Fights mixed style are gaining more and more popularity, and the ratings of fights best fighters attract a huge audience of viewers. There are many different promotional organizations, each with their own rules and their own stars. However, today most of the strongest athletes perform under the auspices of the UFC, which has absorbed its most serious competitors and has great financial resources.
Ukrainian kickboxer in MMA
Igor Vovchanchyn began his great sports career before the heyday of the UFC and made his mark with fights in the Pride promotion. As a child he worked athletics, boxing, then took up kickboxing seriously, becoming a world champion by the age of twenty. Short for this sport, Igor Vovchanchyn compensated for this deficiency with speed and sharpness, crushing his competitors. In 1995, he first began participating in mixed style fights.
In 1998, the Ukrainian signed a contract with Pride, and during two years of performances in the cage he became one of the best MMA fighters.
In 2000, he was invited to participate in the Grand Prix, where he managed to reach the final. Here the strongest American, Mark Coleman, was waiting for him. Vovchanchyn was exhausted after a tough semi-final match, while Coleman finished off his opponent in the first seconds of the fight, so he lost in a stubborn battle.
The following years, the Ukrainian alternated successful fights with failed ones. The fight with the legendary Mirko Filipovich stands out. The meeting between two kickboxers ended with a powerful blow from the Croatian with his left leg, which knocked out Vovchanchyn. Having completed his career, Igor did not leave MMA and opened his own fight club.
People from all over the world come to mixed style fights. different types sports. For example, one of the best MMA fighters of the 2000s can easily be considered a former Greco-Roman wrestler.
Dan Henderson has successfully served as classic wrestler and even represented the USA twice at Olympic Games. Having improved his boxing training, he began to compete in mixed style fights.
The American was one of the UFC's first star fighters, winning the UFC 17 tournament in 1998, then performed extensively in other promotions. He achieved particular success in Pride and Strikeforce, repeatedly collecting world titles from these organizations.
However, your main fight Dan spent his career in 2011 at the age of 40, when he knocked out the previously unbeaten Fedor Emelianenko, becoming one of the best mixed style fighters of all time.
Few people are capable of becoming a world champion at the age of 43. Randy Couture was born back in 1963, and during his youth no one had heard of mixed style fighting. At this time he was engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling, achieving excellent results on international tournaments. In the mid-nineties, the already aged athlete made the daring decision to engage in fighting without rules and quickly broke into the ranks of the best fighters, becoming the champion of UFC 13 in 1997.
The star fighter repeatedly clashed with the management of the promotion, constantly moving to other organizations. Despite this, by the age of 43, he managed to win the UFC world title five times and entered the hall of fame as the oldest champion.
Randy Couture has victories over such strong fighters as Kevin Randleman, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Lidel. He fought his last fight at the age of 46 in 2009.
Connor McGregor
Among the best fighters in the world, the magnificent Irish athlete stands apart. Connor McGregor competes in the lightweight category, but many authoritative publications include him in the top five UFC fighters, regardless of weight.
The Irishman holds the world title, and another star athlete is eager to meet him - Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Connor McGregor has a very spectacular and unconventional style of fighting. Specialist in martial arts, he works well with his feet, crushing many opponents with his “spinners”. At the same time, his fighting range is very wide, he hits hard with both hands and works well in a boxing stance.
He works especially hard on wrestling and has already achieved the right to a brown belt in jiu-jitsu.
His spectacular style of fighting, as well as his eccentric behavior outside the cage, make McGregor one of the most popular fighters; his fights are sold out like hot cakes by viewers of pay cable channels.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dagestan is famous for its freestyle wrestling school and is becoming the homeland of the best mixed style fighters. These include Khabib Nurmagomedov, who ranks 13th in the UFC rankings, regardless of category. In his lightweight he is considered the best after the legendary McGregor, a fight with whom he is diligently seeking.
Unlike the Irishman, Khabib is a wrestling specialist; he twice became the world champion in combat sambo, grappling, pankration. In 2012, he began competing in the UFC.
