When taking a look at all of the major ranking sites, there is one fighter ranked very highly by the others, whom we are pretty harsh on — and that is Michael Bisping.

On Sherdog’s most recent ranking, he is ranked #4 in the Middleweight division.  They are not alone, as the USA Today meta-rankings (of which we are a part of) have him just one notch lower, at #5.  On FightMatrix, he is currently at #14.

Now, I’m not just defending the system here — I truly believe that these sites are overrating Michael Bisping.  Let’s take a look at his performances from the past 3.5 years and the current ranking of those opponents.

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With this latest release, we updated a piece of the methodology that computes the division dominance list used for our current rankings.

The entire basis of how the list is compiled remains identical, with the exception that the “contenders” that are used as the sample size for comparison will be scaled based upon the size of the division.  We believe this more accurately represents divisional depth and will more appropriately reward fighters who have elevated themselves to the top of the deeper and more competitive divisions.

If you are interested, you can follow the evolution of brainstorming that led to this change here in our forum.

Notable Info

• With his recent retirement, Fedor will only remain in the current rankings for one more week.  Upon the next update, he will be dropped.
• A minor modification was made to distribute a small division dominance penalty to any #1 ranked fighters with only one recent win in their currently listed division.  The gap between an equation and a “pound-for-pound” list is hopefully now lessened.

Notable Info

• Women Strawweight expanded from 15 to 20.

Notable Info

• Jose Aldo finally displaced Urijah Faber as the top Featherweight in history.  This may fluctuate a time or two, but Aldo should eventually hold this position moving forward.
• Junior dos Santos moves up the Heavyweight ladder, as he swaps spots with Frank Mir, taking #7.  Cain Velazquez also moves up one spot, to displace the venerable pioneer Bas Rutten at #9.  JDS should move into #6 very shortly, as the new crop of Heavyweights are moving past the old guard.
• Martin Kampmann surges into the Welterweight list at #18, with his stunning victory over #23 Ellenberger, who himself drops a spot to make room.
• Mark Munoz is the latest to claim the #25 spot at Middleweight.  Although this may seem premature, he is now 7-1 in the UFC Middleweight division, with his only loss, a split decision to #7 Yushin Okami.  He also holds a win over #11 Maia.
• Tara LaRosa retakes the top position in the Women’s list with Fujii’s second loss (which she deserved to win) in the states.  As Fujii and #3 Tsuji fade, the chance to lockup the top spot, at least temporarily, is completely in LaRosa’s hands.  She needs to face quality opposition.

With Georges St. Pierre’s late-July inactivity removal from the rankings looming and nothing scheduled for Carlos Condit, a rare situation could have a non-UFC champion ranked at #1 in the division.  Despite Condit’s split decision win over Ellenberger nearly three years ago, a dominant win for Ellenberger on Friday will seal this as a certainty, as he will pass Condit in the rankings.

This will create a three-headed dragon at the top of the division that may take quite a bit of time to unwind, depending on how long St. Pierre sits out of action.  With time, we could have a similar situation in the Bantamweight division, thanks to the weakening ACLs that we’ve been seeing lately in professional sports.

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Below are Japanese fighters with the highest “division point dominance” ratings who have never fought in the USA, have at least 10 fights, and compete within weight divisions that the UFC/StrikeForce currently utilize (Men, Women 135-145).

Sadly, there is not much to look forward to, as far as proven experienced fighters go.

1. Masakazu Imanari (#18 Bantamweight, 25-10-2)

Imanari is ranked #1 on his list, based on the possibility of him making the Flyweight limit (of which I have no idea if he can or not) and for his exceptional ledger.  It is quite surprising Imanari has only left Japan in his last two fights, but has still not left eastern Asia.  He holds a rare distinction of being listed in two of the Top 10 FightMatrix All-Time Ranking lists, being the #6 Featherweight and #8 Bantamweight of All-Time, spending considerable time in both divisions.  He has even competed at Lightweight.  Now 36, the door is closing on Imanari.  He is battle-tested against foreign fighters, with wins over Jorge Gurgel, Mike Thomas Brown and Abel Cullum.  Though, he is very inconsistent.  Here’s hoping we see him get one chance in the UFC.

2. Rin Nakai (#6 Women 135lb, 11-0-1)

The musclebound 5’1″ Nakai may be more famous for her risque photos (just Google search) than her undefeated record, but if Rousey runs out of American challengers, Nakai may be an interesting opponent for the minute or two that the fight lasts.

3. Mitsuhisa Sunabe (#7 Flyweight, 16-7-4)

Fresh off of a win this Sunday against a lesser opponent, Sunabe might be the best Flyweight in Japan right now.  Even though, he competes at 120lb, at 5’8″, he could be an interesting match-up for the typical Flyweight fighter.  The losses are starting to add up though.

4. Haruo Ochi (#9 Flyweight, 9-2-1)

After moving down from 132lb to 123lb, Ochi is undefeated at 5-0 with his last three wins coming against three fighters in the Top 20 Flyweight All-Time list.  Entering his physical prime at age 28, the book on this guy is too thin to make any conclusions, but with another solid win, he quickly becomes a worthy contender for at least a one-off UFC Flyweight opportunity.

5. Akira Kibe (#16 Flyweight, 16-10-2)

A late bloomer, Kibe finally gets into the rankings by entering the weak Flyweight division after spending the first 10 years of his career as an undersized Bantamweight and Featherweight.  Despite having gone 6-0 in his last six, Kibe’s ledger suggests he’d probably be fodder for America’s top Flyweights.

Yasuhiro Urushitani is not listed.  Although he never fought in the USA, he did participate in a UFC show in Australia.