KJ Power Rankings - December 2013

The first edition of the KJ Power Rankings launched in August and we've waited until the holiday season to reassess.

Depending on the amount of action the staff at Knucklejunkies.com will analyze and brood over the top professional fighters in the area and will then rank, pound-for-pound, them 1 thru 10.

The purpose is to make a stew of all of the pro fighters, no matter the weight class or promotion, who call St. Louis home (sorry Michael Chandler, Justin Lawrence, Barb Honchek, and others) and to have a little fun in process.

The voting panel for the KJ Power Rankings include: writers Brett Auten, Matt Frazier, and Debo; along with photographers Jim Range, Sara Levin and Chris Oth.

The criteria the voters are given to choose their top ten is as follows: overall talent level, skill, and accomplishments; national buzz, overall notoriety and momentum,

Fighters are given 10 points for a first place vote, nine points for a second place vote, and so on while the overall point total will determine the top 10.

For the complete voting breakdown, along with first place votes and On the bubble fighters, see the very bottom.

1: Tyron Woodley (12-2)
Twood's stock has blown off the charts following his KO of Josh Koschek in November. He is now slated to fight Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 171. The winner of Woodley/Condit will arguably get the winner of that evenings main event; Johny Hendricks against Robbie Lawler for the now-vacant UFC welterweight title.

2: Josh Sampo (11-2)
"The Gremlin" made his UFC debut in November and did so with fanfare. His submission of Ryan Benoit earned Fight of the Night honors.

3: Alp Ozkilic (9-1)
Like fellow flyweight phenom Josh Sampo, "The Turkish Delight" recently made his UFC debut. In early December Ozkilic defeated, and at times manhandled, skilled vet Darren Uyenoyama by split decision.

4: Alex White (8-0)
"The Spartan" went 3-0 in 2013 and looks to be back at in January.

5: Andrew Sanchez (4-1)
Vaulting from, on the bubble into the top five, El Dirte won convincingly on RFA 11 on AXSTV reminding everyone how dominant he can be.

6: Adam Cella (5-1)
Cella has been out of action since June of 2013 as a finger injury kept him sidelined. He is rumored to make a big splash locally in March of 2014.

7: Chris Heatherly (7-1)
"Stump" earned arguably the biggest win of his career, submitting Dakota Cochran in the first round in October. Heatherly is expected to get back at it soon after the holidays.

8: Luigi Fioravanti (24-11)
"The Italian Tank" punished Josh Thorpe for three rounds in October to win an unanimous decision win. He is scheduled to face Luke Zachrich (13-2) in February.

9: Lance Benoist (6-2) and Ken Porter (4-1)
Not fighting since November of 2012 and coming off a broken leg, Benoist, a UFC welterweight, is expected to get back under the bright lights in the early portion of 2014. Porter went 4-0 for 2013.

10: Jake Collier (7-1)
Plagued by injuries, the Cuba product has had two surgeries since his May win over Quartus Stitt.

Total points with firce place votes in ()
Tyron Woodley 56 (5)
Josh Sampo 55
Alp Ozkilic 49
Alex W"hite 37
Andrew Sanchez 31
Adam Cella 25
Chris Heatherly 19
Luigi Fioravanti 18
Lance Benoist & Ken Porter 8
Jake Collier 7

On the bubble: Eric Irvin and EJ Brooks, Zach Freeman, Matt Ricehouse