MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound

(Number in parentheses is the fighter’s rank in the last pound-for-pound list)

1. Georges St-Pierre (1): I’m sticking with St. Pierre, just slightly ahead of Aldo in the top spot, but he’ll need to dominate for the eighth straight time on Dec. 11 against Josh Koscheck to stay No. 1. The best fighter in the world is getting plenty of exposure these days, with a profile in the Style section of the New York Times, of all places, and his season of coaching The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV.

2. Jose Aldo (2): The biggest question is whether the WEC can find worthy opponents for Aldo. I assume the next opponent will be either Josh Grispi or Chad Mendes, both of whom have fights scheduled for the Nov. 11 WEC 52 card. I’d like to see one of the top Japanese featherweights, Hatsu Hioki or Michihiro Omigawa, sign with the WEC and get a chance at Aldo. But whoever they sign, I don’t see Aldo losing his belt any time soon.

3. Anderson Silva (3): Chael Sonnen’s positive steroid test will significantly change the way Silva’s 2011 looks. Instead of getting the year started with a Sonnen rematch, Silva will fight Vitor Belfort next, and then, if he beats Belfort, probably take on the winner of the UFC 122 fight between Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami. Those are much more favorable match-ups for Silva than a Sonnen rematch, which gives Silva an awfully good chance of holding onto his belt for another year.

4. Shogun Rua (4)

5. Frank Edgar (5)

6. Dominick Cruz (6)

7. Lyoto Machida (7)

8. Rashad Evans (8)

9. Joseph Benavidez (9)

10. Gray Maynard (10)

read entire article…