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The fastest growing sport is MMA (mixed martial arts), with more and more fans every day. This sport is only a quarter of a century old, but it already has many famous athletes who are proud of their titles and awards. It is hard to stay in this sport for long, so it is quite possible that old champions will be replaced by new talent. In the meantime, we present you the rating - best mma fighters for 2017.
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is the undefeated MMA champion, Anderson Silva lost this title to him after a recent defeat. Georges is at the peak of his physical abilities and, apparently, is not going to give up his place on the throne to anyone. Without a doubt, welterweight is the category in which he is the best, in the fight Georges shows excellent physical and psychological characteristics, unbalancing opponents with his behavior in the ring. Saint-Pierre is also a participant in the UFC tournaments (absolute fighting championship), there, on his account, he has two defeats (after a rematch, he won up) and twenty-four victories. UFC champion twice, set a record for victories, by decision of the judges -11 victories. Matt Hughes, his closest opponent in UFC wins is 18 wins. Each of these records is likely to be broken by Saint-Pierre himself, the fans of the fighter are waiting for this moment, monitoring the fights of Georges. Young age and physical data give him the opportunity to achieve new records.
Anderson Silva
Initially, he was a member of the "Chute Boxe Academy", but due to problems with the leadership and other factors, he founded his own organization - "Muay Thai Dream Team". Anderson Silva, better known as "Spider", lost his title to Chris Weidman, but he still holds the title of the best fighter in the MMA ring. Silva's homeland is Brazil, he defended his title and honor of his homeland, a record number of times - 10. He made his MMA debut in 2000, with Denis Kazyukin, a Russian fighter, with whom, later, they became close friends. Kazyukin defeated Andre Galvao by armbar submission, while Anderson was defeated by Luis Azered, his teammate. Having won by knockouts against Claudinor Fontinelle and José Barreto, he restored his name. The champion of the UFC, the middle weight category, in this place he lasted a long eight years. 2013 - fight with Chris Weidman (lost), demanding a rematch, his demand was granted. In the rematch, unfortunately to the fans, he broke his leg in the second round.
Randy Couture
Randy Couture has a couple of aliases: "Natural" and "Captain America". The most popular fighter in the history of mixed martial arts - Chuck Liddell, may soon lose this title, as Randy steps on his heels. By the way, in the battle Chuck Liddell - Randy Couture, the latter received a landslide victory. Couture is a three-time heavyweight champion in MMA history. He also competed in martial arts, in the light heavyweight division. He is also associated with the UFC - a five-time champion of this discipline. Daring and unsubstantiated statements by boxer James Toney that MMA and in particular Randy is a frivolous and temporary phenomenon were refuted by Randy himself, in a fight with a boxer that ended in a confident victory for Couture. James Toney made himself look bad after this fight by talking about the subject, but his words sound ridiculous after a loss. Randy had some problems with MMA: litigation related to the non-payment of funds by the organization and the holding of fights.
Chuck Liddell
MMA considers Chuck Liddell, what Shaquille O'Neal is to basketball, Ronaldinho to football and Michael Phelps to swimming, a world star! It is considered the most popular MMA fighter and, in general, the best fighter in the history of martial arts in general.
Having defeated Tito Ortiz, he received the champion belt in the light heavyweight category and defended this title 4 times in two years. But there is nothing eternal, and at the end of his career he lost several times, to the chagrin of those who were not indifferent to his skill. In the very dawn of mixed martial arts, he was his treasure that triumphed over many worthy and more experienced opponents. It was he who drew the attention of the American public to MMA, making these competitions the most top, among other similar shows. And after the end of his career, he keeps himself in shape. He also owns a gift shop and appears in various popular TV shows. He also published an autobiographical book - “Ice. My fighting life.
