some re-shuffling this time around. added lee murray whom i simply neglected as an oversight, and dropped robbie lawler after his jacare performance, where i felt as though he quit a bit. in general i favor grapplers a little more than most.
-
1
- Wanderlei Silva
- "The Axe Murderer"
- 35-14-1, 1 NC
-
wanderlei is the purest warrior in the history of mma. an absolute savage. and yet he's a super cool, friendly, warm guy. strange combination. it's like a switch flips and david banner becomes the incredible hulk. WAR WAND forever.
-
2
- Nick Diaz
- 26-10-0, 2 NC
-
consistently the most entertaining fighter in the history of mma, bar none. alongside silva-jackson II at pride 28, diaz vs. gomi is possibly my favorite fight. diaz is a pure-bred fighter, totally uncomprising in his refusal to kiss the ass of the system.
-
3
- Rory MacDonald
- "Red King"
- 23-10-1
-
nothing but heart and the youthful love of battle put on display. champion potential.
-
4
- Lee Murray
- "Lightning"
- 8-2-1, 1 NC
-
how can you not put this guy on your list.
-
5
- Nate Diaz
- 21-13-0
-
thug life.
-
6
- Shinya Aoki
- "Tobikan Judan"
- 48-11-0, 1 NC
-
if you're a student of grappling you have to marvel at the virtuosity of shinya aoki. one of the only remaining "pure" grapplers in mma to continue to excel against the top level. some find him boring; i find him absolutely riveting to watch.
-
7
- Cain Velasquez
- 14-3-0
-
i really enjoy the way he calmly destroys people. cain's got icewater in his veins and he's the man.
-
8
- BJ Penn
- "The Prodigy"
- 16-14-2
-
there are only a handful of fighters as riveting as "the prodigy." you truly never know what's going to happen when he steps in the octagon. he has come full circle from caol uno all the way back to matt hughes. i like the island ****iness he brings to the octagon, and his entrance song rocks.
-
9
- Rousimar Palhares
- "Toquinho"
- 19-13-1
-
Toquinho is one of the few guys i get nervous over during the pre fight announcements because i wonder how badly his opponent might get injured. wherever palhares goes, compound and spinal fractures follow. considering this is the fight game, that's a cool quality to have.
-
10
- Maurício Rua
- "Shogun"
- 27-14-1
-
shogun rua is a beautiful fighter to watch. his muay thai is beautiful, his groundwork is beautiful. kneebar on kevin randleman was one of my favorite finishes. shogun is an artist in the cage and ring.
-
11
- Renzo Gracie
- 14-7-1, 1 NC
-
a true elder statesman of the sport. mma would not be where it is today without the efforts of renzo gracie. one of the toughest guys you'll ever meet and one of the warmest, most sincere guys you'll ever meet.
-
12
- Charles Oliveira
- "do Bronx" | 34-10-0, 1 NC
-
new bandwagon. the guy is infectious. his jiu-jitsu is creamy. his striking is dreamy. i love it when young guns burst their way onto the scene and make the most of their opportunities. not dropping him just cause of the miller loss; that's fairweather bs.
-
13
- Dong Hyun Kim
- "Stun Gun" | 22-4-1, 1 NC
-
beautiful grappling displays every time. highly underappreciated.
-
14
- Chael Sonnen
- 30-17-1
-
I admit I do like the guy. The sport is more interesting for him.
-
15
- Ronda Rousey
- "Rowdy" | 12-2-0
-
16
- Kenny Florian
- "KenFlo" | 14-6-0
-
kenflo's technicality hides the heart of a killer, but it comes out every so often on his face in the heat of battle a la royce gracie. when kenny's skill gives way to an expression of pure savagery it's awesome to behold.
-
17
- Bas Rutten
- "El Guapo" | 28-4-1
-
el guapppppppppooo!! he was my personal guide to the early days of pride, when i had no idea if a submission was close to happening or not other than by listening to bas explain the position. such an entertaining guy and he was a great, great, great fighter.
-
18
- Johny Hendricks
- "Big Rig" | 18-8-0
-
19
- Georges St-Pierre
- "Rush" | 26-2-0
-
what can you say about this man that hasn't already been said? in my view he is MMA's single greatest ambassador, the one individual you would want on your television or radio show as well as on your highlight reel to communicate quickly and effectively what this 21st century sport is all about.
-
20
- Martin Kampmann
- "Hitman" | 21-7-0
-
This guy is possibly the toughest fighter in MMA. Seriously, think about it.
-
21
- Joachim Hansen
- "Hellboy" | 23-14-1
-
in the pride days hansen was one of my very favorite guys to watch compete. the two knockouts he had via knee strike were among my favorite finishes ever. such intensity in his game; i loved when he used to let his opponents punch him just to get himself wound up. sick fighter.
-
22
- Don Frye
- "The Predator" | 20-9-1, 1 NC
-
they don't make em' like this guy anymore.
-
23
- George Sotiropoulos
- 14-7-0, 1 NC
-
cool under fire and HIGHLY technical in every aspect. this guy is a consummate professional.
-
24
- Kendall Grove
- "Da Spyder" | 24-19-0, 1 NC
-
kendall gives it his all every fight, he shows up in shape every fight, and he's almost always dynamic and exciting. name the last boring kendall grove fight you saw.
