Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 4 months ago  |  All By mugenhardroc

1. 1

   

   Kazushi Sakuraba

   "The Gracie Hunter"

   26-17-1, 2 NC

   Titles:
   UFC Japan Heavyweight Tournament Winner
   
   Distinction:
   First Japanese Champion in UFC History
   Pride Middleweight (205 lb) Title Challenger (2001)
   DREAM Welterweight Title Challenger (2010)
   
   Records:
   Longest Fight in Pride History (90 minutes)
   Tied Most Submission in Pride History (11) with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
   
   Awards:
   UFC HOF Class of 2017: Pioneer Wing
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Royce Gracie
   - Renzo Gracie
   - Royler Gracie
   - Ryan Gracie
   - Quinton Jackson
   - Ken Shamrock
   - Vitor Belfort
   - Kevin Randleman
   - Carlos Newton
   - Masakatsu Funaki
   - Guy Mezger
   - Ikuhisa Minowa
   

2. 2

   

   Shinya Aoki

   "Tobikan Judan"

   48-11-0, 1 NC

   Titles:
   Former ONE 155 lb Champion (two defenses)
   Former ONE 170 lb Champion
   Former Dream Lightweight Champion (two defenses)
   Former Shooto Middleweight (170 lb) Champion
   Former WAMMA Lightweight Champion
   
   Distinction:
   Strikeforce Lightweight Title Challenger (2010)
   Inaugural WAMMA Lightweight Champion
   Final DREAM Lightweight Champion
   2008 Dream Lightweight Grand Prix Finalist
   
   Awards:
   2021 ONE Championship Submission of the Year
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Kazushi Sakuraba
   - Eddie Alvarez
   - Caol Uno
   - Eduard Folayang (x2)
   - Tatsuya Kawajiri
   - Kotetsu Boku
   - Satoru Kitaoka
   - Rich Clementi
   - Joachim Hansen (x2)
   - Marcus Aurélio
   - Rob McCullough
   - Vítor Ribeiro
   - Gesias Cavalcante
   - George Sotiropoulos
   - John Lineker
   

3. 3

   

   Takanori Gomi

   "The Fireball Kid"

   35-15-0, 1 NC

   Titles:
   Former Pride Lightweight Champion (one defense)
   Former Shooto Welterweight (155 lb) Champion (one defense)
   2005 Pride Lightweight Grand Prix Winner
   
   Distinction:
   Only Pride Lightweight Champion
   
   Records:
   Most Consecutive Wins in Pride History (10)
   Most Consecutive Wins in Shooto History (12)
   Fastest Knockout in Pride History (6 seconds)
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Hayato Sakurai
   - Rumina Sato
   - Jens Pulver
   - Tatsuya Kawajiri
   - Melvin Guillard
   - David Baron
   - Duane Ludwig
   - Marcus Aurélio
   - Mitsuhiro Ishida
   - Ralph Gracie
   

4. 4

   

   Caol Uno

   "Shoten"

   34-23-5

   Titles:
   UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Co-Champion (drew with BJ Penn)
   Former Shooto Welterweight (155 lb) Champion
   
   Distinction:
   2x UFC Lightweight Title Challenger (2001/2003)
   2006 K-1 HERO'S Lightweight Tournament Finalist
   2x K-1 HERO'S Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist (2005/2007)
   
   Submission Grappling:
   1999 ADCC World Championship Silver Medalist (-77 kg)
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Rumina Sato (x2)
   - Yves Edwards
   - Mitsuhiro Ishidea
   - Hideo Tokoro
   - Din Thomas (x2)
   - Dennis Hallman
   - Ivan Menjivar
   - Rich Clementi
   

5. 5

   

   Kyoji Horiguchi

   32-5-0, 1 NC

   Titles:
   Rizin Flyweight Champion (current)
   Former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion
   Former 2x Rizin Bantamweight World Champion
   Former Shooto Featherweight (135 lb) Champion (one defense)
   2017 Rizin Bantamweight World Grand Prix Champion
   
   Distinction:
   UFC Flyweight Title Challenger (2015)
   Inaugural Bellator Flyweight Title Challenger (2023)
   Inaugural Rizin Flyweight Champion
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Kai Asakura
   - Makoto Shinryu
   - Darrion Caldwell (x2)
   - Hiromasa Ougikubo (x3)
   - Shintaro Ishiwatari (x2)
   - Hideo Tokoro
   - Ali Bagautinov
   - Ian McCall
   - Manel Kape
   - Ben Nguyen
   

