Top 10: LowKick.com Staff Light Heavyweight Rankings
Posted on August 20, 2012, 07:14 AM by Bryan Fontez(Rankings conducted by Bryan Fontez and Evan Holober)
The Light-Heavyweight division was once the premier division of the UFC. And although it is still fairly stacked, the now short list of opponents is quickly thinning out. Partially thanks to the insane talent of Jon Jones. We've seen the 205 belt move around more than any other over the years, and for the very first time since Chuck Liddell it seems to have finally found it's home on the waist of a talent that continuously grows and get's better with every opponent. Without many threats left to challenge him, the rankings after #1 are quickly becoming clouded and irrelevant. So we'll use this opportunity to find some relevance in these divisional rankings one more time, before Jones finally erases all possible threats to his belt. Unless however we become witness to one of the largest upsets in UFC history. Now that would be interesting. Wouldn't it?
1. Jon Jones - The Ultimate Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones is one of the best fighters in UFC history. He blends a dynamic striking game, filled with an array of spinning kicks/elbows, with a violent ground attack fueled by an extensive imagination. His ever growing resume includes stoppage wins over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Lyoto Machida, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, along with dominant decisions of Rashad Evans and Stephan Bonnar. Jon's only blemish came against Matt Hamill in a fight he was nothing short of dominant in. Steve Mazzagatti disqualified him for illegal "12-6" elbows while he was mounted atop Hamill even though Matt was already clearly done by that point. Danny Henderson is the next to take on the task of figuring out Jones.
2. Dan Henderson - On a 4-fight winning streak against the likes of Sobral, Cavalcante, Fedor and Shogun. Not only is Hendo still around and kicking, but he almost seems to be getting better. After competing at heavyweight and knocking out Fedor - who outweighed him by atleast 20-30 pounds - he quickly followed that up, with what could arguably be considered as one of the best Mixed Martial Arts fights of all time, defeating Mauricio Shogun Rua in the process. With nothing but momentum on his side, and the reality that he's realistically only got one last shot at a UFC belt. Hendo now has the opportunity to shock the world, take the belt, rank himself as #1 and cement his legacy as one of the best fighters that ever lived. The world will be watching to see what takes place
3. Rashad Evans - "Suga" is a former UFC LHW champion that holds wins over Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Phil Davis, and Rampage Jackson. Evans comes out with a countering approach where he utilizes his powerful hands, while falling back on his wrestling to contest the fight on his terms. Rashad has been able to gut through victories when he has needed to also. Forrest Griffin dominated the first round against him, and Rashad came out like a man possessed in the second. Thiago Silva (who was most likely "enhanced" during the fight) rallied hard in a fight Rashad was winning, but Evans was able to hold on despite getting rocked several times. He was also the first fighter since Stephan Bonnar to last the entire match with Jon Jones. His next step is unknown at this moment as he has contemplated publicly about moving down to 185 lbs.
4. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua - Shogun is one of those fighters that started so young and has been around so long, that you have to do a double take when looking at his age. The guy just turned 30 last november. Some fighters have started their MMA careers at this age and yet Shogun seems to have been fighting for a life time. I have no doubt Shogun is one of the best fighters at Light-Heavyweight and possibly in history. But his talent isn't what's being questioned, it's his passion, his desire, his discipline and at this point his longevity. Even at 30, with all the wars he's been a part of and multiple surgeries he's undergone. How much more can he take. The years and the battles must be wearing on him, and they'll catch up eventually. With a thrilling win over Brandon Vera recently, Shogun is back on the winning track. Let's see if he can maintain the focus he needs to be the best that he can, because he's got a big task coming up in the form of Aleksander Gustaffson.
5. Lyoto Machida - An enigma that was once crowned the future of UFC's marquee division, Lyoto Machida is one of the most talented fighters in any weight class of mixed martial arts. He mixes his great karate background with otherworldly timing, and in turn creates some of the best striking the UFC has ever seen. His only blemishes have come against the champ, and Shogun where his ability to take damage has come in to question a bit. The footwork he utilizes gives him a leg up on wrestlers that look to take him to the ground (which is exemplified by great wins over Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evan, and Ryan Bader). After his knockout win of Bader, Machida was promised a title shot at the winner of Jones vs. Henderson later this year.