Bas Rutten
Bas Rutten, better known as "Handsome", is a professional athlete who contributed to the very birth of MMA. A Dutchman by birth, previously a professional kickboxer and a black belt in karate, he easily switched to mixed martial arts. A huge muscle, already instilled fear in his opponents, plus a good technical base - these two components helped him become a champion who made an invaluable contribution to the development of MMA at the time of its inception. Winning one victory after another, he literally swept away opponents with his trademark low kicks and knee strikes to the head. He ended his professional career without a single defeat, having participated in twenty-two fights. His favorite move was a blow to the liver, which usually paralyzed the opponent and Rutten won. The natural charisma of Bass and his behavior in the ring made him a favorite of the public. Now he has finished his career, but despite this, he continues to work in MMA, however, already as a commentator. He also starred in several films and became a character in games.
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie, has the nickname "King of Submissions", well deserved. He is a pioneer of MMA, one of the first professional athletes who switched from academic sports to mixed martial arts. The master of Brazilian jiu - jitsu, won a victory over much larger opponents, with the help of painful and suffocating techniques. While still competing in jiu-jitsu competitions as a teenager, he had a record amateur score of 51 wins and only 3 losses. Fans have always loved Gracie: in one fight, when his elbow hit the "triangle" of the opponent, he was ready to walk with a broken arm, but not admit defeat. The scandals related to illegal substances did not affect his career either - steroids were found in Royce's blood. Nandrolone - a stereoid, the presence of which is allowed in the blood in the amount of 2ng / mg of testosterone, was exceeded three times, which was the reason for the scandal and the annulment of the results of the fight, in which Gracie won a landslide victory. He also starred in films and videos (for example, the clip of Attitude, the Brazilian band Sepultura).
Matt Hughes
Hughes was the strongest welterweight champion until Georges St-Pierre came along. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and won the UFC welterweight title twice. Participated in fights, at a small show at Madonna High School, in the Chicagoland area. For his debut fight, he received only a hundred dollars. A year later, he performed at the same show, winning, as in his first fight. Then he began to perform in different cities and countries: including the UK, Japan, Kuwait and Hawaii, etc. When his MMA career began, he won the welterweight title twice and for this he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This continued until Georges Saint-Pierre came to martial arts. Hughes defended his title a record seven times. Matt's most famous fight against Carlos Newton was his greatest fight ever. He used this opportunity one hundred percent, and knocked out Carlos, receiving the welterweight title.
Dan Henderson
The Dan Henderson phenomenon defies description. Despite his age and professional injuries, he still takes on younger fighters using his experience and skill. Starting his career in the Pride Fighting Championships, he moved to the UFC, almost immediately becoming a world-class fighter. Participating in the Olympic Games, in the middle and welterweight categories, he won titles in both weights. He won the 17th UFC tournament in the middleweight category, and became the first to win the Pride championship in 2 weight categories at once (middle and welterweight). According to Strikeforce, he won the light heavyweight title and won the 1999 Kings of Kings competition. The most decorated fighter in the world, he has so many awards that the media can't even count them. He fought and defeated such eminent fighters as: Vitor Belfort, Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva, Antonia Rodrigue Nogueira. It is also noteworthy that he defeated the Russian hero - Fedor Emelianenko.
Igor Vovchanchin
Born in Ukraine, in the city of Kharkov. Igor Vovchanin, according to experts, is the most underrated fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. Having the longest win streak in a given series of 37 fights, at his peak, he was the best fighter in MMA history. With a small height for MMA (only 174 cm), he won victories over taller opponents, which made his fights something akin to the fight of David and Goliath, with a similar ending. The most interesting were the victories over Mark Carrey, Edilson Lima (two wins), Kazushi Sakuraba, and also Valentine Overeem. Now he is the president of the promotional company "Honor of the Warrior", holds the tournament of the same name, where he acts as a judge and vice president of the Oriental martial arts association, who has a business in his hometown. He starred in the TV series "The Supreme Measure" as a fighter who performs in a semi-professional ring. He ended his career only due to a hand injury, but he did not give up sports - now he trains young guys.