-
25
- Frank Shamrock
- "The Legend" | 23-10-2
-
no one should ever forget how much frank shamrock did for the sport.
-
26
- Ronaldo Souza
- "Jacaré" | 26-10-0, 1 NC
-
this guy just has a cool vibe. the cayman crawl across the mat and the alligator chomp with his hands. and a special athlete as well.
-
27
- Alistair Overeem
- "The Demolition Man" | 47-19-0, 1 NC
-
a beautiful, skilled, well-trained fighter who is also a gentleman.
-
28
- Rafael Natal
- "Sapo" | 21-9-1
-
gotta make space for one of RGA's best instructors. an incredibly nice guy, a great coach, and a top tier fighter.
-
29
- Fedor Emelianenko
- "The Last Emperor" | 40-7-0, 1 NC
-
chills down my spine when he enters the arena or i turn on an old pride fight of his. there may be more great fedor highlights on the internet than for any other fighter; he inspires the fan imagination.
-
30
- Jon Jones
- "Bones" | 27-1-0, 1 NC
-
scintillating. maybe a jerk but amazing to watch perform.
-
31
- Roger Gracie
- 8-2-0
-
WOW on the ground. just wow. let's see how far he can go in MMA.
-
32
- Evan Dunham
- 18-9-1
-
33
- Kazushi Sakuraba
- "The Gracie Hunter" | 26-17-1, 2 NC
-
if you don't like KS, you aren't an MMA fan.
-
34
- Paulo Thiago
- "Caveira" | 19-11-0
-
paulo thiago's ground is fun for me to watch. always looking for d'arces and anacondas and little clever tricks to pull. i like that kind of game and it's been going away in the top levels in recent years.
-
35
- Thiago Alves
- "Pitbull" | 23-15-0
-
beautiful performances from time to time when he's sharp and on weight.
-
36
- Miguel Torres
- 44-9-0
-
torres is a funny dude and has a great killer instinct in the cage. one of the best mean mugs in the business, and he's not kidding around when he does it.
-
37
- Matt Hughes
- 45-9-0
-
matt receives a great deal of hate unjustifiably in my opinion. he can be a bit ****y but really doesn't talk trash after he wins and in respectful to most of his opponents. and he's a legit hall of famer.
-
38
- Kimbo Slice
- 6-2-0, 1 NC
-
what did Kimbo Slice ever do wrong in MMA except to take the opportunities that were offered to him and humbly do the best that he could?
-
39
- Carlos Eduardo Rocha
- "Ta Danado" | 9-4-0
-
he impressed me the first time i watched him, and i'm always partial to the ground game.
-
40
- Evan Tanner
- 32-8-0
-
long may you run.
-
41
- Jens Pulver
- "Little Evil" | 27-19-1
-
just a genuine, sincere dude from a hard knock life who gives his best.
-
42
- Chan Sung Jung
- "The Korean Zombie" | 17-8-0
-
43
- José Aldo
- "Junior" | 31-8-0
-
the dude is cool. he has the "it" factor.
-
44
- Melvin Manhoef
- "No Mercy" | 32-17-1, 2 NC
-
one of my favorite cage/ring entrances of any fighter. being let off a leash to go fight is truly sick. he really owes it to himself to work relentlessly on his ground game. if he does already, it really doesn't show. with solid ground skills he would be a top ten guy. plus anybody who knocks out mark hunt is a baaaad dude.
-
45
- Alexander Shlemenko
- "Storm" | 64-15-1, 1 NC
-
there is absolutely no quit in this guy.
-
46
- Thiago Tavares
- 24-11-1
-
47
- Jonathan Brookins
- 16-10-0
-
laid back dude with a bright MMA future.
-
48
- Urijah Faber
- "The California Kid" | 35-11-0
-
the good cheer is pretty infectious.
-
49
- Randy Couture
- "The Natural" | 19-11-0
-
he's probably hanging em' up but randy has done so much to advance the sport, he'll remain on my list long past his retirement.
-
50
- Dan Hardy
- "The Outlaw" | 25-10-0, 1 NC
-
let the man strike, for god's sake; no more wrestlers!
-
51
- Jose Landi-Jons
- "Pelé" | 29-16-0
-
52
- Nate Marquardt
- "The Great" | 36-20-2
-
53
- Royce Gracie
- 15-2-3
-
54
- Jon Fitch
- 32-8-2, 1 NC
-
i don't mind the decision wins so much. i like seeing him perform.
-
55
- Ben Askren
- "Funky" | 19-2-0, 1 NC
-
56
- Dan Henderson
- "Hendo" | 32-15-0
-
for all that he's accomplished over so many years.
-
57
- Michael Bisping
- "The Count" | 30-9-0
-
i know he's not on a lot of lists, but the man keeps winning. and not just winning, but finishing.
-
58
- Murilo Rua
- "Ninja" | 20-13-1
-
had some classic performances in pride when he was young and had an extraordinary gas tank. i got my money's worth on those pay-per-views cause of ninja.
-
59
- Anthony Pettis
- "Showtime" | 25-14-0
-
60
- Chris Lytle
- "Lights Out" | 31-18-5
-
61
- Rickson Gracie
- 9-0-0
-
62
- Brock Lesnar
- 5-3-0, 1 NC
-
that's right, he's on my list.
My Summary