Top 20 fighters of all time

[terrible dee]

Brock! C'mon, if it weren't for diverticulitis he'd still be heavyweight champ, he was getting better with every match until the disease reduced him to a shadow of his former self

He is also one of the very few names that get mentioned when you ask who REALLY took MMA to the world

 

[Hammer9001]

Well, my stance is generally when you get busted for drugs, at minimum that invalidates a good portion of your career, depending when you got caught. I mean near the end, I'm less inclined to penalize then if you got caught in your prime. So in no particular order, here is mine. That said, notable omissions are Brock Lesnar (small body of work) and Jon Jones (busted twice for juice in his prime).

Georges St Pierre
Randy Couture
BJ Penn
Chuck Lidell
Wanderlei Silva
Fedor Emileanko
Frank Shamrock
Tito Ortiz
Matt Hughes
Pat Miletich
Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Dan Hendrson
Anderson Silva
Rich Franklin
Benson Henderson
Frankie Edgar
Bas Ruten
Dan Severn

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Heres my top 20 mma fighters of all time. I considered female fighters As well. I did not take their behaviour outside of the ring/octagon or steroid use into account. What do you think of my list? Who do I have too high/too low?

1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. George St. Pierre
4. Jon Jones
5. Dan Henderson
6. Antonio Noguiera
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Demetrius Johnson
9. Jose Aldo
10. Chuck Liddell
11. Mirko Cro Cop
12. Victor Belfort
13. Kazushi Sakuraba
14. Igor Vovchanchyn
15. Randy Couture
16. Shogun Rua
17. Conor McGregor
18. B.J Penn
19.Cain Velasques
20. Daniel Cormier
HM: Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes, Nick Diaz, Takanori Gomi

Royce Gracie needs to be in the Top 5 at worst.

and Dan Severn should be on the list somewhere

 

[MaxV]

Tough to judge those early guys. They were fighting bar brawlers mostly.

I will say, however, that the level of coaching is just SO MUCH superior right now. Can’t even fight for mid-level promotions unless you are all-around fighter.

Even guys who are considered one-dimensional these days are still very well trained in every facet.

 

[Byron Bitz]

Royce Gracie needs to be in the Top 5 at worst.

and Dan Severn should be on the list somewhere

Who are the best fighters Royce has beat? Ken Shamrock? Kimo?

 

[Neutrinos]

Well, my stance is generally when you get busted for drugs, at minimum that invalidates a good portion of your career, depending when you got caught. I mean near the end, I'm less inclined to penalize then if you got caught in your prime. So in no particular order, here is mine. That said, notable omissions are Brock Lesnar (small body of work) and Jon Jones (busted twice for juice in his prime).

Georges St Pierre
Randy Couture
BJ Penn
Chuck Lidell
Wanderlei Silva
Fedor Emileanko
Frank Shamrock
Tito Ortiz
Matt Hughes
Pat Miletich
Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Dan Hendrson
Anderson Silva
Rich Franklin
Benson Henderson
Frankie Edgar
Bas Ruten
Dan Severn

Demetrious Johnson has 11 consecutive title defenses but can't crack your top 20?

Shame on you

 

[Hammer9001]

Tough to judge those early guys. They were fighting bar brawlers mostly.

I will say, however, that the level of coaching is just SO MUCH superior right now. Can’t even fight for mid-level promotions unless you are all-around fighter.

Even guys who are considered one-dimensional these days are still very well trained in every facet.

This is very true, which is why of those earlier fighters, only Dan Severn made my list. Why do you ask? The man retired in 2012 with a professional MMA record of 101–19–7

No, that's not a typo, Dan "The Beast" Severn fought in over 120 professional MMA bouts. I don't think any fighter comes even close to that number.

There's also something to be said about going out gracefully, as far too often we see greats try to find that one last win against top talent (see Ken Shamrock). Not Dan, he stayed with fighters close to his level near the end of his career and brought his name to help countless other small promotions.

Nevermind that he also gave his body a crap kicking in pro wrestling and from my understanding is still working the independent circuit.

 

[Hammer9001]

Demetrious Johnson has 11 consecutive title defenses but can't crack your top 20?

Shame on you

That's fair, I suppose I may just think Flyweight is just way too light a weight class. I mean, I don't know many grown adults who walk around between 116-125. Also that he seems to be the only fighter who has won his division, that screams to me that there isn't a lot of competition in that weight class. However if I must, I will axe out Rich Franklin as that is an impressive number.

 

[Neutrinos]

That's fair, I suppose I may just think Flyweight is just way too light a weight class. I mean, I don't know many grown adults who walk around between 116-125. Also that he seems to be the only fighter who has won his division, that screams to me that there isn't a lot of competition in that weight class. However if I must, I will axe out Rich Franklin as that is an impressive number.

What exactly did Pat Miletich do to earn a spot in your top 20?

