Top 10 Best MMA Fighters of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist, sambist, and judoka, currently competing for Rizin Fighting Federation.

Quite simply, in his prime, I never saw a heavyweight move like Fedor. People either don't know or forget that he beat all of the best heavyweights at the time. To me, he is the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.

I know people often point to Anderson Silva, but when you look at the competition he has faced in the middleweight division, his body of work is far less impressive than Fedor's. Yes, you can say that Silva has fought all of the top middleweights, but before being knocked out in his last fight for clowning around, his toughest opponents were probably Sonnen, Henderson, and Franklin.

As for Henderson, if that fight had taken place at light heavyweight instead of middleweight, I think we would have seen a much different outcome. Henderson was past his prime and was beginning to have trouble cutting weight for that division. He is much stronger at light heavyweight. Franklin probably couldn't beat a top 10 opponent in light heavyweight, while Sonnen has yet to prove that he can maintain a top-ten spot in light heavyweight.

Yes, Sonnen beat Shogun, but Shogun has been erratic at best since losing the title. The truth is that if Silva or Jon Jones moved to heavyweight and had to deal with strikers on the same level, such as Dos Santos and Velasquez, they would get beaten badly.

2 Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (born April 14, 1975) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and had the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ended in 2013 and included a UFC record 16 consecutive victories in that span. UFC president Dana White, UFC commentator... read more

There is no doubt Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter to have ever competed in mixed martial arts. The reasons are very simple:

- He has a huge reach advantage over any opponent;
- His defense reflexes are superb;
- He has heavyweight power;
- His hands are super fast;
- He's proven to be a great grappler when necessary.
But most of all, he's an amazing strategist and too good at taking his opponents out of their game plans.

When you have such a great fighter competing, numbers mean nothing (or do they?).

Anderson is the greatest ever. No one has had a run in the UFC like The Spider. Fedor is one of the greatest but never fought in the UFC, the best organization of all time. Silva humiliates his opponents. He puts his hands down, lets them punch, and still wins in devastating fashion. He's an artist, the Ali of MMA.

Number 2 behind Fedor, people love UFC fighters, but Anderson has done it all over the world. He gets so much criticism from the Maia fight. Well, I did not hear Dana White complaining about GSP fighting conservatively against Jake Shields. It's all about the money for the UFC. Anderson sells just as many tickets and pay-per-views, but GSP sells more merchandise than Anderson. Anderson is today's best MMA fighter.

3 Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian retired professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. He is a two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) having won titles in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

In my opinion, GSP is the greatest all-around MMA fighter that has ever set foot in the Octagon.

He has a deadly stand-up game with his impressive signature "jump punch" move, which is effective and entertaining to watch. He is equally effective with his kickboxing and boxing game.

He is also a very effective submission artist. The rear-naked choke and armbar are techniques he has used to rack up his wins.

It's difficult for any fighter to fight an opponent like GSP, as he doesn't seem to have a weak "anti style."

25-2, and maybe his day isn't over. Maybe he will be back to compete in UFC 200?

I certainly hope he will be back!

This is the greatest fighter the UFC has ever had as champion. He has beaten everyone he ever fought. He ruled for almost six years, and even after leaving for four years, he came back to beat the champion in a bigger weight class. Nobody has ever been able to do what he has done, and probably never will. What also makes the man special is the quality of his opponents when compared to other champions. GSP fought only high-caliber challengers.

4 Randy Couture Randall "Randy" Duane Couture is an American actor, retired mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler.

The Natural doesn't walk away from fights. He goes to the most challenging fights, championship fights, tournament fights, interim championship fights, and number one contender fights. Randy is the best in the world ever because when all is said and done, he's retired. He is also the most dominant UFC heavyweight fighter ever and the smartest fighter ever.

He deserves the number 1 spot. They don't call him THE NATURAL for nothing. He may have been an underdog in his early career, but you won't see this guy give up. The greatest fighter isn't the one with the best fight record. It is the one with the biggest heart.

