Pound for Pound.

Well then...its my first post, and there are a variety of ways I could kick this thing off. I find that the most pressing matter to attend to in the current world of MMA is the question: "who is the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world right now?" Pound for pound is a term used by MMA fans to describe the proportional talent of a fighter for his own body weight. It is often used in sentences like: "Damn Sherk is a dominant 155'er, and pound for pound one of the most talented fighters on the planet!" What usually makes a fighter highly positioned in the P4P rankings are the following criteria:

- He is dominant in his weight class
- He has beaten a considerable amount of top level competition relatively RECENTLY
- He has few losses on his career record
- His talent has allowed him to fight/would allow him to fight at a higher or lower weight class and be competitive.
- Any combination of the above, or a considerable amount of any of the above.



So who are our candidates as of late?

Fedor Emelianenko- "The Russian Experiment" has always vied for the number one spot on most P4P lists, but was previously questionable due to his relaxed schedule and lack of top competition. His recent destruction of Tim Sylvia (a former UFC champion) and KO of the well rounded Andrei Arlovski (another former UFC champ) has brought him back into strong contention, however. Fedor is a Heavyweight fighter who stands 6'0 tall and weighs 230lbs, and is a member of the organization known as Affliction. As a small heavyweight (the weight limit for a heavyweight is 265lbs), Fedor has consistently clobbered all of his heavier, taller, shorter, and more muscular foes to create a 29-1 record. He was a long time PrideFc champion and is the current World Alliance MMA champion. His only loss was actually a DQ due to an illegal elbow, but it was recorded as a loss because of the tournament format. Fedor has incredible power in his hands, is faster than most welterweights, and has some of the most brutal ground and pound in the entire sport. He also has great takedowns and submissions due to his Sambo background.

Anderson Silva- Another strong contender for the P4P top spot is the 23-4 UFC middleweight champion. Anderson has won 8 fights in a row in the UFC, however presides over a lackluster division of middleweights. Recently Anderson defeated Patrick Cote due to a blown out knee, a light heavyweight in James Irvin, and the always challenging Dan Henderson. All of his fights have been dominating performances of elegant striking, skull crushing muay thai, and on the ground he is a jiu jitsu black belt.

Georges St. Pierre- A final top contender for the P4P champion is the champion of the UFC's most talented division, the welterweights. St. Pierre has the best wrestling in MMA and defeated another great P4P fighter in BJ Penn on January 29. With a record of 18-2, Georges is on a 5 fight win streak against top level competition. There are even talks of him moving up in weight to fight Anderson Silva very soon. He has developed as a fighter in the past few years and not only wins in the most talented division of MMA in the world, but dominates in it.

AND THE WINNER?

Fedor Emelianenko- Fedor routinely fights guys whom have a 35lb or more weight advantage, and has fought top level competition lately. He has never truly lost and has fought all of the greatest fighters of every dicipline. If St. Pierre or Silva wish to take this crown from him, they would each have to fight men who were routinely heavier and just as talented as those Fedor has fought. Oh, and wait. Fedor would have to actually LOSE as well. I say good luck with that one...