A short time ago, Sherdog put an article out debating the Top Lightweights of All-Time and today, put another article out debating the same for Welterweights.
Granted, this is an interesting debate now that we’re getting close to two decades where weight classes actually started being acknowledged, but in plenty of divisions, the top fighter is obvious. Furthermore, in many and perhaps more cases, the top 2 is obvious even if the 1-2 order is arguable. In my opinion, the #3 position is completely up for grabs in every division. In a sport where rankings mean so much, it seems unusual for this rift so close to the top. Certainly, arguments like this have to start somewhere, but #3 is where the questions start to arise.
Heavyweight
#1 – Fedor Emelianenko (34-4, 5*, 29)
#2 – Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-9-1, 3*, 8)
Here at #3, we’ve got several possibilities. Certainly, Cain Velasquez (13-1, 4*, 8) is a great choice, but his constant inactivity may yield to another current top fighter, Junior dos Santos (17-3, 2*, 7). Though Velasquez has the 2-1 lead in their series, dos Santos remains a little more active and somehow, Velasquez has fought only two different fighters in his past five fights. This kind of repetition isn’t great for a career retrospective.
If you want to go back in time, you’ve got Josh Barnett (33-7, 1*, 0) and Randy Couture (13-7, 7*, 0) who are also reasonable choices.
Fight Matrix #3 – Cain Velasquez
[poll id=”20″]
(X-Y, A*, B)
X-Y = Division Record
A = Major Title/Tourney Wins in Division
B = Quarterly #1 Rankings in Division