Top mma fighters. The best mma fighters

The relatively recent sport of MMA or mixed martial arts has already acquired its well-known people who have gone down in history as the most irresistible. Over the 25 years of its existence, this sport has gained immense fame and continues to develop rapidly. The question of who is worthy of the title "The best fighter in the world" periodically pops up to the surface. There are more than enough applicants for this degree of distinction, but one fighter can still be singled out who has made the greatest contribution to MMA. It is about him that we will discuss today in our article.

"The last Emperor"

Fedor Emelianenko is recognized as the brightest personality in this sport. This is one of the most worthy and strong athletes in all weight categories. In the period from 2001 to 2009, he took part in 27 battles and during this time no one defeated him. Many experts say with confidence that the four-time world champion is truly the best fighter in the history of MMA.

The childhood and youth of the Russian "Terminator"

F. Emelianenko was born on September 28, 1976. 2 years after the birth of the future athlete, the family moved from Ukraine to Russia. For a long time, all family members lived in a communal apartment, and they had to crowd into one room. Fedor had elder sister and two younger brothers.

At the age of ten, Emelianenko enrolled in the martial arts section. Vasily Gavrilov was his judo and sambo mentor. Often a teenager attended training sessions accompanied by a brother, whom he had to look after. So, in the future, another well-known professional athlete appeared in the Emelianenko family.

Russian “Terminator”

A year after the successful classes, Fedor received an offer to move to a sports class, which was created by a coach-teacher of the highest category Vladimir Voronov. Admission to the school did not prevent him from continuing training. After receiving an electrical diploma, F. Emelianenko decided to go in for professional sports. In 1995, he was drafted into the army, where he stubbornly continued to devote time to sports and was even able to increase muscle mass by several tens of kilograms.

Pre-UFC appearances

In 2009, the Russian “Terminator” won the Russian Sambo Championship, the total time to fight three opponents was 41 seconds.

After the end of his service life, Fedor became the master of sports of Russia in self-defense without weapons (sambo). After winning an international tournament in 1997, he received the title of master of sports in judo.

In 1999, Fedor became a member of the Russian sambo team, thereby helping the team get gold at the European Championship, which was held in Istanbul. The participation of F. Emelianenko in the team was short-lived, the reason for his departure was the bias of refereeing, and the rule by which team members were selected. The last straw for care was the need for earnings for the athlete. a lack of Money and pushed Fedor Emelianenko to participate in mixed martial arts, because by this time he already had a family, and there was little money allocated by sports organizations. However, leaving the national team did not prevent F. Emelianenko from continuing to participate in sambo competitions.

Since 2000, the athlete, under the guidance of the honored coach Alexander Michkov, began to intensively study boxing techniques. Simultaneously with performances in the UFC, Emelianenko becomes a member of the Russian Top Team mixed martial arts club, which was managed by Russian sports functionary Vladimir Pogodin. After 3 years, F. Emelianenko moves to the Red Devil Fighting Team club, founded by Russian businessman Vadim Finkelstein.

Career takeoff

The first institution that offered cooperation to F. Emelianenko was the RINGS organization, founded by the Japanese wrestler Akira Maeda. Of the 12 fights in which he participated, the loss happened only once, and then, while the opponent used a prohibited elbow strike. However, this did not prevent him from becoming the champion of this organization in 2001.

Having proven himself in the Rings, many organizations became interested in Emelianenko, he was even invited to the Pride. According to the athlete, the fights in Pride were the best in his entire career. First, F. Emelianenko defeated Sami Schilt.

Extremely successful for Fedor was 2004, during which he always won victories over his rivals. Initially, he defeated M. Coleman, later K. Randleman, and by “putting down” A. R. Nogueira, Emelianenko again confirmed his title of Pride champion.

From the very beginning, the fight with Nogueira was suspended by the judges, since both Fedor and Antonio broke their heads. Opponents met again only at the end of December.

Then the audience watched a series of not very successful fights, but Emelianenko showed himself from the side of a fighter who always achieves his goals. He was able to defeat Mark Hunt, who could very well have won the Pride title. Almost at the beginning of the fight, F. Emelianenko broke his toe, but he was able not only to end the fight, but also to win. This happened back in 2006. Since Pride went bankrupt very soon, the fighter became its champion forever.

