Anderson is P4P best.

There is no more disputing this. Him and GSP are both dominant of course, but Anderson finishes fights. He knocked out a great striker in Vitor Belfort with one of the most creative kicks ever. He still has that one shot KO power, he has 25 minutes to finish anyone he fights. If you guys think GSP is number one, please state your case, I really do not see any logical argument here, but I'll obviously listen to reason.

That might be the most ridiculous logic I've ever read. He let Chael dominate him for 4 1/2 rounds because he wanted to get the sub? I'm not discounting Andy's W but when have you seen the p4p best get dominated like that? GSP edges him out slightly IMO, his competition is better and he's dominating like nobody's business.

Chael must be an elite striker then because he landed just about every punch he threw at Anderson, yet Belfort was throwing punches with twice the speed and power, but missing by inches everytime Anderson slipped his head out of the way (excluding the initial couple of shots from Belfort that seemed to wake Anderson up).  Chael outstruck Anderson, Anderson outstrikes everyone else with super ease, that must mean Chael is the best striker alive..

There's just no way that Anderson took the shots from Chael because he was more focused on a submission win.  It's all just a conspiracy..  I wonder why Anderson always pulled guard when Chael took him down..  Maybe he wanted to KO Chael from his back.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I definitely believe what I saw.  I've watched the fight 5 or 6 times.

Oh damn I forgot to mention that that was the only fight in Anderson's entire 13 fight UFC career that he walked to the Octagon wearing a gi, but that was probably just yet another coincidence.

I think the whole "Silva was waiting for the sub all along, and that was his plan from the beginning" story is a little too much UFC hype, not enough truth.  Let's not start taking whatever's said in the UFC 126 Countdown as fact, now.  I would be more likely to believe that Silva wore his gi out of solidarity and support for the insulted Nogueira Bros jiu-jitsu, not because he was going to be sub-focused only.  Anderson was getting tagged by Chael because he had his hands down to defend the takedowns that he 100% knew were coming.  Everyone knew they were coming.  He didn't have that kind of takedown threat from Belfort, so obviously he was more defensible of striking.  And if all the takedowns were just Anderson pulling guard, then that is a negative, not a positive.  Because that means that Anderson spent four rounds pulling guard for a submission, and couldn't find it.  Four rounds looking solely for submissions against a guy who has the submission defense of a rock.  And then there's the argument that he waited until the fifth round to get the sub, and was again "planning that all along".  Well, that just borders on lunacy, since no one in their right mind waits until 2 minutes left in the fight to pull the win out of their ass.  There's no chance in hell Anderson wanted to wait until the last minute of the fight to pull out the win.

The more likely scenario is that Anderson had injured ribs.  Getting taken down over and over would exacerbate such an injury.  Anderson didn't get tagged by Chael because he was more focused on getting a sub, he was getting tagged because he was more focused on defending takedowns, and had his hands down and wasn't actively expecting much in the way of striking.  Chael Sonnen, despite his submission defense flaws, is still an incredibly elite wrestler.  And his wrestling dominated the fight.  While off his back, Anderson probably was looking for a sub the entire time.  But that's because Chael has no defense of it.  And also because that's what black belts in jiu-jitsu do when they're on their backs.  But let's not pretend that every single thing that Chael did in that fight was only because Anderson let him do it.  Anderson is not a god.  Chael hit him because Anderson's takedown defense left a striking opening.  And Chael took him down over and over because his wrestling is light years ahead of Anderson's. 

Anderson won the fight.  Decisively and without question.  But he didn't get dominated for most of the fight solely because he had a "one track mind" for submissions.  He got dominated because he has a weakness against strong wrestlers.  And, up until the end, that weakness overcame his strengths in jiu-jitsu.  But, like I said above, if Anderson really was looking for a sub the whole fight, and nothing else, then that means it was an even more piss-poor performance than already.  Because it means he couldn't sub Sonnen for four and a half rounds, when his jiu-jitsu pedigree should have found it much sooner.  Pick your poison for explanations, then.

Anderson is undefeated in the UFC, GSP has lost twice.

 

All the reason I need.

Just because St-pierre doesn't finish his opponnets doesn't mean he's not the best. To me they are two halves of the perfect fighter. Gsp has effective striking with outstanding wrestling. Silva has devastating striking with good bjj.But for me the ground game is more effective. That's why he is the #1 P4P king

I agree with Tacoma, Lynxguy and Conman. He submitted Sonnen, and he was pulling guard, he didn't want the ko, he wanted the submission. and he got it. 

I've never had GSP as my personal #1 P4P it went from Fedor to Anderson..and Anderson has beat 5 of my favorite fighters but I have to respect what he's done

The whole Sonnen match was a joke. The guy tested positive for steroids. Come one. Not only that but keep in mind this was the fight after Dana White publicly told Anderson that if he didn't start putting on a show and just quickly finishing fights that he would never fight in the UFC again.  Anderson was playing with his mouthpiece, staring at the clock and Dana and also had control over Sonnen the entire time on the ground. His little taps to Silva's face compared nothing to the single jabs from Anderson that split him open.. Anderson > anyone in UFC

A lot of good commentary in here. I just stopped in to say I just put Anderson to #1 in my P4P ranking. You can call me biased as an Anderson fan but the truth is I was quick to move Georges into the position after Anderson fought Chael and Georges has looked good lately.
I am honestly starting to believe that the Sonnen fight was a fluke. I don't need to get into specifics. But the whole thing was spectacle.
Anderson can probably stay competitive with the top fighters in the three weight classes surrounding him LHW,MW,WW, while I believe GSP would struggle moving up.
Subjective reasoning really. But isn't it all?

@Elkisland

I did the exact same thing.  After Anderson struggled with Chael and GSP dominated Koscheck I had to put GSP as the #1 fighter in the world because of their latest performances and the level of competition they were doing it against.  I believe Anderson was definitely injured for that fight, but he did still show up to fight and won.  But after watching Anderson do what he did to Belfort, there's just no way I could put GSP ahead of him.  Also I do like to look at Anderson's willingness to move up to challenge a former light heavyweight champion and just flat out school him in the most beautiful way.

Also people like to point out that GSP has avenged his two losses, which is awesome, but the losses did still happen and they were both first round stoppages.  Anderson hasn't even had the opportunity to avenge a loss, that's even more impressive than GSP's rematches in my opinion.

I also wanna make it clear that I'm a big GSP fan as well.  Hard not to be in Canada.  I've supported him in every fight.

Yep, I'm back on board... Silva.

This is getting no where. The #1 p4p fight will be determined after the superfight.Only one fighter will have his hand raised.

Ive had GSP as my PFP best for awhile now, but after Anderson;s recent performance, they have switched places. I still believe GSP wins if they fight.

@ Dtmma
If you think GSP beats Silva if they fight, then why the hell would you say Silva is the best P4P?
You're not making sense.

Anderson no doubt. 

Anderson is ten times the fighter GSP is and he will prove that when they fight...GSP cant finish opponents anymore and Anderson can plus Anderson is knocking people out in two different weight classes...14-0 in the UFC P4P best, no doubt about it

Beastmaster, I agree fully.

And honestly, I don't have too much of a problem with GSP being in the top spot.. I just thing Anderson deserves it at this moment.

Either way, I can see GSP and Jon Jones having a simmilar battle for p4p greatness in the next couple years.