Who is the top MMA fighter in the world?

I chose Anderson Silva just because I think he has more versatility. He could probably fight in 3 weight classes and be dominant in all 3.

 

Are we talking Pound for Pound? or if they fought each other?

I would pick Fedor if they fought each other, but pound for pound. I'm not sure, probably go with Silva right now.

 

Neither.<span style="font-family:Arial Black"> BJ Penn</span> is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. He's fought at 155, 170, 185 and won against the elite in each of those divisions. He evem went the distance (3 rounds) with a much larger Machida at 205.

If we go by record, I like Fedor. He's lost only once in his career and has won all his matches the last eight years. This guy is a beast.

I like Silva, but everyone is on his bandwagon now since he beat Franklin twice. I've been a fan of Penn since day one when he was the only non brazilian to win GOLD in Mundial World Championships in 2000. He's just a sick fighter all around. You want to talk versatile? Penn is the man.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Jul 21 2008, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Silva. He's much more versatile, fights more often, and imo, fights tougher competition.</div>

Yep.


Although, if Silva and Fedor were to go toe to toe, it would be a damn good fight.

I'd still give Silva the edge too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Jul 21 2008, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Silva. He's much more versatile, fights more often, and imo, fights tougher competition.</div>


Fights tougher competition? Are you kidding me? On the top of my head.

Fedor has fought

1. Tim Sylvia
2. Mirko
3. Nogueira THREE TIMES. Beat him twice and one was Nc I think.
4. Randelman
5. Herring
6. Sobral
7. Arona
8. Hunt
9. Lindland

He has fought damn game opponents.

Penn has fought

1. Sherk
2. Hughes
3. GSP
4. Machida
5. Gomi
6. Pulver
7. Gracie
8. Thomas
9. Stevenson
10. Uno...

List goes on. and won most of them....

The Spider has a good resume with wins over Franklin, Henderson, and Leben Horn? Sakurai too I think, but to say he's fought better than these other two I mentioned above? Hell no. I want to see him fight in four different weight classes and see how well he fairs. He rules the 185 but no more comp there. I really would like to see how he would do at 205 or even 170.

 

oh so what your saying is his past competition doesnt mean squat because he fought Choi after PRIDE ended? Is Choi the basis of your arguement? Thats too damn funny. Fedor's been champ in PRIDE since '03 and won all his title defenses just like Anderson has won the past what? Two years now?.

Fedor just wreaked Tim a former UFC HW Champ in less than a minute..Give the guy his dues Even after all these years of winning people doubted Fedor and thought he'd lose to Timmy. What a joke. He made Tim look like a rookie.

Was it Fedors fault that Pride got bought out by the UFC? The guy would still be defending and winning fights in PRIDE if the UFC didn't buy them out.

Bottomline is: Fedor will fight anybody. Im sure Silva will too, but to say he's fought better opponents is naive. Fedor fought the best in the heavy's in PRIDE and beat them all. Fedor hasn't lost in eight damn years with everyone they put in his way. His only defeat? A freak cut in the beginning of the first round.

Silva beat everyone at 185 in the UFC but has been the champ for just a little over two years now? Fedors never been KO'ed or submitted. Anderson has....

Honestly I think Fedor will wreck Silva at 205 if Fedor ever seriously thought about dropping. Its a pipe dream, but honestly, Fedor is a monster. You need to look back at all his fights before saying he's not as good as Anderson. Until I see someone destroy Fedor or KO him, I still think he's the best in the world in his division just like Silva is at 185.

The world's best fighter is just a title and opinion. Better opponents? Come on. Silva beat the best at 185 while Fedor beat the best in the heavy's. Both fought skilled opponents. Let the two battle it out at 205 and we'll see who reigns. My money is on Fedor.
<div align="center">
</div>

 

I have to give it to Anderson Silva.
Fedor has beaten the best HW's in the world.. 4 years ago. And I think you have to look at the last 3 years of a fighters career to really gauge them when considering the best p4p fighter right now. Silva has fought the better competition of late, beating Rich Franklin twice (giving him 2 of his 4 career losses), Dan Henderson (Pride LHW and MW champ) and Nate Marquart who is a very solid and somewhat underated fighter. Silva's only 2 losses in the last 4 years were a DQ due to illegal strikes, in a fight he was winning and he claims one where the rules were not properly explained to him. His other loss is to Ryo Chonan and one of the sickest out of nowhere moves of all time.

It's not entirely Fedor's fault that Pride operated on a 2 cans for every legit fight policy, but the fact is he's faced Tim Sylvia and Cro-Cop as valid opponents in the last 3 years. Lindland is a great fighter, but he fights at 185 normally so he was giving up a lot of size and if you saw the fight, I can't call that a legit win. Hunt is tough but not a top notch HW and Coleman in 2006 = over the hill. His 2 wins over Nogeuira are very impressive and Nog was in his Prime. They = Silva's wins over Franklin IMO.
The question I have, is why didn't Fedor fight Sergei Kharitonov, Josh Barnett or even Yoshida at least once in Pride.. or Cro-Cop sooner? Again not his fault but he does have a lot of cans on his record.

