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Introducing the Yahoo! Sports MMA Top 10 poll

Who is the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet?

That simple question provokes more debate in the sport than any other.

So we here at Yahoo! Sports have decided to take a stab at an answer. We've assembled a team of qualified mixed martial arts writers from around North America for the first monthly MMA pound-for-pound Top 10 poll.

In addition to myself and Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, the participants are Carlos Arias of the Orange County Register, Sam Caplan, a freelance reporter who writes an MMA column for Sportsline.com, Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press, Loretta Hunt of The Fight Network, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, and Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle. For more on the panel, check out the Yahoo! Sports MMA/Boxing blog .

Since the notion of what constitutes the best fighter varies from person to person, we placed no voting limits on the balloters. All fighters from super heavyweight to flyweight are eligible.

Fighters received 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, and so on, down to one point for a 10th-place vote.

The results:

10. Randy Couture
Points: 18
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight (UFC heavyweight champion)
Hometown: Gresham, Ore.
Record: 15-8
2007 results def. Tim Sylvia, unanimous decision, March 3
Analysis: Sure, some secretly fear Gabriel Gonzaga is going to knock his head off come Aug. 25. But when you're 43 years old and sitting in an announcing booth thinking "I bet I could win the heavyweight title," and then you go out and do it in convincing fashion, then, guess what? You earn a spot in the Top 10.

8 (tie). B.J. Penn
Points: 23
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight/welterweight
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 11-4-1
2007 results def. Jens Pulver, Round 2 TKO, June 23.
Analysis: Some balloters had Penn high on their list. Some left him off entirely. Such is the enigma that is Penn. One of the world's most skilled fighters, he put on a clinic at 155 pounds against Jens Pulver in June. Last year, at 170, Matt Hughes and Georges. St. Pierre both used heart to overcome Penn's fast starts. Which Penn shows up the next few times he fights will determine whether his poll ranking matches his skill level.

8 (tie). Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Points: 23
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil
Record: 30-4-1
2007 results def. Heath Herring, unanimous decision, July 7.
Analysis: Perhaps voters couldn't shake the image of Big Nog getting nearly taken out by Herring, then getting a second chance from a referee slow to stop the July 7 fight. Regardless, Nogueira needs to come up big next time out to stay afloat in a fast-changing world.

7. Chuck Liddell
Points: 25
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Record: 20-4
2007 results lost to Quinton Jackson, Round 1 TKO, May 26
Analysis: Is "The Iceman" past his prime, or does Rampage simply have his number? Word on the streets is that Liddell took his title loss as a wake-up call and has cut out the partying. We'll get an indication of whether he's back in the game when he goes toe-to-toe with Keith Jardine on Sept. 22.

6. Georges St. Pierre
Points: 26
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight
Hometown: Ste. Isidore, Quebec
Record: 13-2
2007 results lost to Matt Serra, Round 1 TKO, April 7
Analysis: From a pure skills perspective, many believe GSP has the most well-rounded tool kit in the game. But his stunning upset at the hands of Serra has knocked him down in the polls. The likeable Quebecer has his chance to get back on the right path with a tough match against Josh Koscheck on Aug. 25.

Click here for the Top 5