Power Rankings 11/20/06

Okay here are the Following the Flow Power Rankings. The fighters in each class are listed in a rough ranking with comments on the side. This isn't a pure talent level ranking system as that is not the only factor in determining who gets a title shot. Drawing ability is an important part of the decision making process on who fights who.



Heavyweight

Tim Sylvia - Big Tim finally showed something in his game beside the old 1, 2 and a good sprawl. He had a couple submission attempts and showed good positioning on the ground. Heck, maybe the guy deserves to be champ. Good thing because he seems dead set on keeping it.

Brandon Vera - Vera put it on Frank Mir hard and looked good doing it. He continues to show a lot of heart and great all around skills. He really doesn't have any high level wins to deserve a title shot but yet here he is, it'll happen. No this Frank Mir does not count, sorry.

Arlovski - Andrei fights on December 30th, Merry Christmas everybody. If he avoids the takedowns this will be a messy fight for Cruz. If it hits the ground we'll get to see more of Andrei's groundgame. Maybe there is a reason he doesn't take things to the ground very often. I'm just sayin'...

Jeff Monson - At one point during the fight I was railing at Monson, giving him the business on how to get Sylvia down. Shove his butt into the fence and use that to your advantage, it's damn hard to sprawl when your backed up against a wall. It later became obvious that this advice was irrelevant. I truly thought the fight would be over if Monson got the takedown. Not only was I wrong in that, it looked like Tim was the better groundfighter too! I am hoping for a strong comeback from the bulldoggish grappler. You have to love a guy who is an unapologetic individual.

Cheick Kongo - Despite losing his last fight Kongo is still in the hunt for a title berth. Yeah the heavyweights are that thin. I'd love to see Kongo vs Arlovski, who's with me?

Marcio Cruz - His only hope is to get Andrei down but I don't see it happening.

Antoni Hardonk - Looked decent in his win. I was like how the hell did he knock that guy out with a leg kick!?! In replay it was obvious that he actually got him with a punch then landed another punch then the kick. Nice combo.

Frank Mir - Well, he looked better than last fight.

Tom Murphy - With the dearth of contenders here Murphy might just have an opportunity at some big time names.

Brad Imes - When will we see the big man again? Imes vs Sylvia would be fun to watch. If the Octagon doesn't collapse.

Dan Cristison - Lost to Mir but looked okay doing it, maybe gets another shot in the UFC. Cristison/Imes could be fun.


Light heavyweight

Chuck Liddell - My god I can't wait for December 30th.

Tito Ortiz - The longer the fight with Liddell lasts the more danger Tito will be in. Don't think he won't be hearing an invisible clock counting down to the moment Chuck's right hand connects. That being said I think Tito will be able to get the champ on the ground. I won't even waste space talking about what would happen then, we all know.

Renato Sobral - At some point I want to see Sobral vs Ortiz but that wouldn't be until next year at the earliest....and will it be a title fight? Until then there are a few nice options for Babalu to fight. Griffin.....Rashad Evans...and Bisping would be interesting choices. Hamill possibly too.

Forrest Griffin - Keith Jardine huh? Well it is a surprise. Two fan favorites who will most likely stand and bang like the top brass likes. When will Forrest go back to his strongsuits?

Michael Bisping - It's a shame Bisping got cancelled because of visa issues. Damn I want to see him fighting. He's amazing on the standup and the groundgame.

Rashad Evans - Evans hasn't shown much improvement at all since TUF. His style is basically lay and pray and avoiding submissions. Still shows potential with his boxing but like I said, no improvement. He beatdown Lambert nicely but still it seems his only ground weapon is to get a mount and then do the deed, he showed nothing from any other position. He can control anyone but do we want another, more athletic, Matt Lindland? NO.

Matt Hamill - Tito's love child will get some action in the UFC and while wrestling/ground and pound is not my favorite style Hamill can do it very effectively. He beat a game Silverback Seth but Seth looked better than last time I saw him on the ground.

Seth Petruzzelli - Seth did alright for a guy who at last glance had hardly any groundgame going against an Olympic caliber wrestler. He was way to quick to slide into guard. C'mon work for top position and fall back to guard if need be. Too many guys take up jiu-jitsu and then become too complacent to jump to guard. Seth also needs to work on his hands but the potential is there because he is a pretty good striker already. Good at judging distances and moving away from danger.

Drew McFedries - Billed as a bigger Robbie Lawler he really showed that to be the best comparison of fighters ever. Talk about making a splash. Says he wants to drop to 185 and I think he'll be able to make hay at both but then it is still pretty early. Then again he is Miletich.

Alessio Sakara - I really liked the fight with Drew McFedries. It's a shame it ended as soon as it did. I like Sakara and hope to keep seeing him in the UFC but his groundgame is still a liability, unless he's on top.

Keith Jardine - I think the loser of Jardine/Griffin should be happy to stay in the UFC, if they do.

