Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Triangle
Sherdog.com: UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results, Fighting
I just have a few questions about the top ten. First off, what's up with the LW's? I'm glad to see KenFlo getting more credit, but what's up with JZ being ranked ahead of Sherk? The guy has fought twice in 2008, one being a NC, and the other being a loss to the same guy. I can see how some might feel that Joachim, Eddie, and Shinya are higher ranked than Sherk (something that I differ on), but JZ hasn't done nearly as much as Sherk lately, and his only impressive win is against Vitor Ribeiro well over a year ago.
Also, what's with Tatsuya Kawajiri still being in the top ten, yet Gilbert Melendez, Mitsuhiro Ishida, and Caol Uno are nowhere to be found? The last time Kawajiri finished someone was over two years ago, and he lost to Melendez in his next fight. The three fighter's I mentioned above all deserve to be in the top ten over Tatsuya, and even they fall short of making the top ten IMO. The number ten spot is pretty hard to place right now with Ishida losing via armbar to Uno, so I'll have to put Nate Diaz in that spot; Nate had three impressive victories last year, and has finished stand wrestler Gray Maynard.
Here's my top ten LW (Hansen, Aoki, and Alvarez could really be placed in any particular order):
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Shinya Aoki
5. Eddie Alvarez
6. Gesias Calvancante
7. Josh Thomson
8. Kenny Florian
9. Satoru Kitaoka
10. Nate Diaz
Other little things that stood out to me were how AA all of a sudden is the #2 HW in the world  , and how Ben Rothwell and Alistair Overeem bump off Fabricio Werdum and Junior Dos Santos...
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Before I begin, let's take a moment to recognize that rankings are patently ridiculous. I'd like to comment on Sherk, BJ and Aoki specifically because these 3 guys seem to be so highly regarded at LW.
Sean Sherk
- 2008 record: 1-1
- Going the distance in a close fight with Tyson Griffin and losing (badly) to BJ Penn.
- The last time he finished someone was almost 3 1/2 years ago!
Shinya Aoki
- 2008 record: 5-1 (1 NC)
- Went the distance with ranked JZ and an always tough Uno (who had finished ranked Ishida earlier in the year)
- The loss to Hansen was after a grueling war with Uno the same night
BJ Penn
- 2008 record: 2-0
- Difficult to argue Penn's status as the top talent of the LW division, however, a fight with GSP may push back any LW match beyond May 09 - effectively removing B.J. from the LW rankings
- If BJ is inactive at LW, who then becomes #1?
My rankings (for what it's worth):
1. B.J. Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Joachim Hansen
4. Kenny Florian
5. Eddie Alvarez
6. Satoru Kitaoka
7. Gesias Calvancante
8. Sean Sherk
9. Josh Thompson
10. Nate Diaz
11. Caol Uno