Making Sense of the Lightweight Division - Part Three
Posted by Marc Staehling on February 6th, 2008
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Before getting knee deep into the lightweight rankings, I’d like to take a moment to acknowldge Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s historic feat this past weekend. He was already a legend, and a first-ballot hall of famer, but with his victory over Tim Sylvia on Saturday, “Minotauro” is most certainly, one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Ranking fighters is difficult business, especially the lightweight division. As I illustrated in Part One and Part Two, because of the vast array of fighters in various organizations fighting between 150 and 160 lbs, coming up with a definitive ranking is essentially impossible. What I can, and will do, is look at some online MMA rankings and offer my critique.
The Gomi Conundrum
MMA Weekly’s rankings, are a prime example of a major issue I have with many lightweight rankings these days; they are Japan-centric. For what seems like an eternity, Takanori Gomi has been perched atop the lightweight rankings mountain. Why? In the last two calendar years he has been submitted twice, and when victorious, hasn’t been all that impressive. It’s safe to say that his KO of Mach Sakurai in the finals of Pride’s lightweight Grand Prix on 12/31/2005, was the climax of his run through the Bushido ranks.
I think it’s important to note that Gomi’s biggest wins over the past few years have all been against fellow countrymen, all of whom chose to stand and bang with him and not put him on his back where he is most vulnerable. Why this is the case, I’m not sure. I guess they wanted to beat Gomi at his own game, and make an exciting fight for the fans.
Looking at his record in Pride before being put to sleep by Marcus Aurelio in April ‘06 it’s an impressive 10-0, but when his opponents are inspected closer it’s not quite as spectacular as you might think. He fought guys that were under-sized(Pulver), one-dimensional(Gracie), and simply not very good(Krazy Horse). I’m not taking anything away from his wins over Azeredo, Kawajiri and Sakurai, but when you’re gameplan is to swing for the fences, you usually end up on the losing end of the spectrum with Gomi.
The main reason that I think Gomi should be heavily re-considered as the #1 lightweight in the world, is that he hasn’t done anything to show that he has improved all that much since being humbled by B.J. Penn in late-2003. He simply hasn’t beat any well-rounded athletes who have pushed the pace, taken him down, and stayed in his face the way B.J. did. It’s a shame he doesn’t appear to be UFC-bound where he would actually get tested by a wrestler, something that never happened during his Pride tenure.
Aoki?
Shooto middleweight(167 lb) champion Shinya Aoki is ranked THIRD in the world at lightweight according to MMA Weekly.He fought mainly at 160 in Pride, although managed to cut to 155 at Yarennoka, making Jason Black’s cut to 155 look like kid’s stuff. His biggest win was of course the gogoplata victory over Joachim Hansen(who’s a small lightweight) at Pride Shockwave 2006, but beyond that he doesn’t have any other marquee wins at that weight. If he doesn’t die trying, he’ll reportedly be back at 155 to fight JZ Calvancante this March, a fight which will solidify one man as a true top fiver.
The Phenom
B.J. Penn is the best lightweight fighter on the planet. It’s really quite simple. He has the best jiu-jitsu, the best takedown defense, the best chin, and devastating pin-point striking skills. I thought this even before he beat Joe Stevenson. That performance has only reinforced my belief. Unlike guys like Aoki and Sakurai who started to pop up on lightweight rankings in the last few years B.J. actually had a history at 155 with wins over Din Thomas, Uno, Serra, and the previously mentioned domination of Gomi. Aoki and Sakurai were dropping in weight(sometimes unsuccessfully) for their first time. This is why I think B.J.’s performances at 170 should be given consideration when ranking him. Serra KO and Hughes sub not withstanding, his performance against GSP is the best anyone has mustered, and a second win over Hughes was in his grasp before he tore his rib.
Will we ever really know?
Is Kurt Pellegrino ever going to fight Tatsuya Kawajiri? Will Roger Huerta bang it out with Takanori Gomi? Will Sean Sherk one day face off with Mitsuhiro Ishida? The likely answer to these questions is sadly no. The way the MMA scene is structured, Japanese fighters like the ones I mentioned will remain in Japan where they will likely get better pay, sponsors and exposure. As a fan I can only hope that top fighters continue to fight each other; the rankings will sort themselves out.