His biggest win appears to be against Shonie Carter

 

[m9]

This is very true, which is why of those earlier fighters, only Dan Severn made my list. Why do you ask? The man retired in 2012 with a professional MMA record of 101–19–7

No, that's not a typo, Dan "The Beast" Severn fought in over 120 professional MMA bouts. I don't think any fighter comes even close to that number.

There's also something to be said about going out gracefully, as far too often we see greats try to find that one last win against top talent (see Ken Shamrock). Not Dan, he stayed with fighters close to his level near the end of his career and brought his name to help countless other small promotions.

Nevermind that he also gave his body a crap kicking in pro wrestling and from my understanding is still working the independent circuit.

Travis Fulton - Wikipedia

 

[Sheppy]

What exactly did Pat Miletich do to earn a spot in your top 20?

His biggest win appears to be against Shonie Carter

Yeah, Miletich is bizarre...

 

[dss97]

Heres my top 20 mma fighters of all time. I considered female fighters As well. I did not take their behaviour outside of the ring/octagon or steroid use into account. What do you think of my list? Who do I have too high/too low?

1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. George St. Pierre
4. Jon Jones
5. Dan Henderson
6. Antonio Noguiera
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Demetrius Johnson
9. Jose Aldo
10. Chuck Liddell
11. Mirko Cro Cop
12. Victor Belfort
13. Kazushi Sakuraba
14. Igor Vovchanchyn
15. Randy Couture
16. Shogun Rua
17. Conor McGregor
18. B.J Penn
19.Cain Velasques
20. Daniel Cormier
HM: Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes, Nick Diaz, Takanori Gomi

Decent list, I would change the following though:

- Swap GSP and Silva
- Gotta have Stipe somewhere on this list, probably even in the top 10.
- Cormier should be higher, he definitely shouldn't be lower than Cain.
- I'd consider adding Khabib, Machida, and Dillashaw somewhere, even as a HM.

 

[m9]

I usually don't like these lists, but I'm bored today:

TIER 1:
1. Jon Jones

TIER 2:
2. GSP
3. Anderson Silva
4. Fedor

TIER 3:
5. Daniel Cormier
6. Fabricio Werdum
7. Jose Aldo
8. Demitrious Johnson

TIER 4:
9. Dan Henderson
10. Chuck Liddell
11. Matt Hughes
12. Big Nog

Those are my top 12 with inside the tiers being fairly interchangeable.

So looking back here, I did have DC high at the time but I do think he gets bumped up a tier now. I think he's on par with GSP, very slightly ahead of Silva. I am fine with people having either GSP or DC at #1 for drug reasons, though I would not.

 

[67 others]

Anderson Silva us not the greatest fighter of all time

yes he dominated his division, but the middle weight division(at the time) was as weak or weaker than the heavyweight division in terms of competition and top competition

you're buying those sheep tickets from the UFC putting him on the top

emelianenko's prime> Silva's

Randy couture should be ranked higher than wanderlei. wanderlei was a beast on the juice, but his career of being a dominant fighter ended pretty quick after he went to the UFC
couture was the heavy weight champion at the time



agreed

Jon Jones
gsp
emelianenko

Silva can be your number 5

you can switch fedor and gsp, but gsp returning and winning the belt at middle weight solidified himself a GOAT

Well before that. Crocop kicked his head in was the beginning of the end there.

 

[Avs_19]

I don't know exactly where DC fits in but he's as elite as it gets. I was just looking at his resume this morning and it's impressive. He has wins over Barnett and Mir at HW back when they were good, Gustafsson and Rumble at LHW, legends (who were past their prime) like Anderson and Hendo, and now he KOs arguably the best HW in UFC history to win a second belt.

It's hard to call him the GOAT right now because of Jones but if he can somehow beat him in a third fight then I don't think there would be much of a debate. It's probably unlikely but a perfect ending for DC would be beating Lesnar and Jones at HW.

 

[LSCII]

I don't know exactly where DC fits in but he's as elite as it gets. I was just looking at his resume this morning and it's impressive. He has wins over Barnett and Mir at HW back when they were good, Gustafsson and Rumble at LHW, legends (who were past their prime) like Anderson and Hendo, and now he KOs arguably the best HW in UFC history to win a second belt.

It's hard to call him the GOAT right now because of Jones but if he can somehow beat him in a third fight then I don't think there would be much of a debate. It's probably unlikely but a perfect ending for DC would be beating Lesnar and Jones at HW.

DC has nothing to prove by having another fight with Jones.

He's got one loss and one NC, both to a clear cut PED abuser in Jones. I think it's actually easier to assume Jones is and has always been a PED guy, so the loss and NC don't carry the weight they would if they were to a clean opponent.

 

[MaxV]

I feel like Shogun is being undervalued in this thread.

The guy was an absolute all-around beast, especially his striking.

He has beaten some of the best of his time.

