First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all Sportsnet readers. Hope you had a nice fill of turkey, time with family, and perhaps even some Ultimate Fighter viewing on Sportsnet (speaking of turkeys!)
Now that the good old Canadian holiday has passed, here's something new to chew on, something you'll have a hard time finding anywhere else: Sportsnet.ca's pound-for-pound ranking of Canadian mixed martial artists. Who's No. 1 is about the most obvious call you'd ever have to make. After that, it gets interesting.
On this first snapshot of where our nation's top fighters fit, you'll find two guys who are fighting in the next couple of weeks on successive UFC cards. But their positions on the list are pretty well set, win or lose. Even if No. 2 Patrick Cote comes up with a shocking upset of Anderson Silva, the top contender at 185 pounds won't unseat GSP. And a loss won't knock him down either -- not to The Spider, who makes mince meat out of all his opponents.
So while there may be some debate on the placement of some of the fighters, I think the list will show that there's enough great talent to make our country proud.
Top 10 Canadian Pound-for-Pound:
1. Georges St. Pierre (St. Isidore, Que.)
2. Patrick Cote (Quebec City)
3. Jason MacDonald (Red Deer, Alta.)
4. Sam Stout (London, Ont.)
5. Mark Hominick (Thamesford, Ont.)
6. Jonathan Goulet (Victoriaville, Que.)
7. John Alessio (Duncan, B.C.)
8. Denis Kang (Vancouver)
9. Chris Horodecki (London, Ont.)
10. Mark Bocek (Toronto)
Who's left out?
Montreal's David Loiseau. He could be one of the best fighters not named GSP ever to come out of Canada, but he fell on some tough times and is now in the midst of a comeback. Hopefully, he'll find his way back to the UFC and make his mark again.
Honourable mention goes to Lethbridge, Alta.'s Jason Day, who ironically earned a shot at the UFC by winning a decision over Loiseau. The hometown decision was questionable, but he proved he deserved the UFC shot with a big win in his Octagon debut. He was overmatched by Michael Bisping in his next fight though.
What about some up-and-comers?
A couple of guys who currently hold belts in Canadian promotions could get some attention south of the border in the not-too-distant future. MFC light-heavyweight champion Roger Hollett of Halifax has only one loss in nine career fights, and that came after he injured his knee defending a takedown. He took the belt away from Victor Valimaki, who has UFC experience, last year and Hollett will finally be back in action in December, looking to defend his title against another veteran in Emanuel Newton.
Meanwhile, TKO welterweight title-holder Jesse Bongfeldt of Lethbridge has only one loss in his last 12 bouts, and that came against Goulet. If he keeps on winning, he has a good chance at following the path of the last guy to wear that belt: St. Pierre himself.
Should Denis Kang be ranked higher?
The fact that Kang has not fought in the UFC is almost a travesty, if not for the fact that it is partly by his choice. The world-renowned middleweight with French and Korean roots went the overseas route, fighting for Pride, then K-1, then Dream. A couple of recent upset losses keeps him from being ranked higher. But hopefully Canadian fans will get to see him fighting on this side of the ocean before long.
Next week, we'll look at top light-heavyweights (not limited to one nationality!)
