Your Top 3 ATG by Weight Class.

Heavyweight:
1) Fedor Emilianenko
2) Anotonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3) Randy Couture

Light-Heavyweight:
1) Bas Rutten
2) Chuck Liddell
3) Mauricio Rua

Middleweight:
1) Anderson Silva
2) Dan Henderson
3) Wanderlei Silva

Welterweight:
1) Matt Hughes
2) Georges "Rush" St.Pierre
3) Royce Gracie

Lightweight:
1) BJ Penn
2) Takanori Gomi
3) Jens Pulver

Lynchburg

 

I would have Henderson above Franklin for sure (possibly Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock above Franklin as well), but other than that I agree with these choices. Great list.

Has Frankie Edgar already done enough to overtake Jens Pulver? I think I would probably say yes, but I can see a valid counterargument there.

Also, it's only a matter of time till Shogun takes his rightful position as the best lhw ever.

 

While Randy has had a great career I really don't see how either of those two spot can be justifed. He's lost as often as he's won thoughout his career as a HW and his entire career at LHW is 9 matches long with many of those being verus less than top level opposition.

LW is probabley the most interesting, I think its between BJ and Gomi for the top spot, the former having beaten the latter who's foprm has declined alot in the last 2-3 years but never having gone on a run as good as his in Shooto and Bushido with many of his big wins coming in higher weightclasses.

 

HW:
Fedor
Big Nog
Don't think there is a third yet

LHW:
Wanderlei
Rampage
Liddell

Seriously don't know why the hell people have Chuck at #1. Must be because he helped push the UFC into the mainstream and gets more credit for his starpower than actual accomplishments. Kinda like how the liberal media always says Ali is #1 for shooting his mouth off about civil rights, Lol. Show me accomplishments inside the ring.

MW:
Anderson
Henderson
Isn't a third...

WW:
GSP
Hughes
Isn't a third though Fitch is making his way up there. Few more wins he should get the nod...

LW: The most controversial but I don't care....
Gomi
Aoki
Penn

Don't get why people are putting guys like Pulver, Sherk, and Edgar on an ATG list. Its laughable. Pulver has 1 significant win at LW, how does that make him an "All-Time Great". If anything he should be considered a pioneer. Sherk is yet another guy with 1 significant win, (If you count Kenny "I've never beaten a top ten fighter but am constantly ranked top 5" Florian significant) whos being trumpeted around as an "All-Time Great". Edgar just got the belt a couple fights ago, and should've lost the first fight with Penn. He has not done enough at this point to be consideed an ATG. He has the potential, but its much too soon.

Aoki gets no credit for anything he does and its sad. I understand he's a shady character with a style some people may not appreciate but that shouldn't undermine his vast accomplishments within the sport. A little known fact is that he's beaten more recent and former top ten fighters than ANYONE ranked today, but because of his inconsistency, people choose not to recognize it. He should be on the list before any of those 3 by a long shot.

As to why I ranked them in the order I did, Gomi in his prime, was the most dominant. Newer fans just do not no the level of opposition he was facing back in his PRIDE days when he was 13-1 and thus, rank him lower than what he should be. I constantly hear cries of "Oh, but he lost to Penn, rank Penn higher" or "Penn was the first to beat Gomi, Penn's the best". Whatever, that's just nonsense. Firstly, contrary to popular belief Penn didn't beat Gomi first. That was Joachim Hansen. Secondly, who cares if Penn beat Gomi? Gomi's resume is stronger and that's what ATG lists are about. Look at a boxing ATG list. Plenty of the guys in the top ten were beaten by people who aren't ranked higher or even near them. Its the strength of the resume that counts and I consider Gomi's stronger.

Penn's wins at LW are not that strong. He became #1 after beating Stevenson who disgraces the name gatekeeper he's so mediocre. Then he beats Sherk, who is okay but not great and people think its some epic achievement. As I stated, Florian has really done nothing to prove he's a top lightweight. Evertime he's faced someone in the top 10 he's lost. He shouldn't be considered elite until he starts beating people of relevance. Deigo Sanchez was not top ten either. All he did was beat that bum Stevenson (just barely may I add) and that barbarian mop-top Guida. And he's been woefully inconsistent. Aoki's been inconsistent too, but his strongest wins are better than Penn's.

FW:
Pequeno

 

:yikes

I could beat him in a stand up fight! Anyone with a good sprawl can beat him!

Lynchburg

 

How does that change the fact that he has a strong resume? Oh, it doesn't! Also he's faced plenty capable wrestlers and done just fine. Kawajiri was slamming Thomson all over the mat having his way with him and what happened when he faced Aoki??? Alvarez is a capable wrestler, what happened to him??? What of JZ??? Skill set means nothing, accomplishments do. Also, why is it okay to be a 1 dimensional striker in MMA but not a 1 dimensional grappler? Seriously, people consider Gomi ATG material, rightfully so, but the guy can't grapple worth ****. Plenty of us could beat Gomi in a BJJ comp, doesn't change his standing as an ATG.

 

He ****ed Nagashima up the other night for sure :yep

Lynchburg

 

It was an embarassing performance by him for sure, but it was not an MMA match and since when are fighters measured only by losses and not wins? Its pretty funny that all 3 of the top lightweights have been getting thrown under that bus as of late for recent misfortunes. I don't see people saying, "Chuck has been getting KO'd and hasn't won a fight in X-amount of times out, he's always sucked!" BUt you will hear pepople saying, "GOmi/Aoki/Penn lost to so-and-so, they've always sucked don't ya know!"

 

I put Chuck ahead of Wandy just because he won against him. They were both on the same level prime wise and it was a tough call but Chuck got the nod for me.

 

Understandable. I just think LHW is really hard to rank for various reasons. Most of the time I come across people they just put him as #1 because they don't know anyone else.

 

The common opponent (Rampage) is an obvious fact to consider aswell, but the Chuck Wandy fight and Chuck face better opposition a little more often just edged it. I think when Shogun retires he'll be no 1 though

 

He got KTFO in 0:04 of the second round... the second round was MMA rules :deal

He was disgraceful in the first too... :deal

You can tell more from a loss than win :thumbsup

Lynchburg

 

I'm supprized that so many lists don't have Shogun in the top 3 at LHW, that for me is a given and personally I'd have him #1.

1.Shogun - Has beaten more big names in a truely devolped division than anyone else, Machida*2, Rampage, Overeem*2, Lil Nog, Arona, Nak, Chuck, Diabate etc.

2.Wanderlei - Very close to Chuck and obviously lost to him but by that stage he was well past his best. Never really dominated all the best opponants in Pride but did face a wilder range of opponants than Chuck with wins over Saku*3, Rampage*2, Hendo, Mezger, Arona, Yoshida*2 etc.

3.Chuck - Great career but I think the nay sayers were ultimately prooven right that alot of his dominance was based on favourible style matchups given how fast his career declined when facing quality strikers.

 

To be fair that was the only way he was losing that match under MMA rules and he didnt seem to be taking it very seriously.

Aoki's style means he's going to lose the odd match but but then again you could say the same with BJ's lack of focus.