The month of April was a delight for mixed martial arts fans, highlighted by four consecutive Saturdays with a UFC event. There were a plethora of great fights, submissions, knockouts, as well as far too many eye pokes and broken toes/fingers. There was also a fair amount of movement in the MMA rankings.
The biggest shakeup occurred in the lightweight division as Strikeforce veterans Josh Thomson and Pat Healy enter the top 10 after picking up enormous stoppage wins over Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 and Jim Miller at UFC 159, respectively.
Thomson became the first fighter to finish Diaz by strikes and the first to stop him in the UFC. Healy submitted Miller for his ninth win in 10 lightweight bouts — his only loss at 155 pounds was to Thomson in 2010.
The women’s division looks much different than it did last month as well. Most notably Ronda Rousey is no longer in the top spot. The reason being, Cristiane (Cyborg) Santos is back from her year-long suspension for failing a drug test. Santos looked in vintage form as she battered Fiona Muxlow at Invicta FC 5 on April 5.
Cat Zingano also moved up a few spots with her thrilling TKO win over Miesha Tate at the TUF 17 finale. She improved to 8-0 and earned a UFC women’s bantamweight title shot and a TUF 18 coaching spot opposite Rousey.
T.J. Dillashaw enters the top 10 list at 135 pounds after a TKO win over Hugo Viana, which was his fourth consecutive win — his second in a span of five weeks.
Roy Nelson moved up at heavyweight, as did Phil Davis and Gegard Mousasi at 205 pounds.
Here are sportsnet.ca’s mixed martial arts for the month of April:
Here are sportsnet.ca’s latest mixed martial arts rankings.
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
As always there are minor adjustments he can make, but he’s the most well-rounded fighter in the sport.
2. Anderson Silva
His ability to finish elite fighters is uncanny.
3. Jose Aldo
Almost untouchable in his division.
4. Cain Velasquez
Between size and skill, he may be overall the most dangerous fighter in the UFC.
5. Jon Jones
Has a reach that confuses opponents and a constantly improving skill set.
6. Benson Henderson
He is making a habit of winning close decisions.
7. Demetrious Johnson
The fastest fighter in MMA and has skills everywhere.
8. Dominick Cruz
Injury problems have plagued him but is still one of the best.
9. Joseph Benavidez
Possibly the best fighter who’s not currently a UFC champion.
10. Renan Barao
Striking, grappling, finishing instinct. He’s got it all.
Honourable mention: Junior dos Santos, Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber, Pat Curran
CANADIAN POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Georges St-Pierre
Has fought in Canada in his last four contests and could use a change in his next bout.
2. Rory MacDonald
Meets Jake Ellenberger in July.
3. T.J. Grant
Could earn a title shot with win at UFC 160.
4. Jordan Mein
Was TKO’d by Matt Brown on short notice on April 20.
5. Ivan Menjivar
Was outclassed and submitted by Urijah Faber at UFC 157.
6. Mark Bocek
A solid lightweight looking to get back into contention.
7. Claude Patrick
Has been injured and hasn’t fought since December 2011.
8. Ryan Jimmo
Lost an exciting decision to James Te-Huna on Feb. 16.
9. Yves Jabouin
Meets Dustin Pague in Winnipeg.
10. Sam Stout
Face Isaac Vallie-Flagg on June 15, 2013 at UFC 161.
Honourable mention: Nick Ring, Antonio Carvalho, Mitch Gagnon, Jesse Ronson, Sean Pierson, John Makdessi
FEMALE POUND-FOR-POUND
1. Cristiane Santos
Will rematch Marloes Coenen in Invicta FC in July.
2. Ronda Rousey
Will coach TUF 18 against and fight Zingano.
3. Cat Zingano
Zingano looked great in her UFC debut, TKOing Tate.
4. Sarah Kaufman
The UFC fighter edged Leslie Smith by split decision at Invicta FC 5 April 5.
5. Miesha Tate
Did well but was stopped by Cat Zingano at TUF 17 finale.
6. Sara McMann
TKO’d Sheila Gaff in one round at UFC 159 in her UFC debut.
7. Marloes Coenen
Submitted Fiona Muxlow at DREAM 18.
