Geez, what happened in mixed martial arts in the month of July?
Oh that’s right, the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time was handed his first UFC loss in one of the most shocking finishes in the promotion’s history.
Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 to become the new UFC middleweight champion and in doing so shook up both the middleweight and pound-for-pound rankings.
Weidman takes over top spot at 185 pounds and also debuts on the P4P list, though not quite as high as people might think.
Getting caught with one powerful shot after showboating and holding his hands down doesn’t diminish the ridiculous skill set that Silva possesses, nor does it diminish what he has done in the UFC. Still, Silva moves down a few spots on the pound-for-pound list. But although Weidman moves ahead of Silva at middleweight, he still has work to do in order to rise up the P4P ranks.
UFC 162 was a real showcase of the middleweights, as Mark Munoz looked better than ever and Tim Kennedy was in fine form, plus Andrew Craig showed potential that one day he could evolve into a top-10 threat.
Also on that July 6 Las Vegas card, former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar picked up his first win at 145 pounds – beating Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night performance.
Though Edgar showed he is among the best in the division, it was another featherweight that really cemented himself as a contender. Cub Swanson picked up his fifth straight win after finishing veteran Dennis Siver by TKO in a bout that also garnered a Fight of the Night bonus.
Invicta FC 6 took place July 13 and it saw the likes of Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood, Brazil’s Claudia Gadelha and California’s Leslie Smith boost their stock after big wins on the all-female card.
But more than anyone at that event, Cristiane (Cyborg) Santos nailed down her spot atop the women’s P4P list after a brilliantly dominant, both offensively and defensively, fourth-round TKO of Marloes Coenen.
Late in the month, Demetrious Johnson took a small step up the P4P list after submitting John Moraga with an armbar, live on Sportsnet 360 – the win was the latest stoppage in UFC history and only the fourth fifth-round stoppage the organization has ever seen.
The performance illustrated that Mighty Mouse is dangerous in all aspects of the sport: striking, wrestling, submissions, cardio and aggression to name a few areas where Johnson excels.
The July 27 event from Seattle also saw Rory MacDonald win a non-fan-friendly unanimous decision over Jake Ellenberger. The performance didn’t lower his stock, but he didn’t rise at all in the welterweight ranks.
Someone that did raise his stock was Robbie Lawler after a brutal head-kick knockout of Bobby Voelker – his second straight knockout in the UFC since coming over from Strikeforce. Lawler looks rejuvenated at 170 pounds and takes Nick Diaz’s spot in the top 10 since Diaz is still apparently retired.
With all that in mind….
Here are sportsnet.ca’s MMA rankings for July 2013.
Jump to: Pound-for-pound | Canadians | Women
Jump to: Heavyweight | Light heavyweight | Middleweight
Jump to: Welterweight | Lightweight | Featherweight
Jump to: Bantamweight | Flyweight
POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Georges St-Pierre
In terms of elite, well-rounded MMA skills, no fighter is better than GSP.
2. Jose Aldo
Has been mulling a change in weight class. The most underrated among the P4P greats.
3.Cain Velasquez
Between size and skill, he may be the most dangerous overall fighter in the UFC.
4.Jon Jones
Has a reach that confuses opponents and a constantly improving skill set.
5. Anderson Silva
One knockout loss does not diminish his absurd skill set.
6. Demetrious Johnson
The fastest fighter in MMA is quickly rising up the P4P ranks.
7. Benson Henderson
Is in a lot of close decisions, but seems to win them all.
8. Chris Weidman
He took down a giant.
9. Joseph Benavidez
Has the skill and qualities of a UFC champion, but is missing the belt.
10. Renan Barao
Striking, grappling, finishing instinct. He’s got it all.
NOTE: Dominick Cruz would be on the list, but due to his inactivity he has been left off the list.
Honourable mention: Anthony Pettis, Junior dos Santos, Urijah Faber, Pat Curran
CANADIAN POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Georges St-Pierre
Has fought in Canada in his last four contests but won’t in his next bout against Johny Hendricks.
2. Rory MacDonald
Was smart against Ellenberger, but fans were underwhelmed.
3. T.J. Grant
Was forced out of his UFC 164 title shot due to injury.
4. Jordan Mein
Still no fight lined up after a TKO loss to Matt Brown in April.
5. Ivan Menjivar
Tristar bantamweight meets Norifumi (Kid) Yamamoto at UFC 165.
6. Mark Bocek
Returns at UFC 165 against Michel Prazeres.
7. Ryan Jimmo
Picked up lacklustre win over Igor Pokrajac at UFC 161.
8. Yves Jabouin
Won controversial decision over Dustin Pague in Winnipeg.
9. Mitch Gagnon
Rising 135-pounder faces Dustin Kimura at UFC 165.
