To determine the best fighter in the world, you need to take into account plenty of factors: form, skill, opposition and dominance, for example. So, if a champion defends his or her crown via a string of finishes, does that equal or better a run of decisions? Should Conor McGregor top the list despite his inactivity, or should Tyron Woodley set the pace regardless of a couple of boring fights?
It’s a debate which rings around gyms, television studios, offices and of course pubs all over the world, and that’s exactly why Alistair Hendrie Sport will be releasing its pound-for-pound list at the start of every month.
To qualify for the list, a fighter should be considered active, so although Georges St-Pierre, for instance, is one of the most skilled and dominant fighters on the planet, he vacated his middleweight title, leaving him dormant for the moment.
Now that you know the criteria we’re looking for and pre-requisites for entry, take a look at the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artists in the world.
UFC middleweight titlist Robert Whittaker toughed out a decision over Yoel Romero at UFC 225 in Chicago on Saturday, displaying guts, heart and tenacity to battle on despite suffering a broken hand in round one.
The Australian, whose opponent missed weight by 0.2lbs so therefore couldn’t win the belt, weathered a late storm after building a lead with precise kicks to the body and lead leg.
Indeed, Whittaker’s kickboxing prowess made all the difference.
The 27-year-old fired out strikes to the face and sternum in rounds one and two as his rival kept his guard high, aiming to counter with wild hooks.
Still, Romero found his range in round three, hammering Whittaker’s head with a barrage of crosses and hooks at close quarters. It got worse for Whittaker in the fourth, when he was wobbled by a counterpunch on the break.
Sensing an opportunity in the deciding frame, Romero, whose right eye was swollen shut, clinched a knockdown with another counter that Whittaker never saw coming. The champion sagged forwards, his faculties scrambled. Romero dove in with ground and pound, but “Bobby Knuckles” managed to cling onto a single, recover, and earn a second verdict over the Cuban.
With Colby Covington also defeating Rafael Dos Anjos to claim the UFC interim welterweight strap in the co-main event, let’s cast an eye over six fights which could happen after this weekend’s UFC 225 showcase.
Robert Whittaker – Kelvin Gastelum
After Whittaker broke his hand in the Romero rematch, the Sydney-based banger may not compete again this year. It seems he can’t catch a break. After all, it’s the second time Whittaker has broken his hand in a UFC bout, while in the last two years he has endured further lay-offs because of a knee injury and a staph infection.
Regardless, when he does defend his championship for the first time (he was promoted from interim titlist in December 2017), King’s MMA’s Kelvin Gastelum should be next in line. Fresh from outlasting Rolando Souza in May and separating Michael Bisping from his senses in November 2017, the Californian is an unpredictable striker who looks rejuvenated after returning to the 185lbs argument two years ago.
Interestingly, although both Robert and Kelvin are former welterweights, Whittaker still holds physical superiority over the rising contender, boasting a two-and-a-half inch reach advantage and a three inch height advantage. Expect this bout to happen early next year.
Yoel Romero – Patrick Cummins
Although “Soldier of God” was moments away from upsetting Whittaker at the death, his second defeat to the champion – and his second instance of missing the 185lbs mark in his last three encounters – should spell a step up in weight class.
At 41, while Romero is as fit as they come, he shouldn’t be in the business of depleting his reserves any more than necessary. In fact, at the UFC 225 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said he’d encourage Romero to relocate to light-heavyweight.
Patrick Cummins, then, could welcome the former Olympian to 205lbs. The 37-year-old counts luminaries such as Jan Blachowicz and Gian Vilante among his victims but Romero’s speed and clout would nevertheless cause him problems.
Colby Covington – Tyron Woodley
After Covington overwhelmed Dos Anjos with kicks at range, well-placed takedowns and an unrelenting output of strikes, the American now stands as the UFC’s interim 170lbs leader, which means a unification battle with Tyron Woodley should be in the making any time soon.
Normally a stoic picture of calmness, it will be interesting to see if Woodley reacts to Covington labelling himself as the real champion. “The Chosen One” used to train with Covington at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, and is a concussive striker who has risen to the cusp of pound-for-pound greatness thanks to verdicts over Stephen Thompson (twice) and Demian Maia.
However, Covington imposed his arsenal of striking on Maia last year and is in the midst of a six-fight win streak. Added to that, the American fights at a pace which Woodley might not be comfortable with and Covington would inevitably raise the stakes in mental warfare ahead of this crunch match.
In that case, a bout between Dos Anjos and Stephen Thompson would make sense, preferably at the UFC’s next trip to New York in November. Would Dos Anjos be able to crack Thompson’s light-footed, side-on karate stance? Could the Brazilian force “Wonderboy” to exchange fire?
