Japanese Lightweights getting no love from MMA landscape - Details

Cory Brady over at FiveOuncesOfPain.com has one of the most absurd articles Ive read in quite some time that screams the sentiments that Ive had about the overall MMA fanbase to this day. It lacks depth, knowledge, and the voice of the hardcore fan. It isnt just blogs like FiveOuncesOfPain either or writers like Cory Brady, its the overall direction that the MMA blogosphere has pushed itself... to the Zuffa side. 

No matter what the reasoning may be... more hits, more Google searches for UFC, the fact that people associate MMA with "Ultimate Fighting", whatever you may want to push as the reason why the Japanese MMA scene gets no love from some of the biggest MMA blogs on the Internet, its clear that some of these writers need to take a historical course on Japanese MMA. More importantly, they need to stop the pro-UFC stance and give the fans of MMA a fair shake at all the action.

Thats a story for another day. One of the problems that set off a bomb in my brain as to what the massive problem is in the MMA blogosphere when it comes to Japanese MMA came with Cory Bradys story about the Lightweight rankings and the involvement of Japanese MMA fighters. There is really only one thing I need to excerpt from his article to prove my counterpoint to his absurd elaboration that UFC fighters should be dominating the Lightweight rankings because they are "more active":

This is Bradys top ten list of Lightweight fighters after he made his points about how most of the Japanese scene MMA fighters havent done squat. Yes, riddled with 8 UFC fighters, 1 Strikeforce fighter, and only 1 DREAM fighter in Shinya Aoki. Interesting, huh?

Lets do a little comparison, and Ill make my counterpoints. Ill use BloodyElbow.coms Lightweight Meta-Rankings:

So, what are the likely knocks on guys like Eddie Alvarez, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Gesias Cavalcante, Satoru Kitaoka, and Tatsuya Kawajiri? Well, Brady makes a case that inactivity is one of the biggest culprits.

I wont knock on the fact that Aoki shouldnt be #1 or maybe even #2, but I wont delve past that as he has the potential. However, rankings arent about potential. They should be about results. There in lies the problem with fans in general. If Aoki was dropped off the top 10 list, potential thrown out the window, many writers, fans, anybody actually ranking these fighters would have a problem. Thats where a mix of results/potential/past wins come into play.

First on the list, Eddie Alvarez. Brady claims that since he merely brawled with two highly-overrated fighters in Kawajiri and Hansen, he shouldnt even be in the top 10 according to his list above. There is one reason why Alvarez is in the top ten. Not only did he prevail against tougher competition, but he also ran through Amade (outside the bubble, but a solid striker), Hansen (at least top 10), and Kawajiri (also top 10) in a matter of FOUR months. I can see, however, how he may be left off the list due to a differing opinion on Kawajiri and Hansen.

Hansen and Cavalcante are an odd drop from the top 10. The problem with Bradys offense here is that hes basing all his assumptions on the assumption that none of these guys belong in the top 10. Therefore, if any of them fought each other and won, it really doesnt help them get back into his own personal top 10 list. Thats where Cavalcante and Hansen come in.

I wont completely disagree that Hansen is ranked too high. He is, but Cavalcante is the most absurd argument Ive heard. Hes currently ranked at #7, and yes, those are past bouts that are his reason for being ranked, but isnt that the reason why ALL of these fighters are within the rankings. Most of the top ranked fighters have earned their spot, but most of the mid to low tier top 10 have past fights putting them in those places with a few up-and-comers in the mix.

Cavalcante still holds one of the most impressive lightweight destructions weve seen in the division in some time. He destroyed Rani Yahya and Caol Uno in ONE NIGHT, then turned around in 2007 and beat a veteran in Nam Phan in June, arguably top 5 at the time Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, and on the bubble Andre Amade in the same night, then was putting it to Shinya Aoki before the illegal elbows. He then loses to arguably a top 3, but at least top 10 fighter. So, hes now off the list? 

Past fights still hold water for at least a couple of years in the rankings. I dont understand this view that rankings should change dramatically from month to month. I also dont understand the pro-Zuffa sentiment to the Lightweight division.

Lets take a look at Bradys list:

1. B.J. Penn *justified*

2. Kenny Florian *at least top 5*

3. Sean Sherk  *at least top 10*

4. Gray Maynard

- Who has Gray Maynard beat, Brady? Thats my question. If this is all about inactivity and opinion, how does Gray Maynard suddenly catapult to #4? Is Rich Clementi or a one-dimensional Frankie Edgar better than Eddie Alvarez, Shinya Aoki, Joachim Hansen, Gesias Cavalcante, Satoru Kitaoka, and Tatsuya Kawajiri? I would bet against Maynard in nearly ALL of those fights. In fact, I would push Ishida to beat Maynard, but itd be close.

5. Frankie Edgar

- I imagine Frankie Edgar is the main reason why Maynard is #4. Once again, Maynard beating Edgar wasnt a huge surprise. Edgar is fairly one dimensional, and he beat who to be worthy of a #5 ranking? If so many of his wins were worth this ranking, where is Spencer Fisher and Hermes Franca on your listing?

6. Tyson Griffin

- Griffins only solid blemish is Edgar. Losing to Sherk doesnt crush you, but the main reason most rankings dont push him higher is because of disappointing performances and opinion. Griffin at #6 is ridiculous because Edgar at 5 and Maynard at 4 are absurd. 

7. Josh Thomson *Between 7 and 10*

8. Diego Sanchez

- Hes had one fight at Lightweight. How is this even justifiable at all? Because its all based on potential, thats why. This is another ranking that shouldnt be here. Sanchez shouldnt be in the picture, especially with Joe Stevensons massive dropoff.

9. Shinya Aoki *top 5 at least*

10.Clay Guida

- Does not have the wins to even remotely justify a top 10 ranking. Sure, he doesnt have the losses to drop him, but he was never there to begin with.

Ill push my opinion here as Brady has as well. Hes entitled to what he believes is the true rankings, and I do see his logic, but its flawed in that he moves to push out inactivity and substitutes unjustifiable wins that are perceived as top ten wins because he believes all of these guys are top ten. The problem is that these guys dont have the wins to even justify those rankings.

If we go through the list of wins that Maynard, Edgar, and Griffin all have... there isnt any specific win I can point at and say WOW! Top ten fighter. 

In the end, rankings all come down to opinions. You can rank by all sorts of criteria, but nearly everyone bases rankings on talent and skill, whether they say they dont or not. All rankings are based on those pieces of criteria intertwined with who fought when, who, how often, if it was a title fight, etc. Opinions on who is better than who is what most rankings go by with activity and depreciation as minor tweaking mechanisms.

You cant convince me that Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, or Tyson Griffin can beat even a non-top ten guy like Mitsuhiro Ishida, let alone even Kitaoka or Kawajiri. To be perfectly honest, the article screams pro-Zuffa bias, and its a bit unsettling that Japanese MMA isnt getting a fair shake.

I truly believe that the MMA landscape is becoming too pro-UFC and Zuffa. It isnt an anti-Zuffa stance either. I love the fights, love the landscape of the sport, but I think Japanese MMA gets an unfair shake due to its obscurity from the casual fans and even fans who have followed the UFC for a long time. Just because the UFC is the biggest promotion in town, and there hasnt been any crossover bouts between Japanese and UFC fighters, does that suddenly mean that we should DUMP all Japanese fighters from the rankings because the perception is that the UFC is king and that they must have the top fighters? Thats ridiculous.