10. John Makdessi
Meets Renee Forte at UFC 165.
Honourable mention: Claude Patrick, Nick Ring, Antonio Carvalho, Sam Stout, Jesse Ronson, Sean Pierson
FEMALE POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Cristiane Santos
Explosive power, well-rounded offence, great defence. A scary individual.
2. Ronda Rousey
THings with Tate have gotten person during filming of TUF 18.
3. Cat Zingano
Knee injury forced her out TUF stint/fight with Rousey.
4. Sarah Kaufman
Will make her UFC debut against Sara McMann Aug. 28 at UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2.
5. Miesha Tate
Will get a second crack at Rousey on Dec. 28 at UFC 168 after TUF 18 coaching stint.
6. Sara McMann
Kaufman will be her toughest test to date.
7. Jessica Eye
Beat Carina Damm in June at a North American Allied Fight Series event.
8. Leslie Smith
Looked great against Jennifer Maia at Invicta FC 6.
9. Alexis Davis
Picked up a solid win in her UFC debut against tough veteran Rosi Sexton.
10. Michelle Waterson
“The Karate Hottie” became the Invicta FC atomweight champ in April by beating Jessica Penne just over one year after having a child.
Honourable mention: Liz Carmouche, Marloes Coenen, Jessica Aguilar, Joanne Calderwood, Tara LaRosa, Claudia Gadelha, Shayna Baszler, Jessica Penne
HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Cain Velasquez
Made quick work of Antonio Silva… again.
2. Junior dos Santos
Went to war with Mark Hunt KO’d him with a spinning heel kick at UFC 160 to earn another title shot.
3. Fabricio Werdum
Avenged his 2006 loss to Big Nog by submitting him in Brazil.
4. Daniel Cormier
His UFC 166 bout against Nelson could be his last at heavyweight.
5. Antonio Silva
Still a dangerous contender.
6. Alistair Overeem
Will return against Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26.
7. Travis Browne
Coming off big KO of Gabriel Gonzaga. See above.
8. Frank Mir
Meets Josh Barnett at UFC 164.
9. Stipe Miocic
Executed a perfect game plan against Nelson at UFC 161.
10. Roy Nelson
Set a UFC record for most strikes absorbed in a UFC career without being knocked out in loss to Miocic.
Honourable mention: Gabriel Gonzaga, Josh Barnett, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Stefan Struve
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Jon Jones
Headlines another Toronto event against Gustafsson in September.
2. Glover Teixeira
Meets Ryan Bader next.
3. Lyoto Machida
Faces Davis at UFC 163.
4. Phil Davis
A win over Machida at UFC 163 would be the biggest of his career.
5. Alexander Gustafsson
Finally gets a title shot; meets Jones at UFC 165.
6. Gegard Mousasi
Looking at possibly moving back down to middleweight.
7. Rashad Evans
Edged out Henderson in UFC 161 main event
8. Dan Henderson
Many scored the bout with Evans for Hendo.
9. Mauricio Rua
Meets Chael Sonnen in an anticipated bout in August.
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Injury forced him out of UFC 161 fight with Shogun.
Honourable mention: Thiago Silva, Ryan Bader, Muhammed Lawal, James Te-Huna
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Chris Weidman
Shocked the world and is the new champ.
2. Anderson Silva
Showboating cost him at UFC 162.
3. Vitor Belfort
Wants another title shot next, but won’t get his wish.
4. Ronaldo Souza
Meets Okami at UFC 164.
5. Michael Bisping
A bout with Munoz is likely next for the Brit.
6. Luke Rockhold
Debut against Belfort didn’t end well.
7. Yushin Okami
In for a tough test against Jacare.
8. Mark Munoz
Had perhaps the best performance of his career against Boetsch.
9. Alan Belcher
Recovering from eye injury suffered at UFC 159.
10. Constantinos Philippou
Has won five in a row in the UFC.
NOTE: Hector Lombard was ranked in the top 10 but has dropped to the welterweight division.
Honourable mention: Tim Kennedy, Tim Boetsch, Rousimar Palhares, Ronny Markes, Andrew Craig
WELTERWEIGHT
1. Georges St-Pierre
Agreed to VADA testing for bout with Hendricks at UFC 167.
2. Johny Hendricks
Looks to take GSP’s belt on Nov. 16.
3. Carlos Condit
Headlines UFC FIght Night 27 against Martin Kampmann.
4. Demian Maia
Removed from UFC 163 after Josh Koscheck was forced off card.
5. Rory MacDonald
Was technical and measured against Ellenberger.
6. Robbie Lawler
His last two fights prove he can KO anyone at 170 pounds.
7. Jake Ellenberger
Didn’t do much of anything against MacDonald.
8. Mike Pierce
The most underrated welterweight. TKO’d David Mitchell at UFC 162.