6. Alexander Gustafsson -This 25 year old Swedish prospect is 14-1 with his one loss coming via submission against Phil Davis 2 years ago. Since then he's put together an extremely impressive run of victories finishing Cyrille Diabate, James Te-Huna, Matt Hamill and Vladimir Matyushenko within the first two rounds, and then most recently winning a decision over Thiago Silva. In the eyes of many Gustaffson seems to be flying low under the radar of most casual fans and even fellow fighters. Which is why I feel like he isn't given the respect or notoriety that he deserves. With great skills in all area's Gustaffson is a young, long, lean and well-rounded fighter with the capability of being something truly special. His upcoming bout with Shogun will show us what he's made of.
7. Phil Davis - With as good a background as you could ask for entering MMA "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis is a former NCAA division 1 All-American, and 2008 National Champion at 197 lbs. This has led him to become a formidable threat on the mat, as he carries submission wins over the likes of Alexander Gustaffson and Tim Boestch (along a wrestling heavy decision victory against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira). However, he has not been able to parlay that athleticism into his striking game as he still looks robotic and uncomfortable whenever he cannot force his opponent to the ground. His latest fight was against Octagon newcomer Wagner Prado, and he did not look good. He was hit with good shots in the first round, and in attempt to push Prado away accidentally poked the Brazilian in the left eye. The fight was quickly called after as Prado was unable to continue.
8. Ryan Bader -If there were a ranking for most badass nick name. Darth Bader would be at the top of my list without a doubt. But this is not that kind of list unfortunately. Bader won the ultimate fighter, put some solid wins together, showcasing his heavy hands in the process with a KO against Keith Jardine, and then ran into a brick wall named Jon Jones. He then lost against Tito Ortiz and then picked up two wins over Brilz and Rampage, only to be brutally knocked out recently by a fighter who simply outclassed him in Lyoto Machida. Bader is a big strong 205'er who possesses some heavy hands and serious wrestling skills. But until he makes some drastic improvements to his striking and submissions game, he will forever hover at the decent but not elite level. It's his lack of dynamic skills and his one dimensionality that has kept him where he is. And unless he makes a serious change to improve I'm afraid he may just turn into the Light-Heavyweight gate keeper.
9. Quinton Jackson - Perhaps the most accomplished person on this list, Rampage has seen better days. His decision victory, that unified the PRIDE and UFC LHW titles against Dan Henderson at UFC 75, seems like it was ages ago. His knockout of Chuck Liddell to win his first major championship is just a fuzzy memory. It's not that he doesn't have the talent to compete with today's competition, it's the fact his heart just doesn't seem in to it anymore. Jackson showed up to his last fight against Ryan Bader six pounds overweight, and was unapologetic when questioned (even claiming he did the UFC a favor by not pulling out). The wins he carries, plus his level of competition faced keep him on this list. Rampage takes on Glover Teixeira in what might be his last fight in the UFC (which he has nicknamed "U Fight Cheap"). If he does not find the drive to train like his career depends on it, we will be welcoming a new entrant to this top ten afterwards.
10. Forrest Griffin - Forrest is one of those fighters who has built a career around his humour, his heart and his lovable personality. It's difficult not to like Forrest Griffin, he's humble and honestly loves the sport. But for the same reasons most of us may like him, he can also be disappointing. Griffin is one of those fighters who has always been big and strong with a lot of heart. But my one complaint isn't with his skills, it's with his discipline and his passion to succeed. Forrest may not be the most skilled fighter, but I believe he's much better than the casual fan gives him credit for. After all, he didn't become champion by sheer luck. He outsmarted and out strategized a very game Rampage Jackson. To be honest, the only thing keeping Forrest from being better is himself. After seeing him flee from the octagon on numerous occasions it's clear that he may not possess the mental fortitude necessary to become champion again. But at the end of the day that will be up to him. I still think Forrest has a lot of fight left in him, and as long as he keeps fighting, I'll keep watching.
Comments
Picture of the greatest performance in MMA history thus far IMO.
Always seems to be an anti-Silva pick
Hahahahahahahaha
What? That's a pick of him about to avoid a shot from Forrest and drop him.