He was inactive for two years due to injury, but despite this, he managed to fight 30 fights, winning all of them.
Nevertheless, Khabib also has weaknesses. Apparently, he is not entirely comfortable with the boundaries light weight, which is why it’s hard to lose weight before fights. Just after such preparation, he recently felt unwell before the fight with Tony Ferguson, and the fight was postponed.
Stipe Miocic
The American fighter of Croatian origin firmly holds the UFC world heavyweight title. Many analysts recognize him as the absolute best fighter, regardless of weight category. Before joining mixed martial arts, he successfully practiced boxing and wrestling, in particular winning the prestigious Golden Gloves tournament, and was also a Division I NCAA wrestler. This explains his invulnerability both in the standing position and on the ground. A fighter without weaknesses rarely gives his opponent a chance to show his strengths.
The formidable Croatian has victories over Fabio Maldonado, Andrei Orlovski, and Fabricio Werdum. In 2015, Stipe Miocic set a unique achievement in a fight against Mark Hunt, inflicting 361 blows on him. This fight was recognized as “Beating of the Year” by the UFC.
Miesha Tate
Another American beauty is one of the best female MMA fighters. For several years, fans watched with admiration the confrontation between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate in bantamweight division. Just like her main rival, Misha was especially good at choking and painful techniques. At the youth level, she was engaged in freestyle wrestling, won regional competitions, after which she began to compete in fights mixed martial arts, immediately becoming one of the best fighters. Over and over again knocking over her opponents with her lightning-fast passes to the legs, the American even earned the nickname “Takedown” among fans and specialists.
Her confrontation with Ronda Rousey was especially epic. She met her twice in the fight for the championship belt and lost twice.
Finally, Miesha Tate fulfilled her cherished dream by defeating Collie Holm in the title fight, but did not hold the title for long, losing to the dangerous Brazilian Amanda Nunes.
Ronda Rousey
The list of the world's best MMA fighters would be incomplete without representatives of the fair sex. Former bantamweight world champion Ronda Rousey occupies a special place here. She practiced judo professionally and was already on the US Olympic team at the age of seventeen.
In 2008, Ronda Rousey won the Beijing Olympics in brilliant style. Having won everything she could in amateur sports, the strong girl decided to test herself in mixed style fighting. In the octagon, she made full use of her judo skills, and for many years none of her opponents could match her killer submission techniques.
In her twelve UFC victories, she used the elbow lever, which was her signature move, nine times. From 2012 to 2015, she held the world bantamweight title. A real sensation was her defeat in 2015 from Collie Holm, who managed to keep her dangerous opponent at a distance and knocked out Ronda in boxing style.
A year later, she tried to regain the title of world champion, but again ran into an unyielding opponent with strong striking training. Amanda Nunes managed to break the legendary American and won by technical knockout.
Modern mixed martial arts are increasingly taking on the form of an entertainment show, which is beginning to prevail over the sports component of MMA. The leadership of large organizations is increasingly paying attention to the bright image of a fighter and his charisma, rather than to his fighting qualities. If you know how to speak well, don't get flustered in front of the camera and can easily insult your opponent, then, all other things being equal, your chance of getting a big fight or getting to the title doubles.
It is not surprising that in these realities, one of the important factors for the promotion of a fighter and the development of his career is the number of subscribers on social networks, no matter how funny it may sound. If millions of people follow you on the same Instagram, they see you every day on the screens of their devices, scrolling through their feed in the morning, which means they will be aware of when you have next fight and at a minimum, they will be interested in the result of this battle. In fact, in the century information technology, subscribers, this is the liveliest audience and its number directly affects the financial success of a fighter. As you may have guessed, today we will talk about the most popular fighters on the Internet.
