Jon Jones’ most recent transgression was the talk of the town, and it landed him in serious hot water with the UFC brass. The leader in mixed martial arts indefinitely suspended the now-former light heavyweight champion, and as such pulled him from the official rankings.
With Jones out—is Jose Aldo the pound-for-pound best fighter on planet Earth? I will make the case that voters should reevaluate their stance and move another above him for their next go around.
But first, off the top let’s just admit that the pound-for-pound rankings mean nothing. They are simply a talking point and highlight some of the best fighters in the world today. Where divisional rankings have some basis on performance, the pound-for-pound rankings are highly subjective.
When looking at the new rankings only four names leap off the page that should be in contention for this polarizing honor: Aldo, Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey.
All four are phenomenal champions. And dominant. The question becomes how to differentiate between them.
Is pound-for-pound simply who is the most dominant? If so, then this is Rousey’s honor. Women’s bantamweight is not as deep as the featherweight or lightweight divisions, but ousting back-to-back top-five-ranked contenders in a combined 30 seconds is astounding. No matter how you slice it.
Or is pound-for-pound a distinction that belongs to someone who has run through a list of credible challengers? That would put Aldo just barely ahead of Weidman. Both of them have faced top-tier competition time and again while winning impressively.
However, if you want the best fighter in the world regardless of physical attributes & based on skill alone you have to side with Johnson.
The flyweight division is shallow. No one disputes this. Regardless, the competition Johnson has faced has been solid. Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson are all great talents. They have better skill sets than many others who have challenged for gold in other divisions. And he has outclassed them all since becoming champion. The improvements he has made have been outstanding.
Johnson’s technique is peerless.
His last-second stoppage of Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186 was very impressive. He did not need to seek out a finish. He dominated the fight. Yet, it wasn’t good enough. Mighty Mouse stopped another challenger. He set himself apart.
Aldo is a fantastic striker, a very good grappler and even has solid wrestling. Rousey is a world-class judoka with ever-developing striking that is underrated at best. Weidman also chimes in with a stellar grappling attack in both wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and the middleweight champion has shown off his striking against the best to ever do it in MMA—Anderson Silva.
But none of them blend together all their pieces like Johnson. It is not even really close. The way Johnson is able to switch things up on the fly is remarkable, and it is what sets him apart from the field.
Pound-for-pound is subjective, but Johnson should earn his slot as the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. He has fought more often than any other champion against very good fighters, he has dominated those fights and he blends his elite skills better than anyone else in this sport.
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