How is that anti-Silva?
because 97.456% of Silva fans are clueless zombies
Brilliant assessment of the minds of those who admire a man who has, pathetically, beaten everyone he has fought in the UFC. What wastes of flesh these fans are.
Pathetically?
Sarcasm.
"Dan Henderson is On a 4-fight winning streak against the likes of Sobral, Cavalcante, Fedor and Shogun."
If this was pride and it was 2005, it would have been awesome to have a fighter who defeated Fedor and Shogun face Jon Jones; but it's 2012 all we can hope now is that the h-bomb lands on Jones' temple.
keep hoping its still not gona happend
Yea Hendo is obviously a top LHW but I would put Machida in his place at #2. How Machida is as low as #6 is beyond me
Agreed Kieth. I also don't get why Forrest is ranked below Rampage.
That would be because he's not #6?
Sorry meant #5, typo.
Still #5 is far too low for Machida and after Shogun's latest performances it is kind of shocking you put him in front of Lyoto.
As for Rashad, he is one of my favourite fighters but what has he done in the last 2 years? Beat Tito Ortiz who took the fight on short notice? Come on dude Rashad needs some decent wins to get anywhere near #3
Shogun has two wins over Machida (well won win and one robbery loss). SInce then he's 2-2. Since then Machida is also 2-2. Machida's wins are over Couture and Bader while Rua's wins are over Vera and Griffin. Machida's losses are against Jones and Rampage. Rua's losses are against Jones and Henderson. Both the loss to Rampage (Machida) and Henderson (Rua) could have very well been scored the opposite way or a draw. So basically we're left with Rua looking a bit worse against Vera than Machida looked against Bader (both won by knockout). Styles make fights and had either fought the other guy, it might have been a different story (considering Vera's much better striking than Bader).
So after this you are shocked that a guy is behind another guy who he's basically lost to twice? Why because of one great performance against a guy who lost to Tito Ortiz just last year, or because he possibly should have won one round before getting choked out by Jones? I don't agree. However, I wouldn't have protested much if it went the other way. It's just not some "shocking" switch that you are making it out to be.
Evans has the second best record at LHW over the past few years: Wins over Phil Davis, Thiago Silva, Ortiz (directly after his win over Bader), Rampage (right before he beat Machida), and Forrest. He's also the only person to last the full 25 minutes against Jones in a championship fight. He was rightfully the #2 LHW in the world before losing to Jones, and a win over Bader/Vera shouldn't leapfrog him.
^exactly^
They both won at UFC on Fox 4 but it was clear to everyone and anyone who looked better, in fact better is an understatement.
Davis has a good resume but that was roughly 3 years ago he got his biggest wins and fair enough I forgot the Davis win but he didn't look amazing against Davis, rather Davis looked bad and winning against Ortiz isn't anything to brag about for top 10.
This is current rankings and not all time rankings, that's why I would put Machida in front of Shogun has Machida looked incredible against Randy, did great against Jones before getting caught and performed perfectly against Bader while Shogun got destroyed by a greener Jones, got a quick victory over Forrest but he didn't look great, took a beating from Hendo until Dan gassed and had a sloppy performance against Vera who has been terrible the last couple of years.
"Davis has a good resume but that was roughly 3 years ago he got his biggest wins and fair enough I forgot the Davis win but he didn't look amazing against Davis, rather Davis looked bad and winning against Ortiz isn't anything to brag about for top 10."
What are you even trying to say here? Rashad beat Davis earlier this year, and Davis was an undefeated prospect (who people were openly talking about fighting Jones) at the time. He beat Tito in the middle of last year, and Rampage and Silva in 2010. None of that was 3 years ago. It was 4 wins over a 2 year period after his loss to Machida.
Machida did some good work in the Jones fight, but he landed the exact same amount as Jones in the first.The second was a completely different story.
Getting caught is either somebody getting a submission or KO shot out of no where. Jones was already finding his range in the second against Machida. He got the takedown, started the hurt with a big elbow on the ground, began to use his length well with kicks and jabs on the feet, then caught Machida coming in and finished with the choke. It wasn't some random shot. He beat him in every facet of the fight from the start of the second round on.
