Anderson Silva Still Sits Atop Dana White’s Pound-For-Pound Rankings, Edgar Above Aldo

Anderson Silva

Pound-for-pound rankings in any sport are as subjective as they come. From arguments that persist in boxing to the ever present debates in MMA, there doesn’t seem to be one perfect answer.

That is unless you ask UFC president Dana White, who stands by his claims for the past couple of years that there is no question Anderson Silva remains the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Other names get mentioned and after Saturday night it’s hard to ignore the body of work of UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, but White still believes it’s Silva at the top of the sport.

“Anderson Silva, not only has he wiped out the 85lb division, he also beat a couple of guys at 205. This whole debate about pound-for-pound…love Georges St-Pierre, Georges St-Pierre’s awesome, huge superstar and everything, he lost not too long ago to Matt Serra by knockout. This guy’s never lost in the UFC and he moved up another weight division and beat two (expletive) tough guys at that weight,” White told MMAWeekly.com following the UFC 124 event.

Backing up his belief that Silva sits alone atop the pound-for-pound rankings, White also points to his nearly 5 year long winning streak that has seen him face some of the best in the world at both 185lbs and even at 205lbs.

“This guy’s knocked off all the best guys. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2006, it’s almost 2011,” White stated.

There are other names like St-Pierre that belong in the discussion for the best pound-for-pound fighters just below Silva however. One of them is the current UFC lightweight champion, and while everyone has seemingly placed new UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at No. 3, White disagrees.

“Frankie Edgar, his only loss to Gray Maynard in his entire career, and just beat B.J. Penn twice, and he really doesn’t (expletive) belong at 55, he should be in a lighter weight division. That’s what pound for pound means,” said White.

“I’d put him above Jose Aldo. Jose Aldo’s incredibly, amazingly talented, but he has not accomplished what Frankie Edgar has.”

Edgar will even get the chance to erase the one loss on his record when he rematches Maynard in Janaury in the headline fight for the UFC’s next pay-per-view. Aldo however remains on the shelf after an injury forced him off the same card, and will not return until later in 2011 to try to stake his claim to the spot.

As for Anderson Silva, he will return in February at UFC 126 and defend his title against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort and look to extend his improbable streak for another fight.