Participation of F. Emelianenko in M-1 Global

Despite the fact that the majority of spectators and experts were of the opinion that the fighter, after Pride goes bankrupt, will take part in the 8-angle American ring, otherwise called the "cage", Fedor chose "M- 1 Global. In addition, he became its co-owner.

The number of battles with F. Emelianenko decreased sharply, but in Russia they began to show more interest in him. A very bright fight in Fedor's career took place with the representative of Korea - fighter Hong Man Choi.

There was a moment when one of the strongest UFC fighters said on TV that Fedor Emelianenko was afraid to go into battle with professional athletes. Thus, the fight between Emelianenko and T. Sylvia was organized. When Fedor defeated him, he received the title of WAMMA champion. In 2009, it became necessary to defend this title in the fight against the Belarusian fighter - Andrei Orlovsky. This athlete had excellent technique, and from the very beginning there was a feeling that this fact was very depressing for Emelianenko. But, be that as it may, Fedor also defeated the Belarusian.

Fans of Fedor have long assumed that he will sign a contract with Strikeforce. In accordance with it, the athlete had to take part in 3 "cell" fights. The first fight between Emelianenko took place with B. Rogers - here Fedor did not even have to strain. Well, the 2nd and 3rd battle, unfortunately, he lost. His opponents in these fights were F. Werdum and A. Silva (nickname - Bigfoot).

The end of a difficult journey

Fedor, having suffered such defeats, began to talk about the fact that he probably needed to end his career. But as a result, his fans saw many more of his victories. In the fall of 2011, Emelianenko defeated Jeff Monson, who had good technique and was equal to Fedor in strength. Personally, V. Putin congratulated the fighter on this victory!

Fedor Emelianenko Awards

In 2012, Emelianenko met with Pedro Rizzo. He won a victory over him already at the 2nd minute in the 1st round, knocking out the opponent.

Fedor decided to stop his career precisely after this fight, in which he also emerged victorious!

Sovetskysport presents an updated rating of the best fighters in the world. There have been a lot of changes in the March rating.

Still, only two Russians are in the top 10 of their weight categories. Khabib Nurmagomedov is ranked sixth in the lightweight division and Magomed Bibulatov is ranked ninth in the flyweight division.

The rating of fighters is considered in the same way as the FIFA rating in football. If you defeat a strong opponent, you get more points. You defeat the weak - you get few points or nothing at all. If you don’t fight for two years, you drop out of the ranking.

P.S. If a fighter in last fight changed the weight category, then he will be ranked in this division. For example, Conor McGregor, who previously competed in featherweight, defeated Eddie Alvarez in lightweight. That is why he is not in the featherweight rating, but is on the first line of lightweights.

WORLD RANKING OF MMA FIGHTERS

MARCH

Heavy weight

1. Stipe Miocic (USA, 16 wins, 2 losses)
2. Fabricio Werdum (Brazil, 21-6-1)
3. Alistair Overeem (Holland, 42-15)
4.KaneVelasquez (USA, 14-2)
5.Junior dos Santos (Brazil, 18-4)
6. Josh Barnett (USA, 35-8)
7. Mark Hunt ( New Zealand, 12-10-1)
8.Derrek Lewis (USA, 18-4)
9.Ben Rothwell (USA, 36-10)
10. Francis Ngannou (France, 10-1)

…18(0).Vitaly Minakov (Russia, 19-0)
20.(0).Alexander Volkov (Russia, 27-6)
24.(0).Denis Goltsov (Russia, 19-4)
25.(0).Ivan Shtyrkov (Russia, 9-0)
29.(0). Fedor Emelianenko (Russia, 36-4)
31.(0).Evgeny Erokhin (Russia, 17-5)
37. (+1). Sergey Pavlovich (Russia, 10-0)
40.(0). Alexey Oleinik (Russia, 56-10-1)
45.(0). Shamil Abdurahimov (Russia, 17-5)
52.(-1).Mikhail Mokhnatkin (Russia, 9-1-2)
52.(+1). Kazbek Saidaliev (Russia, 7-1)
55.(-2). Sergey Kharitonov (Russia, 24-7)
63.(0). Kirill Sidelnikov (Russia, 11-4)
65.(0). Zelimkhan Umiev (Russia, 9-1)
69.(0).Salimgerey Rasulov (Russia, 15-7)
71.(0).Valentin Moldavsky (Russia, 5-1)
84.(-2). Konstantin Erokhin (Russia, 9-3)

light heavyweight

1. Jones Jones (USA, 22-1)
2. Anthony Johnson (USA, 22-5)
3. Daniel Cormier (USA, 18-1)
4. Phil Davis (USA, 17-3)
5. Ryan Bader (USA, 22-5)
6. Glover Teixeira (Brazil, 26-5)
7. Alexander Gustafsson (Sweden, 17-4)
8. Mauricio Rua (Brazil, 25-10)
9. Jimi Manuwa (Great Britain, 16-2)
10. Liam McGuire (Great Britain, 11-1)