10. Paige VanZant
Instagram: 1.9 million
Twitter: 300 thousand
Total reach: 2.2 million
Our ranking opens with the cutie from the UFC flyweight division, Paige VanZant. Not many people follow her on Twitter, but her Instagram audience is almost 2 million people, which makes sense: most people are more interested in VanZant's racy photos than her tweets. Two million is not bad for a girl with a 4-3 UFC record. The charismatic 24-year-old gained her greatest popularity while riding a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, but then lost to Rose Namajunas in a bloodbath. However, Paige's popularity level has not dropped, quite the opposite. The reason for this is that after the first defeat, the athlete took part in the American television project “Dancing with the Stars”, and not only took part, but won in the final of season 22. After some time, VanZant released an autobiographical book in which she admitted that she had become a victim gang rape at school. Great PR. Since then, Paige's popularity on social media has increased, as has her breast size, following silicone implant surgery.
9. Daniel Cormier
Instagram: 1.8 million
Twitter: 700 thousand
Total reach: 2.5 million
In ninth place is the greatest UFC fighter regardless of weight categories, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. DC has fewer Instagram followers than Paige VanZant, but has surpassed her in Twitter followers. The two-weight champion and his career, information about which often appears on Twitter, are followed by many people. Daniel Cormier's Instagram is all about belts, belts, training, training and more training. Oh yes, and some family photos. It is worth noting that Cormier gained the lion's share of popularity after winning the heavyweight championship belt in a fight with Stipe Miocic. Until this moment, Cormier was not in the top ten.
8. Jose Aldo
Instagram: 2 million
Twitter: 900 thousand
Total reach: 2.9 million
Jose Aldo has an obscenely large following on Twitter. His tweets are read by more than 900 thousand people, most of whom are probably Brazilian. He gained a significant part of this audience in 2015, during a fierce confrontation with Conor McGregor, whom only the deaf had not heard of at that time. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians signed up for their compatriot out of patriotic convictions, in the hope that he would defend the honor of the country in a fight with the arrogant Irishman. Didn't defend it. Now the popularity of the Brazilian ex-champion in social media. networks has faded significantly, and in the UFC they no longer pay as much attention to him as before.
7. Nate Diaz
Instagram: 2.6 million
Twitter: 1.1 million
Total reach: 3.7 million
In seventh place is the infamous UFC fighter from Stockton, Nate Diaz. And again, not without the help of Conor McGregor. It's no secret that Diaz gained the lion's share of his current popularity (quite deservedly) by strangling Conor McGregor in 2016, inflicting his first defeat in the UFC. However, the Diaz brothers were already popular in the states. More than a million people read the younger Diaz's stoned tweets. Nate, every now and then, will say something that is then discussed by the whole MMA world. Show up at a press conference for an upcoming fight and then tweet "I will not fight on this show. Fuck the UFC!" - it's his style. In almost all the photos on Instagram, Diaz shows off with his training buddies, and in these photos Diaz has practically no eyes.
6. Georges St. Pierre
Instagram: 2 million
Twitter: 1.95 million
Total reach: 3.95 million
Georges St-Pierre is a true superstar in Canada. Even those who are not even close to the UFC know him there. St-Pierre is one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history, so it would be surprising if he wasn't on this list. Despite being retired, the former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion remains one of the most popular fighters in the world. His kindness, respect and human simplicity appeal to many fans, so it is not surprising that two million people follow him on Instagram and almost the same number read his Twitter. He has a lot of regular workout photos on Instagram, but his legendary status means that you can find other, more interesting photos, with no less legendary people.
5. Jon Jones
Instagram: 3 million
Twitter: 2.05 million
Total reach: 5.05 million
Jon "Bones" Jones surpassed Daniel Cormier this time too. The former light heavyweight champion opens the top five. Jones' total follower count is twice that of Cormier. Jones is quite a controversial figure in the MMA world. On the one hand, he is a phenomenal fighter who destroyed all the opponents he faced in the cage and became the youngest champion in UFC history. The other side is marred by Jones' legal troubles, failed drug tests and a penchant for drinking and drinking. Jones' Instagram is full of cool workout videos and motivational quotes, from Gandhi to the Bible, while at the same time replete with "candid" messages to all his haters.
