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| Cain Velasquez sits at #2 in our rankings, will a win on Nov. 5th change that? |
Northern California has become the home of some of mixed
martial arts greatest and brightest stars. Such names as Frank Shamrock, Cung
Le, Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez have called the region home.
If any region were to have its own pound-for-pound ranking,
it would be Northern California. Along with several MMA experts (Danny Acosta,
Phil Lanides, Sharon Sanghera and Joshua Wood) and a few fans, we have put
together a Nor Cal Pound-for-Pound MMA top-10. They are;
1) Gilbert Melendez (19-2-0, 11 TKOs, 1 submission;
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion): Melendez rides high as the #1 P4P MMA
fighter in NorCal, for now. All the rumors of a jump to the UFC are pushed
aside as he focuses on his Dec. 17th fight against Jorge Masvidal. A
win to retain his title could possibly set up a unification bout with Frankie
Edgar.
Next scheduled fight:
December 17, 2011 vs. Jorge Masvidal.
2) Cain Velasquez (9-0-0, 8 TKOs; UFC Heavyweight Champion):
After months of waiting the time is quickly approaching for Cain to make his
first title defense next Saturday as he takes on Junior dos Santos. It could
become a memorable year for the champ or mediocre, depending on how that match
plays out.
Next scheduled fight:
November 5, 2011 vs. Junior dos Santos.
3) Nick Diaz (26-7-0, 13 TKOs, 8 submissions): Diaz came
away with an impressive unanimous decision victory at UFC 137 over BJ Penn. His
striking was on point and he looked more than comfortable in the limelight of a
main event. That’s good, because there’ll be plenty more of them in his career.
Next scheduled fight: February
4, 2012 vs. Georges St. Pierre for welterweight title.
4) Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 5 TKOs, 5 submissions): Fitch’s long-awaited
return to the octagon is fast approaching. The AKA welterweight has been on the
shelf since February. His spot is secure as his pedigree speaks for itself.
Next scheduled fight:
December 30, 2011 vs. Johny Hendricks.
5) Chad Mendes (11-0-0, 2 TKOs, 2 submissions): “Money” is
still riding high off his UFC 134 victory over Rani Yahya and news just got
better for the UFC featherweight. It has been reported that Mendes will fight
champion Jose Aldo in January of next year.
Next scheduled fight:
January 14, 2012 vs. Jose Aldo for featherweight title.
6) Mark Munoz (11-2-0, 5 TKOs, 1 submission): Munoz is set
to do battle with Chris Leben in a historic main event. It will be the first
non-title five-round main event in the promotions history. It will take place
in London and be broadcasted for free on TV. A win for Munoz could likely push
him up the rankings.
Next scheduled fight:
November 5 vs. Chris Leben.
7) Luke Rockhold (8-1-0, 1 TKO, 6 submissions; Strikeforce
Middleweight Champion): Rockhold is enjoying his reign as newly crowned
champion and is unlikely to fight before year’s end.
Next scheduled fight:
TBD
8) Daniel Cormier (9-0-0, 4 TKOs, 3 submissions): Cormier’s
broken hand is reportedly cleared for work. Now it’s only a matter of when that
work will occur. His GP Final bout with Josh Barnett has no date as of right now.
Next scheduled fight:
TBD vs. Josh Barnett
9) Josh Koscheck (16-5-0, 5 TKOs, 5 submissions): Kos makes
his appearance in the rankings via a vicious first-round TKO victory over Matt
Hughes at UFC 135. He is still making a case to fight before year’s end and is
shooting for UFC 139 in San Jose.
Next scheduled fight:
TBD
10) Joseph Benavidez (15-2-0, 3 TKOs, 8 submissions): The
Team Alpha Male bantamweight is riding a three-fight win streak and is making a
case for a title opportunity. However, he has made it known that a move to the
125 lb. flyweight division may be an option when it is added to the UFC.
Next scheduled fight:
TBD
Others with votes: Jake Shields, Miesha Tate, Nate Diaz,
Anthony Johnson, Urijah Faber.
Follow me on Twitter at
@NiteshDutt.
Also follow our panel: Sharon Sanghera (@VINCITeditor),
Danny Acosta (@AcostaIsLegend), Phil Lanides (@fightofyourlife) and Joshua Wood
(@MMAValor).
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