After UFC 100, certain MMA blog-spots still have Anderson "The Sleeping Spider" Silva rated above either Fedor or GSP; very quizzical, in my humble opinion. Given my undying man-love for GSP, I thought I would compare the most recent achievements of all three fighters, by the numbers, to ascertain the pound-for-pound number one. I'm interested in everybody's thoughts.
GSP:
Over a span of nine fights, and twenty-nine rounds, GSP has lost - depending on the judge you speak to - two rounds: the TKO loss to Matt Serra, and a round [...or two...] to BJ Penn, both of which he resoundingly avenged. Of those nine fights, five were against current or former champions - BJ Penn [x2], Hughes [x2], Serra [x1] - and each of his opponents, aside from Serra, was ranked as one of the top three WWs in the world [not just the UFC] at the time of the fight. (With BJ Penn actually being in the Top Five P4P at the time.) And since GSP began dominating - say, after Hughes I - he has cleared one of the most dominant divisions in MMA history, in respects to sheer talent. (The only division that really compares is PRIDE HW division from 2003-R.I.P., with Hunt, Cro-Cop, Nog, Barnett, Coleman, Randleman, and, of course, Fee-aye-Dyor.) Finally, if you consider his reign from Anderson's entrance into the UFC, GSP actually holds six wins over UFC champions, as he defeated Sherk as well. GSP has resoundingly destroyed three top-ten P4P opponents in a row, with not a single round lost; in reality, there was less than a few minutes total where he was in a defensive position. No fighter can match this current stretch.
Anderson:
During the same period, Anderson Silva has an equal number of fights, with a total of eighteen rounds; of those eighteen rounds, he lost a round to Lutter, a round [...or two...] to Cote, a round to Henderson, and one [boring] round to Leites - a total of four/five rounds lost. Being generous and only giving one round to Cote, this means that Anderson has lost four out of a total eighteen rounds, whereas GSP has lost a total of two [or three] rounds out of a total twenty-nine. In terms of opponents, Anderson holds only three wins against current or former UFC champions - Franklin [x2] and Hendo - to GSP's five/six, and has cleared out the most resoundingly weak division in MMA. Aside from Hendo, none of his opponents during this reign were considered elite at the time he defeated them. (Aside from Franklin, who may have been considered top-ten P4P.) The only thing which reasonably placed Anderson above GSP was his style of finishing fights, and his sheer accuracy and viscousness of striking; however, that Anderson has flown the coop and, with him, his claim to P4P # 1. Given his recent unconvincing performances, reasonable doubt must be raised as to whether Anderson was merely a big fish in a small pond, or was truly one of MMA's elite; a convincing victory over Forrest will certainly go far in deciding this.
Fedor:
Our last fighter, Fedor, fought six times during this period, with a total of seven rounds - of those seven rounds, he has not lost one of them; and, in fact, Mark Coleman was his last opponent since Cro-Cop - in 2005, during the OWGP finals - to make it out of the second round. During this period, Fedor holds three wins - Sylvia, Arlovski, and Coleman - over former UFC HW champions; however, Sylvia's recent :09 crushing by Ray Mercer and Arlovski's mauling by a [then] not top-ten opponent remove the significance from these wins. Fedor's recent quality-of-opponent has appreciably lessened his repute: Cro-Cop was his last opponent [...reasonably...] considered as one of the top three HWs in the world, and this is simply not enough to retain his position as the P4P # 1. If Fedor is to usurp GSP once more, he will need a convincing and dominant win over Barnett, in the same vein, or better, as GSP's crushing of his opponents of late. At that point, to retain his simultaneous GOAT and P4P # 1 status, Fee-eye-ee-eye-o-dor will need to mediate the squabbles between M-1/Red Devil and Zuffa in order to dominate the best HWs in the world.
Ranking:
1. GSP
2. Fedor
3. Anderson
GSP:
Over a span of nine fights, and twenty-nine rounds, GSP has lost - depending on the judge you speak to - two rounds: the TKO loss to Matt Serra, and a round [...or two...] to BJ Penn, both of which he resoundingly avenged. Of those nine fights, five were against current or former champions - BJ Penn [x2], Hughes [x2], Serra [x1] - and each of his opponents, aside from Serra, was ranked as one of the top three WWs in the world [not just the UFC] at the time of the fight. (With BJ Penn actually being in the Top Five P4P at the time.) And since GSP began dominating - say, after Hughes I - he has cleared one of the most dominant divisions in MMA history, in respects to sheer talent. (The only division that really compares is PRIDE HW division from 2003-R.I.P., with Hunt, Cro-Cop, Nog, Barnett, Coleman, Randleman, and, of course, Fee-aye-Dyor.) Finally, if you consider his reign from Anderson's entrance into the UFC, GSP actually holds six wins over UFC champions, as he defeated Sherk as well. GSP has resoundingly destroyed three top-ten P4P opponents in a row, with not a single round lost; in reality, there was less than a few minutes total where he was in a defensive position. No fighter can match this current stretch.
Anderson:
During the same period, Anderson Silva has an equal number of fights, with a total of eighteen rounds; of those eighteen rounds, he lost a round to Lutter, a round [...or two...] to Cote, a round to Henderson, and one [boring] round to Leites - a total of four/five rounds lost. Being generous and only giving one round to Cote, this means that Anderson has lost four out of a total eighteen rounds, whereas GSP has lost a total of two [or three] rounds out of a total twenty-nine. In terms of opponents, Anderson holds only three wins against current or former UFC champions - Franklin [x2] and Hendo - to GSP's five/six, and has cleared out the most resoundingly weak division in MMA. Aside from Hendo, none of his opponents during this reign were considered elite at the time he defeated them. (Aside from Franklin, who may have been considered top-ten P4P.) The only thing which reasonably placed Anderson above GSP was his style of finishing fights, and his sheer accuracy and viscousness of striking; however, that Anderson has flown the coop and, with him, his claim to P4P # 1. Given his recent unconvincing performances, reasonable doubt must be raised as to whether Anderson was merely a big fish in a small pond, or was truly one of MMA's elite; a convincing victory over Forrest will certainly go far in deciding this.
Fedor:
Our last fighter, Fedor, fought six times during this period, with a total of seven rounds - of those seven rounds, he has not lost one of them; and, in fact, Mark Coleman was his last opponent since Cro-Cop - in 2005, during the OWGP finals - to make it out of the second round. During this period, Fedor holds three wins - Sylvia, Arlovski, and Coleman - over former UFC HW champions; however, Sylvia's recent :09 crushing by Ray Mercer and Arlovski's mauling by a [then] not top-ten opponent remove the significance from these wins. Fedor's recent quality-of-opponent has appreciably lessened his repute: Cro-Cop was his last opponent [...reasonably...] considered as one of the top three HWs in the world, and this is simply not enough to retain his position as the P4P # 1. If Fedor is to usurp GSP once more, he will need a convincing and dominant win over Barnett, in the same vein, or better, as GSP's crushing of his opponents of late. At that point, to retain his simultaneous GOAT and P4P # 1 status, Fee-eye-ee-eye-o-dor will need to mediate the squabbles between M-1/Red Devil and Zuffa in order to dominate the best HWs in the world.
Ranking:
1. GSP
2. Fedor
3. Anderson