Other than that Machida has a win over the Randy who was 47 at the time and was coming off a year layoff after two wins over Mark Coleman and James Toney, right after a slight robbery of a win over Brandon Vera. Then had the win over Ryan Bader. Rua looked just as good against Griffin as Machida did against Bader, and Machida looked a little bit better against Couture than Rua did against Vera.
If you wanna rank them strictly on how they looked at the UFC on Fox 4, then Machida would be ahead. I'm definitely in agreement with you there.
However, if you do it like I do and take their last 5 five fights (or more if they've had more in a 2-3 year period) then the rankings fall Rashad, Shogun, Machida.
shogun ktfod machida!!! ^^^^^^^^
As did Machida to Evans....Whats your POINT???? Theyre 205 with 4oz gloves dummy anyone can get KTFO...
I think that the light heavy weight division is the weakest it has ever been.
Some people still class it as being `stacked `....... I just can`t see it.
IMO it`s as weak as 125 and heavy.
That's pretty bold. I don't think it is anywhere near as bad as those two, but it's not at the height of being unquestionably the best division in MMA anymore.
really? wow thats going a little hard on the weight class. I personally don't think the class has fallen off that much. if you removed Jon Jones, I feel like LHW would still be looked at as the 2nd best division behind LW. take away Jones and there is potential for 5 different champions. it just seems like there is the normal level of fighters at 205 and then there is Jon Jones. how could u call a division with Jones Machida Shogun Rashad Gustaffson Davis (Texeira if he proves his worth vs Rampage) Rampage and the possible chance of Daniel cormier coming soon. I think this division is fine and will be fine. if Jones is what he looks like and wins his next few fights even if he doesn't want to move up (which he's already said he'd like to) he would have to, his bodyweight continues up with all the muscle he's added fight to fight and with him sayin he's working on power punching alot I'm sure his strength and conditioning is alot to do with that and then LHW will be back to normal and then u can call it good again when noone can hold the belt
It may appear weak cause Jones cleaned it out, they still got the same guys when they were playing hot potato with the belt
thats just stupid the 125 division has only 3-4 name guys while the LHW division is stacked with atleast 10 name guys. the only problem is jones has beaten most of them which leaves no new threats to his belt and in return makes the LHW division somewhat boring/irrelevant but not "weak"
it was stacked wen it was shogun vs machida and its still full of talent its just that jones is dominating them....185 now thats a division that just came to life this year
Seriously it's just Jon makes it feel empty. Before Jon was champ it looked like the championship would keep revolve around the top 5 or so guys and it might not be the case now but the top 6 is probably the best top 6 in MMA.
I completely disagree. It is as stacked as it has ever been. It just seems less stacked because the guy at the top is that dominant.
What would you say is the best division then? or the deepest? besides the no 1 guy everyone else is so closely contested... thats why their is no clear no 1 contender besides hendo. the lhw division is the deepest it has been for a long time and will be for a long time... make a list of fighters u know in each division and lhw will outweigh any other division if you know anything about the sport.
Alexander Gustafsson is a killer! Future LHW Champ.
booked to fight shogun on fox lets see wat hes made of against a legend of striking a finisih over shogun would b huge
Agree with that! Brilliant striker who can submit you and has worked towards a great grappling and wrestling game.
Truly think he is the only LHW who could take out Jones
I have Gustafsson at #3 :)... but that's me.
# 1
lets not forget the loss to phil davis and he hasnt fought anyone special except for phil and thiago silva 1-1... and with the new rules the silva fight would have been way different he ran away the whole time and barely pressured him at all i cant wait until shogun kos him in the 3rd and everyone will eat their words hes good he will be great but not yet hes still green and shogun will exploit that and finish him
I'm pretty sure these mystical rules you speak of have not been passed yet.
mystical rules??? have you not seen them then?
thats why i said if they were enforced lol
read much?
Sense sarcasm much? No you don't.
and the word enforced isn't even in your comment. FAIL
ouch^^^
@Silvaofthestreets, Wtf doesCormier have to do wthanything you said. He'sa HW & This is thread abou LHW lol.
