UFC: World MMA Rankings for the Start of May
April has come and gone. The UFC pulled off its 1st ever event in Ontario and the folks at Bloody Elbow have done their usual great job of recapping.
Anyhow, it's time to update the rankings in the world of MMA for each weight class. What does the future hold for Georges St. Pierre, who for once did not look invincible? Where does Jake Shields stand in the welterweight division now?
Heavyweight (265 pound limit)
Fabricio Werdum (“Vai Cavalo”)
To be the man, you have to beat the man. And Werdum beat the man, handing Fedor Emelianenko his first legitimate loss of the Russian’s MMA career. He’ll take on Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament quarterfinals in a matter of weeks.
Cain Velasquez
A dominating win over Brock Lesnar puts Velasquez into the #2 spot. His anticipated return date is sometime this fall
Antonio Silva (“Bigfoot”)
Silva dominated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, forcing a doctor stoppage in Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament.
Brock Lesnar
After getting handled by Cain Velasquez, Lesnar drops out of the top 3. After many rumours about his status, Lesnar will fight Junior dos Santos after filming TUF.
Junior dos Santos (“Cigano”)
Instead of waiting for Cain to recover, JDS is coaching TUF and fighting Brock at an event in Vancouver.
Shane Carwin
Carwin is scheduled to return from injury with a fight against Jon Olav Einemo on the same card as the JDS-Brock fight.
Alistair Overeem (“Demolition Man”)
Overeem now holds 3 world titles and is one of the favourites in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament. If he wins it all, it will go a long way to settling whether he is overrated.
Frank Mir
Many were not impressed with Mir’s recent battle with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. However, Mir remains one of the top UFC heavyweights with his only losses coming to those ranked above him. Mir faces Roy Nelson at the end of the month.
Fedor Emelianenko
The greatest heavyweight of all time might be finally dropping down to light heavyweight, as plans for a match against Dan Henderson continue to be worked on.
Roy Nelson
Nelson enters the list as the UFC’s top heavyweight outside the big 5. Now that his contract issues have been sorted out, a win over Frank Mir would establish him as an everyman type of contender.
Light heavyweight (205 pound limit)
Jon Jones (“Bones”)
Jones firmly established himself as the future of MMA with a dominating performance against Shogun Rua. Unfortunately, it will be some time before we see him defend his belt as he is out of a match against former teammate Rashad Evans due to injury.
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