Fedor Emelianenko
"Terminator", "Russian Experiment", "The Last Emperor" - all these nicknames Fedor received on his sports path. Fedor, according to the majority opinion and the results of social surveys, is the best fighter in MMA. Alexander Karelin is the only one who can compare with Fedor in terms of the number of titles and achievements. For ten years and more than three dozen fights, Emelianenko remains undefeated and began to lose only when his age no longer allowed him to be in the same shape as in his youth. If opponents had met him in the ring a few years ago, the Russian would have shown what an absolute victory is. The heavyweight champion, in several fights, almost killed some champions, after the fight they needed urgent medical attention. He is considered the king of MMA and the pride of his homeland. Most significant were his victories over Mark Hunt, Pedro Rizz, Andrey Orlovsky, Matt Lynland, Heath Herring, Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman, Semmy Schilt and many other great athletes.
Mixed style fighting is gaining more and more popularity, and the ratings of the fights of the best fighters are gathering 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 compete 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 big sports career before the heyday of the UFC and was noted for fights in the Pride promotion. As a child, he was involved in athletics, boxing, then he seriously took up kickboxing, having managed to become a world champion by the age of twenty. Not tall for this sport, Igor Vovchanchin compensated for this lack of speed and sharpness, crushing his competitors. In 1995, he first began participating in mixed martial arts.
In 1998, the Ukrainian signed a contract with Pride, and in two years of playing 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 fight, while Coleman finished off his opponent in the first seconds of the fight, so he lost in a close fight.
The following years, the Ukrainian alternated successful fights with failures. The fight with the legendary Mirko Filippovich stands apart. The meeting of two kickboxers ended with the strongest blow of the Croat with his left foot, which knocked out Vovchanchyn. Having completed his career, Igor did not leave MMA and opened his own fight club.
People from completely different sports come to mixed style fights. For example, the former Greco-Roman wrestler can be safely attributed to the best MMA fighters of the zero years.
Dan Henderson successfully competed as a classical wrestler and even represented the United States at the Olympics twice. Having improved his boxing training, he began to compete in mixed style fights.
The American was one of the first star fighters in the UFC, winning the UFC 17 tournament in 1998, then he performed extensively in other promotions. He achieved particular success in Pride and Strikeforce, repeatedly collecting the world titles of these organizations.
However, Dan had his main career fight in 2011 at the age of 40, when he knocked out the previously undefeated Fedor Emelianenko, becoming one of the best mixed martial artists 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 martial arts. At this time, he was engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling, achieving excellent results in international tournaments. In the mid-nineties, the already aged athlete made a daring decision to take up MMA and quickly broke into the ranks of the best fighters, becoming the champion of UFC 13 in 1997.
The star fighter has repeatedly clashed with the leadership of the promotion, now and then moving to other organizations. Despite this, he managed to win the UFC world title five times by the age of 43 and entered the hall of fame as the oldest champion.
On account of Randy Couture, 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 performs in the lightweight category, but many authoritative publications are included in the top five UFC fighters, regardless of weight.
The Irishman holds the world title, and another star athlete, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is eager to meet him.
Connor McGregor has a very spectacular and non-standard manner of fighting. An expert in martial arts, he is excellent with his feet, crushing many opponents with his "turntables". At the same time, his combat range is very wide, he hits hard with both hands and works great in a boxing stance.
He is especially hard at work on wrestling and has already achieved the right to a brown belt in jiu-jitsu.
The spectacular style of fighting, as well as eccentric behavior outside the cage, make McGregor one of the most popular fighters, his fights are sold by viewers of pay-per-view cable channels like hot cakes.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dagestan is famous for its freestyle wrestling school and is becoming the birthplace of the best mixed martial arts fighters. Among them is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who occupies the 13th line in the UFC ranking, regardless of the category. In his lightweight, he is considered the best after the legendary McGregor, a duel with whom he diligently seeks.
Unlike the Irishman, Khabib is a wrestling specialist, he twice became the world champion in combat sambo, grepling, pankration. In 2012, he began performing in the UFC.
He was inactive for two years due to an injury, however, despite this, he managed to hold 30 fights, all of which he won.