4. Anderson Silva
Instagram: 2.9 million
Twitter: 7.9 million
Total reach: 10.8 million
And in fourth place in the ranking is the first and only fighter whose Twitter audience exceeds the audience on Instagram, almost three times as much. It is not clear what is causing this gap. Last year, “The Spider” failed a doping test for the second time, which led to the cancellation of his fight against Kelvin Gastelum. Silva's suspension ends this November, so the legendary former middleweight champion is set to return to the Octagon this year and aims to fight Conor McGregor. Despite his problems with the anti-doping agency USADA, Anderson Silva remains one of the most exciting, outstanding and memorable fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. Judging by his Instagram, Spider simply loves to train and play airsoft.
The world of mixed martial arts is very extraordinary and is developing rapidly, attracting more and more new fans. There have been many fighters who quickly rose in the rankings, taking titles in record time, and there were also falls. Nobody knows what the rating will be in 5 years, but at the moment we can highlight the top 10 best fighters in the history of MMA.
1 Fights: 42 / Wins: 37 / Losses: 5
The first line of the rating is occupied by the Russian hero – Fedor Emelianenko. A fighter who prefers a throwing style, as he is an international master of sports in judo and sambo. " The Last Emperor"has many awards, performed in very famous MMA tournaments. In addition, he became the world champion in mixed martial arts four times and won the title of Russian champion in combat sambo nine times. He was also recognized as the best heavyweight in the world of mixed martial arts. He had a fairly long series of fights without defeat for almost 10 years. During his career in MMA, he fought 42 times. He emerged victorious 37 times and lost 5 times.
2 Fights: 46 / Wins: 32 / Losses: 14
Dan Henderson, nicknamed “Hollywood,” takes honorable second place. A fighter who works very well on the ground prefers the style of Greco-Roman wrestling. He competed in heavy and light heavyweight. An athlete who has won a huge number of titles. Became MMA champion in Brazil, became a two-time champion of the Pride organization in the middle and welterweight divisions. He also became the Strikeforce champion three times. And one of his biggest awards is his UFC championship. “Hendo” is still continuing his career and has only had 46 fights so far. He won 32 and lost only 14.
3 Fights: 87 / Wins: 76 / Losses: 10 / Draws: 1
In third place was professional fighter Igor Vovchanchin. Master of Sports in boxing and kickboxing. He competed in heavy and light heavyweight. "Cold Blooded" won the world kickboxing title in 1993. Also was a finalist in many European tournaments and winner of numerous Ukrainian combat tournaments. In addition, Vovchanichin performed in the famous Pride organization. Throughout his MMA career he had 87 fights. At 76 he left the octagon as a winner, but lost only 10 and one fight ended in a draw.
4 Fights: 42 / Wins: 34 / Losses: 8
Of course, this top could not do without the black Brazilian “Spider” – Anderson Silva. A virtually unbeatable UFC fighter who is incredibly good at both sides of the ball. He set a record for title defenses in the organization (10), as well as the longest series of fights without defeat (16). Became a middleweight champion and is considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. During his legendary career, he fought 42 fights and won 34 of them and lost 8. One fight did not take place due to failed doping tests.
5 Fights: 29 / Wins: 21 / Losses: 8
The brutal American kickboxer Chuck Liddell occupies sixth place in the ranking. A fairly strong fighter from the USA competed in the light heavyweight division, and quite successfully. He became the world champion in MMA and won the championship title in the Pride fighting organization. He had 29 fights throughout his career, of which he won 21 and lost 8.
6 Fights: 54 / Wins: 45 / Losses: 9
This rating could not remain without such a fighter as Matt Hughes. The American wrestler spent his career in MMA quite successfully, starting from his university years. And once he entered the professional world of MMA, he began performing in the welterweight division, where he won the championship title in the most famous fighting organization, twice. For his achievements he was inducted into the United Fighting Championship Hall of Fame. He left the octagon victorious in 45 fights and lost only 9.
