MMA Pound-For-Pound Rankings: October 2012 (Men’s Division)

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MMA Pound-For-Pound Rankings
October 2012
Men’s Division

1. Anderson Silva [UFC] (32-4)
2. Georges St. Pierre [UFC] (22-2)
3. Jon Jones [UFC] (17-1)
4. Junior Dos Santos [UFC] (15-1)
5. Dan Henderson [UFC] (29-8)
6. Carlos Condit [UFC] (28-5)
7. Jose Aldo [UFC] (21-1)
8. Ben Henderson [UFC] (17-2)
9. Dominick Cruz [UFC] (19-1)
10. Cain Velasquez [UFC] (10-1)

Fringe Contenders: Alistair Overeem [UFC], Rashad Evans [UFC], Gilbert Melendez [Strikeforce], Renan Barao [UFC], Chad Mendes [UFC], Nick Diaz [UFC], Martin Kampmann [UFC]

Jon Jones holds his place at #3 with a violent win over Vitor Belfort, while Anderson Silva will face a similarly overmatched threat in Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. Considering the low ranking of Bonnar, a loss for Silva will effectively eliminate him from the pound-for-pound “top 10″ rankings. Bonnar is a historical underdog for this fight, with most sports books listing Silva as highly as a 14:1 favorite.

Georges St. Pierre will finally return to face Carlos Condit later this year, although their strength of competition in the talent-rich welterweight division may not necessarily eliminate either one from the pound-for-pound list.

Junior dos Santos has plenty of time to prepare for Cain Velasquez before UFC 155 on December 29th. Former #1 contender Alistair Overeem heavily campaigned for the bout, but barring an injury to either main card fighter, he’ll simply go back into the mix.

Ben Henderson will fight Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX in December, where a loss will likely eliminate him from the “top 10″ rankings. None of the other fighters in the “top 10″ will be risking their pound-for-pound status before the year is out.

However, Dan Henderson could wind up facing one of the biggest stylistic risks to his position if he’s matched up with Lyoto Machida for a title eliminator. That match-up has been suggested by UFC president Dana White, but not yet confirmed for a specific event.

[Fighters are evaluated by recent events and quality of opponents. Due to the nature of pound-for-pound rankings, eligible (active/winning) fighters are not removed from the list except under extreme injury conditions or retirement. Rankings compiled and edited by McKinley Noble.]

Tags: Anderson Silva, Ben Henderson, Cain Velasquez, Carlos Condit, Dan Henderson, Dominick Cruz, Georges St Pierre, Gilbert Melendez, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, mma, P4P, Pound-For-Pound, Rankings Update, Rashad Evans, Renan Barao, Stephan Bonnar, Strikeforce, UFC, UFC 153