Nevertheless, Khabib also has weaknesses. Apparently, he is not quite comfortable with the framework of light weight, which is why he has to hard to lose weight before fights. Just after such preparation, he recently felt ill 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. By many analysts, he is recognized as the absolute best fighter, regardless of the weight category. Before joining mixed martial arts, he was successful in boxing and wrestling, in particular, winning the prestigious Golden Gloves tournament, and was also a member of the first division of NCAA wrestlers. This explains his invulnerability both in the standing position and in the stalls. A fighter without weaknesses rarely gives his opponent a chance to show his strengths.
On account of the formidable Croat victory over Fabio Maldonado, Andrei Orlovsky, Fabricio Werdum. In 2015, Stipe Miocic set a unique record against Mark Hunt with 361 punches. This fight was recognized as the "Beating of the Year" according to the UFC.
Misha Tate
Another American beauty belongs to the best MMA fighters among women. For several years, fans watched with admiration the confrontation between Ronda Rousey and Mischa Tate in the 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 mixed martial arts, immediately becoming one of the best fighters. Over and over again, overturning rivals with her lightning-fast passes to the legs, the American even earned the nickname "Takedown" among fans and specialists.
Especially epic was her confrontation with Ronda Rousey. Twice she met with her in the fight for the championship belt and lost twice.
Finally, Misha 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 Nunez.
Ronda Rousey
The list of the best MMA fighters in the world would be incomplete without the fair sex. A special place here is occupied by the former world bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. She trained professionally in judo and was 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 martial arts. In the octagon, she made full use of her judo skills, and for many years none of her rivals could oppose her deadly painful holds.
In her 12 UFC victories, she used the armbar nine times, which was her signature move. She held the world bantamweight title from 2012 to 2015. The real sensation was her defeat in 2015 by Collie Holm, who managed to keep a dangerous opponent at a distance and knocked out Rhonda in boxing style.
A year later, she tried to regain the title of world champion, but again she ran into an uncompromising opponent with strong shock training. Amanda Nunes managed to break the legendary American and won by technical knockout.
Randy Couture- An American athlete who performed in Greco-Roman wrestling and MMA, a five-time UFC champion in the heavy and light heavyweight categories. In mixed fights, he had 30 fights, of which he won 19 (7 by knockout). He became the first athlete who managed to win the title of champion in two prestigious weight categories at once - heavy and light heavy. Couture has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and is also the oldest athlete to hold the championship title, because he has achieved all his achievements by the age of 43 (!) years. And, therefore, rightfully included in the top 10 best MMA fighters in history.
No. 9. Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell- professional kickboxer, specialist in mixed martial arts. He held the bar of an invincible fighter for 5 years (1998-2003). In total, he fought 28 fights, won 20 of them (13 wins by knockout) and lost 8 times. Became a 4-time UFC champion. To this day, he holds the record for the most knockouts in the history of MMA.
No. 8. BJ Penn
BJ Penn is an American mixed martial artist. The former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion is the second fighter, after Randy Couture, to become a champion in two weight divisions. Considered one of the most gifted mixed arts fighters in the world. Known for his incredible flexibility and willingness to fight against any opponent regardless of weight class. For example, in March 2005, he, being in the weight of 86.5 kg, fought with Lyoto Machida, weighing 102 kg! Penn's punch is considered one of the best in MMA.
No. 7. John Jones
John Jones is an American mixed martial artist. The youngest champion in UFC history. In his entire professional career, he suffered only one defeat in 23 fights. For 4 years of owning the title of champion, he made 8 successful defenses. At the moment, he occupies the 4th line in the ranking of the best fighters, regardless of the weight category.
No. 6. Igor Vovchanchin
Igor Vovchanchin- Ukrainian professional kickboxer, mixed style fighter. In the period from 1995 to 2000, he spent 32 fights without defeat. In total, there are 87 fights in his track record, in which he won 76 victories (36 by knockout). He was one of the most popular MMA fighters in the heavyweight category.