8. Megumi Fujii
Beat Mei Yamaguchi in December.
9. Jessica Eye
Withdrew from bout with Munah Holland at Bellator 95 with back injury.
10. Michelle Waterson
“The Karate Hottie” became the Invicta FC atomweight champion by beating Jessica Penne just over one year after having a child.
Honourable mention: Jessica Aguilar, Liz Carmouche, Alexis Davis, Tara LaRosa, Amanda Nunes, Shayna Baszler, Germaine de Randamie, Julie Kedzie, Jennifer Maia, Zoila Gurgel, Jessica Penne
HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Cain Velasquez
Headlines UFC 160 against Antonio Silva.
2. Junior dos Santos
Faces Mark Hunt in UFC 160 co-main event.
3. Fabricio Werdum
Will coach TUF Brazil 2 against Big Nog then fight him.
4. Daniel Cormier
Was successful in UFC debut against Mir at UFC on FOX 7.
5. Antonio Silva
Earned a rematch against Velasquez with huge KO of Overeem.
6. Roy Nelson
KO’d Cheick Kongo at UFC 159.
7. Alistair Overeem
Pulled out of fight with JDS with injury.
8. Shane Carwin
His stock is falling due to injuries and his long layoff.
9. Frank Mir
Will Welcome Cormier to the UFC.
10. Travis Browne
Knocked out Gabriel Gonzaga impressively.
Honourable mention: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Stefan Struve, Josh Barnett, Ben Rothwell, Stipe Miocic
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
1. Jon Jones
Defend his belt against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 with relative ease.
2. Glover Teixeira
Meets James Te-Huna at UFC 160.
3. Lyoto Machida
Interested in title shot or bout with Gustafsson.
4. Phil Davis
Picked apart Vinny Magalhaes at UFC 159.
5. Alexander Gustafsson
Very close to a title shot. Pulled out of fight with Mousasi with a cut.
6. Gegard Mousasi
Thoroughly dismantled an outmatched Ilir Latifi in Sweden.
7. Dan Henderson
Couldn’t figure out Machida. Meets Rashad Evans in Winnipeg.
8. Ryan Bader
Forced out of a fight with Teixeira.
9. Mauricio Rua
Meets Lil Nog at UFC 161 in Winnipeg.
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Will rematch Shogun many years after fighting him in Pride.
Honourable mention: Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, James Te-Huna, Quinton Jackson
MIDDLEWEIGHT
1. Anderson Silva
Meets Weidman in UFC 162 main ovent.
2. Chris Weidman
GSP thinks Weidman will finish Silva.
3. Vitor Belfort
Will welcome Rockhold to UFC.
4. Michael Bisping
Defeated Belcher at UFC 159.
5. Luke Rockhold
Debuts in Octagon against Belfort.
6. Ronaldo Souza
Set to fight Philippou at UFC on FX 8.
7. Yushin Okami
Was able to control Lombard for much of their fight.
8. Alan Belcher
Needed stiches on his eye after a poke from Bisping at UFC 159.
9. Hector Lombard
Didn’t fight with enough urgency against Okami; may move to 170 pounds.
10. Constantinos Philippou
Still improving, looks to beat “Jacare” next.
Honourable mention: Tim Boetsch, Brian Stann, Mark Munoz, Rousimar Palhares
Note: Chael Sonnen was No. 2 but has since moved up to the 205-pound division.
WELTERWEIGHT
1. Georges St-Pierre
Beat Diaz at UFC 158 in Montreal. Likely meets Hendricks next.
2. Johny Hendricks
No denying he’s the No. 1 contender.
3. Carlos Condit
Fought tooth-and-nail against Hendricks at UFC 158.
4. Demian Maia
Expected to fight Koscheck at UFC 163. Becoming serious title threat.
5. Rory MacDonald
In tough against Ellenberger.
6. Jake Ellenberger
Believes he’ll get a title shot of he beats Rory.
7. Nick Diaz
Looked flat against GSP and made excuses afterwards.
8. Jon Fitch
Fitch got out-Fitched by Maia then got cut by the UFC.
9. Mike Pierce
Very underrated. Coming off solid win over Seth Baczynski.
