March Madness: The Lightweights

BJ Penn lets everyone know he is the No. 1 overall seed in the "First Round March Madness" lightweight tournament. His armpit probably doesn't smell good though. 

Well, I got swept up in the NCAA March Madness tournament on Friday and Saturday, which stopped me from finishing my fictional "March Madness" tournaments. But I have saved the best for last as the lightweights square off. 

The lightweight division has the most talent by far on a global scale. While the UFC likes to tout its light heavyweight division, if it signed the international fighters in my tournament the lightweight division would easily be its crown jewel. 

Unlike the middleweights and welterweights, a clear No. 1 does not exist. BJ Penn is obviously a dominant fighter, but Shinya Aoki is the best jujitsu practitioner in mixed martial arts. There are masters and there are Brazilian national champions, but Aoki is in a league of his own when it comes to submissions. 

Aoki doesn't technically have a championship, so Penn is awarded the No. 1 overall seed. The lightweight division is so stacked though that Jamie Varner, who is the WEC champion, is a No. 4 seed. When world champions are ranked that low, you know its the toughest division in mixed martial arts. 

Pool A: 

#1. BJ Penn

#2. Sean Sherk

#3. Josh Thomson

#4. Joe Stevenson

Pool B: 

#1. Shinya Aoki 

#2. Diego Sanchez

#3. Gilbert Melendez

#4. Jamie Varner

Pool C: 

#1. Eddie Alvarez

#2. Joachim Hansen

#3. Takanori Gomi

#4. Tyson Griffin

Pool D: 

#1. Kenny Florian

#2. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti

#3. Tatsuya Kawajiri

#4. Mitsuhiro Ishida

As always, here is the breakdown of each pool.

Pool A: Penn is clearly one of the best fighters in the world, even though he was demolished by Georges St. Pierre. When it comes to fighting at 155 pounds though, there are not many who can hang with him. Sean Sherk is the strongest man at lightweight hands down and that makes him difficult for anyone to handle. Josh Thomson is aggressive and one of the hardest guys to beat because he won't ever give up. Joe Stevenson is a great wrestler and jujitsu player, but he has struggled since moving up in competition. 

Pool B: Aoki is the best jujitsu practitioner in mixed martial arts in any weight class. He has earned the nickname "Gumby" because of his mind boggling flexibility. Diego Sanchez is a huge 155 pounder. He started his career at middleweight, so he packs some power and pushes the pace. Gilbert Melendez has been tagged as the fighter to lead the lightweight division into the future, but Thomson and Ishida slowed him down. Jamie Varner is the WEC champion and a tremendous striker, but needs to keep fighting tough competition like Donald Cerrone. 

Pool C: It is a crime — a total, complete crime — that Alvarez is not in the UFC. He is a top American fighter making his name overseas and would be easy to market, unlike some of the top Japanese fighters. Joachim Hansen fights only the best and is a super dangerous kickboxer. Takanori Gomi was considered the best lightweight in the world, but recent losses have made him fall from grace. Tyson Griffin is a cardio machine and a great wrestler. 

Pool D: Kenny Florian is the No. 1 contender to the UFC title and a great Muay Thai fighter that knows how to finish when it hits the mat. Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti is one of the smoothest fighters I have ever seen as he transitions from striking to grappling with ease. Tatsuya Kawajiri is a strong, strong man and lives up to his nickname of "Crusher." Mitsuhiro Ishida is tough to put away with most of his fights ending in a decision. 

In such a talented weight class, there are many fighters that could have made an argument to be included so I will just list them off instead of giving reasons. 

The snubbed: Roger Huerta, Nick Diaz, Clay Guida, Spencer Fisher, Gray Maynard, Hermes Franca, KJ Noons and Chris Horodecki among many others.

Results will be posted later.