No. 5. Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes- American mixed martial artist, two-time UFC welterweight champion. He is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. Second most in the UFC in the number of welterweight title retentions - 7 times. In total, he fought 54 fights in mixed martial arts, won 45 of them (15 wins by knockout).
No. 4. Dan Henderson
Dan Henderson- American athlete, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler, specialist in mixed martial arts. He is the first fighter in history to win the championship in the two leading organizations in mixed martial arts - UFC and Pride. His track record includes victories over such athletes as Fedor Emelianenko, Wonderdey Silva, Mauricio Rua, Vitor Belfort and others. Throughout his career, he fought 46 fights, won 32 of them (16 by knockout).
No. 3. George St. Pierre
George St. Pierre is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Former UFC Welterweight Champion. Defended the title 11 in a row, which is an incredible achievement. Widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters in the world. Major publications unanimously recognize him as the best welterweight and among the best fighters, regardless of the weight category. Spent 27 fights, won 25 of them (8 by knockout).
No. 2. Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. From October 14, 2006 to July 6, 2013, he was the UFC middleweight champion, made 10 successful defenses, which is an absolute record in UFC history. He also has a string of 16 victories in a row in this organization, which is also a record. As of October 2012, he is the strongest middleweight fighter, as well as one of the best MMA fighters, regardless of weight category. He spent 42 fights, in 33 of them he came out the winner (20 wins by knockout).
No. 1. Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko- Russian athlete, four-time MMA world heavyweight champion according to Pride FC, two-time according to RINGS, two-time according to WAMMA. Fedor is the greatest fighter in the history of MMA. The strongest fighter in all weight categories. Remained invincible for almost ten years. He was in the leading positions of many world rankings: in the first place of MMA.com, the second - according to MMANews and the third - according to Sherdog and was recognized by many experts as the best MMA fighter in the history of sports. Throughout his career in mixed martial arts, he fought 41 fights, winning 36 times (11 by knockout). In 2012, after defeating heavyweight Pedro Rizzo, he announced his retirement, but in 2015 he resumed his performance in mixed martial arts.
10 best MMA fighters in the world. Why is Cormier better than Khabib?
What is a p4p rating?
Simplified, the pound for pound rating is perceived as a rating of fighters from different weight classes, which are compared as if they all weighed the same and were considered as potential rivals. When comparing, achievements at the moment, potential, subjective impression and anything else are taken into account - up to the charisma and integrity of the image. We studied the ratings of the top 10 fighters in the world from Sherdog, Tapology, Fightmatrix, ESPN, MMAweekly and UFC (since only UFC fighters got into the five previous ratings) and made up the summary ten.
10. Henry Cejudo (USA)
31 year; over 56.7 kg; 13 wins, 2 losses
What did you do: freestyle wrestling
Short: first Olympian to become UFC champion. Cejudo had two attempts - he faced one of the most dominant UFC champions, Demetrius Johnson, and with the second, Cejudo defeated Johnson, who had defended the title 11 times before.
9. Stipe Miocic (USA)
36 years; over 93 kg; 18 wins, 3 losses
What did you do: baseball, wrestling, boxing
Short: about everyone who comes next, by default, you can write "he hits well, fights well." Miocic gave the impression of a big, strong, smiling man working as a firefighter, until it turned out that nature gave him such data with which he could beat almost the best kickboxer, grappler and boxer in the UFC in two years. Miocic became the most successful heavyweight in the promotion's history, defending the title three times and losing only to Daniel Cormier. You will meet him on the first line.
8. Georges St. Pierre (Canada)
37 years; up to 77.1 and up to 83.9 kg; 26 wins, 2 losses
What did you do: karate, wrestling
Short: obviously the most controversial position in the ranking. Georges St-Pierre returned to the UFC last November after a 47-month hiatus and immediately beat middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Given that St-Pierre's previous career was outstanding - a welterweight championship and 9 title defenses - he could very well be in the top 10, but at the moment St-Pierre has not said anything about pursuing a career in MMA and, not ruled out, gone. It is important that he is not in three of the six rankings studied, but, for example, MMAWeekly puts the Canadian in second place, and if you consider him as an active fighter, this is very easy to accept.