10. Martin Kampmann
Got caught by a perfect Hendricks punch.
Honourable mention: Tarec Saffiedine, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Dong Hyun Kim, Robbie Lawler, Thiago Alves, Erick Silva, Mike Pyle, Matt Brown
LIGHTWEIGHT
1. Benson Henderson
Won a competitive decision over Melendez on April 20.
2. Anthony Pettis
Will drop to featherweight to challenge Jose Aldo.
3. Gilbert Melendez
Earned an immediate title shot since moving over from Strikeforce.Nate Diaz
Takes on former Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson next.
4. Gray Maynard
Will fight TJ Grant at UFC 160.
5. Michael Chandler
Submitted Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 in impressive fashion.
6. Josh Thomson
Became the first fighter to finish Nate Diaz with strikes.
7. Eddie Alvarez
Is currently in a legal battle with Bellator.
8. TJ Grant
Maynard will be his toughest test to date but he’s ready.
9. Pat Healy
Submitted Jim Miller in his return to the UFC. Now 9-1 at lightweight.
10. Donald Cerrone
Takes on fellow striker KJ Noons at UFC 160.
Honourable mention: Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, Rafael dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Joe Lauzon, Jamie Varner, Evan Dunham, Gleison Tibau
FEATHERWEIGHT
1. Jose Aldo
Outclassed Edgar at UFC 156. Fights Pettis next.
2. Pat Curran
Defended his title by choking Shahbulat Shamhalaev out cold at Bellator 95.
3. Chad Mendes
Knocked out Darren Elkins at UFC on FOX 7.
4. Ricardo Lamas
Meets the Korean Zombie at UFC 162.
5. Chan Sung Jung
See above.
6. Cub Swanson
Meets Siver at UFC 162.
7. Frankie Edgar
Meets Charles Oliveira at UFC 162.
8. Dustin Poirier
Came up just short against Swanson at UFC on FUEL TV 7.
9. Eric Koch
Coming off first career stoppage loss.
10. Dennis Siver
Returns to action against Swanson.
Honourable mention: Nik Lentz, Diego Nunes, Hatsu Hioki, Patricio Friere, Rani Yahya, Hacran Dias, Clay Guida
BANTAMWEIGHT
1. Dominick Cruz
His return was pushed back after a setback in his knee’s rehab.
2. Renan Barao
Submitted McDonald and defended interim belt. Faces Wineland next.
3. Urijah Faber
Submitted Scott Jorgensen at the TUF 17 finale.
4. Michael McDonald
Lost to Barao but will be at or near the top of this division for a long time.
5. Brian Bowles
Returns against George Roop after long layoff at UFC 160.
6. Eddie Wineland
Challenges Barao for interim title at UFC 161.
7. Brad Pickett
Coming off fantastic fight and win over face Mike Easton in Sweden.
8. T.J. Dillashaw
Currently on a great streak of impressive stoppage wins.
9. Bibiano Fernandes
Finished the year by choking Yoshiro Maeda unconscious at DREAM 18.
10. Eduardo Dantas
KO’d his teammate Marcos Galvao impressively at Bellator 89.
Honourable mention: Mike Easton, Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Raphael Assuncao, Takeya Mizugaki, Erik Perez
FLYWEIGHT
1. Demetrious Johnson
Will defend his belt against Moraga next.
2. Joseph Benavidez
Stopped Uyenoyama with a body shot.
3. Ian McCall
Lost a competitive decision to Benavidez.
4. John Dodson
Nearly became UFC champ after dropping Mighty Mouse more than once.
5. John Moraga
Earned a title shot after back-to-back stoppage wins.
6. Jussier da Silva
Faces Chris Cariaso in May.
7. Darren Uyenoyama
No shame in losing to Benavidez.
8. Darrell Montague
Beat Mamoru Yamaguchi in December. Only loss at flyweight was to McCall.
9. Tim Elliott
Has won nine of his last 10.
10. John Lineker
Looked great against Yasuhiro Urushitani in Macau.
Honourable mention: Chris Cariaso, Ulysses Gomez, Jose Maria Tome, Louis Gaudinot, 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.