If Fedor fights twice more like he said he wants to and he gets solid opponents, I'd put him ahead of Anderson because he is so damn impressive.
Until then Silva has fought more and earned the right to be considered the best.

Here' Fedor's recent record.
Win Tim Sylvia (25-5-0) Submission (Rear-naked choke) 0:36 1 Affliction: Banned 2008-07-19
Win Hong Man Choi (1-1-0) Submission (Armbar) 1:54 1 Yarennoka - New Years Eve 2007 2007-12-31
Win Matt Lindland (21-5-0) Submission (Armbar) 2:58 1 Bodog Fight - Clash of the Nations 2007-04-14
Win Mark Hunt (5-3-0) Submission (Kimura) 8:16 1 PRIDE - Shockwave 2006 2006-12-31
Win Mark Coleman (15-8-0) Submission (Armbar) 1:15 2 PRIDE 32 - The Real Deal 2006-10-21
Win Wagner da Conceicao Martins (4-4-0) Submission (Punches) 0:26 1 PRIDE - Shockwave 2005 2005-12-31
Win Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) Decision (Unaminous) 5:00 3 PRIDE - Final Conflict 2005 2005-08-28
Win Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (23-16-2) TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 10:00 1 PRIDE - Bushido 6 2005-04-03
Win Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) Decision (Unanimous) 5:00 3 PRIDE - Shockwave 2004 2004-12-31
Win Naoya Ogawa (7-2-0) Submission (Armbar) 0:54 1 PRIDE - Final Conflict 2004 2004-08-15
Win Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) No Contest - Accidental Cut 3:52 1 PRIDE - Final Conflict 2004 2004-08-15
Win Kevin Randleman (17-12-0) Submission (Kimura) 1:33 1 PRIDE - Critical Countdown 2004 2004-06-20
Win Mark Coleman (15-8-0) Submission (Armbar) 2:11 1 PRIDE - Total Elimination 2004 2004-04-25

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Trench @ Jul 21 2008, 04:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Fedor just wreaked Tim a former UFC HW Champ in less than a minute..Give the guy his dues Even after all these years of winning people doubted Fedor and thought he'd lose to Timmy. What a joke. He made Tim look like a rookie.</div>

It was impressive, but Timmy had blatant weaknesses. If a game is just standup Timmy actually is a tough opponent. However Timmy is probably worse matchup than Big Nog, just because Fedor loves taking guys to the ground and submitting them by armbar or rear-naked choke.

Put Timmy against guys with submissions like Frank Mir, Big Nog, Fedor, or a 39 year old Couture.

Put him against a guy who will stand with him the whole match (Andrei Arlovski) and he will have quite a good chance of beating them.

I think Lesnar would be a good matchup against Fedor, because Lesnar would outpower him and probably get on top, and Fedor has never won by knee bar, heel hooks, triangles. He just wins by rear-naked choke or armbar. I don't think he would get an armbar easily on Brock, just because Brock would Rampage his way out of it.

 

Andrei Arlovski would eat Tim Silvia alive..

 

Not at all, Tim has won twice, Arlovski once.

Arlovski loves standing and is good standing up.

Anyway, if Tim evaded Fedor and dragged the fight out like he usually does and throw jabs from a distance. Fedor would have taken him down and hit him.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lavalamp @ Jul 21 2008, 12:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Trench @ Jul 21 2008, 04:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Fedor just wreaked Tim a former UFC HW Champ in less than a minute..Give the guy his dues Even after all these years of winning people doubted Fedor and thought he'd lose to Timmy. What a joke. He made Tim look like a rookie.</div>

It was impressive, but Timmy had blatant weaknesses. If a game is just standup Timmy actually is a tough opponent. However Timmy is probably worse matchup than Big Nog, just because Fedor loves taking guys to the ground and submitting them by armbar or rear-naked choke.

Put Timmy against guys with submissions like Frank Mir, Big Nog, Fedor, or a 39 year old Couture.

Put him against a guy who will stand with him the whole match (Andrei Arlovski) and he will have quite a good chance of beating them.