7. Robert Whitaker (Australia)
27 years; up to 83.9 kg; 20 wins, 4 losses
What did you do: karate
Short: Whitaker remains one of the most mysterious UFC champions, but one of the youngest people on the list of the best fighters on the planet. Probably one balances out the other. He has an aggressive striking technique, an excellent ability to endure in a cage and hold long fights, but so far his frequency of appearances is rather alarming: two fights each in 2015 and 2016, one each in 2017 and (most likely) 2018 .
5-6. Demetrius Johnson (USA)
32 years; up to 56.7 kg; 27 wins, 3 losses
What did you do: wrestling, pankration
Short: Johnson has defended the UFC title 11 times, and no champion has more defenses. Unfortunately, the flyweight brought the fighter to the lightest attention, and even two confrontations with the Olympic champion Cejudo and passion for computer games did not make Johnson more popular. He is now on the cusp of the UFC as part of a fighter swap deal with the One FC promotion.
5-6. TJ Dillashaw (USA)
32 years; up to 61.2 kg; 16 wins, 3 losses
What did you do: struggle
Short: usually, when talking about top fighters, they give some amazing series of victories, but Dillashaw was the one who interrupted such a series. He once defeated Renan Barao, who went out to fight Dillashaw for 32 wins in a row. Bookmakers multiplied the bet on Dillashaw by 10 if he won.
For the past two years, TJ has focused on taking on former tattooed teammate Cody Garbrandt and winning both times. Dillashaw also sparred with boxer Lomachenko, and he communicates well with Sergey Kovalev.
4. Tyrone Woodley (USA)
36 years; up to 77.1 kg; 19 wins, 3 losses
What did you do: struggle
Short: Woodley won the title by confidently knocking out the defending champion, but after that he began to upset. His next three fights ended in referee decisions. When it looked as if the UFC could solve the problem with the help of a new champion, undefeated big Liverpool Darren Till, Woodley confidently dealt with him too, choking Till in the second round. Mom Woodley personally reassured the young applicant after the defeat.
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov (Russia)
30 years; up to 70.3 kg; 27 wins, 0 losses
What did you do: wrestling, combat sambo
Mentioned but not included
The UFC rating includes Conor McGregor, and this can be interpreted as a political decision: if you have a fighter who brings the maximum amount of money in fights, it is strange not to advertise him with your own resource.
MMAweekly.com is the only site that offered to consider two girls: Chris Justino and Rose Namajunas.
Tony Ferguson was also mentioned - his fight with Khabib has already failed four times, but we would be ready to wait for the fifth attempt.
About Khabib
It is difficult to assess Khabib's third place, in the last two fights he was initially considered an obvious favorite, and this, on the one hand, is an indicator of class, on the other, it will give rise to distrust of achievements. His competitors in this ranking more often won fights when the bookmakers doubted the choice.
But if you imagine Khabib weighing 100 kg, you can break your head about their duel with Daniel Cormier: in an equal fight, Khabib's endurance would be exchanged for Daniel's ability to knock out, and then you can start arguing. At the same time, Cormier's candidacy does not raise questions from any of the publications: he is the first in six out of six cases.
The fight Cormier - Derrick Lewis will be the central event of UFC 230. It will take place on November 3 in New York (on the morning of November 4 in Moscow). You can watch the live broadcast of UFC 230 on the Match TV channel. The broadcast starts at 5:00 am (Moscow time) on November 4.
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Mixed martial arts (MMA) is perhaps the fastest growing sport in the world. Every day the number of his fans is growing inexorably. Even though the sport is only about 25 years old, there have been many great champions in that short time. It is possible that this list of the best MMA fighters in another 25 years will look very different, but today it looks like this.
