10. Wanderlei Silva “The Axe Murderer”
Wins: 35 (25 KO, 3 Tapout, 7 Decision) Losses: 12 Draws: 1 No Contest: 1Championships: Pride, IVCClass: MiddleweightStyles: Muay Thai, Judu, Brazilian jiu-jitsuCountry: BrazilNotable Wins: Quinton Jackson (x2), Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan HendersonBest Fight: Pride 13 vs Sakuraba Wanderlei Silva never really caught fire in his later UFC career, but during his prime in Pride, he was an unstoppable force, driving opponents to the ground with deadly Muay Thai knees and takedowns. Silva is responsible for stopping the momentum of some of MMA’s most legendary fighters, including Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Kazushi Sakuraba, who he defeated to obtain the Pride Middleweight Championship belt. 9. BJ Penn “The Prodigy”
Wins: 16 (7 KO, 6 Tapout, 3 Decision) Losses: 10 Draws: 2 Championships: UFC Lightweight/WelterweightClass: Featherweight/ Welterweight/ Lightweight/ MiddleweightStyles: Brazilian jiu-jitsuCountry: United StatesNotable Wins: Matt Hughes (x2), Renzo Gracie, Diego SanchezBest Fight: UFC 46 vs Hughes BJ Penn is one of the most technically sound fighters to ever grace the UFC octagon. He’s so at ease with the sport that his training montages often showed him surfing, jogging on the beach, and enjoying his native Hawaiian landscape while his opponents trained in Crossfit and Gold gyms around the world. BJ Penn has only bled once, and is best known for dethroning corn-fed farmboy Matt Hughes for the Welterweight championship. 8. Chuck Liddell “The Iceman”
Wins: 21 (13 KO, 1 Tapout, 7 Decision) Losses: 8 Draws: 1 Championships: UFC, IFC, WKA, Class: Light HeavyweightStyles: Kenpo Karate, Koei-Kan Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, KickboxingCountry: United StatesNotable Wins: Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Vitor BelfortBest Fight: UFC 79 vs Silva Called The Iceman for a reason, nobody throws a meaner punch than Chuck Liddell. This light heavyweight superstar has fought his entire life and dominated the UFC with his striking, wrestling, and ground-and-pound tactics. Though fights with Ortiz and Couture were the biggest draws of their day, it was his win over Wanderlei Silva that remains the dream match-up of MMA fans in the Americas. 7. Jon Jones “Bones”
Wins: 21 (9 KO, 6 Tapout, 6 Decision) Losses: 1 Championships: UFC Light HeavyweightClass: Light HeavyweightStyles: Gaidojutsu, Brazilian Jiu-JitsuCountry: United StatesNotable Wins: Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Mauricio RuaBest Fight: UFC 140 vs Machida Few fighters have taken the MMA world by storm like Jon “Bones” Jones. After battling his way through the Light Heavyweight ranks of the UFC, he’s quickly becoming one of the most legendary champions on record. This is despite his current record as youngest UFC champion and longest Light Heavyweight championship defense. Whether on the ground, in the air, or while seated, Jones will get in your head and annihilate you. 6. Randy Couture “The Natural”
Wins: 19 (7 KO, 4 Tapout, 8 Decision) Losses: 11Championships: UFC Heavyweight (x3), Light Heavyweight (x2), WrestlingClass: Light Heavyweight, HeavyweightStyles: Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, BoxingCountry: United StatesNotable Wins: Vitor Belfort, Chuck Liddell, Tito OrtizBest Fight: UFC 43 vs Liddell Sporting an iron jaw bred in the woods of Oregon, Randy Couture is a legendary wrestler who was introduced to MMA by UFC OG (or early adopter, anyway) Don Frye. A throwback to the days of Captain America and Hulk Hogan, Couture’s sparkling Hollywood personality overshadows the brutal precision of his takedown defense, ground game, and punching power. The Natural is one of the UFC Hall of Fame’s most deserving members. 5. Royce Gracie
