AudiblyOffensive.com Presents: Offical Top 10 p4p Rankings 8/8/08

[Cory]

10. Norifumi Yamamoto/ Thiago Alves

- ‘Kid’ Yamamoto has he goes by, is arguably the most exciting fighter to watch on the planet. Fighting in the featherweight division, which is always one of the most exciting divisions to watch, as the pace and cardio of the fighters in 145 is crazy.

For those who are not familiar, his record is 17-1-1, with 12 Knockouts, and 1 submission.

The only reason the ‘Kid’ isn’t higher is that he hasn’t fought at all in 2008, which would be hard to put him a head of guys who have had 3-4 fights already. A recent injury to Yamamoto will prolong his 2008 fighting debut in DREAM, but whenever the ‘Kid’ is back in the ring, all eyes will be watching.

Now, when picking the number ten, I have four votes for ‘Kid’ and four for Alves, so to be fair, Ill include both.

Thiago Alves has been a beast in the Welterweight division. Though struggling to make weight, as he is a huge 170lbs, Alves fits the ‘what have you done for me lately’ category.

Alves has knocked out two of the best fighters in the Welterweight division in Karo Parisyan and former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes.

If that couldn’t get him on this list, I would have deserved being shot in the head.

Alves will be fighting serious contender Diego Sanchez at UFC 90, and it’s pretty clear that the winner of this fight will fight the winner of the GSP/Fitch fight, which happens this evening.

9. Thiago Silva

- The most dominate fighter in the light heavyweight division comes in at number nine on our list. The undefeated knockout machine is one of the most exciting fighters in the world, let alone the UFC.

Silva, I think has gone unrewarded for the deed he has done in the UFC, and that is carry a proud undefeated record, unlike comparison counterpart, Lyoto Machida. This is obviously bias opinion, but I think if you’re undefeated, and have finished less that half of your fights, you haven’t done shit.

I’m sure you’re getting tired of me telling you why Thiago Silva is better than Machida, so I’ll shut up until UFC 89, where Silva and Machida will fight, with the winner more than likely to be in line for a Light Heavyweight Title shot at Forrest Griffin, pending the Chuck Liddell/Rashad Evans fight.

8. Miguel Torres

- Next to a fellow member to be revealed on our list, this guy is the other stud in the WEC.

Torres, 34-1 is one of the best fighters out there today. Ill admit that I don’t watch as much WEC as I probably should, television conflictions happen a lot but I have had the opportunity to watch this Bantamweight fight, and he’s friggin’ exciting.

I can’t really put him any higher, because there isn’t a lot of depth in the Bantamweight division, making the chance of there being one top fighter less difficult, but still a difficult task regardless.

Torres has won his three WEC fights, and currently holds the WEC Bantamweight Title, with not only the victory over Chase Bebee but a defence, which I watched, against Yoshiro Maeda, which was one hell of a fight. There is no argument of Miguel Torres being on the AudiblyOffensive p4p list.

7. Robbie Lawler

- I find it hard to believe that this guy isn’t lower on the list, as if were looking for a p4p list, the main ‘ingredient’ if you will, if what have you done for me lately, and he’s defending his title twice in 2008, both being all out wars with Elite XC counterpart Scott Smith. But this is for your votes, so Elite XC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler comes in at number seven.

I’d like to think Lawler is the face of Elite XC right now. Aside from the Tank Abbott fight, Kimbo hasn’t lived up the hype they have given him, and watching the two free cards, if I was looking from the outside in, Elite XC has hot chick’s fighting and that Robbie Lawler dude.

With Fights of the night twice, one the two CBS televised cards, with a No contest over Smith, and a TKO over Scott Smith again two months later, Lawler has been a wrecking machine in the Elite XC, and I think it’s only a matter of time before he’ll try and make a return to the UFC, unless Elite XC can keep paying his bill.

6. Forrest Griffin

- Forrest Griffin, the ultimate underdog, finally became elite, defeating Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title, in what some fans are billing fight of the year to date. I won’t disagree.

Griffin won the decision, and took home the strap, after coming from the first season of the ultimate fighter and coming this far. There were actually a lot of votes to put him on the list, I was surprised. I mean, I had him on here, but sixth is a surprising spot for him, but I’m not going to argue.

A fight of the year (so far) and a world title victory, places UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Forrest Griffin number six on our list.

