Lightweight Rankings

1. BJ Penn (14-5): This former UFC Welterweight Champion and current 3-time UFC Welterweight Champion has proven a lot on this sport. He is a very dangerous fighter: On the feet, he will beat you up with his excellent boxing, and if you take it to the ground he has world class Jiu-Jitsu. B.J. Penn is a very difficult fight for anyone and has physical and technical abilities that few other fighters’ posses.

2. Shinya Aoki (22-4): The DREAM Lightweight Champion. Arguably the best Lightweight grappler in the world. He is a master on the ground and unfortunately is the only aspect of the game that we have seen him excel so greatly. His ground game is so good that it is the only weapon he uses to dominate and finish his opponent. Since he has an excellent takedown, the odds are that at some point the fight will go to the ground.

3. Eddie Alvarez (18-2): Eddie is one of the most well rounded LW fighters out there. He is the current Bellator FC Champion and is a threat everywhere the fight goes. He has good submissions, good striking and excellent conditioning. His heart is one of his biggest weapons as he won’t give up no matter what happens.

4. Gray Maynard (8-0): Criticized for not finishing fights, Gray has shown amazing evolution and incredible perseverance in the Octagon. Gray has been working extensively on his stand up and focusing on that to try to finish fights, but his bread and butter is his wrestling and whenever he feels threatened he will use that weapon to dominate the fight. Gray is very close to receiving a title shot at the Lightweight Championship of the UFC as he is 6-0 in the UFC, which is a very impressive thing to do.

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5): Kawajiri is one of the toughest lightweights out there. His striking is excellent and his ground game is excellent as well. He is so effecting striking from top position on the ground that he got the nickname ‘Crusher’. Tatsuya just came off a dominant win against Melchor Manibusan a fighter not of his same caliber; however he has had an amazing run at the lightweight division and ranks amongst the best.

6. Kenny Florian (11-4): A very dangerous finisher, Kenny Florian has failed twice to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship. He now needs to reassess how he will come back to the top and get another opportunity again. Kenny is a very dangerous fighter with a strong grappling base and now improved Muay Thai skills. He is dangerous wherever the fight goes and shows patience and effectiveness when fighting.

7. Frankie Edgar (10-1): Frankie is one of the toughest fighters out there. Impressive wins over Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher, Mark Boceck, Tyson Griffin and Jim Miller proves his legitimacy. He has second to none conditioning a strong pace and is a very well rounded fighter.

8. Josh Thomson (16-2): This ‘Punk’ is boasting a 8-fight winning streak including a victory over former top 10 Gilbert Melendez to steal the Strikeforce Lightweight title from him. Josh is a high caliber opponent that would go five full rounds with strong fast paced action. Very well rounded and good on the ground as well.

9. Mizuto Hirota (12-3): Mizuto has impressed everyone with two consecutive victories against two former top 10 opponents: Mitsuhiro Ishida and Satoru Kitaoka. Hirota is not a well known fighter in the MMA community but his skills are second to none. He is the current Sengoku Lightweight Champion.

10. Sean Sherk (33-4): When Sean made his UFC debut he was 17-0. Nothing in the world would make Sean believe that he was anything but unstoppable. The problem was that his debut was against a man named Matt Hughes. Now that he has forgotten about competing in the Welterweight division and established himself in the Lightweight class, this 155 pound monster has accomplished a lot, including the UFC LW belt. He has lost 2 of his last 3 fights but no one could question his determination and his spot as one of the best Lightweights of the World.