Rankings Focus: Should Ronda Rousey be on the UFC's pound-for-pound list?
Ronda Rousey is undefeated, the undisputed best women's fighter on the planet and one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. No one is arguing any of those statements.
But are all those things enough to have her ranked in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings -- in the top 10, even? Rousey comes in this week at No. 8 on the list voted on by members of the media.
The answer depends on how you define a pound-for-pound list, and that is subjective -- kind of like every other aspect of rankings.
If you think pound-for-pound is determinate on who would be the best fighter in the world, regardless of weight, then no. Rousey should not be there. For example, this is the school of thought that thinks of pound-for-pound as a way to compare Cain Velasquez and Demetrious Johnson, taking away that they're more than 100 pounds apart.
Rousey could not be on the list of someone who thinks that way, because she doesn't fight men and never will. It doesn't equate. Regardless of whether you think she would beat men at her 135-pound weight class (who knows?), it would never happen. Therefore, you couldn’t add her to your pound-for-pound rankings. You would need a separate women's pound-for-pound list, which she would undoubtedly be at the top of.
But let's be honest here. How can you possibly compare Velasquez and Johnson like that? You shrink Velasquez down and inflate Johnson to middleweight and have them fight it out in your mind? The entire theory is kind of silly. None of this stuff happens in a vacuum. Their weight is an innate part of what kind of fighter they are.
The only legitimate way to decide pound-for-pound rankings -- which, if we're being honest, is kind of a silly idea anyway -- is by résumé. Regardless of weight class or gender, who has done the most to be the considered the best fighter in the world? Jon Jones is the answer there and not because he would beat Jose Aldo in someone's imagination. It's because he has never really lost an MMA fight and has defended the UFC light heavyweight title seven times, five of those against former UFC champions.
So, the answer is yes. Rousey belongs in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings list. Probably even in the top 10. I have her at No. 9, in between Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva.
And no, it's not because I think she could beat either one of those guys in a fight. Let's save that discussion for the people who want to argue Rousey vs. Floyd Mayweather.
Inexplicable move of the week: Raquel Pennington
Raquel Pennington (left) moved over Leslie Smith in the UFC's women's bantamweight rankings this week.
This is an odd one. Pennington jumped a spot in the women's bantamweight rankings to No. 13 over Leslie Smith, though she has not fought since losing to Jessica Andrade at UFC 171 way back in March. That right there is a good enough reason not to move Pennington up, but here's a better one: Smith beat Pennington in January 2013 in Invicta, Pennington's last fight before entering "The Ultimate Fighter."
Smith, meanwhile, has gone 1-1 in the UFC since Pennington's last bout, with a debut loss to Sarah Kaufman and an impressive first-round TKO of Jessamyn Duke in July. Pennington also defeated Duke, but in far less dominant fashion on TUF 18. Pennington fell to Jessica Rakoczy in the TUF semifinals and her lone UFC win came against Roxanne Modafferi, who has since been cut. Smith and Pennington might not be far apart in the rankings, but Smith should be ahead for sure.
Rankings riffs
Andrei Arlovski is now the No. 7-ranked heavyweight in the UFC.
-- Andrei Arlovski is in the heavyweight top 10 as expected after he knocked out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva on Saturday night in Brazil. In fact, Arlovski has jumped up from No. 14 all the way to No. 7. Silva dropped five spots to No. 9. That might be a little too high for Arlovski. His new ranking puts him ahead of Roy Nelson and that's a tad unfair. Yes, Arlovski knocked Nelson out back in 2008, but that's ancient history. Nelson has done much in the UFC since then, which should trump Arlovski's two-fight winning streak since returning.
-- Thales Leites vs. Costas Philippou would be a very intriguing fight, but it's OK. The rankings voters have already decided it in their heads. Leites moved up to No. 11, hopping over Philippou, this week. But guess what? The MMA math actually adds up in this one, as much as I hate dissecting things that way. Leites knocked out Francis Carmont, who dominated Philippou. Maybe the voters got it right after all, even if it took them a few weeks after Leites' victory over Carmont in Tulsa.
-- Holly Holm made her rankings debut this week, one week after she was made eligible for the women's bantamweight list. The former boxing champion comes in at No. 15, which is fair for someone who has never fought in the UFC and has only beaten inferior competition. But say this for Holm: she has smashed that inferior competition. Don't be shocked if she begins to climb in the rankings.
