The best fighters in MMA history
Contents:
• To be considered one of the greatest players of all time in any sport (and especially MMA), both talent and luck must be on your side. Mixed martial arts are too dynamic and unpredictable for anyone to master them.
• And while none of the greatest MMA fighters of all time is perfect, they represent the very best the sport has to offer. All ranked in no particular order.
10. Conor McGregor
• You can often hear two extremes about this MMA star. His loyal supporters call Conor the best fighter of his generation, while detractors suggest that he is grossly overrated. As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in between.
• McGregor defeated many famous mixed martial arts fighters, which brought him worldwide fame. Among his outstanding achievements are victories over Dennis Seaver, Diego Brandão and José Aldo. McGregor knocked out the latter in 13 seconds, which was the fastest UFC title fight in history.
• The Irish superstar also made history as the first MMA fighter to compete in two different weight divisions and defend his title in each for over a year in a row.
9. Henry Cejudo
• Behind this fighter, both many bright victories and two high-profile defeats. One of them was against Demetrius Johnson in 2016, but Cejudo surprised MMA fans by winning the subsequent rematch in 2018. And won the UFC flyweight title.
• Like many of the other top fighters on our list, Cejudo later went on to claim championship titles in two divisions (Bantamweight and Flyweight). He won the UFC Bantamweight Championship with a spectacular knockout of Marlon Moraes.
8. Georges Saint-Pierre
• It's hard to find a fighter as technically great as Georges St-Pierre. The former two-division champion had 28 fights and only 2 losses to his credit (the winners are Matt Serra and Matt Hughes), and he rightfully avenged both "offenders".
• And getting into the UFC Hall of Fame is also proof of how great this athlete is.
• One of St. Pierre's most controversial fights took place in 2013, with Johnny Hendrix. The bout proved to be a difficult one in terms of scoring, with the judges divided in their decisions as both fighters were incredibly good. But in the end, Georges won by split decision.
• In December, Saint-Pierre ended his sports career.
7. Valentina Shevchenko
• Women started fighting in the UFC only in 2013, 20 years after the organization was founded. And now women's MMAs are becoming more and more popular, and female fighters should definitely be feared in the octagon just as much as their male counterparts.
• During her professional fighting career, Shevchenko lost only three fights, twice against the legendary Amanda Nunis (sixth place in the list of the best MMA athletes of all time) and once against Liz Karmouche.
• Shevchenko is not only an outstanding MMA fighter, she has also won several gold medals at the Muay Thai World Championships. And she earned the title of "Best female Thai boxer in the world."
6. Amanda Nunes
• "Lioness" has not suffered defeat in the octagon for more than six years. Still active, the reigning women's bantamweight and featherweight champion has defeated a range of talented elite-level MMA fighters in both divisions, including Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Misha Tate and Ronda Rousey.
5. Jose Aldo
If you've only watched the last five years of Aldu's career, you'd probably be wondering why this athlete made it onto the list of legendary MMA fighters. The Brazilian star never recovered from the shock loss of his UFC featherweight title to Conor McGregor in 2015.
• However, Aldo is a three-time UFC Featherweight Champion who once went undefeated for over a decade and was considered the greatest fighter in the history of the sport of MMA prior to said loss to McGregor.
4. John Jones
• Despite scandals involving doping and hitting a pregnant woman, Jon Jones is one of the living legends of the MMA world. He is the youngest light heavyweight champion in the history of the UFC, uses extraordinary striking techniques (such as roundhouse elbows) and adjusts his attacking strategy depending on how his opponent reacts.
• Jones has 28 fights, 26 wins and has the longest winning streak of any light heavyweight MMA fighter.
• He can also claim the most title wins in UFC history (14) and the most title defenses (11).
3. Anderson Silva
• Silva deserved a place on this list due to his immense strength in the octagon. For example, he defeated MMA fighters like Patrick Cote and Dan Henderson without even breaking a sweat.
• The Brazilian also holds the record for the longest middleweight title reign in Ultimate Fighting Championship history at 2457 days, nearly seven years. During this time, he officially defended the title 10 times, and most likely would have defended 11 if Travis Lutter could gain the right weight for the fight.
2. Fedor Emelianenko
• Probably the best MMA fighter in history not signed to the UFC. From 2000 to 2010, he won a 28-fight streak, including victories over four UFC champions, to win the PRIDE heavyweight title.
• If there is a MMA fighter who could beat every fighter of his era, it is Fedor Emelianenko. His winning list includes such big names as Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman, Mirko Filipovic, Andrey Orlovsky, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and others.
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov
• This Russian fighter seems unbeatable. Despite the fact that Nurmagomedov faced such worthy opponents as Conor McGregor, Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje, he always won. At the professional level, he participated in 29 fights, and won all of them.
• Having completed his sports career, Nurmagomedov did not remain idle. He owns a mobile operator, has a watch collection with Jacob & Co, and makes protein bars. Khabib also owns an agricultural business for growing vegetables, cattle and sheep.