…16(+1). Rashid Yusupov (Russia, 7-1)

19.(+1).Viktor Nemkov (Russia, 24-6)
26.(+1). Gadzhimurad Antigulov (Russia, 19-4)
30.(+1). Magomed Ankalaev (Russia, 7-0)
31.(+1).Shamil Gamzatov (Russia, 10-0)
45.(-3).Adlan Amagov (Russia, 14-2-1)
47.(+2). Maxim Grishin (Russia, 24-7)
62.(-1).Azamat Murzakanov (Russia, 6-0)
79.(-1).Ilya Shcheglov (Russia, 6-1)
81.(+1).Muslim Makhmudov (Russia, 9-3)
89.(+1). Maxim Futin (Russia, 6-4)
96.(NEW).Kurban Omarov (Russia, 6-0)

Middleweight

1.Michael Bisping (Great Britain, 30-7)
2. Yoel Romero (Cuba, 12-1)
3.Luke Rockhold (USA, 15-3)
4. Ronaldo Souza (Brazil, 24-4)
5.Chris Wideman (USA, 13-2)
6.Geghard Mousasi (Armenia/Holland, 41-6-2)
7.Robert Whittaker (Australia, 17-4)
8. Anderson Silva (Brazil, 34-8)
9. Kelvin Gastelum (USA, 14-2)
10. Vitor Belfort (Brazil, 25-14)

...19.(0). Alexander Shlemenko (Russia, 54-9)

22.(-1). Ramazan Emeev (Russia, 15-3)
31.(-1). Anatoly Tokov (Russia, 25-3)
48.(-1). Vitaly Bigdash (Russia, 9-0)
54.(-2). Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Russia, 29-5)
58.(-1). Alexey Butorin (Russia, 11-1)
60.(-1). Salamu Abdurakhmanov (Russia, 8-1)
63.(-1). Vladimir Mineev (Russia, 8-1)
82.(0). Muslim Khizriev (Russia, 8-1)
83.(0).Abdulsupian Alikhanov (Russia, 8-2)
91.(+1).Artem Frolov (Russia, 8-0)
100.(NEW).Vagab Vagabov (Russia, 21-1-1)

Welterweight

1. Tyron Woodley (USA, 17-3-1)
2. Stephen Thompson (USA, 13-2-1)
3. Robbie Lauler (USA, 27-11)
4. Demian Maia (Brazil, 24-6)
5. Jorge Masvidal (USA, 32-11)
6. Donald Cerrone (USA, 32-8)
7. Nate Diaz (USA, 19-11)
8.Neil Magny (USA, 19-5)
9.Lorenz Larkin (USA, 18-5)
10. Emil Weber Meek (Norway, 9-2)

…14(0) Andrey Koreshkov (Russia, 19-2)

46.(-1). Albert Tumenov (Russia, 17-4)
57.(+1). Abubakar Nurmagomedov (Russia, 13-1)
65.(0). Alexander Yakovlev (Russia, 23-8-1)
66.(+1).Albert Duraev (Russia, 9-3)
75.(+1).Beslan Ushukov (Russia, 14-2)
78.(+1).Beslan Isaev (Russia, 35-9)
80.(+1).Omari Akhmedov (Russia, 16-4)
82.(-28). Alexey Kunchenko (Russia, 16-0)
83.(0).Mukhamed Berkhamov (Russia, 10-0)
100.(0). Sultan Aliyev (Russia, 14-2)

A light weight

1. Conor McGregor (Ireland, 21-3)
2. Eddie Alvarez (USA, 28-5)
3. Tony Ferguson (USA, 22-3)
4. Edson Barbosa (Brazil, 19-4)
5. Rafael dos Anjos (Brazil, 25-9)
6.(0). Khabib Nurmagomedov (Russia, 24-0)
7.Michael Chandler (USA, 16-3)
8. Benson Henderson (USA, 24-7)
9. Michael Chisa (USA, 14-2)
10. Justin Gaethje (USA, 17-0)