Wins: 14 (0 KO, 12 Tapout, 2 Decision) Losses: 2 Draws: 3 Championships: UFCClass: Catchweight, WelterweightStyles: Gracie Jiu-JitsuCountry: BrazilNotable Wins: Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba, Best Fight: K-1 Dynamite! vs Akebono Taro The reason MMA is as popular as it is today, Royce Gracie is a master of his family’s Brazilian-based Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Royce won three of the first four UFC tournaments before headlining the events in grudge matches. It wasn’t until Sakuraba in PRIDE that Gracie finally met defeat, but he avenged that loss after taking down sumo Yokozuna Akebono Taro and being robbed in a fight against UFC’s at-the-time golden boy, Matt Hughes. Still Gracie’s style of Jiu-Jitsu lives on in a variety of fighters, and is still taught to U.S. Army soldiers in Basic Combat Training to this day. 4. Lyoto Machida “The Dragon”
Wins: 22 (9 KO, 2 Tapout, 11 Decision) Losses: 5 Championships: UFCClass: Light Heavyweight/MiddleweightStyles: Shotokan Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sum, Muay Thai, WrestlingCountry: BrazilNotable Wins: BJ Penn, Rashad Evans, Randy CoutureBest Fight: UFC 98 vs Evans Few fighters have made the impact Lyoto Machida has. After Royce Gracie came a slew of wrestlers and ground-and-pounders, relying on brute force and a generic MMA style to rack up wins. Suddenly Machida appeared on the undercards, wowing fans with a display of pure karate mixed into his standing game, and a solid ground game on top of it. Machida quickly rose through the ranks, dethroning Ultimate Fighter Rashad Evans for the championship before dropping it to Shogun Rua. Still Machida’s unorthodox style remains a force to be reckoned with in the UFC and throughout the MMA leagues. 3. Anderson Silva “The Spider”
Wins: 34 (20 KO, 6 Tapout, 8 Decision) Losses: 6Championships: Cage Rage, Shooto, UFC, Pride FC, Class: Middleweight/Light HeavyweightStyles: Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, Taekwondo, CapoeiraCountry: BrazilNotable Wins: Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Best Fight: UFC 148 vs Chael Sonnen Not only is Anderson Silva the longest reigning champion in UFC history, he’s also a bit of a clown in the ring, likely inspiring Bones Jones’ antics. There’s no denying the skill behind the smiles, though, as Silva took apart everyone in the UFC’s Middleweight division. A broken leg on live TV and rumors of steroid usage during recovery held The Spider back recently, but don’t expect Anderson Silva to be missing from the octagon long. 2. Georges St. Pierre “Rush”
Wins: 25 (8 KO, 5 Tapout, 12 Decision) Losses: 2 Championships: UFC (x3)Class: WelterweightStyles: Kyokushin Kaikan, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Gaidojutsu, ShidokanCountry: CanadaNotable Wins: BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Nick Diaz, Karo ParisyanBest Fight: UFC 65 vs Hughes GSP is one of the most technical fighters to ever enter the UFC cage. Only suffering two losses (both of which, he avenged) St. Pierre turned out to be the best Canadian export in sports, confidently retiring with a record that shines in the UFC Hall of Fame. Watching GSP dismantle some of the sports best fighters remains a pleasure to this day. One can only hope we’ll see GSP go the Jay-Z route to come out of retirement for another dream bout. 1. Fedor Emelianenko “The Last Emperor”
Wins: 34 (10 KO, 16 Tapout, 8 Decision) Losses: 3 No Contest: 1Championships: PRIDE, RINGS, WAMMA, FIAS, ECSC, RCSNC, Class: HeavyweightStyles: Sambo, JudoCountry: RussiaNotable Wins: Mark Coleman, Mirko Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo NogueiraBest Fight: PRIDE Final Conflict vs Filipovic You’ll often hear the term “pound-for-pound” to describe the best fighter. This is because some guys are amazing fighters, but they’re competing in 140-lb weight classes. Fedor Emelianenko is a different case. He’s the best fighter in his weight class, which is the heaviest one. This man showed the type of technique, speed, and skill the little guys mentioned above have, but backed by unmatched strength. Though we never got to see him demolish Brock Lesnar, we all know it would’ve gone down, because Fedor Emelianenko is the undisputed king of MMA. Watch out, Putin, cause he’s interested in politics now! Brian Penny is a former Business Analyst and Operations Manager at Bank of America turned whistleblower, freelance writer, and troll. Penny has been featured on Huffington Post, Lifehack, The Street, Cannabis Now, and Hardcore Games.