It would be a tough ask, but remember how Dos Anjos demolished stand-up merchants such as Anthony Pettis and Robbie Lawler at close range.
Holly Holm – Amanda Nunes
How do you solve a problem like Holly Holm? The Jackson-Winkeljohn mainstay, a former UFC 135lbs queen, earned a unanimous decision at featherweight this weekend over Megan Anderson, but Holm still sits at 1-2 in her last three outings at her natural bantamweight home.
Despite her move to a new weight class and her lack of form at bantamweight, that hasn’t silenced calls for Holm to tackle the dominant 135lbs champion, Amanda Nunes. “The Lioness” tweeted: “Let’s go @HollyHolm” after UFC 225, and seeing as both women shot to stardom after downing the UFC’s latest Hall of Fame inductee, Ronda Rousey, the UFC would be wise to match these two.
The fans want it and more significantly, so does Nunes. The women’s 135lbs scene is bereft of up-and-coming prospects, so why not pit together these two stalwarts of women’s MMA?
Megan Anderson – Cindy Dandois
When Megan Anderson was slated to face Cris Cyborg in 2017 for UFC featherweight gold, the Australian was lauded for her size, power and her potential ability to close the distance and deck Cyborg with uppercuts, crosses and hooks.
However, that bout never materialised and instead Anderson made her promotional debut this weekend, suffering a wrestling clinic at the hands of Holm. The former Invicta champion struggled to recover her guard when on the bottom and, frankly, looked out of her depth on the mat.
With the featherweight division in need of new blood, Cindy Dandois, boasting three victories on the bounce, could renew her rivalry with Anderson after submitting her in 2015 with a triangle choke. After all, Dandois deserves a second chance in the UFC given her current vein of form, crafty transitions on the ground and valuable training with the likes of Miesha Tate.
Gain more insight into the career of Yoel Romero with my report of his previous bout against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.
To determine the best fighter in the world, you need to take into account plenty of factors: form, skill, opposition and dominance, for example. So, if a champion defends his or her crown via a string of finishes, does that equal or better a run of decisions? Should Conor McGregor top the list despite his inactivity, or should Tyron Woodley set the pace regardless of a couple of boring fights?
It’s a debate which rings around gyms, television studios, offices and of course pubs all over the world, and that’s exactly why Alistair Hendrie Sport will be releasing its pound-for-pound list at the start of every month.
To qualify for the list, a fighter should be considered active, so although Georges St-Pierre, for instance, is one of the most skilled and dominant fighters on the planet, he vacated his middleweight title, leaving him dormant for the moment.
Now that you know the criteria we’re looking for and pre-requisites for entry, take a look at the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artists in the world.
June 2018 - Men
1 – Demetrious Johnson (USA) (125lbs)
2 – Max Holloway (USA) (145lbs)
3 – Daniel Cormier (USA) (205lbs)
4 – Stipe Miocic (USA) (265lbs)
5 – Jon Jones (USA) (205lbs)
6 – Tyron Woodley (USA) (170lbs)
7 – Robert Whittaker (AUS) (185lbs)
8 – Khabib Nurmagomedov (RUS) (155lbs)
9 – Tony Ferguson (USA) (155lbs)
10 – TJ Dillashaw (USA) (135lbs)
11 – Jose Aldo (BRA) (145lbs)
12 – Cody Garbrandt (USA) (135lbs)
13 – Rafael dos Anjos (BRA) (170lbs)
14 – Yoel Romero (CUB) (185lbs)
15 – Francis Ngannou (FRA) (265lbs)
16 – Robbie Lawler (USA) (170lbs)
17 – Dominic Cruz (USA) (135lbs) (+1)
18 – Dustin Poirier (USA) (155lbs) (+1)
19 – Brian Ortega (USA) (145lbs) (+1)
20 – Stephen Thompson (USA) (170lns) (-3)
21 – Frankie Edgar (USA) (145lbs)
22 – Kevin Lee (USA) (155lbs)
23 – Kamaru Usman (NIG) (170lbs) (NE)
24 – Marlon Moraes (BRA) (135lbs) (NE)
25 – Darren Till (GBR) (170lbs) (NE)
Amanda Nunes defended her bantamweight title for the third time on Saturday at UFC 224, dominating and stopping Raquel Pennington over five rounds in a fashion which may leave fans changing the channel rather than clamouring for a mega-fight with featherweight leader Cris Cyborg. The Brazilian targeted the body and legs with an almost militant rigidity before Pennington, bloodied at the nose, crumbled under the pressure.
It was a victory which cemented Nunes’s status as the most dominant female fighter on the planet, but it was all too one-sided and serene to add any firepower to her profile. In fact, between rounds, Nunes strolled back to her corner, sat down and smiled sweetly at her coach Conan Silvera as if she were embarking on an afternoon walk rather than a world championship battle. Following a game-plan and exploiting an opponent’s weakness is one thing – the champion scored high on both these counts – but Nunes fought within herself and could have used her killer instinct earlier.