7 Fights: 28 / Wins: 26 / Losses: 2
Seventh place is taken by the strong Georges Saint-Pierre. The Canadian fighter is considered one of the best fighters in the history of the UFC and MMA in general. He has been recognized more than once as the best Canadian athlete for his achievements. A very versatile fighter who works well both standing and on the ground (Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Has a title under his belt UFC champion at welterweight. He successfully carried out 28 fights in the octagon, of which he emerged victorious in 26 and lost only 2.
8 Fights: 30 / Wins: 19 / Losses: 11
In eighth place is the athlete Randy “Captain America” Couture. Was a master of sports in Greco-Roman wrestling, so he worked well on the ground. American heavyweight won the championship title at age 33, defeating title fight Maurice Smith. He was also the light heavyweight champion. And throughout his fighting career he was a five-time UFC champion. He fought 30 fights in the octagon, winning 19 of them and losing 11.
9 Fights: 23 / Wins: 22 / Losses: 1
Black American fighter from the United Fighting Championship (UFC). He competes in the light heavyweight division, having a huge arsenal of techniques. A fighter ideal in almost all aspects of combat. Before his arrest, he headed the list of “pound-for-pound” fighters. And one of his biggest achievements: he became the youngest fighter in the UFC organization to receive the light heavyweight championship belt. At that time he was only 23 years old. But due to the arrest, the belt was taken away. In 2015, after serving his sentence, he returned to MMA, where he won his first fight after returning to the octagon. During his young career, he fought 23 fights, won 22, and lost only one. He also won the world title in Muay Thai.
Magomedov (19 wins, 2 losses) is perhaps the most underrated Russian fighter. Rashid doesn't often finish fights early, but he shows himself to be a very confident and stable fighter. In Russia, he managed to beat everyone he could - from Frodo Khasbulaev and Alexander Yakovlev to Shamil Zavurov and Yasubei Enomoto.
Less is said and written about his fights in the UFC than about the fights of Oleynik or Nurmagomedov, although there is something to see: in the debut, Rashid suffered an elbow lever that looked almost fatal, and in the fight against Elias Silverio he knocked out his opponent 3 seconds before the final bell.
9.
Among his Russian colleagues, Oleinik (51 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw) stands out for his grappling skills and ability to choke opponents. Oleinik began competing when the sport was called “fighting without rules,” and continues when MMA is controlled by athletic commissions, anti-doping laboratories and sponsored by global brands.
Oleinik gained wide fame already as a veteran. During this time, he managed to win victories over Jeff Monson and Mirko Filipovic, seemingly leave MMA and return to the UFC, where he received a couple of awards for the best performance of the evening and became the first person in UFC history to win.
8.
The two-meter heavyweight (27 wins, 6 losses) looks like both an excellent student and a cousin of Ivan Drago, trained specifically for MMA. The main trump cards are impact, character and learning ability. Surprisingly, he became a truly good fighter after he lost to Vitaly Minakov by knockout and lost the Bellator title. After that, Volkov seemed to have fangs, and he began to fight more fiercely and meaningfully. If we single out one victory, it would be the strangulation from the back of the world sambo champion Blagoy Ivanov. Drummer Volkov stepped out of his comfort zone here and defeated a previously undefeated opponent. Alexander remains one of the most promising Russian heavyweights and just recently made a victorious debut in the UFC.
7.
Bagautinov’s path (14 wins, 5 losses) in the UFC from his first fight to the title fight looked exemplary. In his debut, Ali knocked out the Brazilian fighter in his home arena, then convincingly dealt with top contenders Tim Elliott and John Lineker. Bagautinov’s hands were fast, his wrestling was impeccable, his plans for the fight were meaningful and even witty (for example, Lineker lost the fight, never having figured out what to do with Ali, who suddenly took a southpaw stance).
The shine ended before a fight with champion Demitrius Johnson, the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter. Ali was caught doping and lost the main fight of his life, losing on points with a devastating score. After losing to Johnson, Ali's career went into decline, but becoming the first Russian to fight for the UFC title in the 21st century is still a major achievement.
6.