 

[m9]

I feel like Shogun is being undervalued in this thread.

The guy was an absolute all-around beast, especially his striking.

He has beaten some of the best of his time.

He probably is right in that top 20 mix or so for me.

 

[MaxV]

He is absolutely in the top 20. The guy was a champion in both top organizations. In both cases he was fighting in a highly competitive and talented division. Sure, he got smashed by Jon Jones, but who hasn’t?

I don’t know if I would have Chuck over him. I think it’s very close.

And Vitor? Yeah, sorry, but no.

 

[m9]

He is absolutely in the top 20. The guy was a champion in both top organizations. In both cases he was fighting in a highly competitive and talented division. Sure, he got smashed by Jon Jones, but who hasn’t?

I don’t know if I would have Chuck over him. I think it’s very close.

And Vitor? Yeah, sorry, but no.

It's not just about the Jon Jones loss. He's been a .500% fighter in the UFC his whole time for over 10+ years, and this includes his entire prime of his mid 20's into his 30's. I think once you get past the top 8 or 9 guys you could make a case for about a dozen of those pioneers, and he's in there for sure.

So yeah, I'd probably have him in the 15-20 range but if someone had him 11 or 12 I wouldn't argue too much.

 

[YNWA14]

There's a lot of things to consider. Is it relative to their peers at the time? MMA has come a long way from when Royce Gracie and co. were banging it out in the cage. If we're including influence it becomes even more murky. Do we consider that most top level athletes are on PEDs of some kind and not just the ones that get busted, or do we just give them the benefit of the doubt? Do we look at the fact that a lot of these guys that had massive runs were way bigger than most of the other fighters in their division, or do we look at guys like Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn who would fight guys much bigger than them and still look amazing (I mean, BJ Penn fought Lyoto Machida at LHW and it was a pretty even fight).

Top 20 just seems too ambitious with so many aspects to consider.

For me though (and this is assuming all in their prime):

1. Anderson Silva
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Fedor Emelianenko
4. Daniel Cormier
5. Demetrious Johnson

You could probably insert Jon Jones in there. Someone else who is a bit underappreciated would be Frank Shamrock.

 

[Linda Bacon]

I usually don't like these lists, but I'm bored today:

TIER 1:
1. Jon Jones

TIER 2:
2. GSP
3. Anderson Silva
4. Fedor

TIER 3:
5. Daniel Cormier
6. Fabricio Werdum
7. Jose Aldo
8. Demitrious Johnson

TIER 4:
9. Dan Henderson
10. Chuck Liddell
11. Matt Hughes
12. Big Nog

Those are my top 12 with inside the tiers being fairly interchangeable.

I agree with your list completely
anyone that doesn't have Jones as #1 is lying

 

[Marcobruin]

Heres my top 20 mma fighters of all time. I considered female fighters As well. I did not take their behaviour outside of the ring/octagon or steroid use into account. What do you think of my list? Who do I have too high/too low?

1. Anderson Silva
2. Fedor Emelianenko
3. George St. Pierre
4. Jon Jones
5. Dan Henderson
6. Antonio Noguiera
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Demetrius Johnson
9. Jose Aldo
10. Chuck Liddell
11. Mirko Cro Cop
12. Victor Belfort
13. Kazushi Sakuraba
14. Igor Vovchanchyn
15. Randy Couture
16. Shogun Rua
17. Conor McGregor
18. B.J Penn
19.Cain Velasques
20. Daniel Cormier
HM: Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes, Nick Diaz, Takanori Gomi

Royce gracie was the best ever .Belfort was a power machine fueled by steroids so hes out.
Keep in mind how the structure was in the etlra of Gracie and no weight class
Gracie at apporox 180 lbs fought abd one vs Dan Severyn at 250. Lbs.

 

[Marcobruin]

Top 20 random order
Gracie
gsp
Cormier
F.Shamrock
Mighty mouse
Mcgregor
Silva
Couture
K Shamrock
Khabib
Penn

Ill come back later for the rest

 

[MaxV]

I am a fan of Khabib, but it is WAY too early.

Regarding comparing different eras, certainly the level of competition has gone way up, but so has the level of coaching.

Guys like Gracie, Severn, Shamrocks, etc didn’t fight many all-around fighters but they also didn’t benefit from getting coached by the MMA minds that exist today.

Make the mistake, the game has changed TREMENDOUSLY and it’s not just the level of fighters. Modern top level camps are well funded and have it down to a science. Stuff like transitions, set-ups, ground defense, ground offense, etc are all being taught at a very high level.

There is no such thing as specialists anymore. Even fighters that are considered to be one-dimensional are only that relative to their peers. Edson Barbosa, for example, the guy is known as a pure striker, but I bet he can walk into any BJJ school and roll with the top guys. Volkov is another such example, pure striker who more then held his own on the ground vs a BJJ master Werdum.