I did not take into account failed drug tests nor a fighter's character inside or outside of the cage/ring. My list favors modern-era fighters because they simply are better technical fighters and face stiffer competition. There is very little nostalgia for early MMA fighters/pioneers of the sport clouding my judgement here, though they have certainly earned their respective places on this list. Additionally, I tend to favor fighters who fought in the most talent-rich divisions (145, 155, 170, pre-2016 205), as they face the toughest roads to the top and the hardest belts to defend. Enjoy!
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1
- Jon Jones
- "Bones"
- 27-1-0, 1 NC
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2
- Georges St-Pierre
- "Rush"
- 26-2-0
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3
- Demetrious Johnson
- "Mighty Mouse"
- 25-4-1
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4
- Fedor Emelianenko
- "The Last Emperor"
- 40-7-0, 1 NC
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5
- Anderson Silva
- "The Spider"
- 34-11-0, 1 NC
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6
- Daniel Cormier
- "DC"
- 22-3-0, 1 NC
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7
- José Aldo
- "Junior"
- 31-8-0
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8
- Matt Hughes
- 45-9-0
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9
- Dominick Cruz
- "The Dominator"
- 24-4-0
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10
- Khabib Nurmagomedov
- "The Eagle"
- 29-0-0
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11
- Chuck Liddell
- "The Iceman" | 21-9-0
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Ok fine, THIS pick is pure nostalgia and favoritism. I get one mulligan.
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12
- BJ Penn
- "The Prodigy" | 16-14-2
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13
- Royce Gracie
- 15-2-3
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14
- T.J. Dillashaw
- 17-5-0
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15
- Max Holloway
- "Blessed" | 26-7-0
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16
- Tyron Woodley
- "The Chosen One" | 19-7-1
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17
- Rafael dos Anjos
- 32-16-0
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18
- Frankie Edgar
- "The Answer" | 24-11-1
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19
- Conor McGregor
- "The Notorious" | 22-6-0
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20
- Cain Velasquez
- 14-3-0
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21
- Stipe Miocic
- 20-4-0
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22
- Henry Cejudo
- "Triple C" | 16-4-0
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23
- Dan Henderson
- "Hendo" | 32-15-0
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24
- Wanderlei Silva
- "The Axe Murderer" | 35-14-1, 1 NC
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25
- Randy Couture
- "The Natural" | 19-11-0
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26
- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
- "Minotauro" | 34-10-1, 1 NC
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27
- Vitor Belfort
- "The Phenom" | 26-14-0, 1 NC
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28
- Maurício Rua
- "Shogun" | 27-14-1
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29
- Tito Ortiz
- "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" | 21-12-1
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30
- Urijah Faber
- "The California Kid" | 35-11-0
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31
- Chris Weidman
- "The All-American" | 16-7-0
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32
- Tony Ferguson
- "El Cucuy" | 25-10-0
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33
- Benson Henderson
- "Smooth" | 30-12-0
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34
- Quinton Jackson
- "Rampage" | 37-14-0
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35
- Fabrício Werdum
- "Vai Cavalo" | 24-9-1, 1 NC
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36
- Lyoto Machida
- "The Dragon" | 26-12-0
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37
- Renan Barão
- "The Baron" | 34-10-0, 1 NC
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38
- Anthony Pettis
- "Showtime" | 25-14-0
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39
- Junior dos Santos
- "Cigano" | 21-10-0
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40
- Frank Mir
- 19-13-0
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41
- Rich Franklin
- "Ace" | 29-7-0, 1 NC
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42
- Pat Miletich
- "The Croation Sensation" | 29-8-2
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43
- Rashad Evans
- "Suga" | 20-8-1
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44
- Josh Barnett
- "The Warmaster" | 35-8-0
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45
- Frank Shamrock
- "The Legend" | 23-10-2
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46
- Dan Severn
- "The Beast" | 101-19-7
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47
- Mark Coleman
- "The Hammer" | 16-10-0
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48
- Nick Diaz
- 26-10-0, 2 NC
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49
- Michael Bisping
- "The Count" | 30-9-0
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50
- Bas Rutten
- "El Guapo" | 28-4-1
My Summary