Former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov (19 wins, 0 losses) is fast, agile and coordinated, equally dangerous both on the stand and on the ground. Minakov is capable of throwing knockout punches, the power of which world boxing champion Grigory Drozd admired, and carrying out armbars for which neither Fedor Emelianenko nor Ronda Rousey would be ashamed.
Paradoxically, Vitaly’s most unconvincing fights are those where he showed will and character: he fought against the background of fatigue with Cheick Kongo and caught the fat man Linderman in a blow. These were opponents Minakov should have torn apart, but fights with them called into question the extent of his endurance and made him wonder whether he would last winning streak against stronger opponents. We should find out the answers soon: Minakov assures that he is about to return to Bellator.
5.
Koreshkov (19 wins, 2 losses) became the Bellator champion, winning two welterweight Grand Prix titles and defeating tough Brazilian Douglas Lima. The Bellator Grand Prix was a very serious test: 3 fights in three months, without any rest. Koreshkov's victories were brought by his ability to fight in a variety of ways in a standing position and strictly adhere to the plans for the fight, invented by his coach Alexander Shlemenko. Koreshkov is Shlemenko’s most successful student and one of the most dangerous strikers among Russian fighters MMA.
4.
Kharitonov (23 wins, 6 losses) became famous for his boxing skills, ability to knock people out, etc. Sergey defeated Andrei Arlovskiy, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Add in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, all of whom he lost to, and you have a list of the most famous heavyweights of his time. Sometimes he was let down by gaps in his wrestling technique and overconfidence in his stance, but when he hit, people fell.
Perhaps Kharitonov could have achieved even more if he had focused on MMA. But Sergey simultaneously fought according to the rules of kickboxing and in the World Series Boxing for the Azerbaijani team. They say: when he performed at WSB, they had to order special gloves for him - ordinary ones did not fit on his fists.
3.
Khabib (24 wins, 0 losses) is the strongest fighter from our country right now. He trains with UFC champions, speaks excellent English, and is a master at presenting himself and driving people crazy. The latter, as we know from the example of Conor McGregor, is one of the key skills in modern MMA. Nurmagomedov managed to create a brand with its own recognizable elements: wrestling a bear, a hat and trash talk.
Khabib the marketer has lately overshadowed Khabib the fighter, and this is not entirely fair. His winning streak of 24 fights is the longest among active athletes. His forceful style, built on constant pressure and the use of wrestling, has not yet misfired.
On March 4, Nurmagomedov could win the interim UFC title and become the first Russian champion in the history of the world's main MMA promotion. Weight problems did not allow him to do this, and now for Khabib, perhaps the most crucial moment in his career has come. Having made the right conclusions, he will no longer miss the title. If he fails to do so, he will be fired from the UFC, he will hardly find any reason to continue his career, and his previous achievements will be devalued.
2.
Shlemenko (54 victories, 9 defeats, 1 fight declared invalid) is one of the most spectacular Russian fighters; He has no fear of reaching the edge. “Storm” prefers to lose consciousness rather than submit to a choke hold, and has more than once staged a showdown against opponents he could outwit.
Like a hero computer game, Shlemenko has a signature move - the backfist. Side blows to the head and body are no less dangerous. He is one of those fighters who likes to escalate fights and strives for a knockout victory. Alexander literally clawed out the Bellator middleweight title and defeated opponents such as Kendall Grove, Melvin Manhoef and Maikel Falcao. Well, this is perhaps the loudest and most powerful confrontation with the participation of Russian fighters.
1.
Emelianenko’s popularity (36 wins, 4 losses, 1 fight declared invalid) has long gone beyond the boundaries of fighting. The main thing: even if you name the ten best MMA fighters from all over the world, and not just from Russia, Emelianenko will still be in first place. The fighter from Stary Oskol had not lost for 10 years, beat everyone he could, mixed sambo and unpredictable striking techniques into a completely overpowering cocktail, which turned out to be too strong for Mirko Filipovic, Kevin Randelman, Andrei Orlovsky, Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Modern Emelianenko, who has survived several severe defeats, is not at all like Fedor of the Japanese period, a man with eyes watchdog from the time of the Pride performances. But this should not cast a shadow on his old victories. Yes, now Fedor looks like a relic of another era. But this era in the history of heavyweight has never been more fun and tougher.