Randy is the best of all time. Look at his age, who he's beaten, both light and heavyweight, and coming out of retirement to defend the title. How many fighters can people say have won at the highest level like he has?

5 Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight "Jon" Jones is an American mixed martial artist and current interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Jon Jones is possibly the greatest fighter of all time, full stop. He is definitely one of the best fighters to watch. His mastery of MMA is reinforced by his total brilliance as a scrapper. He is capable of making brutality beautiful. He made his own path to greatness much more "Rocky" and difficult, but he still achieved that greatness, even despite his mistakes and failings. He is only human, but he is a living legend. I've been privileged to see almost every pro fight he's ever had, and I hope he starts to get the recognition he deserves as the greatest, and soon.

The youngest, most creative fighter who has beaten all of the top fighters in his light heavyweight division. He has never been truly beaten, competing against opposition that is much better than the past, as fighters have gotten better and advanced with time.

After closely studying all-time greats Fedor, Silva, GSP, and Jones, I've come to the conclusion that Jones is the best, most complete, most dominating fighter of the four, and I think he will just go on to prove this in the future.

6 Matt Hughes Matthew Allen Hughes (born October 13, 1973) is a retired American mixed martial artist with a background in wrestling. He is a two-time UFC Welterweight Champion, UFC Hall of Fame inductee, and NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks, defeated all the available opposition in the welterweight... read more

The legend that is Matt Hughes... Other fighters will never be able to get out of his shadow. He truly defines the MMA sport. His fights are legendary. Truly an American Legend.

Was mentally and physically tough with extraordinary conditioning. Didn't let his mouth outrun his brain and retired at the right time to go home and farm.

7 Chuck Liddell Charles David "Chuck" Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is an American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Karate, and Kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2010, Liddell had 23 fights in the UFC; along with Randy Couture, he... read more

I would rank Chuck as number 3. This is because he possesses a true heart of a warrior. He always bangs. He would go out there and have a slugfest with any man who has ever lived. And he did have the UFC's best win streak before Silva came along. He might not be the best technical fighter in the world, but he is not the worst by a long shot either. The Iceman always brings the fight. He will always give the people a spectacular show, and pretty much single-handedly brought MMA, and UFC in particular, out of the dark underground and into the bright lights. Dana White recognizes this.

Chuck Liddell should be in the top 2 or 3. He brought MMA to its place. He is a warrior. In 2004, he started in King of the Cage and then retired from King of the Cage in 2010.

8 Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie singlehandedly revolutionized the sport of MMA. He is the son of the legendary jiu-jitsu master Helio Gracie. He also paved the way for today's fighters, especially for fighters like Anderson Silva, who is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student. He was so dominant that they had to change the rules and forbid the wearing of gis and shirts because it was making people submit too often.

His only flaw was that he wasn't the best striker, but there is no question that he is one of, if not the best, in ground fighting. His record stands at 19 total fights, with 14 wins, 2 losses, 3 draws, 2 KO's, 2 by decision, and 12 submissions.

Without Royce and Gracie Jiu Jitsu, there is no UFC. The start of Ultimate Fighting was based on: "What fighting discipline is the best". Royce beat unknown contestants, sometimes several in a night, without studying videos or getting info from others. MMA evolved ONLY because of Royce. You can't discredit his skills against present day fighters, because without him, there would be no MMA.

9 B.J. Penn

BJ Penn is an absolute BEAST of a fighter. GSP takes his opponent down and leaves him there for the rest of the fight, making his fights predictable. BJ Penn beats the living hell out of his opponents both standing up and on the ground. At the end of the fight, he is perfectly fine while his opponent is a bloody mess with all hope lost.

He should be way higher on the list.

Better than all of them, BJ is the greatest fighter of all time, no doubt. He's never run from anyone. He fights guys he's meant to lose to and beats them. On paper, people think, Well, he lost to this guy or that guy, but that doesn't mean anything. He's the greatest fighter alive.

The greatest natural fighter of all time!