St. Pierre, known by the nickname "The Head" is one of the most promising fighters in the MMA world. Canadian competitor, former UFC welterweight champion. He is still in his prime (born in 1981) and if you look at his excellent athleticism and wrestling skills, this is far from the limit. During his participation in the UFC fights in the welterweight category, Georges St-Pierre had 27 fights, of which he won 25 and only 2 losses, for both he avenged. In 2008 and 2009, he was recognized as the best athlete of the year in Canada, as well as according to the Wrestling Observer magazine as the best fighter of 2009.
Anderson Silva, also known by the nickname "Spider" (born 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He recently lost the title to the younger and stronger Chris Weidman. But still, Silva remains one of the best fighters who took part in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian master held the title for the longest time in UFC history, defending it 10 fights in a row. UFC President Dane White called Silva the strongest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts.
Five-time UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion (record three times). Randy (known by his nickname "Natural", "Captain America") became the first fighter to win two UFC championship belts in two different weight classes. Randy Couture (born 1963) is known not only as an American Greco-Roman wrestler and MMA fighter, but also as an actor and showman.
Chuck Liddell for MMA, someone like Michael Jordan for basketball, David Beckham for football, in one word "SUPERSTAR". It's no exaggeration to say that he is, to this day, considered the most popular UFC fighter of all time, and probably one of the very best. Charles David Liddell, nicknamed "Icy" was born in 1969 - professional kickboxer, world champion in the light heavyweight category according to the UFC from 2005 to 2007.
The sixth place in the ranking of the best MMA fighters goes to Bas Rutten. This is a Dutch kickboxer who took part in the fights in mixed martial arts. UFC heavyweight champion. Bas Rutten (born in 1965), also known by the nickname "Handsome", finished his career without losing, he had 22 fights, of which 21 wins and 1 draw. Rutten's favorite tactic is considered to be attacking the liver, both with his hand and with his foot. His charisma, in and out of the octagon, helped make the Dutch athlete a celebrity. To date, the former champion is a television commentator and has also appeared in several films and video games.
Royce Gracie (born December 12, 1966) is a Brazilian fighter and master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His name is number one in the UFC Hall of Fame list. Considered one of the most influential figures in MMA history. He gained his fame thanks to victories over larger opponents with the help of wrestling techniques, thereby drawing the attention of athletes participating in MMA to study more wrestling on the ground. During his career, which ended in 2007, Gracie had 16 fights, winning 14 of them.
Matt Hughes (born October 13, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist and former two-time UFC welterweight champion. He defended his title a total of seven times, a record for the welterweight division. In his prime, Matt Hughes was literally unbeatable. During his career, he spent 54 fights, of which he won 45.
Dan Henderson
Words are not enough to describe the greatness of Dan Henderson. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most enduring MMA fighters of all time. Even more impressive is that he still fights younger athletes to this day. Dan Henderson (born August 24, 1970), nicknamed "Hendo", became the first fighter to win a Pride championship in multiple weight divisions (welterweight and middleweight). Former Olympic wrestler. He has won more titles than any other fighter in MMA history.
Igor Vovchanchyn (born June 8, 1973) is a former Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter, winner and medalist of many mixed style tournaments. Igor (born in 1973) known by the nickname "Cold-blooded" was one of the most dominant fighters of all time, from 1995 to 2000 he had 32 fights in a row, never losing. In total, the kickboxer spent 87 fights, of which he won in 76. Igor Vovchanchin was also one of the shortest (174 cm) fighters in the heavy weight category in the history of mixed martial arts.
Fedor Emelianenko
“The Last Emperor”, “Terminator”, these are the nicknames of Fedor Emelyanenko (born September 28, 1976) the greatest MMA fighter ever to enter the “octagon”. Four-time world champion in MMA in the heavy weight category, seven-time champion of Russia and four-time world champion in combat sambo. Master of Sports of International Class in Judo and Honored Master of Sports in Sambo.
For almost 10 years, Fedor remained invincible, having spent a total of 32 fights in a given period of time, which made him the best fighter in the history of MMA.