…17.(0). Rustam Khabilov (Russia, 21-3)

26(0). Rashid Magomedov (Russia, 19-2)
33.(+1). Mairbek Taysumov (Russia, 25-5)
38.(0). Islam Makhachev (Russia, 14-1)
41.(+22). Akhmed Aliyev (Russia, 15-4)
45.(-1). Abdul-Aziz Abdulvahabov (Russia, 14-1)
48.(0). Hussein Khaliev (Russia, 16-1)
61.(-3). Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov (Russia, 8-3)
64.(0). Alexander Sarnavsky (Russia, 35-5)
68.(+1). Eduard Vartanyan (Russia, 15-3)
69.(-1). Magomed Mustafaev (Russia, 13-2)
73.(0). Murad Machaev (Russia, 20-2)
80.(-1). Andrey Koshkin (Russia, 16-5)
87.(+1). Abukar Yandiev (Russia, 10-1)

featherweight

1. Jose Aldo (Brazil, 26-2)
2.Max Holloway (USA, 17-3)
3. Frankie Edgar (USA, 21-5-1)
4. Anthony Pettis (USA, 19-6)
5. Ricardo Lamas (USA, 17-5)
6. Cube Swanson (USA, 24-7)
7. Jeremy Stephens (USA, 25-13)
8.Patrico Freire (Brazil, 25-4)
9. Darren Elkins (USA, 22-5)
10. Brian Ortega (USA, 11-0)

…13.(-1). Marat Gafurov (Russia, 15-0)
16.(0). Magomed Idrisov (Russia, 7-0)
32.(+2). Salman Zhamaldaev (Russia, 13-1)
47.(+2). Zabit Magomedsharipov (Russia, 12-1)
48.(+2). Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (Russia, 25-7)
54.(+1). Rasul Mirzaev (Russia, 17-1)
66.(+3). Zubaira Tukhugov (Russia, 18-4)
86.(+1). Movlid Khaibulaev (Russia, 11-0)
96.(+2). Adlan Bataev (Russia, 7-0)
98.(+2). Marat Balaev (Russia, 7-0)

Bantamweight

1. Cody Garbrandt (USA, 11-0)
2. Dominic Cruz (USA, 22-2)
3. TJ Dillashaw (USA, 14-3)
4. Jimmy Rivera (USA, 20-1)
5. Eduardo Dantas (Brazil, 19-4)
6. John Lineker (Brazil, 29-8)
7. Marlon Moraes (Brazil, 18-4-1)
8. Bibiano Fernandez (Brazil, 20-3)
9. Darrion Caldwell (USA, 10-1)
10. Yuri Alcantara (Brazil, 34-7)

…33.(-1). Magomed Magomedov (Russia, 13-1)
39.(-2). Bekbulat Magomedov (Russia, 17-1)
48.(-1). Timur Valiev (Russia, 11-2)
49.(-1). Hussein Askhabov (Russia, 14-0)
53.(-1). Rakhman Dudayev (Russia, 19-4)
57.(-1). Said Nurmagomedov (Russia, 9-1)
69.(-1). Petr Yan (Russia, 6-1)
71.(+20). Mikhail Malyutin (Russia, 34-12)
73.(-2). Oleg Borisov (Russia, 18-2-1)
74.(-2). Pavel Vitruk (Russia, 14-2)
81.(-2). Maharbek Karginov (Russia, 8-0)

flyweight

1. Demetrius Johnson (USA, 25-2-1)
2.Joseph Benavidez (USA, 25-4)
3. Kueji Horiguchi (Japan, 18-2)
4. Henry Cejudo (USA, 10-2)
5. Juer da Silva (Brazil, 19-4)
6. Wilson Reis (Brazil, 22-6)
7. Brandon Moreno (Mexico, 13-3)
8. Tim Elliott (USA, 13-7-1)
9.(0). Magomed Bibulatov (Russia, 13-0)
10. Sergio Pettis (USA, 15-2)

16.(0). Ali Bagautinov (Russia, 14-5)
21.(0). Askar Askarov (Russia, 8-0)
48.(0). Velimurad Alkhasov (Russia, 4-0)
56.(+10). Vartan Asatryan (Russia, 12-5)
62.(-2). Yunus Evloev (Russia, 20-8)
77.(-2). Rasul Albaskhanov (Russia, 5-2)

The world of mixed martial arts is very extraordinary and is developing rapidly, attracting more and more new fans. There were a lot of fighters who quickly rose in the rankings, taking titles in record time, there were also falls. No one knows what the rating will be in 5 years, but at the moment we can single out the top 10 fighters in the history of MMA.

