205 Pound Discussion

UFC 92 provided us an action packed night with several ups and downs.  In the great 205 pound weight division the tilt-a-whirl of supremacy is at it again.  Almost every ranking will have the top 5 completely different.  Many feel that Machida is top 3, while others have him out of the top five.  Buckle up as I try to make some sense out of this crazy division.

Top Dog: Number 1 in this division has to be the guy with the belt.  At this time it is the undefeated Rashad Evans.  The former Spartan wrestler seems to always find a way to win.  He is very athletic, has quick hands, and could posses the best wrestling pedigree in the top 5 of this division.  This is the easiest to debate.  The man with the title should be the guy who is considered the best.

#1 Contender: In my opinion the top contender to the title should be the guy who is next in line for a title shot.  Although that sounds pretty cut and dry some will disagree, they start to play favorites and put in various factors.. In my opinion the guy who should be next in line for a title shot is Quinton “Rampage Jackson.  At 92 he completed his 2nd KO of a legendary fighter in his last 3 fights.  His only loss in the UFC was to the champion at the time (Griffin).  One question with him is how far do you fall when you lose in a title fight?  In my opinion I don’t feel you should fall that far off.  His win over Wand should put him in line for the next title shot.  It appears he is asking for Forrest next but who would complain about a title shot?  A Rampage vs Rashad fight would be a good one, and is there any doubt Wand would have got a chance at the belt with a win over Rampage?

#2 Contender: The champ can only fall so far with a loss and this is where he should land.  Forrest is quickly becoming the most popular fighter in the UFC (if not already).  Every time he steps in the cage fans scream his name over and over trying to help him in any way they can.  He is such a favorite because he has a sense of reality.  He is very humble and has a very real persona to him.  In my opinion he should fight the winner of the Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva fight, with the winner getting a shot at the title.  Although Machida and Silva are both undefeated the two of them haven’t defeated a top contender.  A win over Forrest  grants them a title shot.

#3 Contender: Eventually the number 3 and 4 could flip flop with the result of their fight.  I know that the heat will come from me putting Lyoto Machida at 3 and a Silva not named Wand at 4.  The justification for this is that the winner very well could get a title shot.  If that is the case how can they be ranked any lower than this.  Machida is at the 3 spot right now.  Early in his career he defeated B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin, and Stephan Bonnar but that was almost 4 years ago.  In this what have you done for me lately sport he is undefeated.  My only problem with that is all but 1 of those are no longer in the UFC and the lone survivor is winless.  Overall he is a boring fighter that manipulates the rules in his favor to win.  It will take a serious aggressor or someone with a great game plan to defeat The Dragon.

#4 Contender: 4 is the number I am assigning to Thiago Silva.  The ATT athlete is undefeated just like the 3rd guy in this look at the 205 division.  He is a completely different fighter than Machida, and has no problems finishing fights.  He has a strong striking back ground and could be the one to push Machida into an uncomfortable area and get the win.  If that happens he and Machida should swap positions.

#5 Contender: This is one that will be a shock to many, and I feel I will catch the most heat from.  I have Dan Henderson being the 5th best in this stacked division.  You could almost call it a tie with 3 other fighters because they are all so close.  The main reason that I have him here is the fact that he just had a title fight.  Tons have changed in those 3 months, but Hendo is the only man to hold 2 Pride belts.  He has put a knockout artist to sleep and seemed to hang with the best fighter in the world before being submitted.  Hendo has great skills and could challenge anyone in this division, but is a few fights from a shot including a win over Rich Franklin.

Like all types of ranking this is completely opinionated.  I can see the argument for Wand, Jardine, and a hand full of other fighters that deserve to be on my list.  This division is deep.  It is by far the best in the sport and always provides great fights.  92 only answered a hand full of questions, and the division is still wide open.  Until someone defends the title 2 or 3 times the person on top of the mountain will not be set in stone.