That’s not to discredit the American Top Team woman’s credentials and track record – finishes over three former UFC titlists (Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Germaine de Randamie) underline her ruthless streak. She’s also one of the best boxers in any of the women’s divisions and her rear naked chokes are as clinical as it gets. However, the mixed martial arts fraternity has a short memory and is becoming ever more geared towards money, outlandish personalities and entertaining fights.
Look at it this way – the likes of Michael Bisping and Nate Diaz have competed in some of the UFC’s biggest bouts in recent memory, but are either of these two anywhere near the most talented fighters in the promotion? Absolutely not.
Nunes’ last outing against Valentina Shevchenko, in 2017, was another damp squib, even more so than the Pennington procession. As Nunes picked her spots on her way to a decision triumph, the pair danced, feinted and stared at each other intently without pulling the trigger. It was one the most disappointing fights of the year and made a mockery of the rivals’ pre-fight barbs and jabbering.
It’s now down to Nunes to springboard to the next level. We’ve seen how she can break women down at range and finish with authority – just look at the Rousey demolition – but fans, media and UFC brass may demand those kind of fireworks once more from the Salvador-born champion.
A bout with Cyborg would be the most exciting option and perhaps more crucially, the most lucrative. ‘The Lioness’ is renowned in Vegas and Cyborg is the darling of Brazil, so the compatriots could garner an avalanche of interest in either of those locations. However, Nunes failed to add to calls for that showdown with her post-fight comments on Saturday.
As Jon Anik asked Amanda about her next challenge, Nunes dropped the ball and chose to list an endless rundown of thanks to training partners, family members and close friends. That’s all well and good – fighting is a personal and demanding profession – but Nunes could use a few marketing lessons. Moreover, when asked about Cyborg in the post-fight press conference, Nunes instead talked up a meeting with compatriot Ketlen Vieira, again missing a chance to develop her brand.
To be fair to Nunes, she’s cleared out her weight class and left the likes of Shevchenko and de Randamie scampering to other divisions. Nunes might not have the physical capabilities to trouble Cyborg but with little competition at 135lbs for the moment, she should jump at the Cyborg fight in order to at last build her profile, line her pockets and drive interest in her career once more.
To determine the best fighter in the world, you need to take into account plenty of factors: form, skill, opposition and dominance, for example. So, if a champion defends his or her crown via a string of finishes, does that equal or better a run of decisions? Should Conor McGregor top the list despite his inactivity, or should Tyron Woodley set the pace regardless of a couple of boring fights?
It’s a debate which rings around gyms, television studios, offices and of course pubs all over the world, and that’s exactly why Alistair Hendrie Sport will be releasing its pound-for-pound list at the start of every month.
To qualify for the list, a fighter should be considered active, so although Georges St-Pierre, for instance, is one of the most skilled and dominant fighters on the planet, he vacated his middleweight title, leaving him dormant for the moment.
Now that you know the criteria we’re looking for and pre-requisites for entry, take a look at the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artists in the world.
Male – May 2018 1 – Demetrious Johnson (USA) (125lbs)
2 – Max Holloway (USA) (145lbs)
3 – Daniel Cormier (USA) (205lbs)
4 – Stipe Miocic (USA) (265lbs)
5 – Jon Jones (USA) (205lbs)
6 – Tyron Woodley (USA) (170lbs) (+1)
7 – Robert Whittaker (AUS) (185lbs) (+1) 8 – Khabib Nurmagomedov (RUS) (155lbs) (NE) 9 – Tony Ferguson (USA) (155lbs) 10 – TJ Dillashaw (USA) (135lbs) 11 – Jose Aldo (BRA) (145lbs)
12 – Cody Garbrandt (USA) (135lbs) 13 – Rafael dos Anjos (BRA) (170lbs) 14 – Yoel Romero (CUB) (185lbs) 15 – Francis Ngannou (FRA) (265lbs) 16 – Robbie Lawler (USA) (170lbs) 17 – Stephen Thompson (USA) (170lbs) 18 – Dominic Cruz (USA) (135lbs) 19 – Dustin Poirier (USA) (155lbs) (NE) 20 – Brian Ortega (USA) (145lbs) 21 – Frankie Edgar (USA) (145lbs) 22 – Kevin Lee (USA) (155lbs) (NE) 23 – Volkan Ozdemir (SWI) (205lbs) (-1) 24 – Michael Bisping (GBR) (185lbs) (-1) 25 – Luke Rockhold (USA) (185lbs) (-1)
Female - May 2018