Photo: UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce
Mixed martial arts(MMA) is arguably the fastest growing sport in the world and continues to attract new fans every day. Despite the fact that this sport is only 25 years old, during this time there have been many great champions who have become famous throughout the world. It is quite possible that such a list will look completely different in another 25 years, but it is still quite interesting to consider and pay tribute to 10 greatest fighters for now.
10. Georges St. Pierre
After the recent defeat of Anderson Silva, St-Pierre became the most undefeated champion MMA. Georges is still in his prime and it seems like no one will be able to stop him anytime soon. He is, without a doubt, best fighter in the welterweight division and he fights his fights like no other - he suppresses his opponents with magnificent physical training and fighting skills. He has been participating in the most difficult tournaments of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for many years and has 24 victories and only 2 defeats, for which he subsequently took revenge. He has won the UFC's welterweight tournament twice and currently holds the record for wins by decision with 11. He is also tied with Matt Hughes for the most wins in UFC history with 18.
Both of these records will most likely be broken by Georges himself soon, and most fans are eagerly awaiting this moment. Considering how strong Georges looks and his young age, it is difficult to even imagine what other records he will set.
Important victories: Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn (x2), Matt Hughes (x2), Josh Koscheck (x2), Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy (Dan Hardy), Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz.
9. Anderson Silva
“The Spider” recently lost his title to the younger and stronger Chris Weidman, but he remains one of the best fighters in the octagon. The Brazilian fighter holds the record for the number of fights in which he defended his championship - 10 fights in a row. For every fan that Silva has won, there will be someone who will remind you that the fighter lost in five fights to lesser-known opponents and will accuse Anderson of actually starving himself in order to remain in one of the weakest divisions in the UFC - middleweight. Despite all his opponents, the facts speak for themselves - he is a truly good fighter.
Important victories: Rich Franklin (x2), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen (x2), Vitor Belfort.
8. Randy Couture
It’s not for nothing that Randy Couture is called “Captain America” and “The Natural.” If anyone can challenge Chuck Liddell for the title of the most popular fighter in UFC history, it's Randy. During his illustrious career, he became a three-time UFC heavyweight champion. Randy also became the first fighter to be a champion in two different divisions in the UFC when he won the light heavyweight division. He is also the most decorated fighter in UFC history - a five-time champion. Despite all his amazing achievements, he will forever be remembered for his victory over boxer James Toney, who said he would show everyone that Couture and MMA in general were a sport for soft, untalented boys. If anyone looked mediocre and soft after their fight, it was James Toney.
Important victories: Vitor Belfort (x2), Maurice Smith, Kevin Randleman, Pedro Rizzo (x2), Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Gabriel Gonzaga ( Gabriel Gonzaga), Mark Coleman, James Toney.
7. Chuck Liddell
Chuck was to MMA what Babe Ruth was to baseball, Michael Jordan was to basketball, Tom Brady was to American football And David Beckham(David Beckham) for football - MEGA STAR. It is no exaggeration to say that he is currently the most popular UFC fighter of all time and, perhaps, one of the best fighters overall. He became the light heavyweight champion by defeating Tito Ortiz and defended his title four times in two years. Unfortunately, his prime was short-lived and he suffered several disappointing defeats towards the end of his career. However, Liddell's heyday was one of the most impressive periods for MMA. According to some, he was the most famous fighter throughout the history of the UFC and helped draw the attention of the American public to MMA.
Important victories: Jeff Monson, Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral (x2), Alistair Overeem, Tito Ortiz (x2), Randy Couture (x2), Vernon White (Vernon White), Wanderlei Silva (Wanderlei Silva).