Wilson Gouveia - This guy looked really good. He dominated the first round and despite collapsing in the final two I believe he was the better fighter. If he works on his cardio he could go bigtime. He was comfortable and light on his feet and his kick boxing was better than Jardine's and Gouveia is a BJJ guy, we didn't even see that part of his game. If Gouveia gets his act together he could be a damn good fighter.

Stephan Bonnar - Stephan is going to be out of the UFC for a while if not forever. He'll disappear from this list too but just for those wondering I saw him about two weeks ago at a RFC event in Tampa doing commentary. Yeah.


Middleweight

Anderson Silva - I don't know how good the groundgame is but you can see his standup is worldclass. What will happen when he lands flush on Rich's jaw? Okay so it was a knee that caught Ace flush either way it's a win. "And new UFC middleweight champion...." Who gets the first title defense? Swick? That could be a hell of a good fight.

Rich Franklin - The fight with Anderson Silva is going to be dangerous. The only knocks on Ace are his chin and lack of wins against credentialed fighters. This fight will test both of those things. So now Ace has to fight his way back to contention. Unless Dana White hands him a shot now which honestly would be just silly. I want to see Rich on the comeback trail, see him get fired up. Franlkin vs Marquardt still seems like a good fight.

Mike Swick - He looked like the better fighter against the Crow. Too bad Loiseau forgot to show up. Swick is pushing hard for a title shot and may well get it soon. I'm not sure what Silva winning the belt does to change things as far as whoever wins TUF 4 but Swick figures in there somehow. The standup fight in a Silva/Swick fight would be explosive, hell don't blink! For that reason and because Swick's stock is on the rise I expect him to get either the next title shot or the one after it.

Nate Marquardt - Nate has been waiting in the wings for a while since being tested positive for a banned substance. He's got legit credentials to make a title shot run and may deserve it more than Swick but I doubt it will happen just yet. Unless the UFC is just letting him work out his contract and then cut him loose i'd say he'll get a title shot next year or early next year. Be patient Nate, it's coming.

David Loiseau - I want Loiseau vs Spider Silva so bad I can taste it. Loiseau looked like he was seeing ghosts against Mike Swick and he was afraid to throw hands.......and feet. Loiseau/Leben would be fun. A rematch with Evan Tanner would be nice too.

Evan Tanner - What next for the former champ? I'd like to see him go against Leben at some point that would be a war! C'mon Evan Tanner, we need you.

Dave Terrell - Needs a fight, Marquardt would be a good one.

Chris Leben - I'm sure Leben is going to try his damnedest to destroy his next opponent and word is it will be Jason McDonald who looked amazing in his UFC debut and could be an up and comer.

Dean Lister - Bring on Dave Terrell, what a grappling exhibition that would be.

Travis Lutter - As the winner of TUF he gets a title shot. I'm looking for an early KO by Silva who won't let Lutter close in and use his tepid takedowns.

Kendall Grove - The kid has heart, he's a taller Kenny Florian. Determination seems to be his great, and only, weapon at this point. I'd like to see a Grove/Terrell matchup.

Jason McDonald - What an impressive with over Herman. He's going to fight Chris Leben soon it looks like and that could be interesting. I don't want to hazard a guess on the winner of this this fight having not seen enough of McDonald. In looking at his record I see two things of note. The first is that he has not been knocked out. The second is that in 17 wins he's finished all but one, 15 by submission. Nice. Still I wonder how likely Leben, coming from Team Quest, is to fall to a submission.

Scott Smith - I don't know about all the hype that Dana White put on the Smith/Sell fight afterward but the ending was truly amazing. One hell of a great finish.

Kalib Starnes - Kalib looked great on the show despite injuries, he's got a lot of skills. I'd like to see him fight Ed Herman. Starnes lost his last match but his opponent was solid. Kalib has real talent, watch out for him.

Ed Herman - Tough loss to the newcomer Jason McDonald but nothing to be ashamed of, his post-fights comments are a different story altogether.

Rory Singer - Rory really choked on TUF so i'm not terribly impressed with him but he has some skills. I think he'll get beaten once or twice more and be out of the UFC.




Welterweight

George St. Pierre - Wow what an asskicking! Can I say that? Guess so, my blog ain't it, but anyway GSP looked like a monster out there. Like BJ his quickness allowed him to sting Hughes on several opportunities without taking a beating himself. Stuffing the takedowns, all two of them, was key as much a key as anything though. I had almost hoped that GSP would lose and move up to middleweight but hey the guy deserves this title like few others do.

Matt Hughes - Folk its time to come clean, I have a sickness. Underdogaphilia. I know, I know. My mom didn't warn me either. All the signs were there, a lifelong love of my Detroit Lions...okay that was the only sign but c'mon it's unmistake-able. About the time that Matt Hughes loses is the time I start gaining some respect for the guy. He'll be back but I think it might be some time. Personally I think all this he's aging, he's talking about calling it quits stuff is because he wants a break. Can you blame the guy he's what...32 and has 45 fights? Yeah man take a break and comeback in a year or two and be an absolute beast and really just be hitting your prime as a fighter.

