Everyone out there seems to have some sort of best fighter list, but Yahoo! Sports has done a pretty good job with their most recent pound for pound MMA fighter list. My biggest point of contention is slotting Quinton Jackson ahead of Fedor Emelianenko (#’s 3 and 4 respectively). Sure, props to Jackson for beating Liddell but his showing against Henderson (who truly belongs in the Middleweight division) wasn’t overly impressive. A KO over Hendo would have easily justified his ranking at number 3. Yes, Fedor fights another non A-level fighter which doesn’t bring him any added respect. What people don’t understand is that the guy he fought was an absolute giant. ANY other heavyweight (265lbs or less) would have had their hands full with the guy undoubtedly. If you think Couture would have done any better than Fedor then you are nuts. But enough of my opionion, on to Yahoo’s top 10 MMA fighters list:

10. Mauricio Rua Points: 9 Affiliation: UFC Weight class: Light heavyweight Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil. Record: 16-3 Last month’s ranking: unranked Most recent result: lost to Forrest Griffin, submission, Sept. 22 Analysis: Shogun sat at No. 11 since his loss to Griffin, when he dropped all the way from the No. 2 spot. But with Matt Hughes and Gilbert Melendez out, and Faber vaulting up, Shogun nudged back into the Top 10. He’s presently rehabbing after knee surgery.

9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Points: 33 Affiliation: UFC Weight class: Heavyweight Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil Record: 30-4-1 Last month’s ranking: 8 Most recent result: def. Heath Herring, unanimous decision, July 7. Analysis: Nogueira already established himself with UFC fans when he rallied from a nasty high kick against Herring and scored the win. Now he has a chance to be the saving grace of a heavyweight division with no Emelianenko, no Randy Couture, and a fan base that doesn’t want a third Tim Sylvia title reign. Nogueira faces Sylvia for the interim title at UFC 81.

8. Urijah Faber Points: 38 Affiliation: WEC Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion) Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Record: 20-1 Last month’s ranking: unranked Most recent result: def. Jeff Curran, submission R2, Dec. 12 Analysis: It became impossible to deny the WEC featherweight champion his spot after his live, nationally televised win over Jeff Curran on Dec. 12. Faber used world-class defense to fend off a bad situation in the first round, then showed his trademark inventiveness en route to submitting a BJJ black belt for his 12th consecutive win.

7. B.J. Penn Points: 46 Affiliation: UFC Weight class: Lightweight Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii Record: 11-4-1 Last month’s ranking: 8 Most recent result: def. Jens Pulver, Round 2 TKO, June 23. Analysis: With Sean Sherk’s steroid situation resolved, the lightweight title is finally off ice. Penn, a former UFC welterweight champ, will look to join the short list of multiple weight class champions when he faces Joe Stevenson for the vacant title on Jan. 19.

6. Dan Henderson Points: 62 Affiliation: UFC Weight class: Light heavyweight/middleweight (final PRIDE 183 lb. champion) Hometown: Victorville, Calif. Record: 22-6 Last month’s ranking: 5 Most recent result: lost to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, decision, Sept. 8 Analysis: Even with a bunch of strong cards on the horizon, Henderson’s March 1 matchup against Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title stands out as one to circle on the calendar.

MMA pound for pound top five here… (more…)

RawVegas.tv caught up with the Iceman after his victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79. Liddell was having a nice little after party at Studio 54.

Even though he beat up Wandy, his face didn’t fare too well. Short video clip where Chuck talks about his UFC 79 fight, his thoughts on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (with Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin as coaches), and lets it be know that he likes to dance.

I received this press release from PETA today which was kind of random.

From the release,

“Animals on factory farms and in slaughterhouses don’t have a fighting chance,” says Danzig, who forced his opponent, Tommy Speer, into submission using a rear naked choke just two minutes and one second into the first round of the championship match last month. “I don’t eat animals because I don’t want to contribute to their suffering—it’s that simple. Do yourself a favor, do the planet a favor, and help end animal abuse. Go veg.” Danzig got his shot at the crown by prevailing over his competitors on Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The ad is part of a new series of PETA vegetarian testimonials that star a growing list of celebrities, including Alicia Silverstone, Forest Whitaker, Casey Affleck, James Cromwell, and Joss Stone.

You can check out the story and a video of Danzig here.