1 Fights: 42 / Wins: 37 / Losses: 5

On the first line of the rating is the Russian hero - Fedor Emelianenko. A fighter who prefers a throwing style, as he is a master of sports international class in judo and sambo. "The Last Emperor" has many awards, performed in very famous MMA tournaments. In addition, he became the world champion in mixed martial arts four times and won the title of Russian champion in combat sambo nine times. Also, he was recognized as the best heavyweight in the world of mixed martial arts. He had a rather long series of fights without defeat, lasting almost 10 years. During his career in MMA, he fought 42 fights. Came out as a winner 37 times, a loser - 5.

2 Fights: 46 / Wins: 32 / Losses: 14

The second line is honorably occupied by Dan Henderson, nicknamed “Hollywood”. A fighter who works very well on the ground so much prefers the style of Greco-Roman wrestling. He competed in the heavy and light heavyweight divisions. Athlete who won huge amount titles. He became the champion of MMA in Brazil, became the two-time champion of the Pride organization in the middle and welterweight divisions. He also became the champion of the Strikeforce organization three times. And one of his greatest honors is his UFC title. “Hendo” is still continuing his career and has only 46 fights so far. Won - 32, and lost only 14.

3 Fights: 87 / Wins: 76 / Losses: 10 / Draws: 1

In third place was a professional fighter Igor Vovchanchin. Master of sports in boxing and kickboxing. He competed in the heavy and light heavyweight divisions. "Cold-blooded" won the world kickboxing title in 1993. He was also a finalist in many European tournaments and the winner of numerous Ukrainian combat tournaments. In addition, Vovchanychyn performed in well-known organization Pride. During his entire career in MMA, he spent 87 fights. At 76, he left the octagon as a winner, and lost only 10 and one fight ended in a draw.

4 Fights: 42 / Wins: 34 / Losses: 8

Of course, this top could not do without the black Brazilian "Spider" - Anderson Silva. An almost undefeated fighter from the UFC organization who works incredibly well in both directions of the fight. Set a record for title defenses in the organization (10), as well as the longest undefeated streak (16). He became a middleweight champion and is considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA. During his legendary career, he fought 42 fights and won 34 of them, and lost 8 of them. One fight did not take place due to failed doping tests.

5 Fights: 29 / Wins: 21 / Losses: 8

Brutal American kickboxer Chuck Liddell is ranked sixth. A rather strong fighter from the USA competed in light heavyweight, and quite successfully. He became the world champion in MMA and chose the champion title in the fighting organization Pride. He spent 29 fights in his entire career, of which: won - 21, lost - 8.

6 Fights: 54 / Wins: 45 / Losses: 9

This rating could not remain without a fighter like Matt Hughes. The American wrestler had a fairly successful career in MMA, starting from his university years. And getting into professional world MMA, began to compete in the welterweight division, where he won the championship title in the most famous fighting organization, and twice. He was inducted into the United Fighting Championship Hall of Fame for his achievements. He left the octagon as a winner in 45 fights and lost only 9.

7 Fights: 28 / Wins: 26 / Losses: 2

The seventh place is occupied by the robust Georges Saint-Pierre. The Canadian fighter is considered one of the best fighters in the history of the UFC and MMA in general. More than once he was recognized as the best Canadian athlete for his achievements. A very versatile fighter who works well both on the stand and on the ground (Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). He has a UFC welterweight title under his belt. He successfully held 28 fights in the octagon, of which he emerged victorious in 26 and lost only 2.

8 Fights: 30 / Wins: 19 / Losses: 11

At number eight is Randy "Captain America" Couture. He was a master of sports in Greco-Roman wrestling, so he worked well on the ground. The American heavyweight won the title at age 33, defeating Maurice Smith in a title fight. He was also a light heavyweight champion. And in his entire fighting career he was a five-time UFC champion. In the octagon, he fought 30 fights, in 19 of which he emerged victorious, and lost 11.