5. Urijah Faber

- No argument on him being where he is at on our list. You could swap places with him and Anderson Silva for the most exciting fighter to watch on the planet. He does unorthodox moves to his opponents, which make you stand up from your seat and just say “wow”.

The WEC Featherweight Champion is coming off a huge win over UFC veteran Jens Pulver, in what some are claimed to be one of the best WEC fights in the history of the company.

Faber, who holds a 20-1 record, will look to move up on our list, and a victory over Mike Brown in September could just do that.

4. BJ Penn

- The best fighter the lightweight division has ever seen in the history of the sport. BJ Penn, current UFC Lightweight Champion, comes in at number four on our list.

Penn has put on some of the best fights in the UFC in recent memory. His knockout victory over Sean Sherk was huge, flying knee followed by some sick ground and pound. Look a step back, his bloodbath victory over Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson, which has been credited as the bloodiest match in UFC history, and for those who don’t know Joe Stevenson had a ‘goats vagina’ as some commentators refer to them as, and made the entire mat red, LITTERALLY.

With that being said, BJ deserves to be where he is at.

3. Georges St. Pierre

- I started this before UFC 87, and I’m currently writing the morning after, so I watched GSP demolish Jon Fitch last night, but this is based on votes, not my opinion, but I bet if I hold off on this and asked for the votes again, GSP may be at the number one spot on the list, who knows?

St. Pierre is the best pure athlete to ever step inside of the octagon, and along side with Fedor and Silva, as the most well rounded group of fighters in the world. His takedown defence is amazing; his striking is excellent, as is his takedowns and conditioning. GSP has all of the tools, and now is in the current mindset to never lose the UFC Welterweight belt.

GSP, coming off from his lost to Matt Serra, has learned from his mistakes and been a complete animal. Wins over Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and as recent as last night, Jon Fitch, GSP is right at home at this ‘log jam’ to quote Patrick Swafford, for the number one ranking. The true number one fighter in the world could go to any of our top three here, but they’re placed by votes.

Which brings us to our number two fighter

2. Anderson Silva

- We have a spider in the second spot. There is no argument to where Anderson Silva should be on our list. Like GSP and our number one, he’s in a log jam. Both one of these fighters could be a number one on different people’s lists and no one would complain.

I can say in my humble opinion, that no one has ever been as dominate in the UFC as Anderson Silva has been over these last few couple of years. With none of his fights going past the second round in the UFC, also meaning that he has never gone to a decision not only makes him undefeated, but always exciting.

With five knockouts and two submissions in seven UFC fights, this dudes more than just a ‘stud’. I don’t really know what you could call him. Maybe the Mecca of the UFC or something.

I’m not sure about that, but I do know he is number two on our list, which brings us to AudiblyOffensives number one fighter in the world…….

1. Fedor Emelianenko

- The Last Emperor is last on our list. Beating out Anderson Silva by THREE votes, he gets to top spot, coming off from his thirty second first round submission over former two time UFC World Heavyweight Champion in Tim Sylvia.

Fedor is inhuman.

Plain and simple. He can throw punches and is quick like a featherweight, yet a man weighting in for most of his fights at around two hundred and thirty pounds, it just doesn’t make sense. The bigger you are, the slower your suppose to be, but that just doesn’t seem to apply to Fedor. Nothing does. I’d be surprised if the law of gravity applies too……..

……I don’t even see Fedor losing. He’s never lost. I’m not counting that one terrible loss, because of an illegal elbow. If Fedor even cared about his record, which he doesn’t seem to because he’s such a down to earth guy, he could like have someone overturn that or something. They do it enough in Japan, why not in RINGS?

So with that being said, our first p4p champion is “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko. He is the best fighter in the world, hands down.

[Khristian Call]

Nice list, one thing I wanted to mention though, that Kid Yamamoto is fighting in his natural weight class of bantamweight again.

[MitchMMA]

Awesome list, it's pretty accurate, hard to argue with it.

Miguel Torres owns!


Personally I think when Shogun Rua comes back, he'll make his way back into the P4P list.

[Khristian Call]

Shogun + conditioning coach = Nightmare for light heavyweights

[MitchMMA]

Definetely, Shogun needs to come back soon though. I hear he is slated to have a re-match with Mark Coleman, sounds interesting.

I still want to see Coleman fight Brock though, old school dominant wrestler vs new school dominant wrestler!

[AudiblyOffensive]

After seeing the way Les manhandled Herring, I'd hate to see what he does next.