2013 is an exciting time to be an MMA fan in the Philippines. With the country arguably having the most rabid and educated fans of combat sports in the region, several promotions have began regularly hosting shows in Manila.

Just a few years back, the Filipino MMA scene was basically run unopposed by the URCC, the nation's first promotion which has been running for over a decade. Apart from runn...

Our sources are cited at the bottom of this post.

Rank Fighter Points Promotion Last Rank

1

Jose Aldo

225

UFC

1

2

Chad Mendes

207

UFC

3

3

Pat Curran

194

Bellator

5

4

Ricardo Lamas

194

UFC

2

5

Frankie Edgar

191

UFC

4

6

Chan Sung Jung

168

UFC

6

7

Cub Swanson

166

UFC

9

8

Dennis Siver

160

UFC

8

9

Clay Guida

147

UFC

7

10

Dustin Poirier

111

UF...

UFC on Fox 7 is in the books, and other than the horrendous and unacceptable decision to give Francis Carmont the win over Lorenz Larkin, the card was fantastic from top to bottom. Since Tim Burke is away on vacation, I will play the role of Tim Burke playing Joe Silva/Sean Shelby and do some fantasy matchmaking for each main card fighter:

Ben Henderson. Well ... Dana White did the work for me. ...

In the main event at UFC on Fox 7, UFC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson (18-2 MMA; 6-0 UFC) puts his title on the line against former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez (21-2 MMA; UFC Debut). The official UFC rankings currently have this as a battle between the #1 Lightweight and #5 pound for pound fighter in the world against the #1 contender. UFC on Fox 7 airs live from San Jose, CA this ...

In a main card fight at UFC on Fox 7, two decorated Lightweights square off with Nate Diaz (16-8 MMA; 11-6 UFC) faces Josh Thomson (19-5(1) MMA; 2-1 UFC). This is the 2nd of 4 main card fights to be shown on Fox. UFC on Fox 7 airs live from San Jose, CA this Saturday, April 20, on Fox with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

As is the theme with this show, this is a UFC vs. Strikefo...

The UFC gets to showcase its exciting lightweight division once again as Benson Henderson defends his belt against the Strikeforce titleholder, Gilbert Melendez. Though familiar in style, it's a unique matchup that is bound to deliver the kind of fast paced action the division, and particularly these fighters have embodied over the years.

Benson Henderson (18-2) vs. Gilbert Melendez (21-2) Light...

In the second bout of the evening for the UFC on FOX 7 at the HP Pavillion, two lightweight contenders look to bounce back into the win column for potential (re)cracks at the belt in the foreseeable future.

Nate Diaz (16-8) vs. Josh Thomson (19-5-1) Lightweight

This fight feels like it's been brewing for awhile, and to be sure, the staredown between these two will make it feel that way.

Nate's...

Another UFC event, another Cesar Gracie team member fights a UFC champion. This Saturday Gilbert Melendez will be vying to prove once again that second-tier promotions can produce top-tier talent by challenging champ Benson Henderson for the lightweight strap.

Gilbert Melendez is a dangerous man, and has been one of my favorite fighters for some time now. Not only does he bring excitement to the...

Two lightweight champions will collide this Saturday night (April 20, 2013) as UFC champ Ben Henderson takes on Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez in the main event of UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose, California.

Henderson has looked better and better, most recently dispatching Melendez's teammate Nate Diaz in the December Fox show. Now, he's looking to finish off Team Cesar Gracie and continue his lig...

Someone new is stirring trouble in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) neighborhood.

Evicted from their Strikeforce stomping grounds earlier this year after a Zuffa takeover, the now-defunct San Jose, Calif.,-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's best and brightest are making the jump to the Octagon en masse, resulting in a sensational line up of FOX fights this weekend (Sat., April 20...

Long-standing, and the last, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez will challenge Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 155-pound kingpin, Ben Henderson, this Saturday night (April 20, 2013) in the UFC on Fox 7 main event, which takes place at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Melendez has long been considered one of the very best lightweights in the world. "El Nino" has compiled a...

Two very talented lightweights coming off recent title challenges will meet this Saturday night (April 20, 2013) as Nate Diaz takes on former Strikeforce 155 pound champion Josh Thomson on the UFC on Fox 7 main card in San Jose, California.

Nate Diaz was on a rampage in the UFC lightweight division, reaching to heights which put him on position to challenge for the lightweight title this past De...

For years, when Josh Thomson and his former sometimes training partner, turned greatest career rival, Gilbert Melendez, were tearing things up on the Strikeforce scene, he had always felt that he never quite got his due on the international basis. Thomson has been convinced for a decade that he's among the top tier of lightweights in the world, but he's rarely had his name listed in the top ten. ...

POUND FOR POUND

1 Anderson Silva

2 Jon Jones

3 Geirges St-Pierre

4 Jose Aldo

5 Ben Henderson

6 Demetrious Johnson

7 Renan Barao

8 Cain Velasquez

9 Anthony Pettis

10 Frankie Edgar

11 Johny Hendricks

12 Joseph Benavidez

13 Junior dos Santos

14 Gilbert Melendez

15 Carlos ConditOthers Receiving Votes: Pat Curran, Lyoto Machida, Dan ...

Things are finally slowing down in the MMA world for a couple weeks. Fortunately, recent events left us all with plenty to discuss in the meantime.

So I'm glad to have my West Coast tag team partner, Shaun Al-Shatti, join me for the latest edition of The MMA Roundtable. From armchair psychoanalysis of Nick Diaz, to the news of the co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter, to whether Johny Hendricks ...

Our sources are cited at the bottom of this post.

Rank Fighter Points Promotion Last Rank

1

Jose Aldo

225

UFC

1

2

Ricardo Lamas

200

UFC

3

3

Chad Mendes

198

UFC

2

4

Frankie Edgar

192

UFC

23

5

Pat Curran

188

Bellator

4

6

Chan Sung Jung

171

UFC

5

7

Clay Guida

157

UFC

8

8

Dennis Siver

151

UFC

6

9

Cub Swanson

145

UFC

7

10

Dustin Poirier

111

U...

Beginning this month, the MMA Torch Staff Rankings will be 15 fighters deep in each division from heavyweight through bantamweight.

Also different, any fighter who has not fought in fifteen consecutive months, and does not currently have a bout officially signed is ineligible to be ranked. A partial list includes Dominick Cruz, Shane Carw...

Two serious mixed martial arts (MMA) veterans will test their mettle this Saturday night (March 2, 2013) as former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 155-pound title challenger Diego Sanchez takes on former Pride FC Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi on the UFC on Fuel TV 8 main card in Saitama, Japan.

Sanchez had a failed experiment moving back up to the Welterweight division, absorbing a pai...

This week, ONE FC revealed some more of its plans for the future with news that upcoming events were in the works for Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hanoi, Taipei, New Delhi and Moscow. With Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta already having hosted shows, this would put the promotion in 12 countries across Asia and beyond.

There will be a minimum of 11 more ONE FC events this year wi...

Our sources are cited at the bottom of this post.

Rank

Fighter

Points

Promotion

Last Rank

1

Jose Aldo

200

UFC

1

2

Chad Mendes

180

UFC

2

3

Ricardo Lamas

178

UFC

3

4

Pat Curran

176

Bellator

4

5

Chan Sung Jung

156

UFC

5

6

Dennis Siver

145

UFC

6

7

Cub Swanson

122

UFC

11

8

Clay Guida

120

UFC

21

9

Dustin Poirier

117

UFC

8

10

Hatsu Hioki

111...