9 Fights: 23 / Wins: 22 / Losses: 1

A black American fighter from the United Fighting Championship (UFC). He performs in light heavyweight, having a huge arsenal of tricks. A fighter who is perfect in almost every aspect of combat. Prior to his arrest, he headed the list of pound-for-pound fighters. And one of his biggest achievements: he became the youngest fighter in the UFC organization to receive the light heavyweight championship belt. At that time he was only 23 years old. But because of the arrest, the belt was taken away. In 2015, after serving his sentence, he returned to MMA again, where he won his first fight after returning to the octagon. During his young career, he fought 23 fights, won 22, and lost only one. He also won the world title in Thai boxing.

History remembers many winners who showed themselves in a cage as brave and strong warriors. By no means, not many managed to make such a serious contribution to the development of MMA as the following athletes. We propose to consider the rating, which presents the best MMA fighters of all time. The list was created taking into account the number of fights, victories and knockouts. At the same time, we took into account the contribution that fighters made to the development of the UFC. You will see the best athletes in MMA in different weight categories.

TOP 10 best MMA fighters of all time!

The fighter was born on July 19, 1987. Under the auspices of the UFC, he competed in the light heavyweight division. Is the UFC champion. It is worth noting that he managed to become the youngest winner in the world championship in fights without rules. The belt was received on March 19, 2011. In four years, he defended his title 8 times. In April, he was arrested due to a car accident. He fled the scene of the crime, which is why the UFC federation deprived the champion of his well-deserved belt. The talented fighter was suspended from the competition for an indefinite period.

Fights: 23;
Wins: 22;
Losses: 1.

Weight: Welterweight

The best UFC fighters in history include Matt Hughes, who is a two-time world champion in fights without rules. The American fighter was born on October 13, 1973. In his youth, he was engaged in wrestling and grappling. Later, he could amaze the whole world with amazing achievements in mixed martial arts. He was able to defend the title 7 times. Better than him in this indicator, only Georges St. Pierre. At welterweight, Hughes showed himself almost immediately. Actually, he is grateful for this excellent student training. As part of the university competition, he conquered the entire state without a single defeat in the fight.

Fights: 54;
Wins: 45;
Losses: 9.

This talented wrestler was born on June 2, 1976. Represented the interests of Brazil. The retired fighter of mixed martial arts was remembered by the world, first of all, thanks to the trilogy with Fedor Emelianenko. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master. He won the heavyweight title at the 2008 World Championships. He became famous during his performances for the Japanese organization Pride Fighting Championships, having won the champion title in the 93+ weight category. In 2004 he became a finalist of the Pride Grand Prix. In 2006, Odu made it to the semi-finals of Pride. Soon ended his career.

Fights: 46;
Wins: 34;
Losses: 10;
Draws: 2.

The most talented MMA fighters include Randy Duane Couture, who was born on June 22, 1963. Attention! We are talking about a five-time UFC champion in both heavy and light heavyweight. In addition, Randy is a famous actor and showman. He starred in such famous films as The Expendables. In addition, he is considered a professional showman. On June 24, 2006, he was enlisted as a member of the UFC Glory Zada. During his long career, he was able to defeat such fighters as Chuck Liddell, Tim Sylvia and Tito Ortiz.

Fights: 30;
Wins; nineteen;
Losses: 11.

Weight: Light heavy

On December 17, 1969, another man was born who managed to go down in history as one of the best fighters in the world. The American is a professional kickboxer who competed in the welterweight division. He is a specialist in mixed martial arts. Honored Champion in Mixed Arts from 2005 to 2007. He is an honorary member of the UFC Hall of Fame. The status was received on July 10, 2009. While still in college, he began to get involved in wrestling, but later mastered kickboxing. He also led the American football team.

Fights: 29;
Wins: 21;
Losses: 8.

Weight: Welterweight

Georges St-Pierre deservedly belongs to the best MMA fighters in the history of sports. The Canadian was born in Saint-Pere in 1981. In Canada, he was repeatedly recognized as the best athlete of the year. At the same time, many top publications have repeatedly called him the leading fighter in the history of welterweight. In addition, it is considered one of the best regardless of the category. Wrestling Observer named the best in MMA in 2009. I started learning karate at the age of 7. He claims that he had a difficult childhood. He was often beaten and his clothes were taken away.

Fights: 27;
Wins: 25;
Losses: 2.

