirota, who battered him with knees to take his title in the fourth round. The defeat was Kitaoka's first as a lightweight.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Gilbert Melendez, Eiji Mitsuoka, Diego Sanchez, Josh Thomson.

Hmm... I surprisingly don't have many complaints here.

My biggest gripe is Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez not being on the list. Granted, this list was compiled before the Strikeforce show this past Saturday took place, but still... Melendez record and skills speak for themselves. And Sanchez's last two fights, while he didn't dominate them by any means, he still defeated 2 very good Lightweight fighters, and before then... he was on a win streak in the Welterweight Division. There's no way anyone could ever convince me how guys like Sean Sherk (who hasn't looked good at all in his last 3 fights) and Satoru Kitaoka (whose only good win was against someone who wasn't in his right mind) should be ranked over guys like Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez.

Also, I think, even with his loss against BJ Penn, Kenny Florian is still the 2nd Best Lightweight in the World until someone shows otherwise. I love Aoki as much as the next guy, but until he makes up that loss against Sakurai, I don't think he should be considered the #2 Lightweight in MMA.

And I would bump up Gray Maynard past Kawajiri, but that's really no big deal.

 

[BaconBits]

Gray Maynard is pretty good, but I think he's overrated some. He's a certified can opener.

 

[jmt225]

Update as of September 3rd:

1. B.J. Penn (14-5-1)
The world has always wanted Penn to reign as a lightweight, and reign he did at UFC 101. After nullifying top contender Kenny Florian for 15 minutes, Penn turned on the heat in the fourth round and notched a beautiful rear-naked choke submission. Up next, “The Prodigy” figures to take on Diego Sanchez in the coming months.

2. Shinya Aoki (21-4, 1 NC)
Aoki drew criticism for pot-shotting his way to a unanimous decision win over Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro on July 20. However, the win set up a high-stakes rubber match for the rubbery grappler, as he’s slated to meet Joachim Hansen for the Dream lightweight title on Oct. 6.

3. Eddie Alvarez (18-2)
Alvarez ended the Cinderella run of likely “Submission of the Year” winner Toby Imada on June 19, as he choked him out in the second round. A rumored bout against Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante did not come to fruition, but Bellator’s lightweight champion will have the luxury of courting high-quality opponents from both Bellator and Dream in the near future.

4. Kenny Florian (11-4)
Though his loss to B.J. Penn is less than a month old, talks have already started to build for Florian’s next fight. Adamant about getting in one more fight in ’09, a potential bout with noted motor fighter Clay Guida may find its way onto the UFC 106 card on Nov. 21.

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2)
Kawajiri showed the MMA world he still has a pulse when he took a unanimous verdict over Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante in May. Unfortunately for the “Crusher,” he did not make good on his promise to defeat superstar striker Masato under K-1 rules and was knocked out in one-and-a-half lopsided rounds on July 13.

6. Gray Maynard (7-0, 1 NC)
Maynard has continued to rack up one-sided wins inside the UFC, but talk of a title shot has been elusive for the former Michigan State Spartan. Maynard’s next chance at impressing fans and UFC brass alike will come Sept. 16 in Oklahoma City, where he meets returning Roger Huerta on a Spike TV telecast.

7. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
Not wanting to hear any more discussion about him cutting to 145 pounds, Edgar made a strong statement that he can hang against elite lightweights at UFC 98. He stayed a step ahead of former champion Sean Sherk for the full 15 minutes of their May 23 bout.

8. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
A deflating loss to Frankie Edgar in May left Sherk with no clear place in the UFC’s lightweight division. In order to stay afloat and remain relevant, the former 155-pound champion will need to knock off tough Brazilian Gleison Tibau, a fighter who shares his predicament, at UFC 104 on Oct. 24.

9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1)
In their Aug. 2 encounter, Hirota withstood Satoru Kitaoka’s early submission storm and wore down the Sengoku champion. He then smashed Kitaoka with a barrage of knees in the fourth round to claim Sengoku’s lightweight crown.

10. Satoru Kitaoka (25-9-9)
In the first defense of his Sengoku lightweight title, Kitaoka was outlasted by the hard-hitting Mizuto Hirota, who battered him with knees and took his title in the fourth round. The defeat was Kitaoka’s first as a lightweight.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Gilbert Melendez, Eiji Mitsuoka, Diego Sanchez, Josh Thomson.

Not one single change this month for the Lightweight Rankings, which is complete bullshit if you ask me.

