Silva #1… Not a Chance

Anderson Silva #1? No way, no how! Pinpoint striker, yes. Tops on an equal playing field? Not even close (that is assuming we are talking about MIXED Martial Arts here).

Jon Jones is top dog and it shouldn't even be too close. I think Velasquez would come in a close tie for second with Cormier & Weideman. I would love to see Jones tested by Cormier, but Bones is currently suffering from Mayweather syndrome and Cam Newton syndrome (i.e. thinking you are much more important to the human race than you actually are).

Shut the hell up

I don't get this, Anderson is the clear Nr.1 on the P4P list, yet you disagree describe attributes one needs to maybe be Nr.1 on the "most well rounded" list. Then again you list Anderson above GSP on your list.

Which leads me to this assumption of your little thread: DOUBLE FAIL

I agree with the title thread but not with your #1 ts. The lighter weight class fighters are far ahead of the big boys skill and cardio wise.


die, Anderson is on another level with his striking but he's a throwback in that he can get by with one dominant skill. Although he did seem to show some wrestling improvement in the 2nd Chael fight, it's obviously his weakness and I've never really been that impressed with his BJJ (sorry but subbing Chael Sonnen is not that hard), and we've gotten to the point where to be even an above average MMA fighter, if you have a significant weakness, it will be exploited. The fact that Anderson is still champ, I think, is due to MW being by far the weakest division (although it's improving) and his spectacularly skilled striking which mentally conquers most opponents before they fight but in any other division I think he'd have already lost. He's an all-time great but I think most give him too much credit for being well-rounded.

* Edited at 06.01.2013, 10:11 AM ET *

To me the only argument you can make against Anderson being #1 is GSP i agree that Jones has been very impressive in the short time weve been watching him but Anderson Silva has been dominating his division against the very top competition for 7 years!

@mule your post didn't suprise me because I first looked at your P4P ranking. We clearly have different perception on what it means. I think the P4P ranking is to see who would be the best in the world if all guys would weigh the same but for me it also is a ranking that compares accomplishments. You seem to ignore the latter since you have Edgar and Chandler in there and also Andy and GSP that low...

P4P is always a tough and subjective debate. 

Personally, I don't mind ppl having Anderson in the 1 spot because he's done some incredible things in the cage that nobody has been able to simulate. He's got more intangibles than all the other UFC champs combined. 

With that said, I think GSP and Jones have clearly demonstrated that they're more well-rounded, and I think GSP is the best of the three in terms of pure P4P skill when you factor in his wrestling, striking, BJJ, adaptability and especially his timing. If Anderson was a natural 170-pounder, I think he'd be a solid underdog to GSP, as would Jones.

You are all wrong, Bob Sapp is without a doubt the greatest P4P fighter in MMA today. Let me update my ranking.

@KO's is the only one doing it right .    ^^

What a pile of **** this thread is.

So you're right at home then 

The guy who almost never loses a round and dominates the best division in the UFC is #1. Like @skelliher said this is very subjective but if the top 10 were all the same weight GSP would be able to beat all of them for the exception of maybe Jones due to how well rounded he is. 

You want a scary thought; Jose Aldo  6'2" 185 lbs.    You really think even Jones (shrunken to the same size) or Anderson or even a slightly bigger GSP beats him?    It just seems to me that most are dismissing the smaller guys too easily when p4p should be a showcase for them.  Of course they don't have the resumes of Anderson & GSP because the divisions haven't been around as long as those 2 have been champs.

And yes, I think Aldo, Barao, and even Johnson have shown more in terms of skill than the Big 3.  

Oh and Cain is being shorted here too since he's already almost the smallest in his weight class. 

Isn't Anderson pretty much the 6'2 185 lb version of Jose Aldo? When I was an MMA noob, someone actually described Aldo to me as "mini Anderson Silva".

The only glaring difference I can think of is Aldo's vicious leg kicks.

* Edited at 06.01.2013, 12:40 PM ET *

Cain is being shorted? Didn't he just complete his FIRST title defense a week ago? The problem with p4p lists is people go by if this or if that instead of looking at what we can go by for certain. I'm guilty of it just like everyone else. Until Georges retires or loses I think he's the most dominant/complete fighter. 

amp, how about tdd and just general overall wrestling/grappling?  You think Anderson's even close to as good as Aldo?!?  Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with Anderson as #1, it's just that it's not a fact. Imo Anderson is the greatest striker of all time and maybe he doesn't have the wrestling or even the true BJJ skills of some but MMA is the implementation of all phases of fighting and just like Cain's wrestling makes his striking better, the same goes for Anderson's fantastic striking masking his deficiencies in other areas. I truly don't think he's the best but I acknowledge that he could be and certainly has to be in the discussion. 

Aldo probably does have the better takedown defense, but I definitely give the grappling/submissions to Silva. Aside from Chael Sonnen, he doesn't get taken down a lot. Henderson took him down and Lutter did as well, but Silva finished Lutter off his back and took Hendo's back pretty easily (albeit after some perfectly placed strikes).

I think you have to give it to Silva based on his repeated success. No losses in 7 years fighting UFC level talent is crazy. Aldo is getting up there and he may surpass Silva's record, but I wouldn't rank him above Silva just yet. Down the road maybe, but not now.

Jones is an easy second because of his dominant wins and could also get close to Silva's record.

The argument for Cain and GSP is good, but I can't honestly say they are better than Silva or Jones given that they both lost their UFC titles.

That's my thought process. Those are the only 5 names that deserve to be considered as the P4P best. Can't see a solid argument for the other champions.

Benson barely beats his opponents, Barao just got the title, Cruz hasn't fought in almost 2 years (which is why he's not on my list at all) and MM is fighting in a division that has like 7 fighters.

Results oriented it is for you apparently. 

Who has Silva subbed besides Sonnen? Hendo doesn't count because as you said it was due to strikes. Aldo doesn't use his BJJ but he was a champ before he got into MMA. GSP lost to Serra and imo it ruined him as a fighter, now he's just an athlete.

Cain lost to JDS in a fight it's pretty obvious now that he shouldn't have taken and even considering that JDS could be on this list also. Silva has never faced an opponent who could push him as much as those 2 push each other.

Mighty Mouse's argument is easy. He gave the champ at the weight class above probably his toughest fight and he's still the smallest guy in his class. He's the mini-Edgar. 

I don't think it's fair to use results as a basis for p4p simply because the lower weight classes have not only just been introduced to the UFC but because many lighter weight fighters fought larger opponents because of the lack of opportunity to face similar sized foes in the bigger orgs. 

I can make a case against Jones easily also: He's a massive LHW who has the wrestler's natural advantage at weight-cutting, he has Greg Jackson to keep him from being in fights and turning them into athletic contests, and while he's been impressive in dominating long-time greats of the glamour division, he had perfect timing as far as coming along when the old guard had passed their primes and had stagnated as far as using all their skills so not truly being  as well-rounded as modern MMA fighters in the lighter weight classes.