After the explosive win by Anderson Silva at Ultimate Fight Night 14 and the unbelievable destruction of Tim Sylvia at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko at the inaugural Affliction event, the MMA community has once again buzzed at how the pound-for-pound rankings will look. Should Anderson Silva take the crown as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? Has Fedor propelled his status to the top after a convincing performance against what many fans wanted to see in "real" competition?

The one thing I've always wanted to explore is the criteria that most fans lay out on the table when it comes to categorizing these fighters and putting them into a ranking. What exactly pushes one fighter into the realm of being a pound-for-pound ranked fighter? For the most part, fans usually classify a dominating fighter with an exemplary record and dynamic skills onto the list. Most casual fans would likely push Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, and any number of fighters who hold titles within the UFC onto the list for the mere fact that their status in the organization has reached the top of the food chain.

With Anderson Silva moving up to Light Heavyweight and defeating James Irvin on Saturday night, many fans are clamoring for a #1 ranking on the pound-for-pound list due to the fact that he did have a dominating performance in an "unnatural" weight class. Other fighters could push this argument specifically B.J. Penn has fought admirably at other weight classes.

While I would take into consideration the suggestion that fighting and winning at different weight classes is a huge plus in the pound-for-pound rankings, I'm still torn as to how Fedor remains outside the conversation in many rankings. I've heard numerous outlets suggest his name in the top three and even at #1, but I haven't seen a solid argument. I don't have the most solid argument in the world to push him to #1, but I would like to offer some analysis as to why he potentially should be in that spot.

First and foremost, let's analyze the rest of the field. Names like Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre litter the top, and they should. Silva has dominated the UFC's middleweight division in stunning fashion with destructive wins over Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson. At this moment in his career, I'd definitely rank him #1 or #2 for the pure fact he crushed Franklin, a top 5 Middleweight, and amazingly defeated Henderson inside 2 rounds. The biggest problem I've had with recent talk in the P4P rankings is the fact that James Irvin's dismantling somehow affects his standing. To be brutally honest, I didn't see how Irvin stood a chance against Silva, and I still don't think it was even a remotely good fight with the only exchange resulting in Irvin eating his own words. Fans applaud Silva's efforts and I applaud him for taking the fight to excite the fanbase, but winning in another weight class against someone who has yet to prove to be a solid middle to upper tier fighter isn't a win that solidifies your standing.

St. Pierre has yet to convince the MMA community that he can effectively defend his title against a solid contender. Jon Fitch will likely be that test, but will he really be a test? I've heard the argument over the last few weeks that Fitch will be a monster against Georges St. Pierre. It hasn't convinced me yet. If he can defeat Fitch inside two rounds, which I believe will happen, look for the UFC to potentially setup a superfight between GSP and BJ Penn. That fight could potentially lift GSP into a #1 spot.

Then there was the "Last Emperor". While I don't believe he is the #1 P4P best fighter in the world right now, I only refrain from labeling him as that due to the amount of top competition fights he's had in the last few years. I do think that he has the credentials, tools, and fights left in him to easily obtain that moniker.

He not only destroyed an arguably top three heavyweight in 0:36 seconds, but he did so with a cloud of doubt from the MMA media as to whether he even had the same tenacity that he showed us in PRIDE. Are you one of those fans that are hanging onto the fact that Silva has still jumped weight classes? Fedor took on Hong Man Choi, while terrible on the ground, still weighs over 130 to 140 pounds more than the Russian. Want to argue that Choi wasn't able competition? Neither was James Irvin.

In the end, the pound for pound rankings come down to a fighter winning his fights against top ten competition. This is where Anderson Silva excels to the top spot. The question for the future is how impressive will his wins be compared to the destructive force that Fedor is showing once again. Is a :36  second trouncing of a huge heavyweight more impressive than a one punch KO of a non-ranked Light Heavyweight by a MW champion? In my mind, Fedor's win was much more impressive due to Fedor's inactivity, the doubt surrounding his abilities, and old UFC vs. PRIDE battle within the hardcore fanbase. As dead as the argument was, it still made this fight something all hardcore fans wanted to see.

If Fedor demolishes Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, and Randy Couture in quick fashion, he will undoubtedly be labeled the best P4P fighter this sport has ever seen. For me, it's not only about his wins and record, but his pure skills as a fighter. Transitions, speed, quickness, power, and his ability to escape danger seem to surprise even the most hardcore fans everytime Fedor steps into the ring. Hopefully, casual fans will begin to buy into what Affliction is doing and tune in for Fedor. For now though, the UFC has one of the best P4P fighters in the world in Anderson Silva, and he is a treat to watch.

Let me know what criteria your P4P rankings would use. How would you stack the top three?