These rankings were compiled by Jonathan Brown at http://www.fightbeat.com. They are based on:
-overall body of work
-recent accomplishments
-win/loss record
-dominance of a division
-how you win or lose
-longevity

#1 Fedor Emelainenko (24-1)
I'm planning on taking a beating from the haters and the pretenders for this list but defiantly not for this pick. The current Pride Heavyweight Champion is widely recognized not only as the best heavyweight in the world, but also the #1 P4P fighter on the planet. This Russian is the total package, whether on his feet or on the ground, a beautiful amalgam of ferocity and technique. (He also possesses an eerie calm you will only find in a certain practitioner of the sweet science, James “Lights Out” Toney.) Pride clearly has the best crop of MMA heavyweights in the world. This is arguably the best overall division in MMA and Fedor unquestionably stands at the top of the mountain. He has reigned as Pride's Heavyweight Champion for almost four years, and has made 13 title defenses.

His lone loss came in 2000 at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka by a freak cut occurring 17 seconds into the first round. Fedor avenged that loss last year by a TKO stoppage. The only critism you can make with Fedor is with his recent inactivity. He has only fought once so far in 2006.

#2 Chuck Liddell (19-3)
This man doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "easy fight." The UFC Light heavyweight Champion is currently on a six-fight win streak, all by stoppage.

He has avenged two of his losses recently by stoppage(Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn). With the UFC's recent acquisition of the WFA, look for him to avenge the third one when Rampage Jackson comes under contract with the UFC. Don't look for Chuck's ranking to change this month with the highly anticipated rematch with Tito Ortiz. Chuck will nullify Tito's ground n’ pound game-plan with his superior wrestling abilities. Tito will be forced to stand with Chuck—bring a pillow and blankie into the Octagon Tito...you’ll need it.

#3 Georges St. Pierre (13-1)
One of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport today, GSP can truly do it all. He is a natural athlete with explosive stand up, and possesses world class wrestling ability. Possibly Matt Hughes's worst nightmare, GSP showed his ability to take him down with ease in their first fight, and then was able to obliterate him with strikes in the rematch. Assuming he can get past Matt Sera in his next fight, his lifelong dream will come true in May, when he will defend his belt in his hometown of Montreal in a rubbermatch against Hughes. Given Matt's PR history with Canadians, George won't be his only opponent in the Octagon that night.

#4 Mauricio Rua (14-2)
12 of his 14 wins have come by knockout. To earn his 2005 Grand Prix title he had to go through a Who’s Who of the Pride 205lb. division. He first Knocked out former Chuck Liddell conqueror Rampage Jackson, then won a decision win over Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) badass Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Following this were two knockouts in one night over Alistair Overeem and fellow Brazilian superstar Ricardo Arona. The sky is the limit for the talented 25-year-old.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely we will ever get to see a showdown with current Pride Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva, because they are training partners at Chute Boxe. But the way UFC honcho Dana White has been gobbling up contracts these days, there's always hope for a dream match with Chuck Liddell.

#5 Mirko Filipovic (24-4-2)
Probably the best striker in the heavyweight division, it appears that the 32-year-old former kickboxing champion is entering his prime. Cro Cop won all of his 2006 Grand Prix Open Eight matches by knockout, including a pair in one night against Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett. Cro Cop has four submissions victories to his credit, but don't be fooled into thinking he is a world class grappler; three of them have come by tap out where his opponents have tapped to avoid being beaten anymore by the vicious striker. Cro Cop is a free agent and there are strong rumors circulating that he is UFC-bound.

#6 Takonori Gomi (25-3)
Dropping out of high school and being disowned by your father usually aren't ingredients for a successful future, but don't tell that to the #1 ranked lightweight in the world. The former Shooto Champion started to stake his claim as the best lightweight in world by knocking out Jens Pulver in 2004. He went on to win four in a row, and made it official when he knocked out Japanese legend Hayato Sakurai. That victory was in the first Grand Prix lightweight tournament in 2005, making him Pride's first Lightweight Champion.

#7 Anderson Silva (17-4)
With two first round KO's in his first two fights in the UFC, Anderson exploded on the scene in 2006. He handed Chris Leben his first KO loss of his career and then encored by literally re-arranging Rich Franklin’s face, who was then regarded as the best middleweight on the planet. The Muy Thai badass, who is generally regarded as the best striker in the 185lb division, has also been working on his "weaknesses." This year he received his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from countryman Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

#8 Matt Hughes (40-5)
Hands down the most dominant welterweight champion in MMA history. Has arguably the best resume in MMA history, having fought everybody worth fighting at 170 pounds. Yes, Hughes was dominated in last fight with GSP, but that doesn't erase his lofty accomplishments. Hughes holds victories over B.J Penn, George St. Pierre, Royce Gracie, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Shrek, Carlos Newton and Frank Trigg, to name a few. Every one of these fighters is a current or former champion.

#9 Wanderlei Silva (31-6-1)
Affectionately referred to as "The Axe Murderer," Wanderlei is the most feared and successful middleweight champion (205lbs.) in Pride history.

Wanderlei recently lost to Crop Cop but it was a fight outside his weight class. He must be commended for being the only middleweight to make it to the semi-finals of the 2006 open weight tournament. He defended his belt an amazing 15 times after winning it in 2001 from MMA legend Kazushi Sakuruba. 13 of those victories came by way of knockout, before losing to Ricardo Arona via decision in August 2005. In a rematch with Arona, he re-claimed his belt by decision.

#10 Josh Barnett (20-4)
One thing we know for sure about Josh is he can't beat Cro Cop (he's 0-3 against him, most recently losing last October). But so what! A precious few can take Mirko. Josh still beat a ton of other Pride talent this year, racking up victories over Aleksander Emelianenko, Mark hunt, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He fought six times this year and still has another bout scheduled! It was this last victory that helped him edge Nogueira out for the 10th and final spot on this list.

http://fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=248

I like that list pretty well.

I would make only a few corrections if I did the list myself. GSP would be #1 instead of 3. He is 60+ lighter than Fedor, and I think he will dominate WW for a long time to come. I probably wouldn't have Anderson Silva that high, I might put him at 10 - granted he destroyed Franklin and shattered his nose, but he hasn't been around long enough or been in enough great fights to really prove that he deserves to be on that list. And as much as I like Josh Barnett, pound for pound I don't think he is even close to number 10. I think Wandy would tear his shit apart. Oh, when they are talking about Wandy losing to Cro Cop and fighting over his weight class - Wandy was weighing 230 at the time, 4lbs more than Cro Cop. At least thats what Frank dumbfuck Trigg said.

list was decent. Fedor is without a doubt, the undisputed #1. GSP probably would've been second for me. I also don't think that Josh Barnett has any place on that list whatsoever. He's great at what he does, and that get's him the wins. p4p he's nowhere near someone like Bj Penn, who I think should've been on this list. Anderson Silva should've been lower, but he has been very impressive. I'm actually really interested in seeing him vs. Travis Lutter. I'd like to see a ground war between them... seeing as they're both BJJ blackbelts.

I'd have to say that Sean Muscleshark Sherk deserves a spot on the list, since he is down to 155 now. I don't really know how he would fair against Gomi and the Pride LWs, but he seems to have kept almost all of his power and gained a bit of speed going from 170 to 155, so p4p he is a badass.