Seriously, how is Gilbert Melendez not on this list after his incredible performance at Strikeforce's Carano/Cyborg show? Especially considering that Sean Sherk is still on this list, even though he's looked like crap in his last three fights, and is currently injured? Makes zero sense.

But other than that, not many flaws, though I still believe Kenny Florian should be at #2 on the list.

And it'll be interesting to see where Gray Maynard jumps up to if he defeats Roger Huerta.

 

[ADMA]

Sanchez not being on the list is a joke, IMO.

The guy has fought as high as 185, and NEVER been finished. Not only that, he has never been rocked or seriously threatened with a submission!

Sanchez holds wins over Jorge Santiago, Karo Parisyan, Joe Riggs, Nick Diaz, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, and many more! Let's give this guy some love. And yes, I think domination of prior weight classes should impact a ranking when dropping down!

Realistically, Sanchez "works" most guys on these rankings.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Looks like IC's not the only one that has a bias against small guys

Lightweight rankings via Sherdog as of November:

1. B.J. Penn (14-5-1)
Penn will make the next defense of his UFC lightweight crown on Dec. 12 at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn. There, he will take on another solid contender in Diego Sanchez, who remains unbeaten as a lightweight. That will make for two title defenses in just four months for “The Prodigy,” countering his history of wanting to venture outside the lightweight division.

2. Shinya Aoki (22-4, 1 NC)
The biggest fight of his career yielded a finish for Aoki, as the Japanese submission stalwart armbarred Norwegian rival Joachim Hansen in the dying moments of their Oct. 6 rubber match. The victory gave Aoki a 2-1 win in the trilogy, along with Dream’s lightweight title.

3. Eddie Alvarez (19-2)
In an entertaining and tougher-than-expected bout with Japanese prospect Katsunori Kikuno, the sure-fisted Alvarez continued to flaunt his grappling prowess, submitting the karateka with an arm-triangle in the second round. The victory moved Bellator's lightweight champ to 4-0 on the year with four submissions.

4. Kenny Florian (11-4)
Coming off of his August loss in a title bid against B.J. Penn, Florian did not have to wait long to find another opponent. The fighter-turned-analyst will take on divisional motor fighter Clay Guida at UFC 107 on Dec. 12.

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)
It was perfunctory and meaningless, but Kawajiri had little trouble smashing an overmatched Melchor Manibusan on Oct. 6. The real question remains whether Kawajiri will get the Dream title fight he so richly desires against Shinya Aoki come New Year’s Eve.

6. Gray Maynard (8-0, 1 NC)
Gray Maynard is viewed by many as the UFC's lightweight title challenger in waiting. However, the former Michigan State wrestler will need to clear another hurdle before he can challenge the winner of the December B.J. Penn-Diego Sanchez bout, when he takes on Nate Diaz in the headliner of the promotion's Jan. 20 "Fight Night" card.

7. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
Herniated discs forced Kurt Pellegrino off of the Dec. 10 finale for "The Ultimate Fighter 10," but Frankie Edgar wasn't without an opponent for long. "The Answer" will now take on unbeaten Matt Veach on the event's main card.

8. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
The former UFC lightweight champion was scheduled to meet tough Brazilian Gleison Tibau at UFC 103. Instead, Tibau wound up facing and defeating Josh Neer after Sherk was forced out of the bout due to a shoulder injury.

9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1)
Hirota all but officially has a challenger for his first Sengoku title defense on Dec. 31: With Kazunori Yokota handily defeating Eiji Mitsuoka on Nov. 7, the path is paved for a five-round rematch between Hirota and Yokota on New Year's Eve. Yokota won a unanimous decision in the first meeting between the two in November 2008.

10. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)
After a nearly 15-month layoff, Hansen was game in his Oct. 6 rubber match with Shinya Aoki, but he succumbed to an armbar in the latter stages of the bout, losing the Dream lightweight title and spoiling his return to the ring.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Tyson Griffin, Gilbert Melendez, Jim Miller, Diego Sanchez.

I don't have much fault with the top half of the rankings, however:

I think it's really unfair of Sherdog to leave Diego Sanchez off... especially in favor of someone like Joachim Hansen who looked pretty sloppy against Aoki and had a 15 month layoff to begin with. I think it's even unfair to leave Sean Sherk on ahead of Diego. Sherk is 1-2 in his last three fights, and his only fight this year was a loss to Frankie Edgar.

 

[jmt225]

The only reason I didn't update it was because there was no change in it whatsoever, except the 10th spot, so I didn't really see the point, lol. But thank you for thinking about that.

