MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: Cain Velasquez Belongs

Filed under: UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, Rankings, OverallWhen it comes to pound-for-pound rankings, the biggest question is always how to deal with heavyweights. Some people think a pound-for-pound list should never include any heavyweight champions at all…

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When it comes to pound-for-pound rankings, the biggest question is always how to deal with heavyweights. Some people think a pound-for-pound list should never include any heavyweight champions at all. Others say if you’re the heavyweight champ, you belong in the Top 10, just as the champions at bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight belong.

When Fedor Emelianenko was the heavyweight king, I always had him on my pound-for-pound list. But when Brock Lesnar took Fedor’s place as the sport’s top heavyweight, I didn’t list Lesnar. My feeling was that Lesnar’s greatness was much more about size and strength than skill, and therefore Lesnar wasn’t really suited to being in the pound-for-pound Top 10.

Now that Cain Velasquez is the heavyweight champion of the world, I’m back to having a heavyweight in my Top 10. Find out where and why below.

Henderson-Pettis Winner to Become UFC Lightweight No. 1 Contender

Filed under: UFC, NewsBen Henderson and Anthony Pettis will have the honor of shutting off the lights behind them when they face off in the last match in WEC history later this year.

But their WEC 53 main event matchup will be more than just an answer…

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Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis will have the honor of shutting off the lights behind them when they face off in the last match in WEC history later this year.

But their WEC 53 main event matchup will be more than just an answer to a trivia question; it will also determine the No. 1 contender to the UFC lightweight championship.

That’s the word according to UFC president Dana White, who told reporters of the plan during a conference call to formally announce the UFC-WEC merger.

UFC 125 Fight Card: Edgar vs. Maynard, Carwin vs. Nelson

Filed under: UFCThe UFC 125 fight card is shaping up with a total of six bouts confirmed as of Oct. 18 for the Jan. 1 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Helping the UFC kick off the New Year is a lightweight title bout between champion …

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The UFC 125 fight card is shaping up with a total of six bouts confirmed as of Oct. 18 for the Jan. 1 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Helping the UFC kick off the New Year is a lightweight title bout between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard as well as a heavyweight showdown pitting former interim champ Shane Carwin and TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson.

And for the first time since UFC 112 “Invincible” in April, UFC 125 has a name: “Resolution.”

Edgar vs. Maynard, Carwin vs. Nelson, Guida vs. Gomi Set for UFC 125

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC 125 is now official for Jan. 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson and Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi, says the UFC Ultimate Insider vodcast.

Brian S…

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UFC 125 is now official for Jan. 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson and Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi, says the UFC Ultimate Insider vodcast.

Brian Stann vs. Chris Leben and Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Nate Diaz are also expected for the main card, but have not yet been announced.

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante trains like a beast for his fight against Josh Thomson at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II" this Saturday. Props: GenghisConFilms)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-m…

(Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante trains like a beast for his fight against Josh Thomson at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II" this Saturday. Props: GenghisConFilms)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle Planned for UFC 124 in Montreal (MMA Fighting)

– Ed Soares’ Dream for Jose Aldo? Super-Fight Against Frankie Edgar (Versus MMA Beat)

– Gina Carano Lands Her Next Major Movie Role, and More Juicy Rumors (MiddleEasy)

– Is Bad Sportsmanship Just Part of the MMA Fight Game? (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Gerald Harris and Phil Davis Get Main Card Slots at UFC 123, Karo Parisyan and Tyson Griffin Stuck in the Prelims (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Nevada State Athletic Commission Makes Half-Baked Changes To Drug Testing Policy (Watch Kalib Run)

– 5 Fights You Shouldn’t Miss This October (LowKick)

– Is Frankie Edgar the #2 P4P Fighter in the World? Dana White Thinks So… (MMA Convert)

– Crazy Slugfest from K-1 MAX Grand Prix (MMA Scraps)

– Jake Shields: The Specialist [VIDEO] (FightMagazine)

Edgar vs. Maynard Title Fight Reported for UFC 125 on New Year’s Day

(Man, that is some crazy, high-level, top-of-the-food-chain…uh, what exactly am I looking at here? Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.)
As first reported by MMAFighting, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will attempt to make his second belt defense a…

Gray Maynard Frankie Edgar UFC Fight Night
(Man, that is some crazy, high-level, top-of-the-food-chain…uh, what exactly am I looking at here? Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly.)

As first reported by MMAFighting, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will attempt to make his second belt defense against Gray Maynard at UFC 125, which is slated to go down New Year’s Day 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Both fighters are coming off big decision wins at UFC 118, with Edgar shutting down BJ Penn in a rematch of their first title bout, and Maynard outpointing Kenny Florian. Edgar and Maynard previously met at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008, with Maynard scoring a unanimous decision victory and handing Edgar his only career loss to date. Both fighters are tied on the UFC decision-fight leaderboard.

As Chael Sonnen so eloquently put it, "From a business standpoint, acting as though Maynard versus Edgar is going to sell out an arena is about as optimistic as holding onto Jim Morrison’s mail." Which is why the potential loss of Silva vs. Belfort on the card is such a bummer. Plus, Chris Leben is penciled in to fight Brian Stann at the event, not Wanderlei Silva, as we (and Silva himself) had hoped. UFC 125 could really use a solid co-headliner, especially considering it’s a New Year’s card. Any bright ideas?