MMA World Rankings
Procedure: Real World champions selected by linear victory from original champion in each weight division. UFC title selected as most mainstream and high level venue available. Top ten rankings taken from 2-15-03 MMA Writer’s Poll, updated with recent results. Champions remain until defeated in MMA competition in their weight class, changing weight classes, publicly announced retirement, or one year of inactivity. Fighters move up in rank by defeating higher ranked fighters, taking the defeated fighter’s rank, with all lower ranks moving down accordingly. Fighters are reduced one rank for every six months of inactivity up to twenty four months (two years), at which point they are considered retired and are removed from the rankings. Draws result in the fighters sharing the higher ranking. Results and dates gathered by Sherdog and Full Contact Fighter. Rankings are usually posted to Death Valley Driver, and may be found on the Fightin' Words forum of that site. Anyone interested in a more subjective, but probably more accurate MMA ranking should check out the DVDVR Infallible Opinion Poll rankings.
Last Update: 11-8-04
Heavyweight (205 - 265 lbs.)
Champion: Fedor Emelianenko (18-1-0)
Won Title: from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, unan dec, 3-16-03
Last Fight: NC vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 8-15-04
1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (24-2-1)
Last Fight: NC vs Fedor Emelianenko, 8-15-04
2. Mirko Filopovic
Last Fight: submitted Josh Barnett, 10-31-04
3. Josh Barnett (15-2-0)
Last Fight: submitted by Mirko Filopovic, 5-22-04
4. Frank Mir (8-1-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd Tim Sylvia, 6-19-04
5. Tim Sylvia (15-1-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd by Frank Mir, 6-19-04
6. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (17-8-1)
Last Fight: unan. dec over Ron Waterman, 11-7-04
7. Ron Waterman (12-2-2)
Last Fight: submitted Kevin Randleman, 8-15-04
8. Kevin Randleman (15-9-0)
Last Fight: submitted by Ron Waterman, 8-15-04
9. Pedro Rizzo (14-5-0)
Last Fight: unan dec over Ricco Rodriguez, 11-21-03
10. Ricco Rodriguez (13-4-0)
Last Fight: lost unan dec to Pedro Rizzo, 11-21-03
Notes - OK, so I added the No Contest. Filipovic takes a nice jump with his odd win over Barnett, and TK jumps into the top ten with a win over Waterman. Herring drops out.
Light Heavyweight (185 - 205 lbs.)
Champion: Vanderlei Silva (27-3-1)
Won Title:TKO'd Kazushi Sakuraba, 3-25-01
Last Fight: KO'd Quinton Jackson, 10-31-04
1. Randy Couture (13-6-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd Vitor Belfort, 8-21-04
2. Chuck Liddell (14-3-0)
Last Fight: KO'd Vernon White, 8-21-04
3. Tito Ortiz (11-4-0)
Last Fight: unan dec over Patrick Cote, 10-22-04
4. Quinton Jackson (21-5-0)
Last Fight: KO'd by Vanderlei Silva, 10-31-04
5. Ricardo Arona (9-2-0)
Last Fight: submitted Serget Ignatov, 10-31-04
6. Dan Henderson (15-3-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd Kazuhiro Nakamura, 10-31-03
7. Vitor Belfort (12-4-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd by Randy Couture, 8-21-04
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (9-1-0)
Last Fight: split decision over Kazuhiro Nakamura, 7-19-04
9. Kazushi Sakuraba (16-8-1)
Last Fight: decision over Antonio Schembri, 6-20-04
10. Yuki Kondo (43-14-5)
Last Fight: unan dec over Evangelista Santos, 11-7-04
Notes: Activity but no movement, as the fights involving ranked light heavyweights went according to rankings.
Middleweight (170 - 185 lbs.)
Champion: David Terrell (5-1-0)
Won Title: KO'd Matt Lindland, 8-21-04
Last Fight: KO'd Matt Lindland, 8-21-04
1. Matt Lindland (11-3-0)
Last Fight: KO'd by David Terrell, 8-21-04
2. Antonio Schembri (3-2-0)
Last Fight: lost unan dec to Kazushi Sakuraba, 6-20-04
3. Faliniko Vitale (18-3-0)
Last Fight: split dec over Yushin Okami, 6-18-04
4. Daiju Takase (7-9-1)
Last Fight: split decision over Carlos Newton, 5-23-04
5. Rodrigo Gracie (5-0-0)
Last Fight: Unan decision over Hayato Sakurai, 2-15-04
6. Evan Tanner (27-3-0)
Last Fight: submitted Robbie Lawler, 10-22-04
7. Phil Baroni (5-4-0)
Last Fight: lost unan dec to Evan Tanner, 6-19-04
8. Anderson Silva (12-2-0)
Last Fight: unan dec over Lee Murray, 9-11-04
9. Dave Menne (36-11-2)
Last Fight: submitted Eddie Sanchez, 9-24-04
10. Paulo Filho (8-0-0)
Last Fight: split decision over Akira Shoji, 7-19-04
Notes: Filho drops one for inactivity. I continue to be annoyed.
