Here are my top 5 rankings for all current lightweight UFC division.
1. BJ Penn
2. Kenny Florian
3. Frankie Edgar
4. Gray Maynard
5. Tyson Griffin
What else can you say about the best ever lightweight to fight in MMA? The Hawaiian 155lbs champion has beaten all fighters thrown at him at 155lbs, his recent destruction of Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson. BJ defends his title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. If a win at UFC 112, it is widely anticipated he will step up to welterweight to challenge the top 5 and another rematch against GSP.
Second for me is Kenny Florian, Kenny could and has beaten the majority of the top 5 contenders already. Kenny has lost two title shots, BJ Penn defended and beat Florian at UFC 101. Florian next fight is against Takanori Gomi on March 31st at Ultimate fight night. If Florian wins expect him to have one more fight before another title shot.
Third comes number one contender Frankie Edgar, Edgar has been impressive since his introduction to UFC back in February 2007. Edgar has only lost once, that was to other contender Gray Maynard. Edgar beat former champ Sean Sherk in May of last year. I am not expecting Edgar to really challenge BJ at UFC 112 but he is a real contender and hope for the future of lightweight division.
Fourth is wrestling and now striker Gray Maynard, Maynard is technically unbeaten in MMA. He has beaten 9 fighters including Frankie Edgar and Tyson Griffin. Maynard was due for a title shot however with his last fight against Diaz he struggled to contain his emotions and admits he wasn’t ready for a title shot. Maynard is a big guy for lightweight, he will need to mentally focus and keep improving, with another win he could challenge for a title shot in the near future.
Fifth for me is Tyson Griffin, Griffin is another fighter for the future, he has lost two fights in his short but impressive career. Griffin is widely known as fight of the night winner, he has already made real buzz around him, he has a good strong base and trains at the right champ Extreme Couture. He is definitely the future and look forward to fighting at a higher standard in the very near future.
Danny Denhard