You ever argue with a friend over who the best artist is in your favorite music genre? How about best film? Manning over Brady? LeBron over Kobe? Of course you have; we've all done it. The success of the argument is closely aligned with the criteria that you and anyone you debate with use to evaluate and eventually take a position in the debate. What's the point of arguing a point with someone who is taking different factors into account than you? It's a waste of time and energy and even though "who is the best" discussions are inherently pointless, there's a thin line between a fun dispute and wanting to strangle someone for taking what you would perceive to be a ridiculous position.
Mixed Martial Arts is no different, and thanks largely due to issues in the sport of boxing, the term "Pound for Pound" has crept into the relatively new sport with many of its supporters not completely understanding the term or its place. After UFC 136, UFC President Dana White went on record, stating UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was now the number 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, behind Middleweight king Anderson Silva. Dana White is known for the hyperboles. This is the same guy who before every big fight will state that it's "the biggest fight in UFC history." He's a salesman and a large part of what his role is, is to sell us on the fighters and the events. And placing Frankie as a number 2 pound-for-pound guy is no different, and it's the best available position to push the Jersey native. But if you really place the proclamation under a microscope, you'd agree it's absurd.
In contracts, key terms, even those that appear to be obvious to the reader, ensure that both parties are under the same understanding, and because in some instances, words don't always appear to mean what you think they "should" mean within the document. Pound for Pound is not an excuse to place lighter weight fighters above heavier ones "just because they're lighter."
Dana would have you believe that Frankie deserves to be ranked ahead of Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre ("GSP") because he fights at a weight class above his natural weight and has won four fights against two very tough opponents. As impressive as Frankie has been, Dana has clearly moved outside of the scope of the term "pound for pound".
So what does pound for pound mean? It's used in combat sports to compare fighters in different weight classes, with the focus being, "who would win if the fighter's were the same size?" The term is in part, at least, due to reporters classifying Sugar Ray Robinson as the best fighter of all time, even though he fought primarily at welterweight and middleweight and never would have been successful against some of the most prominent heavyweights of all-time, such as Muhammad Ali.
Seems simple enough, right? If all things being equal, Robinson's speed and skill would have been too much for some of the heavier fighters who rose to prominence because of their ability to electrify the crowds with knockouts. Today, the term is still necessary in boxing because the value of championship belts (which in other sports is the determinative factor on who is the best) has plummeted. The only argument left in boxing is who's the Pound for Pound champion, Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao?
Mixed Martial Arts, specifically the UFC, is in a different position. There is only one champion in each weight class (unlike boxing) and the heavier fighters are just as talented as some of the lighter ones. There's an argument to be made that pound-for-pound discussions do not even belong in MMA at this point, but then again, what's the fun in that?
If we stick to what the term "Pound for Pound" actually means, one should factor in the better striker, the better wrestler, the better jiu-jitsu practitioner, experience, dominance, and maybe a variety of lesser important factors, such as an ability to finish. Anderson Silva is the best striker in all of MMA, proven he has the ability to submit high-level competition and is undefeated in the UFC, even when moving up 20lbs to fight in a different weight class. If you find yourself in an argument with someone who does not recognize Silva as the pound for pound best in MMA, he's likely misinformed and/or the type of guy who watches female MMA from Japan on videocassette in his basement. Either or, not the kind of person you want to debate with.
Arguing the #2 spot is a bit more difficult. There's Jon Jones, a light-heavyweight savant who improves leaps and bounds each and every fight, and by all accounts is the future of the sport; and then there is GSP, who may be the best-rounded fighter on the planet. Rational arguments are just that. Feel free to debate the merits of GSP, Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo, but bear in mind, once you consider factors irrelevant to what the actual term "pound for pound" means, you're no better than the guy with female MMA on video.
A rational person would see that GSP is a better wrestler than Frankie (he's still considering a run at the 2012 Olympics), a better striker (Frankie's superb footwork aside), and went three (3) years without losing a single round in a fight. As impressive as Frankie's been in his last four fights, it was only against two opponents! And one of those fights was an actual draw. A rational person would see that Dana White is an emotional promoting machine and place no weight on his ridiculous attempt to sell a fighter whose most exciting trait is his ability to take a punch.
Then again, what rational person spends time creating a fictional list of fighters who will likely not fight one another? Just stay out of the basement and away from Jersey and you'll be alright.
This article is an except from the soon to be released book, "Pugilist".