9. Martin Kampmann
Will look for second career win over Condit.
10. Tarec Saffiedine
Outgoing Strikeforce welterweight champ pulled out of July fight with Robbie Lawler.
NOTE: Nick Diaz would be in the top 10 though he says he is currently retired.
Honourable mention: Tyron Woodley, Josh Burkman, Ben Askren, Dong Hyun Kim, Thiago Alves, Erick Silva, Mike Pyle, Matt Brown, Rick Story
LIGHTWEIGHT
1. Benson Henderson
Looking to go 8-0 in the UFC and he has chance at redemption against Pettis.
2. Anthony Pettis
Had to pull out of featherweight title show at UFC 163, but now gets lightweight title shot at UFC 164.
3. TJ Grant
Suffered a concussion in training and had to pull out of UFC 164 title bout against Henderson.
4. Michael Chandler
Defends his belt against David Rickels at Bellator 97 on July 31.
5. Gilbert Melendez
Meets Diego Sanchez at UFC 166.
6. Josh Thomson
Became the first fighter to finish Nate Diaz with strikes.
7. Eddie Alvarez
Still in an ugly, unfortunate legal battle with Bellator.
8. Gray Maynard
TJ Grant made him look silly at UFC 160.
9. Pat Healy
Looks to continue hot streak at UFC 165 against Nurmagomedov.
10. Khabib Nurmagomedov
At 20-0 a win over Healy would put him in title shot conversation.
Honourable mention: Evan Dunham, Gleison Tibau, Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Rafael dos Anjos, Jorge Masvidal, Joe Lauzon, Jamie Varner, Edson Barboza, Melvin Guillard
FEATHERWEIGHT
1. Jose Aldo
Korean Zombie is next on the list.
2. Pat Curran
Defended his title by choking Shahbulat Shamhalaev out cold at Bellator 95.
3. Chad Mendes
A bout with Clay Guida is set for UFC 164.
4. Ricardo Lamas
Left without opponent at UFC 162 after Jung was moved to UFC 163.
5. Chan Sung Jung
Promoted to UFC 163 main event against Aldo for title shot.
6. Cub Swanson
Finished Siver impressively at UFC 162.
7. Frankie Edgar
snapped a three-fight losing streak against Charles Oliveira at UFC 162.
8. Dustin Poirier
Meets Koch at UFC 164.
9. Eric Koch
See above.
10. Dennis Siver
Came up short against Swanson.
Honourable mention: Nik Lentz, Hacran Dias, Diego Nunes, Hatsu Hioki, Patricio Friere, Rani Yahya, Clay Guida
BANTAMWEIGHT
1. Dominick Cruz
His return to action is unknown after a series of knee surgeries.
2. Renan Barao
Defends interim belt against Wineland at UFC 165.
3. Urijah Faber
Faces Alcantara on Aug. 17.
4. Michael McDonald
Meets veteran Pickett at first UFC Fight Night 26.
5. Eddie Wineland
Title tilt with Barao was delayed but will go on in Toronto.
6. Yuri Alcantara
Win over with Faber could put him in line for a title shot.
7. Raphael Assuncao
Looked terrific against Vaughan Lee; likely faces Dillashaw next.
8. Brad Pickett
Youngster McDonald is a tough out for the Englishman.
9. T.J. Dillashaw
Currently on a great streak of impressive stoppage wins.
10. Bibiano Fernandes
Won the interim ONE FC bantamwight title.
Honourable mention: Eduardo Dantas, Mike Easton, Ivan Menjivar, George Roop, Scott Jorgensen, Takeya Mizugaki, Erik Perez
FLYWEIGHT
1. Demetrious Johnson
Looked fantastic in defending his belt against Moraga.
2. Joseph Benavidez
Win over Jussier da Silva in September could earn him rematch with Mighty Mouse.
3. Ian McCall
Looks for first UFC win at UFC 163.
4. John Dodson
Nearly became UFC champ after dropping Mighty Mouse more than once.
5. John Moraga
Gave Johnson a tough test in title tilt.
6. Jussier da Silva
Faces a huge challenge against Benavidez.
7. Louis Gaudinot
Meets Elliott at UFC 164.
8. John Lineker
Has looked fantastic of late; meets Jose Maria Tome at UFC 163.
9. Darrell Montague
Beat Jesse Miramontes in May. The best non-UFC flyweight.
10. Tim Elliott
Gaudinot is next for him.
Honourable mention: Chris Cariaso, Ulysses Gomez, Jose Maria Tome, Mamoru Yamaguchi, Rambaa Somdet, Yasuhiro Urushitani
MMA rankings are subjective, and ultimately have no real bearing on how fights should or do play out, but they inevitably get fans talking about the sport and its best fighters. Send your thoughts and arguments to @MikeyJ_MMA.