10 Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist of Avar ethnicity. Nurmagomedov is a two-time Combat Sambo World Champion and the reigning undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. He currently holds the longest undefeated streak in MMA, with 27 wins, and remains undefeated in professional MMA. Hailing from Russia's Dagestan region, he is the... read more

This man retired with a record of 29-0. That's right, he lost to no one in the UFC. That is a task only the toughest can achieve, and this just proves that Khabib is one of the toughest fighters ever.

Unlike most MMA fighters, Khabib fought with a brave spirit and a determined mindset. He had finisher moves that knocked out his opponents cold. He could grapple like a champ, fight from all angles, throw punches that felt like bullets hitting you, and knock people back with his kicking. Did I mention that he trained with a bear when he was a kid? If you don't believe me, then see for yourself.

He should at least be in the top 10. He bested the best.

The Newcomers

? Charles Oliveira
The Contenders
11 Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Even Fedor Emelianenko said that he was one of the few fighters that he felt was his equal. One of the toughest guys in the history of MMA, people forget what a monster he can be. With this comeback he's making now, he should be much higher on the list. He's 40, in top shape, and is ready to prove it soon.

Before competing in MMA, Mirko fought as a boxer and was a kickboxing champion of the world. He has well over 100 fights in his 20-year career. He's probably the best striker in MMA history, and during his prime, he was the only one who could stand up to Fedor. He was considered part of the "holy trinity" of Pride along with Minotauro and Fedor.

After winning Rizin, he is at the top of the list. He proved he can beat anyone, whether a Greco-Roman wrestler, a 400-pound sumo wrestler. It doesn't matter. Fedor is unfortunately the number two because Mirko has the belt from the Rizin event.

12 Jose Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (born September 9, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion, becoming the first UFC Featherweight Champion after the UFC/WEC merger. He is a former three-time UFC featherweight champion overall, having been the undisputed champion twice and the interim champion... read more

Never lost at featherweight in a career stretching over 11 years. His one loss was at lightweight, which also was 10 years ago. He has dominated elite fighters with his super technical abilities and has one of the longest streaks of defending the belt. It is a disgrace that he isn't higher on the list. It makes the list seem like a joke. He is at least top 5.

What kind of smoke are you taking? Aldo deserves at least to be in the top ten, better than GSP. Yes, I love BJ Penn, but Aldo... he is the best, second to Anderson Silva.

Aldo still is a better champion than Conor who doesn't defend his belt like he should.

13 Quinton Rampage Jackson
14 Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Khrisna Johnson is an American wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is the first and current Flyweight Champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and currently holds the longest active championship reign at 8 title defenses.

There is no more technically perfect fighter in MMA today than Demetrious Johnson. He's able to move and exploit angles like few fighters have ever been able to do in combat sports. With a lopsided decision over John Dodson, arguably the second-best flyweight in the world, 'Mighty Mouse' now has seven consecutive title defenses.

He should be number 1 by far. Nobody in human history comes close to the level of skill Mighty Mouse has.

Should be at least in the top 10. He's currently the only Flyweight champion holder.

15 Dan Henderson

One of the best strikers in MMA. He knocked Bisping out cold with a single punch, and then finished him off with a flying punch that also ended in an elbow.

Everyone has their day, maybe some longer than others. Then comes that strange mental feeling, doubting yourself. Once you let the doubt in, it's over. You will never be the same, don't kid yourself. No more to prove, you will get over it, let the ego go, man. Dan Henderson had his day. Wasn't he great?

My favorite middleweight! If he can get back to his old self and keep doing as he did at UFC 100, he very well could have a shot at beating the middleweight champion.

16 Michael Bisping Michael Bisping is an English actor and mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

If you consider that three of his seven losses were at the hands of athletes using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), he then has only four losses out of 34 UFC fights - a truly extraordinary record, nearly unmatched! Like or dislike Bisping, you cannot change the fact, and any true MMA fan recognizes his accomplishments. He is one of the few top MMA athletes in the world who has competed at the highest level in the sport for over a decade, from 1994 to the present. Only a few elite MMA athletes can match his ongoing, active record.

17 Conor Mcgregor Conor Anthony McGregor (born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist and boxer. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight champion.

