Back in December I spent far too much of my time on a list of what I felt were the top 100 fighters in the world. When it came to the top slot the decision obviously came down to Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre. At the time I felt that GSP had the slight edge and claim to the #1 spot on the strength of his streak of not losing a round in years while Silva had been pushed to the edge by Chael Sonnen.
2011 has been a different story though. Silva faced what many considered a dangerous test in Vitor Belfort only to front kick Vitor in the face for the quick round one KO. St. Pierre, on the other hand, struggled through an ugly fight with Jake Shields. While an eye poke dictated certain aspects of how the fight unfolded, the fluidity of P4P rankings requires constant reevaluation of fighter placement.
If Silva isn't already above Georges in your eyes, would a stoppage win over the very durable Okami boost him up to #1? Or has St. Pierre simply been so dominant that it will take a loss for him to drop from the top spot in the sport?
Brandon Rios fighting in December, not on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 3 Undercard
There was some boxing news yesterday that probably didn't jump out to MMA fans as anything particularly important to the UFC. But when it was announced that Brandon Rios would not be fighting on the undercard of Pacquiao/Marquez, as previously rumored, it shifted a major dynamic in that evening's viewing priorities.
Some felt that the fact that the UFC on Fox debut would be over before the main event started meant that households would turn the PPV off to watch the network debut. Rios, though, brings a must-see style and has built up a career out of being not only all-action, but also legitimately talented. There would not have been a ton of people who dropped over $50 for a pay-per-view who wouldn't have kept their TV locked in to see the Rios fight.
But Rios is now fighting in December and despite Bob Arum's big talk, we're going to be left with yet another weak undercard and likely one that many will be all too willing to give up on for an hour to watch the UFC's Fox debut.
Your Morning Video: Memphis Area Transit Authority Worker Fights Troublemaker
While I'd certainly never advocate street fights as a valid means of entertainment, there is something truly interesting about the way that this Memphis area news broadcast covered a Transit Authority worker getting in a streetfight. After deciding that he had "good footwork" and noticing some of his defensive techniques, they took the video to a local MMA gym to get the reactions of fighters:
Keep your browsers locked in to Bloody Elbow all day today. We have a huge day of content including staff predictions for UFC 134: Rio as well as live video of the weigh-in for the event.