Sebastian Rutten was born in 1965. In the Netherlands he for a long time did kickboxing. During his career, he managed to defeat such outstanding fighters as Frank Shamrock and Maurice Smith. In addition, he defeated Guy Mezger and Minoru Suzuki. As a result, he was able to achieve a winning streak of 22 wins. This is an amazing result. In addition, Bass was remembered for his “crown move”: a blow to the liver. He actively completed fights with this technique with many talented fighters who were well aware of Rutten's technique, but could not do anything with his fighting style.

Fights: 32;
Wins: 28;
Losses: 4.

Weight: Medium

One of the most influential figures in the field of MMA is Royce Gracie. Born December 12, 1966. The Brazilian athlete mastered jiu-jitsu and was able to amaze the world with his technique, and along with the fans and rivals. Thanks to his achievements in the cage, he became an honorary member of the UFC Hall of Fame. He managed to achieve fame through the successful use of techniques against opponents who exceeded his weight. It was his merits that led to the fact that fighters from all over the world began to intensively devote time to wrestling. It was Royce's techniques that struck the perception and attitude towards mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is arguably the fastest growing sport in the world and continues to attract new fans every day. Despite the fact that this sport is only 25 years old, during this time it has had many great champions who have become known to the whole world. It is possible that such a list in another 25 years will look very different, but it is still interesting enough to consider and pay tribute to the 10 greatest fighters at the moment.

10. Georges St. Pierre

With Anderson Silva's recent loss, St-Pierre has become the most undefeated MMA champion ever. Georges is still in his prime and it seems no one can stop him any time soon. He is without a doubt the best welterweight fighter and he fights like no other - he overwhelms his opponents with a great physical training and fighting skills. He has been participating in the most difficult tournaments of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for many years and has 24 wins and only 2 losses, and for those he subsequently took revenge. He has won the UFC welterweight tournament twice and currently holds the record for most wins by decision with 11. He is also tied with Matt Hughes for the most wins in UFC history with 18.

Both of these records are likely to be broken by Georges himself soon, and most fans are looking forward to this moment. Considering how strong Georges looks and his young age, it's hard to even imagine what other records he will set.

Important victories: Sean Sherk, BJ Penn (x2), Matt Hughes (x2), Josh Koscheck (x2), Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy (Dan Hardy), Jake Shields (Jake Shields), Carlos Condit (Carlos Condit), Nick Diaz (Nick Diaz).

9. Anderson Silva

The Spider recently lost his title to the younger and stronger Chris Weidman, but he remains one of the best fighters in the octagonal ring. The Brazilian fighter holds the record for the most fights in which he defended his championship - 10 fights in a row. For every fan that Silva has won, there is also a person who will remind that the fighter lost in five fights to lesser-known opponents and accuse Anderson of actually starving himself in order to remain in one of the weakest UFC divisions - middleweight. Despite all his opponents, the facts speak for themselves - this is a really good fighter.

Important victories: Rich Franklin (x2), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen (x2), Vitor Belfort.

8 Randy Couture

Randy Couture is called "Captain America" and "Natural" for a reason. If anyone can compete with Chuck Liddell for the most popular fighter in UFC history, it's Randy. During his illustrious career, he became a three-time UFC heavyweight champion. Randy also became the first fighter to hold two different UFC division titles when he won the light heavyweight division. He is also the most decorated fighter in UFC history - a five-time champion. For all his astounding accomplishments, he will forever be remembered for defeating boxer James Toney, who said he would show everyone that couture and MMA in general is a sport for soft-bodied, untalented boys. If anyone looked mediocre and bland after their fight, it's James Toney.

Important victories: Vitor Belfort (x2), Maurice Smith, Kevin Randleman, Pedro Rizzo (x2), Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Gabriel Gonzaga ( Gabriel Gonzaga), Mark Coleman, James Toney.

7. Chuck Liddell

Chuck was to MMA what Babe Ruth was to baseball, Michael Jordan to basketball, Tom Brady to American football and David Beckham(David Beckham) for football - MEGA STAR. Without exaggeration, we can say that at the moment he is the most popular UFC fighter of all time and, perhaps, one of the best fighters in general. He became the light heavyweight champion by defeating Tito Ortiz and defended his title four times in 2 years. Unfortunately, his prime was short-lived, and towards the end of his career, he suffered several disappointing defeats. However, Liddell's heyday was one of the most impressive periods for MMA. According to some, he was the most famous fighter in the history of the UFC and helped bring MMA to the attention of the American public.