6. Bas Rutten
"Handsome" is another fighter who contributed invaluable contribution in the development of sport at the time of its inception. Dutchman Bas had a black belt in karate and was a professional kickboxer who successfully transitioned into the world of MMA. It was the right size appearance and possessed good style- all this helped him become one of the most formidable champions of all time. He became the UFC heavyweight champion and finished his career with an impressive record of 22 fights without defeat. During his time in the UFC, he became widely known for his favorite tactic, the liver attack, which routinely paralyzed his opponents. Rutten's charisma both in and out of the ring helped him become one of the sport's first stars. Although he is still involved in sports (though now as a commentator), he has also appeared in several films and became a game character.
Important victories: Vernon White, Maurice Smith (x2), Frank Shamrock (x2), Guy Mezger, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Kevin Randleman.
5. Royce Gracie
Could the “King of Submissions” compete with modern UFC fighters? Most likely not, but that doesn't change the fact that Royce was a beast back in the day when MMA was just taking its first tentative steps towards the fans, and Gracie will forever remain one of the pioneers of the sport. Fans will never forget the endless hypothetical questions and dialogues in which Royce was always one of the possible options: "Royce Gracie vs. Mike Tyson" or "Royce Gracie vs. Alexander Karelin."
In fact, from the time when Royce was at the peak of his career, he would hardly have succeeded in anything, but this does not mean that his role in the history of sports should be belittled. Royce is the first inductee of the UFC Hall of Fame and winner of the first, second and fourth UFC tournaments and he was the one who popularized Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States and Europe. He will forever remain in the annals of sports history.
Important victories: Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba.
4. Matt Hughes
Hughes was one of the sport's first superstars and the most dominant welterweight champion until Georges St-Pierre came along. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and won the UFC welterweight title twice. He successfully defended his title seven times, which was a record at the time, and he still holds the record for the largest number victories in the UFC, along with GSP.
At the peak of his career, Matt was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter, and he was literally unbeatable. Along with JSP and Anderson Silva, he is one of the most best champions in UFC history.
Important victories: Carlos Newton (x2), Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie, BJ Penn, Georges St-Pierre
3. Dan Henderson
Words cannot describe the greatness of Dan Henderson. He is without a doubt one of the best and most durable fighters of all time and what's even more impressive is that he still fights today's younger fighters.
Henderson is one of the few men to become superstars in both the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships. The former Olympic wrestler spent most of his career fighting at welterweight and middleweight, but won titles in three different divisions. He won 17 UFC tournaments in the middleweight category, and became the first fighter to win the Pride Championship in two weight categories(welterweight and average). He also holds the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship and the RINGS King of Kings 1999 title. He has won more organization titles than any other fighter in the world.
Important victories: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renato Sobral, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Maurício Rua and Fedor Emelianenko.
2. Igor Vovchanchyn
Igor is the best example of the word “underrated”. He is the man with the longest winning streak of all time (37) and at the peak of his career he was one of the best fighters of all time. Igor was also one of the shortest heavyweight champions (174 cm), which makes his records and achievements even more impressive.
Important victories: Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Kerr, Valentijn Overeem, Adilson Lima (x2).
1. Fedor Emelianenko
The Last Emperor, The Terminator, The Russian Experiment: Simply put, Emelianenko is the best mixed martial artist of all time. The peak of Fedor Emelianenko's career cannot be compared with anyone else, and if anyone who participated in combat sports can compare with him, then it is only another Russian - Alexander Karelin.
Fedor remained undefeated for ten years and 32 fights, and suffered defeats only when he became relatively old and was not in the prime of his strength, and the opponents to whom he lost would probably have suffered crushing defeats if the fight had taken place a couple of years earlier. He was the heavyweight champion for an astonishing 10 years and nearly killed several Pride and UFC champions along the way. He has arguably defeated more champions than anyone in the world and is considered by most experts to be the king of MMA.
Important victories: Renato Sobral, Semmy Schilt, Heath Herring, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (x2), Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman (x2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt ( Mark Hunt), Matt Lindland, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Orlovsky, Choi Hong-man, Jeff Monson, Pedro Rizza.