I think Lesnar would be a good matchup against Fedor, because Lesnar would outpower him and probably get on top, and Fedor has never won by knee bar, heel hooks, triangles. He just wins by rear-naked choke or armbar. I don't think he would get an armbar easily on Brock, just because Brock would Rampage his way out of it.
</div>

yeah but Fedor could keep it standing too and he'd demolish Brock.
Fedor has no real weaknesses, he doesn't fight with ego, he punches you until the ref stops it or you present your neck or an arm and then he transitions to a submission, if you get out, he just goes back to beating on you. He doesn't get tired, his cardio is off the charts IMO.

found this funny nugget and alarming comment from Timmy Silva too
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>After destroying Tim Sylvia in thirty-six seconds, the number one heavyweight on the planet showed up at the press conference looking in all ways like an unremarkable man. He smiled shyly, as if embarrassed by all the attention, and played down his own accomplishments while saying that his celebration would include a trip to “the big rollercoasters” at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Just a few minutes earlier a humbled Tim Sylvia had appeared before the press. For that alone he deserves some credit. Few of the night’s losers bothered to show up and answer questions. Sylvia didn’t have to, but he came anyway and described Fedor as an awesome force which may or may not be human.

“I’ve never been hit that hard before in my life,” the former UFC champ said. “And I don’t care who knows it. …This guy is unreal. He’s incredible and I don’t think he’s going to be beaten for a long time.”

Fedor hardly seemed as if he had been in a fight at all. The only indication was a thumb that had popped out during the fight, which he later popped back in.

“I’m not too worried about it,” he said.</div>

first off LOL I can imagine the commercial now
"Fedor. you just destroyed a top 10 HW in under a minute, what are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to six flags!"


and Yikes at Timmy saying he's never been hit that hard.. he trains at Miletich Fighting Systems and well has fought some tough guys in the UFC.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lavalamp @ Jul 21 2008, 11:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It was impressive, but Timmy had blatant weaknesses. If a game is just standup Timmy actually is a tough opponent. However Timmy is probably worse matchup than Big Nog, just because Fedor loves taking guys to the ground and submitting them by armbar or rear-naked choke.

Put Timmy against guys with submissions like Frank Mir, Big Nog, Fedor, or a 39 year old Couture.

Put him against a guy who will stand with him the whole match (Andrei Arlovski) and he will have quite a good chance of beating them.

I think Lesnar would be a good matchup against Fedor, because Lesnar would outpower him and probably get on top, and Fedor has never won by knee bar, heel hooks, triangles. He just wins by rear-naked choke or armbar. I don't think he would get an armbar easily on Brock, just because Brock would Rampage his way out of it.</div>

Timmy is the same guy who took Randy Couture the distance not too long ago. how quickly we forget. Everyone continues to doubt Fedor due to his recent layoff, yet he proves them wrong. Brock Lesnar? He's a joke. Mir proved that. He'll never have the jiujitsu skills Fedor has and he'll never beat Fedor at the standup. I dont care how strong Brock is.

 

Back on topic since my post on WHO THE TOP MMA FIGHTER in the WORLD got a bit lost.

Who is the top MMA fighter in the world at this moment? I choose BJ Penn. Why?

He is only the 2nd to hold titles in two UFC divisions. 155 and 170. Silva or Fedor own more than one? NO.

He has fought and done well in four weight classes. 155, 170, 185, 205
(yeah he lost in 205 but went the distance with Lyota Machida even though he was visibly almost 35 ibs lighter)

Penn currently holds wins over such notables as Takanori Gomi, Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie, and Caol Uno and has beaten former UFC Champions Jens Pulver (155), Sean Sherk (155), Matt Hughes (170), and Joe Stevenson (155). Penn was even willing to step up and fight light heavyweight Lyoto Machida who is still considered one of the best at 205 although being clearly outweighed by nearly 35 pounds.

Penn has dominated his competition since he re-dedication to the sport. He is hungry and expect him to take on GSP in the future for the title. I think Penn can still whoop GSP if he is conditioned right.

The term "Pound for Pound" according to my understanding is the ability to successfully fight at any weight. No one has stepped up to the plate and fought successfully in as many classes as BJ Penn. Penn truly is the pound for pound champ.

 

actually the term pound for pound is interrupted as being 'if every fighter was the same weight, who has the skills to be the best?"

and yeah BJ has fought at other weight classes, as has Silva (Don't forget when he was in Pride there were only 2 weight classes 205+ and under 205.)

Fedor fights at HW but has fought guys 30-70 pounds larger than he is (Choi, Zulu at the extreme end) and only has 1 loss and it was a cut stoppage and he avenged that loss.

BJ recently got beat by Hughes and GSP whereas Silva lost in a DQ and 4 years ago to a sick sub.

BJ is #4 behind GSP IMO. Whomever BJ beat 4+ years ago is impressive but irrelevant to a discussion about who's the best p4p today. The sport has evolved and we're seeing a lot of the older fighters who are more 1 dimensional losing (Hughes, Tito, even Chuck) to the newer breed of fighter who is multi-talented.

BJ has evolved his game as has Fedor and Silva. That's why I also don't think BJ would fair well at 185, the fighters are MUCH more well rounded than they were in the past.

Silva has faced and beaten the best competition of the 3 over the last 3 years and currently deserves the #1 slot. If BJ moves up and beats GSP or if Fedor faces Josh Barnett and creams him, then I think we have a real discussion on our hands