Author: Vince Carey

Official B/R MMA Rankings June 2011: Top 10 Lightweights in MMA

Some of Bleacher Report’s best MMA writers have come together to give their opinions on who is the best-of-the-best in June. Each respective division voted on by these writers. Going along with Bleacher Report’s continuing efforts to provide our …

Some of Bleacher Report’s best MMA writers have come together to give their opinions on who is the best-of-the-best in June. Each respective division voted on by these writers.

Going along with Bleacher Report’s continuing efforts to provide our readers with the most unique content, we are also taking strides to compile consensus MMA rankings for each weight class.

It’s been a tough month for some of these fighters since the last time we did the rankings in mid-May. UFC 130, 131, Strikeforce Overeem vs. Werdum and even The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale have helped shape the rankings voted on by the writers of Bleacher Report MMA.

So here you are, the reader, the mid-June 2011 Bleacher Report official rankings as voted by our panel of writers from the MMA section.

 

Special thanks to those who contributed:

Nick Caron

Jason Schielke

Vince Carey

Sean Smith

Dwight Wakabayashi

John Heinis

Sal DeRose

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James Toney Set to Fight Ken Shamrock in September

While no one was asking for it, it seems that someone is giving it to us anyway. Bjpenn.com is reporting that former UFC champion Ken Shamrock is set to take on world champion boxer James Toney at a yet to be named fight card on September 23rd in El Pa…

While no one was asking for it, it seems that someone is giving it to us anyway.

Bjpenn.com is reporting that former UFC champion Ken Shamrock is set to take on world champion boxer James Toney at a yet to be named fight card on September 23rd in El Paso, Texas.

This is the second professional MMA fight for Toney, who lost his UFC debut to Hall of Famer Randy Couture back at UFC 118 in August of 2010.

Toney was released from his UFC contract shortly after the bout.

Shamrock was a participant in the first UFC event and has become a legend in the sport, known for his battles with Royce Gracie and Tito Ortiz.

Shamrock is also coming off a long layoff, fighting for the first time since a loss to Mike Bourke back at a King of the Cage event in November.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 Fights That Could Be a Bummer This Summer

This summer was looked at as the biggest in MMA history, and one month into it we’ve had a plethora of meaningful fights go down. But after a lot of hype, some of the more high profile fights have fallen flat, most notably the fight between Alist…

This summer was looked at as the biggest in MMA history, and one month into it we’ve had a plethora of meaningful fights go down.

But after a lot of hype, some of the more high profile fights have fallen flat, most notably the fight between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum last weekend.

The last thing we want as fans is to have a fight that we’ve been looking forward to fall flat, but much like Overeem-Werdum, there are likely to be at least a few more this summer.

I looked through the upcoming events and found five big time fights that have the potential to be a bust. 

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5 Reasons American Fans Should Stop Hating Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping might be the most hated fighter in MMA. From his trash talk on The Ultimate Fighter, (pick your season) to his questionable decision win against Matt Hamill in England, or his despicable behavior after his fight with Jorge Rivera at UFC…

Michael Bisping might be the most hated fighter in MMA.

From his trash talk on The Ultimate Fighter, (pick your season) to his questionable decision win against Matt Hamill in England, or his despicable behavior after his fight with Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, it’s easy to find a reason to hate “The Count.”

The problem is, none of these things are his fault.

Here are five reasons why we should not only stop hating Bisping, but we should also cheer for him.

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7 UFC Fighters Who Could Be Fool’s Gold

Watching a fighter go from an up-and-coming prospect to a world champion is one of the most satisfying things to watch as an MMA fan. As we’ve recently see with Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez, if a fighter is brought into the world title picture sl…

Watching a fighter go from an up-and-coming prospect to a world champion is one of the most satisfying things to watch as an MMA fan.

As we’ve recently see with Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez, if a fighter is brought into the world title picture slowly and given time to harness his skills, it can be a thing of beauty when he finally steps in there with the best.

Every couple of months we see a guy who we think could be the next big thing in his weight class if only he had a little more time.

This list is comprised of prospects (one from each weight class) who have either hit that upper echelon of talent or are just getting their wings and are seen as future contenders.

The problem is there are still some unanswered questions about these guys, and we can’t yet be sure if they are quite ready to be in the championship conversation, let alone hold a championship belt.

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UFC 131 Results: Three Fights for Kenny Florian to Take Next

Following His UFC 131 victory over Diego Nunes, Kenny Florian has gone from a fringe contender at 155, to a legit option to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt. This might be because of Florian being the most well known fighter in a relative…

Following His UFC 131 victory over Diego Nunes, Kenny Florian has gone from a fringe contender at 155, to a legit option to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt.

This might be because of Florian being the most well known fighter in a relatively new division (likely), or because there is absolutely no depth in the 145lb division (even more likely).

Whether the MMA universe likes it or not, Florian just entered the top 5 in the UFC’s weakest division, and there are only a few matchups that make sense at this point.

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