McGregor started his MMA career in 2008 and, in 2012, he won both the Cage Warriors Featherweight and Lightweight Championships, holding both titles simultaneously before vacating them to sign with the... read more

Conor is much more precise and accurate when compared to other UFC fighters. He also possesses so much power in that left hand. It is not fair to say that he's not the greatest because he is the first-ever two-weight champion, after his easy victory over Alvarez at UFC 205. Conor knocked out one of the greatest in 13 seconds, and nobody in combat sports at this moment can sell as many pay-per-views as he can. The man beat a 170-pound beast, although he is a 155-pounder.

Conor runs his mouth, but he backs most of what he says. A lightweight champion, an interim featherweight champion, and a proper featherweight champion. People scoff when he calls himself the GOAT, but looking at his accomplishments, he definitely is up there with the greats.

Best fighter I've ever seen. The only way you can beat him is by getting beat up first. Look at Nate. The guy's face was totally messed up.

18 Frankie Edgar Frank James "Frankie" Edgar is an American mixed martial artist from New Jersey who competes as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion.

So much stamina, never quits, can take a punch, and is super humble.

He beat Urijah Faber, BJ Penn 3 times, and Cub Swanson. He should be ranked higher.

There's no reason Frankie should be below Conor McGregor that's a joke

19 Jason Miller

Not only is he a funny guy, but he can whoop anybody's butt and make it look like a piece of cake!

20 Daniel Cormier
21 Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Shamrock is an American mixed martial artist, Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer, and professional wrestler.

After the vendetta with Tito Ortiz, something changed in Ken mentally. However, before that, in his prime, he pulled off some of the most jaw-dropping victories against some of the most formidable opponents, even by today's standards. He did this under conditions considerably harsher than what today's fighter faces: less rules and less equipment to protect a fighter's safety, and much less opportunity to know your opponent. Watch the old Pancrase, UFC, and Pride, and you'll see what I mean. The fact that one fighter was able to get into his head when he was already, in fact, retired and in his forties should not erase our memory of all he has done for this sport.

The fact that Rickson and Ken are as low on this list as they are shows most people don't know anything about the history of MMA. I personally disliked Ken and rarely rooted for him, but let's be honest and acknowledge this is way too low a ranking.

22 Bas Rutten

Bas Rutten will always be remembered as a legendary fighter. He mastered proper self-defense methods, is a former Kickboxing champion, and was trained in Taekwondo as a kid. He neutralizes his opponents as quickly and efficiently as possible. There will never be another Bas Rutten. He's the type of guy to knock you out into next week just by mentioning it. His tall structure and intimidating appearance are enough to scare most people away, not to mention the fact that he can escape chokeholds and arm bars in less than five seconds.

He defined the future of MMA in his career with unstoppable striking and developing one of the best ground games ever. His counter punching was target-focused, meaning he was striking to hit vital body parts and not just striking to get points.

Bas Rutten fought many great fighters in his prime and left us with some great highlight reels. Bas is one of the true icons of MMA and is today widely known as a commentator for UFC and for the UFC video game franchise.

23 Cain Velasquez

He should be at number 1, or at least 2. The way he absorbs powerful shots and hooks is just remarkable. And well, who doesn't know of his superhuman cardio?

One of the best heavyweight fighters today.

Cain Velasquez deserves the No. 1 spot.

24 Alexander Volkanovski
25 Rickson Gracie

If you look at Rickson's fights and analyze them, and then compare them to the top fighters today, you will see that his body movement was pure genius. His muscles were so supple that it was very difficult for his opponents to submit him. His knowledge of the workings of the human body was outstanding. He created a fighting art that few fighters today can compare to.

You could see in his eyes before a fight how he believed in himself and the art that he practiced, convinced that he was going to win. Winning a fight is not just about punching, kicking, and wrestling. It's about putting your heart, knowledge, and soul into the fight. He was that complete package. Fighters like Rickson are born once in a lifetime. He truly believed he was the best, and that made him very dangerous.

There are very good fighters today that deserve to be on top but still lack the Rickson heart. He deserves to be number 1.

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