^^ lol thats like the first comment was about anderson silva he has already said he has no intrest in moving up anymore and he beat james irvin and forrest griffin lol thats enough to put him in the top 10? im not saying he wouldnt be 1 or 2 but on paper... its just retarded
cormier stated if Valasquez beats JDS he'd seriously think about a drop to 205 to avoid fighting his friend and training partner. I was just throwing in the possible addition not to mention now chael sonnen moving up, the division is stacked. JDS will be cain most likely so we won't see cormier moving down any time soon. it was just a statement he made I posted
Just a random thought, has anyone ever discussed the possibility of shogun moving down to MW and making a run for the title?
Spider and shogun would be sick, better than andy vs gsp imo
i have always thought about shogun at 185 he could easily make the cut... i wish he would
Swap Rashad for Lyoto and it is all good.
Opinions very. You have to weigh recent performances. Both have fought very good competiton, and Rashad has the better record recently.
It very well could be either/or.
rashad is out moving to 185...
The only problem I have with this is Gus being ahead of Davis. Though Davis has looked lackluster as of late, he did finish Gus in the 1st rnd of their fight. Also, the only loss Davis has on his record is by decision against the #3 Evans.
Bryan and myself agreed on the spot for Gus. I'm not sure what his thoughts in placing him there were, but Gus leap frogged Davis in my mind because of the better record as of late and Phils lack of activity (coupled with looking pretty bad for a minute against his last opponent).
I wouldn't have had a problem with the placement if we went the other way (because of the things you mentioned).
In a recent video Gus has stated hes going to KO Shogun. Dont think thats going to happen. Machida is one of the most technical strikers around. We saw what happened to Lyoto. Hendo hit him with some heavy shots and couldnt KO him. Maybe a decision win but I dont see Gus KOing him at all.
Jon Jones is not one of the most technical strikers though... he beat Shogun on his pure size and youth... Just so happens that Gustafsson is the exact same size as Jones, minus a few inches in the arm length
I'll be ok with either winning. When Rua first signed for the UFC, I saw him as unstoppable. Then injuries changed his entire future. I still think to date, if Rua didnt have the knee problems, he would be champ today and be snapping people's legs off with kicks. To bad fate slammed him too early.
Looking at this list. It looks like it went from the best to the worst division in ufc with Jones being in it. None of those guys have much to offer him. There can still be a lot of good fights not for the belt where the competition might be more even but Jones should have no trouble holding on to that belt until he wants to move on.
Well firstly all the guy`s in the division seem to have been around for ages( barring the obv).
Rampage, Forest, Shogun, Hendo, Evans, Lyoto, Bader, all these guy`s are well over thirty, most getting into retirement age.
It`s not that I think the division is terrible, but I do see some of the old school being taken down a few pegs by the up and comers( Texiara, Gus, Manuwa ) within the next year or so.
Silva of the streets you mentioned in your name of top guy`s in the division Rampage.
Seriously Rampage, he should of retired a couple of years ago, his performances recently have been terrible, talk about one dimensional.
You also mention Shogun.
To be honest Shogun has looked a little past it in recent performances.
He looked real bad against Jones, took a beating of Hendo, and looked sloppy in his fight with Vera, not only that but he has started to gas in most of his fights.
You also mention Phil Davis, come on man, have you seen that guy`s striking. Some people just cannot pick up the striking game and Phil Davis is one of those guy`s. His striking looks akward/forced.
Machida got one punch in against Jones but then was absolutely brutalised by him, but all alot of the fans saw was the one punch.
In all fairness Machida has looked good recently but I see Jones doing exactly the same this time around, beating him easily.
Oh yeah then there was Rashad, who looked poor against Jones, but he did beat Tito????????????? Come on, Tito.
Basically I think the division lacks depth, it`s filled with the `old guard `,
and I can gaurantee the LHW top ten will look alot different in a years time.
And anyhow, was`nt Keith Jardine one of the top guy`s at 205 a little while ago, now that really is a 205`er that sucks s**t!!!
Not sure why you kept saying that certain fighters looked bad against Jones as a way to hammer your point home. Everyone has looked bad against Jones. And don't mention The Dean Of Mean and sucking sh$@ in the same sentence ever again. It gave me a terrible visual.....