Anyway, I agree with you completely about Diego Sanchez. If they can already put Jake Shields in the top 10 of Middleweights, then why the fuck is Diego Sanchez being left off the top 10 Lightweight rankings? Sure, Diego doesn't have a belt around his waist, but he still has 2 wins in the Lightweight Division since moving down to it, just like Shields has 2 wins in the Middleweight Division since he moved up a weightclass. And it's not like Diego beat a couple of scrubs, either. Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson are top fighters in the division, who could definitely defeat some of the names in those rankings.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

1. Frankie Edgar (12-1)
It was the most controversial MMA moment of 2010 so far, but “The Answer” walked out with a unanimous decision victory and the lightweight title in his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 112. However, the Toms River, N.J., native may have to replicate his feat this summer, as the wheels are in motion for a rematch with Penn.

2. B.J. Penn (15-6-1)
Screw job? Sinus infection? Whatever case Penn backers and “The Prodigy” himself make for his April 10 defeat to Frankie Edgar, it does appear the Hawaiian will get a chance to regain the lightweight mantle in a summer rematch, which might set the record straight.

3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
The Strikeforce lightweight champion notched the biggest win of his career in Nashville, Tenn., as he dominated Dream titleholder Shinya Aoki for all 25 minutes of their bout on network television and entrenched himself as one of the sport’s elite at 155 pounds.

4. Shinya Aoki (23-5, 1 NC)
Dream’s lightweight king said that if he failed to defeat Gilbert Melendez in the Strikeforce cage on April 17, Japanese MMA would become “a colony of the USA.” In that case, consider it annexed. Aoki had no answer for “El Nino” and was dominated from bell-to-bell in their 25-minute affair.

5. Eddie Alvarez (19-2)
Bellator has kicked off its second lightweight tournament to find a challenger for Alvarez, its 155-pound champion. However, in the meantime, the Philadelphian will meet UFC veteran Josh Neer in a 160-pound catchweight affair in May.

6. Kenny Florian (13-4)
Florian has fallen short in two previous cracks at the UFC lightweight title. In order to have a third opportunity to take divisional gold, "Ken Flo" will have to take out unbeaten Gray Maynard when the pair meet up in August in Florian's Boston backyard at UFC 118.

7. Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-5-2)
It was not a barnburner, but Kawajiri’s New Year’s Eve performance against a tough and underrated Kazunori Yokota was thorough and dominant. However, the real fight for the “Crusher” continues to be a potential showdown with Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

8. Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC)
After calling out "Ken Flo" following his victory over Takanori Gomi, Maynard vs. Florian became an obvious must-have match in the UFC lightweight division. With an Edgar-Penn rematch now looking more likely for UFC 118 in August, Maynard-Florian looks to be a perfect co-feature complement when Zuffa rolls into Beantown this summer.

9. Sean Sherk (33-4-1)
Sherk’s injury woes persist. After pulling out of multiple fights in the last few months, another undisclosed injury forced him to withdraw from a bout with Clay Guida at UFC on Versus 1 on March 21.

10. Benson Henderson (12-1)
An 11-fight winning streak with nine finishes has seen Henderson pick up the WEC lightweight crown, which he defended with shocking ease against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at WEC 48, tapping the Greg Jackson product with his patented guillotine in under two minutes. Now the issue for "Smooth" will be fighting the perception that he's a big fish in a small pond.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Tyson Griffin, Mizuto Hirota, Jim Miller, Diego Sanchez.

The top three, I agree with.

Aoki was completely outclassed against Melendez, and he's been exposed as a one dimensional fighter. Excellent at submissions, but really has nothing else to offer. I don't think you can rank Ken-Flo below Alvarez either. The best person who Alvarez has beaten? Aoki. Ken-Flo had his hiccup again Penn, and there's no shame in losing to BJ. Other than that fight, he's been dominant and below Penn and Edgar as being an elite lightweight in the UFC. I think I'd even rank Gray Maynard ahead of both Aoki and Kawajiri right now. He's still unbeaten, and he still holds a win over the top lightweight in the world right now. Sherk shouldn't be in the top 10 either. I'd put Jim Miller at #10, who only has two losses to his record: Edgar and Maynard. Other than that, he's been impressive in all of his fights and is only going to get better.