Welterweight (155 - 170 lbs.)
Champion B.J. Penn (8-1-1)
Won Title: submitted Matt Hughes, 1-31-04
Last Fight: submitted Duane Ludwig, 5-22-04
1. Matt Hughes (33-4-0)
Last Fight: submitted Georges St. Pierre, 10-22-04
2. Frank Trigg (12-2-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd Renato Verissimo, 10-22-04
3. Renato Verissimo (4-2-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd by Frank Trigg, 10-22-04
4. Sean Sherk (26-1-1)
Last Fight: submitted Brodie Farber, 9-23-04
5. Hayato Sakurai (20-6-2)
Last Fight: submitted by Crosley Gracie, 10-14-04
6. Georges St.Pierre (7-1-0)
Last Fight: submitted by Matt Hughes, 10-22-04
7. Chris Lytle (16-10-4)
Last Fight: submitted JT Taylor, 10-21-04
8. Karo Parisyan (11-3-0)
Last Fight: split decision over Nick Diaz, 8-21-04
9. Nick Diaz (9-3-0)
Last Fight: lost split dec to Karo Parisyan, 8-21-04
10. Jake Shields (9-3-1)
Last Fight: submitted Ray Cooper, 7-9-04
Notes: Removed middleweights Takase and Newton. Added #9 Diaz and Shooto #1 Jake Shields to round out top 10.
Lightweight (145 - 155 lbs.)
Champion: Vitor Ribeiro (10-0-0)
Won Title: awarded as #1 Contender when Duane Ludwig was stripped for failure to defend, 5-13-04
Last Fight: decision over Mitsuhiro Ishida, 7-9-04
1. Duane Ludwig (9-3-0)
Last Fight: submitted by BJ Penn, 5-22-04
2. Joachim Hansen (9-2-1)
Last Fight: submitted Sergey Golyaev, 10-15-04
3. Takanori Gomi (17-2-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd Charles Bennett, 10-14-04
4. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (15-3-2)
Last Fight: split decision over Marcus Aurelio, 7-19-04
5. Marcus Aurelio (10-2-0)
Last Fight: lost split decision to Dokonjonsuke Mishima, 7-19-04
6. David Gardner (7-3-0)
Last Fight: TKO'd by Josh Neer, 10-30-04
7. Rich Clementi (18-9-1)
Last Fight: unan dec over Henry Matamoros, 10-15-04
8. Edson Diniz (8-1-0)
Last Fight: decision over Tomomi Iwama, 7-31-04
9. Tomoyuki Fukami (3-1-1)
Last Fight: decision over Atsuhiro Tsuboi, 4-18-04
10. Tomomi Iwama (5-2-0)
Last Fight: lost dec to Edson Diniz, 7-31-04
Notes: Fukami drops one for inactivity. Gardner's loss doesn't drop him because Neer's listed at 169.
Featherweight (135 to 145 lbs.)
Champion: Alexandre Nogueira (10-2-2)
Won Title: ??
Last Fight: submitted Rumina Sato, 12-14-03
1. Jens Pulver (18-4-1)
Last Fight: KO'd Stephen Palling, 7-9-04
2. Hiroyuki Takaya (4-0-1)
Last Fight: KO'd Stephen Palling, 5-3-04
3. Stephen Palling (11-7-1)
Last Fight: KO'd by Jens Pulver, 7-9-04
4. Joao Roque (7-1-4)
Last Fight: drew Hiroyuki Takaya, 1-24-04
5. Makoto Ishikawa (10-5-1)
Last Fight: decision over Antoine Skinner, 4-16-04
6. Hiroyuki Abe (5-4-2)
Last Fight: submitted by Luiz Firmino, 7-19-04
7. Naoya Uematsu (14-3-2)
Last Fight: submitted Hideki Kadowaki, 6-27-04
8. Tetsuo Katsuta (7-5-2)
Last Fight: lost unan dec to Makota Ishikawa, 1-24-04
9. Norifumi Yamamoto (9-1-0)
Last Fight: KO'd Jadamba Naratunglag, 10-13-04
10. Katsuya Toida (8-4-0)
Last Fight: submitted Jin Kazeta, 4-16-04
Notes: Removed Melendez as a 155er. Dropped Takaya for inactivity. Added Toida for #10 spot.