6. 6

   

   Hayato Sakurai

   "Mach"

   38-13-2

   Titles:
   Former Shooto Middleweight (170 lb) Champion (one defense)
   
   Distinction:
   UFC Welterweight Title Challenger (2002)
   2005 Pride Lightweight Grand Prix Finalist
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Shinya Aoki (x2)
   - Jens Pulver
   - Joachim Hansen
   - Caol Uno
   - Jutaro Nakao
   - Frank Trigg
   - Tetsuji Kado
   - Phil Baroni
   - Ryo Chonan
   - Dave Menne
   - Kuniyoshi Hironaka
   

7. 7

   

   Yuki Kondo

   "Yukisora"

   64-40-9

   Titles:
   Former Pancrase Middleweight Champion (one defense)
   Former Pancrase Interim Middleweight Champion (three defenses)
   Former Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion (one defense)
   Former 2x Pancrase Openweight Champion (two total defenses)
   1996 Pancrase Truth Tour Neo-Blood Tournament Winner
   
   Distinction:
   UFC Light Heavyweight Title Challenger (2000)
   Pancrase Welterweight Title Challenger (2014)
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Frank Shamrock
   - Masakatsu Funaki
   - Akihiro Gono (x2)
   - Guy Mezger
   - Evangelista Santos
   - Kiuma Kunioku (x2)
   - Ikuhisa Minowa (x2)
   - Semmy Schilt (x3)
   - Sanae Kikuta
   - Manabu Yamada
   - Minoru Suzuki
   - Mario Sperry
   - Saulo Ribeiro
   

8. 8

   

   Masakazu Imanari

   "Ashikan Judan"

   40-22-2

   Titles:
   Former Deep Bantamweight Champion (two defenses)
   Former 2x Deep Featherweight Champion (one defense)
   Former Cage Rage World Featherweight Champion (one defense)
   
   Distinction:
   Inventor of the "Imanari Roll"
   Inaugural Deep Bantamweight Champion
   Inaugural Deep Featherweight Champion
   Only Cage Rage World Featherweight Champion
   2011 Dream Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix Finalist
   2011 Dream World Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Mike Brown
   - Yoshihiro Maeda
   - Kevin Belingon
   - Hiroshi Memura
   - Nam Phan
   
   

9. 9

   

   Yushin Okami

   "Thunder"

   38-15-0

   Distinction:
   UFC Middleweight Title Challenger (2011)
   WSOF Middleweight Title Challenger (2014)
   
   Notable Wins:
   - Nate Marquardt
   - Mark Muñoz
   - Evan Tanner
   - Hector Lombard
   - Anderson Silva
   - Dean Lister
   - Alan Belcher (x2)
   - Mike Swick
   

10. 10

    

    Norifumi Yamamoto

    "KID"

    18-6-0, 2 NC

    Titles:
    2005 K-1 HERO'S 2005 Middleweight (75 kg) Grand Prix Winner
    
    Amateur Wrestling:
    1999 All-Japan Emperor's Cup Senior Freestyle National Championship Runner-Up
    3x Arizona Interscholastic Association High School State Champion (1995/1996/1997)
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Caol Uno
    - Bibiano Fernandes
    - Genki Sudo
    - Royler Gracie
    - Rani Yahya
    - Jeff Curran
    - Kazuyuki Miyata
    

11+

11. 11

    

    Tatsuya Kawajiri

    "Crusher"  |  37-14-2

    Titles:
    Former Shooto Welterweight (155 lb) Champion
    
    Distinction:
    DREAM Lightweight Title Challenger (2010)
    Strikeforce Lightweight Title Challenger (2011)
    2005 Pride Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
    2008 Dream Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
    
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Yves Edwards
    - Josh Thomson
    - Kazunori Yokota
    - Kazuyuki Miyata
    - Dennis Siver
    - Vitor Ribeiro
    - Gesias Cavalcante
    - Luiz Firmino (x2)
    - Joachim Hansen (x2)
    

12. 12

    