Important victories: Jeff Monson, Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral (x2), Alistair Overeem, Tito Ortiz (x2), Randy Couture (x2), Vernon White (Vernon White), Wanderlei Silva (Wanderlei Silva).

6. Bas Rutten (Bas Rutten)

"Handsome" is another fighter who made an invaluable contribution to the development of the sport at the time of its inception. The Dutchman Bass was a black belt in karate and was a professional kickboxer who made his way into the MMA world with great success. He was right size, appearance and had good style - all this helped him become one of the most formidable champions of all time. He became UFC heavyweight champion and ended his career with an impressive 22 fights undefeated. During his time in the UFC, he became widely known for his favorite tactic, the liver attack, which usually paralyzed his opponents. Rutten's charisma both in and out of the ring helped him become one of the sport's early stars. Although he still takes part in the sport (albeit now as a commentator), he also starred in several films and became a character in the game.

Important victories: Vernon White, Maurice Smith (x2), Frank Shamrock (x2), Guy Mezger, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Kevin Randleman.

5. Royce Gracie

Could the "King of submissions" compete with modern UFC fighters? Probably not, but that doesn't change the fact that Royce was a real beast in his day when MMA was just taking its first timid steps towards fans, and Gracie will forever be one of the pioneers of the sport. Fans will never forget the endless hypothetical questions and dialogues in which Royce was always one of the options: "Royce Gracie vs. Mike Tyson" or "Royce Gracie vs. Alexander Karelin."

In fact, since Royce was at the peak of his career, and now he would hardly have succeeded, but this does not mean that his role in the history of the sport should be downplayed. Royce is the first in the UFC Hall of Fame and the winner of the first, second and fourth UFC tournaments and it was he who popularized Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the US and Europe. He will forever remain in the annals of sports history.

Important victories: Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba.

4. Matt Hughes

Hughes was one of the sport's first superstars and the strongest welterweight champion until the advent of Georges St-Pierre. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and won the UFC welterweight title twice. He successfully defended his title seven times, which was a record at the time, and he still holds the record for most victories in the UFC, on a par with the GSP.

At the peak of his career, Matt was considered the best fighter regardless of weight class, and he was literally unbeatable. Along with GSP and Anderson Silva, he is one of the best champions in UFC history.

Important victories: Carlos Newton (x2), Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie, BJ Penn, Georges St-Pierre

3. Dan Henderson

Words cannot describe the greatness of Dan Henderson. He is without a doubt one of the best and most resilient fighters of all time and what is even more impressive is that he is still fighting today's younger fighters.

Henderson is one of the few men who have become superstars in both the UFC and the Pride Fighting Championships. The former Olympic wrestler competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions for most of his career, but won titles in three different divisions. He won 17 UFC middleweight tournaments, and became the first fighter to win the Pride Championship in two weight divisions (welterweight and middleweight). He also has a Strikeforce light heavyweight title and a victory in the 1999 RINGS King of Kings tournament. He has won more titles from various organizations than any other fighter in the world.

Important victories: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renato Sobral, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Maurício Rua and Fedor Emelianenko.

2. Igor Vovchanchin

Igor is the most good example words "underestimated". He is the man with the longest winning streak of all time (37) and at the peak of his career he was one of the best fighters ever. Igor was also one of the shortest heavyweight champions (174 cm), which makes his records and achievements even more impressive.

Important victories: Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Kerr, Valentijn Overeem, Adilson Lima (x2).

1. Fedor Emelianenko

"The Last Emperor", "Terminator", "Russian Experiment": simply put, Emelianenko is the best mixed martial arts fighter ever. The peak of Fedor Emelianenko's career cannot be compared with anyone else, and if anyone who participated in combat sports can compare with him, then this is only another Russian - Alexander Karelin.

Fedor remained undefeated for ten years and 32 battles, and was defeated only when he became relatively old and was not in his prime, and the opponents to whom he lost would certainly have suffered crushing defeats if the fight had taken place a couple of years earlier. He was the heavyweight champion for 10 amazing years and nearly killed several Pride and UFC champions along the way. He has arguably defeated more champions than anyone else in the world and is considered by most experts to be the king of MMA.

Important victories: Renato Sobral, Semmy Schilt, Heath Herring, António Rodrigo Nogueira (x2), Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman (x2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt ( Mark Hunt), Matt Lindland, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Orlovsky, Choi Hong-man, Jeff Monson, Pedro Rizzu.