So, here's how I'd rank the Lightweights:

1.) Frankie Edgar
2.) BJ Penn
3.) Gilbert Melendez
4.) Kenny Florian
5.) Eddie Alvarez
6.) Gray Maynard
7.) Shinya Aoki
8.) Tatsuya Kawajiri
9.) Ben Henderson
10.) Jim Miller

 

[INDYjon22]

I love Sean Sherk, but he needs to be removed from the list. He hasn't fought in a long time because of his injuries and you can't stay on a list or defend your spot without actually fighting. Benson Henderson is much more worthy of that spot right now, anyways. I would also put Tyson Griffin on there as well in the final spot.

Kenny Florian should be at 4 on the list. Aoki just lost to Melendez so he should be moved down and since K-Flo has been absolutely dominating before and since his loss to Penn, he makes the most sense to be at that 4 spot.

The top three make perfect sense. If you want to be the man you have got to beat the man and that is what Frankie Edgar did. Now, he has to show everybody why he deserves to stay at the top. Penn lost so he moves down in the list and Melendez just dominated Aoki putting him at 3.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I agree with the both of you Sherk should be moved off the list, he hasnt fought in forever, I also agree putting Benson in that spot, if there wasnt all the other guys there then I would put Benson even higher, but hard to do right now. Not sure of moving Griffin in if were taking Sherk out since he lost to him 2 fights ago. Instead I would like to see Sanchez or Miller get that spot.

Florian definitely deserves that 4 spot as well, swap Alvarez and Aoki so it would be
4. Flo
5. Aoki
6. Alvarez

Im not in favor of moving "The Bully" from his spot just yet, If he gets past Florian then fine bump him up, but with his last fight with Diaz I dont think that warrants him to move up at all.

 

[jmt225]

This is the worst list out of them all posted, in my opinion.

First of all, why the fuck is Eddie Alvarez ranked so highly? The guy hasn't beaten a soul worth mentioning (except Tatsuya Kawajiri, and that was two years ago) and got his ass handed to him by Aoki. It's ******ed to have him ranked so high. Oh well... if Josh Neer doesn't expose him in Bellator, then my main man Roger Huerta undoubtedly will.

But yeah... as far as I'm concerned, the fact that Eddie Alvarez is ranked above Kenny Florian is the biggest travesty on any list posted today. It makes completely no sense, and it's just ******ed.

Moreover, Ben Henderson should be MUCH higher up as well. Why the fuck is he ranked #10? That makes no sense. As Dana White said, if he did the same exact thing in Japan as he did in WEC, he would be ranked #2 or #3 on this list right now. That's so fucking stupid.

So, here's my top ten:

1. Frankie Edgar
2. BJ Penn
3. Gilbert Melendez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Ben Henderson
6. Shinya Aoki
7. Tatsuya Kawajiri
8. Eddie Alvarez
9. Gray Maynard
10. Roger Huerta

Sherk does not deserve to be on this list, so I just added Huerta, who looked great in his last fight, and put up great efforts in his two losses against top 10 fighters.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Updated Lightweight rankings.

1. Frankie Edgar (12-1)
It was the most controversial MMA moment of 2010 so far, but “The Answer” walked out with a unanimous decision victory and the lightweight title in his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 112. However, the Toms River, N.J., native will have to replicate his feat this summer, as he faces a rematch with Penn at UFC 118 in August.

2. B.J. Penn (15-6-1)
Screw job? Sinus infection? Whatever case Penn backers and “The Prodigy” himself make for his April 10 defeat to Frankie Edgar, the Hawaiian will get a chance to regain the lightweight mantle in a summer rematch at UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28.

3. Gilbert Melendez (18-2)
The Strikeforce lightweight champion notched the most significant win of his career in Nashville, Tenn., as he dominated Dream titleholder Shinya Aoki for all 25 minutes of their bout on network television and entrenched himself as one of the sport’s elite at 155 pounds.

4. Shinya Aoki (24-5, 1 NC)
Skepticism swirled around Aoki’s status as an elite lightweight after his April drubbing at the hands of Gilbert Melendez. However, the thrilling grappler picked up yet another brilliant victory on July 10, leg locking Tatsuya Kawajiri in less than two minutes to retain his Dream lightweight title in impressive fashion.

5. Eddie Alvarez (20-2)
Bellator’s second season lightweight tournament was the first to wrap, meaning Alvarez was the first Bellator champion to know his first challenger. The Philly product will take on upstart Pat Curran this summer when Bellator begins its third season.

6. Kenny Florian (13-4)
Florian has fallen short in two previous cracks at the UFC lightweight title. In order to have a third opportunity to take division gold, “Ken Flo” will have to take out the unbeaten Gray Maynard in August, when the pair meets in August in Florian’s Boston backyard at UFC 118.

7. Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC)
After Maynard called out Kenny Florian following his victory over Takanori Gomi, Maynard-“Ken Flo” became an obvious must-have match in the UFC lightweight division. With a Frankie Edgar-B.J. Penn rematch locked in for UFC 118 in August, Maynard-Florian looks to be a perfect complement when Zuffa rolls into Beantown this summer.

8. Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-6-2)
Many tabbed Kawajiri to be the next Dream champion, figuring he had exactly the right skill set to replicate what Gilbert Melendez did to Shinya Aoki in April. However, on July 10, Kawajiri spent most of the night fending off foot locks, until finally tapping out to Aoki less than two minutes into the first round.

9. Evan Dunham (11-0)
In June, Dunham really opened eyes with his well-appointed decision over Tyson Griffin. The 28-year-old's next test will be another stiff one, as he'll meet former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 119 on Sept. 15 in a fight that could move him closer to a title shot of his own.

10. Benson Henderson (12-1)
An 11-fight winning streak, with nine finishes, has seen Henderson pick up the WEC lightweight crown. He defended with shocking ease against Donald Cerrone at WEC 48, tapping the Greg Jackson product with his patented guillotine choke in less than two minutes. Now, the issue for “Smooth” will be fighting the perception that he remains a big fish in a small pond.

Other contenders: Gesias Cavalcante, Takanori Gomi, Tyson Griffin, Jim Miller, George Sotiropoulos.

The only thing I'm moving in this is switching Benson Hendo and Kawaajiri's spots. Henderson has been on a tear as of late looking damn good in his fights. I was really surprised to see them give Dunham some love and put him on the list over Jim Miller or Sotiropoulos.

 

[INDYjon22]

I agree with the list whole heartedly until I get to about the 8 spot. There is no way in hell that Kawajiri and Dunham deserve to be above Benson Henderson right now. Bendo has been on such a fucking tear right now in WEC, not to mention he is a champion. The fact that he is a champion who has defended puts him ahead of Dunham, who hasn't even fought for a title or beaten anyone of recognition, besides a Tyson Griffin who can't figure out how to adapt his fight style. Maybe if Dunham beats Sherk he will have a case to be ahead of Bendo but until then he is at 9.

As for Kawajiri, he just lost to Aoki, there is no problem with that. He lost to one of the best in world, however, Bendo has not lost 2007. There is no way Kawajiri is ahead of Bendo, especially coming off of a loss recently. My final ranking would be as follows.

1. Edgar
2. Penn
3. Melendez
4. Aoki
5. Alvarez
6. Florian
7. Maynard
8. Henderson
9. Dunham
10. Kawajiri

 

[Turd Ferguson]

After last night, here's how I would rank the Lightweights.

1.) Frankie Edgar
2.) Gilbert Melendez
3.) Shinya Aoki
4.) Gray Maynard
5.) George Sotiropoulos
6.) BJ Penn
7.) Eddie Alvarez
8.) Ben Henderson
9.) Kenny Florian
10.) Evan Dunham

I've already discussed most of this at length in the Edgar/Maynard thread, but I really think it's only a matter of time before Maynard becomes Lightweight Champion at this point. Melendez is without a doubt the second best, and with an impressive performance against Tatsuya Kawajiri, Aoki is undoubtedly the third best. Sotiropoulos is on the rise.

 

[Via Armbar]

After last night, here's how I would rank the Lightweights.

1.) Frankie Edgar
2.) Gilbert Melendez
3.) Shinya Aoki
4.) Gray Maynard
5.) George Sotiropoulos
6.) BJ Penn
7.) Eddie Alvarez
8.) Ben Henderson
9.) Kenny Florian
10.) Evan Dunham

I've already discussed most of this at length in the Edgar/Maynard thread, but I really think it's only a matter of time before Maynard becomes Lightweight Champion at this point. Melendez is without a doubt the second best, and with an impressive performance against Tatsuya Kawajiri, Aoki is undoubtedly the third best. Sotiropoulos is on the rise.

I don't agree with most of this Guy. You seem to plunge guys coming off losses who's wins are still far more impressive than the guys ranked above them. Sure the guy with less impressive wins might beat the fighter who just lost, but they haven't yet. I don't like to base rankings on who would win, but rather the fights that have already happened. Though, I definitely agree with your addition of Henderson and Dunham. My list:

1. Edgar
2. Melendez
3. Maynard
4. Penn
5. Aoki
6. Florian
7. Melendez
8. Henderson
9. Soto
10. Dunham