    Genki Sudo

    "Neo-Samurai"  |  16-4-1

    Distinction:
    2005 K-1 HERO'S 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Finalist
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Mike Brown
    - Royler Gracie
    - Nate Marquardt
    - Ramon Dekkers
    - Butterbean
    - Hiroyuki Takaya
    - Kazuyuki Miyata
    
    Just For Fun:
    Has Served on the Japanese House of Councillors since 2019
    Served as the manager for his alma mater Takushoku University's wrestling team, leading them to win every major university championship, and was named the Japanese representative manager for the World University Championship
    Has written 15 books
    Has starred in movies such as Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate (2010) and Rurouni Kenshin (2012)
    Is the founder, producer, and lead vocalist of a five-man techno band called World Order
    Formed a 30+ person amateur baseball team
    And received the Newcomer Encouragement Award at the 15th Taisho Exhibition for Japanese Calligraphy
    

13. 13

    

    Masakatsu Ueda

    26-6-2

    Titles:
    Former Shooto Featherweight (135 lb) Champion (three defenses)
    2013 ONE 135 lb Grand Prix Champion
    
    Distinction:
    ONE 135 lb Title Challenger (2014)
    Pancrase Interim Bantamweight Title Challenger (2018)
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Kyoji Horiguchi
    - Jens Pulver
    - Royler Gracie
    - Rumina Sato
    - Kevin Belingon
    

14. 14

    

    Yuki Nakai

    9-2-0

    Titles:
    Former Shooto Welterweight (155 lb) Champion
    
    Distinction:
    Vale Tudo Japan 1995 Tournament Finalist
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Gerard Gordeau
    - Craig Pittman
    - Kazuhiro Kusayanagi
    

15. 15

    

    Rumina Sato

    "Moon Wolf"  |  26-17-2

    Distinction:
    3x Shooto Welterweight (155 lb) Title Challenger (1999/2000/2001)
    Shooto Lightweight (145 lb) Title Challenger (2009)
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Yves Edwards
    - Ryota Matsune
    - Rafael Cordeiro
    

16. 16

    

    Akihiro Gono

    "The Magic Man"  |  38-24-8

    Distinction:
    2x Pride Welterweight (185 lb) Grand Prix Semifinalist (2005/2006)
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Hayato Sakurai
    - Gegard Mousasi
    - Yuki Kondo
    - Masanori Suda (x2)
    - Hector Lombard
    - Ivan Salaverry
    

17. 17

    

    Yoshihiro Akiyama

    "Sexyama"  |  16-7-0, 2 NC

    Titles:
    2006 K-1 HERO'S Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion
    
    Judo:
    2001 Asian Judo Championships -81kg Gold Medalist
    2002 Asian Games Men's Judo -81kg Gold Medalist
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Shinya Aoki
    - Denis Kang
    - Melvin Manhoef
    - Alan Belcher
    

18. 18

    

    Kai Asakura

    21-4-0

    Titles:
    2x Rizin Bantamweight Champion (current)
    
    Distinction:
    2021 Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix Finalist
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Kyoji Horiguchi
    - Juan Archuleta
    - Hiromasa Ougikubo
    - Yuki Motoya
    - Shooto Watanabe
    - Manel Kape
    - Alateng Heili
    - Ulka Sasaki
    

19. 19

    

    Ayaka Hamasaki

    24-6-0

    Titles:
    2x Rizin Super Atomweight Champion (two defenses)
    Former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion (two defenses)
    Former Deep Jewels Lightweight (115 lb) ChampionChampion (three defenses)
    2010 Deep Jewels Light Tournament Winner
    
    Distinction:
    Inaugural Rizin Super Atomweight Champion
    Inaugural Deep Jewels Lightweight (115 lb) Champion
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Miyuu Yamamoto
    - Kanna Asakura (x2)
    - Jessica Aguilar
    - Ham Seo Hee (x2)
    - Jinh Yu Frey (x2)
    - Emi Fujino (x2)
    - Mina Kurobe
    - Mei Yamaguchi
    

20. 20

    

    Megumi Fujii

    "Mega Megu"  |  26-3-0

    Distinction:
    Inaugural Bellator Strawweight Title Challenger (2010)
    22 Consecutive Wins
    
    Notable Wins:
    - Carla Esparza
    - Emi Fujino
    - Ham Seo Hee
    - Mei Yamaguchi