In the view of many, Urijah Faber included, the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rankings (see them here) "don't mean crap."
Still, they exist and if not for anything else, they make for a good conversation piece.
So going into this weekend's (Sat., Aug. 23, 2014) UFC Fight Night 48 bout against Dong Hyun Kim in Macua, China -- which you can see exclusively on Fight Pass -- Tyron Woodley knows "Stun Gun" is a much better fighter than the number beside his name suggests.
In fact, as he recently told Bloody Elbow, Woodley says Kim should take Matt Brown's place in the top five.
His words:
"I didn't come here thinking it was going to be an easy fight. There are no easy fights in the welterweight division. I'm a top five welterweight in the world, and I've got to prove that every time. I believe he's a top five welterweight too. I think politically... and that some people just aren't aware of his record and resume and who he has beat. I think he's much more deserving to be in the top five than some others, and I don't think he's a 10th ranked welterweight. I think he should be above Matt Brown being that he beat him. He beat freaking Nate Diaz, he beat T.J. Grant, he beat Erick Silva. I think he's a top five welterweight and I believe this will be two guys fighting at a very high level."
Yes, Kim did defeat Brown back at UFC 88, but that was over six years ago.
As for his victories over current lightweights T.J. Grant and Nate Diaz, those were in 2009 and 2011, respectively. And since the rankings are judged on a "what have you done for me lately" basis, Woodley's point is moot.
The reality is, Brown was recently on a seven-fight win streak and on the cusp of a title shot before running into Robbie Lawler at UFC on FOX 12. So you can see why he's holding strong at No. 5.
"Stun Gun" might not be too far behind for long though, as he -- thanks to "Ruthless" -- is now the owner of the longest win streak obtained in the UFC's welterweight division (four). A win over "The Chosen One" will likely up his stake and maybe move him into the top five.
Where some say he rightfully belongs.