UFC's Lightweight Division (Top 20) |
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oleg
Banned
Career record: 87-62
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Southfield MI
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To say that it has been a rough ride for the UFC’s 155 lbs division would be a bit of an understatement. The trouble began when the first champion of the weight class Jens Pulver left the organization in 2002 amidst a contract dispute. The UFC held a four-man tournament to crown a new champion, but failed to come up with a definitive winner when BJ Penn fought Caol Uno to a draw in the finals. And so the division was completely dismantled as the Zuffa-owned promotion was struggling financially at the time.
Fast forward to 2006: after the success of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series boosted UFC’s popularity and momentum, the organization decided to reinstate the lightweight division and crowned a new champion with a matchup between Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk. But the troubles were not over - after Sherk’s very first title defense, Sean as well as the challenger Hermes Franca both tested positive for banned anabolics and were suspended by the California State Athletic Commission. With the title once again vacated, BJ Penn defeated Joe Stevenson then Sean Sherk in back-to-back bouts, staking his claim as the new lightweight king. However with Penn now set to challenge Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title, the lightweight championship may once again be placed on hold if Penn wins.
All these tribulations left the division weakened: according to the latest Fightmatrix.com rankings, only 4 of the Top 10 and 8 of the Top 20 lightweights in the world compete in the UFC’s Octagon. But don’t let the lack of top-ranked fighters fool you; this is a very deep division beyond the Top 20, with over 30 ranked fighters competing in UFC at 155 lbs. Here is a closer look at the UFC’s 20 highest ranked lightweights:
UFC’s Lighweight Division
Last edited 12/16/08 2:52PM by oleg
Edit note/reason: n/a
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Post #1 12/16/08 2:51:17PM
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Wolfenstein
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 913-518
Season: 19-5 (#50)
Location: Massachusetts
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Kind of shocking that Jim would be rated so much higher than Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar. Despite the rankings all three are probably neck and neck.
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Post #2 12/16/08 3:12:37PM
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higdon10
MMA Sensei
Career record: 471-324
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Elizabeth, Indiana
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Posted by Wolfenstein
Kind of shocking that Jim would be rated so much higher than Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar. Despite the rankings all three are probably neck and neck.
I think that Maynard and Edgar would both beat him if they fought tommorow. MMA rankings are about worthless.
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Post #3 12/16/08 5:09:44PM
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aaa9erh8er
Belt Contender
Career record: 165-112
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: 707 CALi
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kenny florian as the number 2 in the world ok that makes sence
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Post #4 12/16/08 7:53:17PM
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dannyfrank
banned
Career record: 109-64
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Chuck Town, SC
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im surprised that nate diaz is so low 
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Post #5 12/16/08 8:11:38PM
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MMAcca
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 944-552
Season: 20-4 (#104)
Location: North East of England
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Posted by dannyfrank
im surprised that nate diaz is so low
Me too. And Joe Stevenson
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Post #6 12/17/08 2:51:08AM
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inyaface69
Learning to Sprawl
Career record: 89-48
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Manchester, New Jersey
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I'm not sure if I agree with these rankings...at all. First of all Frankie Edgar already beat Jim Miller in one of his first pro fights, and has beaten more top contenders than Miller has (i.e Tyson Griffin, Spencer Fischer, and Hermes Franca), so putting him behind Jim Miller just makes no sense at all to me. Second of all, I don't think Joe Stevenson should be pushed so far back, I mean he lost to BJ Penn and Kenny Florian, the two who I and the ratings feel are the top two in the UFC at 155...just doesn't make much sense.
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Post #7 12/18/08 8:02:09PM
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nickcuc547
BANNED
Career record: 384-223
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location:
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man miller is way too high, and joe daddy way too low, but i have never seen a set of rankings that i totally agree with
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Post #8 12/18/08 8:03:52PM
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paddy260
MMA Regular
Career record: 288-199
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: vancouver
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i think guida should be top 10 in the world
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Post #9 12/18/08 10:45:06PM
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mrkennedy
MMA Sensei
Career record: 963-537
Season: 18-6 (#712)
Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
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Posted by paddy260
i think guida should be top 10 in the world
 and jim miller is way to high
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Post #10 12/18/08 11:06:04PM
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