Diego Sanchez - Diego looked his strongest against Karo at the end which speaks volumes for his cardio. He's a legit contender and will get the call after the Hughes/GSP bout. If he beats Riggs expect him to get a title shot. Truth is i'm surprised he's got to earn it again. Can you imagine the hype of him in a title fight with his undefeated record?

BJ Penn - What now for the former champ? Does Penn drop down to lightweight now with losses to the champ and the number one contender? That would make a dynamite division just full to bursting. If so I want to see Penn/Sanchez first.

Karo Parisyan - I was disappointed at the Karo that showed up against Diego. The standup looked to be a step backward from his last fight. I am so looking forward to Karo destroying Drew Fickett. Hahahahaha.

Joe Riggs - Riggs is over-rated. The winner of his fight with Diego will most likely get to fight the new welterweight champion. Please don't ask me what he did to deserve it, i'm clueless.

Jon Fitch - Fitch is coming on strong. I'd like to see him and Diaz go at it. Maybe even Karo.

Nick Diaz - That fight with Sherk was great, maybe a fight of the year contender. It may not have been as explosive as many but the technique in it was fabulous. Diaz always impresses me with his technique, whether boxing or grappling. The kid's game is just beautiful to watch. If only he'd keep his mouth shut and do the thing. He seemed to show class with Sherk at the end of the fight but no telling what happened after the decision was announced. Diaz has lost several tough, close decisions. Maybe you can fault him for not finishing them but that just seems picky when you see a young guy with the all around skills that Diaz has. He'll be champ one day mark my words. He could stand to be a little less defensive and go for some sub attempts.

Kuniyoshi Hironaka - He lost to Jon Fitch but looked composed, patient and skilled doing it. At least the groundwork. He might even deserve to be ranked higher here but his lack of notoriety in the states hurts him. I'd like to see more of Hironaka myself and am glad the UFC is bringing in more talent from outside the U.S.

Josh Koscheck - Josh's standup looked very good and very crisp, very light on his feet. He looks ready to make some serious noise.

Josh Burkman - What next for Burk? I'd like to see him against Kos.

Josh Neer - Neer looks like he can give just about anyone a good fight. I'd like to see a Fickett rematch with Neer rearranging his grill but that's just me.

Thiago Alves - Alves has ability he's just not using it.



Lightweight

Sean Sherk - The new lightweight champ! He performed about as expected i'd say. He took every round but could not finish off Florian and probably looks worse today than Florian does. I'm sorry to say it looked more like lay and pray, as opposed to ground and pound.

BJ Penn - If Penn drops down expect him to get a title shot rather quickly and I expect him to take it home to Hawaii. I think Fisher is his biggest threat.

Spencer Fisher - Fisher beat a decent looking Dan Lauzon. Fisher looks to be next in line for a title fight and with his impressive all around game that would be fun to watch.

Kenny Florian - Florian is still progressing nicely on his standup. He consistently scored with kicks to Sherk's midsection but could not defend the takedown and despite several game sub attempts never was much of a threat. Great heart staying in there the whole fight though.

Joe Stevenson - Joe still needs some big wins to make a run at a title shot and Dokonjonosuke Mishima doesn't really count but still is a nice win. Mishima's got fights against some really good guys on his record.

Jens Pulver - Jens needs at least one win against a top contender before getting a title shot.

Mark Hominick - C'mon UFC let's see Hominick vs Cummo or Pulver.



Yves Edwards - Got a beatdown from the very strong Stevenson. What next for Edwards who's 0-2 in recent UFC bouts? Sam Stout would be a good start.

Sam Stout - Right about here I would think. I think he would lose to Stevenson so Edwards would be a better matchup.

Joe Lauzon - Bursting onto the UFC with a win against a former champ is a big deal. Lauzon might have been the beneficiary of a bad matchup for Pulver though. Pulver's a striker and wanted to keep things standing but Lauzon had a huge reach advantage. The next fight will tell us if Lauzon is for real or not. Oh, and get a decent nickhame man. J-Lo? Ughhhh. (shivers)

Dokonjonosuke Mishima - I look forward to seeing more of the guy myself but I do have a soft spot for judoka. Check his record he's got some strong experience. I am a bit surprised that someone with so many decisions on his record caught the eye of Dana White but then again catching people's attention is what Mishima does so well. He's a true entertainer.

Jorge Gurgel - I was surprised that Jorge couldn't get a takedown on Hominick. Not one and by the 3rd he had a couple shots that he just couldn't take advantage of because of his wind. Surprising.

Dan Lauzon - Got some work to do but could see some fights.

Duane Ludwig - Ludwig against Edwards would be a nice fight. Or Cummo.

Luke Cummo - Luke is rumored to be fighting Ross Pointon. Luke will have the advantage on the standup for sure and should be able to win this if he doesn't get caught with a haymaker. I'm still waiting for Cummo to get someone he can stand and trade with, maybe this will be it.

Melvin Guillard - In this the deepest weight class Melvin seems to have the ability to give just about anyone a run for their money on 'any given Sunday'. Raw power, explosive quickness, very good striking, uncanny balance.....it's just not fair. Melvin vs Sherk would be worth watching, as would a fight against Fisher.