The title of this is self-explanatory. It is safe to assume that the coauthor of this blog might not agree with all my selections and the order they are in, so I made sure to put in the title that this is only this humble author's opinion. Before I get into the top ten, I figured that I would throw out a few names of some people who could make the list in the next few years, depending on how their career pans out.
Potential Additions
Lyoto Machida: "The Dragon" was undefeated in his career until losing twice last year. Before that, he was one of the most technically sound and elusive fighters in MMA history. He could crack the top ten if he manages to get back on track and regain his dominance in the light heavyweight division.
Cain Velasquez: Cain recently won the UFC Heavyweight Title in October 2010 when he destroyed Brock Lesnar in the first round of their bout. He is currently 9-0, and has won every round thus far in his career. If he maintains this pace, he could go down in history as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Time will tell for Cain.
Jon Jones: Jon Jones is the most highly regarded prospect in MMA right now. He has an exciting and unique striking style, unstoppable takedowns and ground and pound, as well as powerful submissions. He is the future of the sport and he could make himself the present if he wins the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on March 19 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If he does that and has the lengthy title reign people expect, his entry into the top ten is a no-brainer.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Shogun made a name for himself in Pride by winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix in a dominant fashion and prior to his UFC debut, was considered the best in the world at 205 lbs. His entry into the UFC was rough, with a loss to Forrest Griffin in his first match and a terrible win over Mark Coleman, but he has rebounded with a knockout win over Chuck Liddell and a brutal knockout of the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. If he manages to hold onto the belt for a few defenses, his resume would make him a borderline top ten fighter.
The Top Ten
10.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: (32-6-1-1) Nogueira is probably the greatest practicioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA history. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, which he successfully defended five times. He has beaten every big name in the sport, with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko. He is a top notch boxer and a legend in the sport.
9.) Dan Henderson: (26-8) Hendo is a top notch wrestler and has a vicious right hand. He is the only man to ever hold the 205 and 185 titles at the same time, which he did in Pride. He holds a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and his knockout win over Michael Bisping was highlight reel worthy.
8.) Wanderlei Silva: (33-10-1-1) The Axe Murderer is a legend in the sport and his reign over the Pride Middleweight division was legendary, not losing over a four year time frame. His knockouts of Rampage Jackson in Pride were brutal and unforgettable. A string of brutal knockout losses to Henderson and Mirko Cro Cop, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell knocks him back a bit on the list.
7.) Chuck Liddell: (21-8) Chuck was the long reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding it for two years. He holds two knockout wins over Randy Couture and is the only man to TKO Tito Ortiz, doing so twice. Both his knockouts of Babalu Sobral are highlight reel worthy. He also holds a knockout victory over current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem. He was also responsible for the growth of MMA in the second half of the 2000s. He would have been higher, but he stuck around two years too long and was on the receiving end of knockouts against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin.
6.) BJ Penn: (16-7-2) BJ is the most talented fighter in MMA history. He was a jiu jitsu legend by the age of 18 and has some of the best boxing skills in the sport's history. He is one of only two people in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. He beat Matt Hughes by knockout at a time that no one was beating Hughes. The bigger the challenge, typically the better he fought. He has the tools to be the greatest of all-time, but motivation and lackluster training methods have stopped him from reaching his full potential as a fighter. Despite that, he is still a legend in the sport and his accomplishments are impressive.
5.) Matt Hughes: (45-8) Hughes, until Georges St. Pierre, was the most dominant UFC Welterweight Champ. His slam of Carlos Newton and his submissions of Frank Trigg are incredible. He also holds submission wins over Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and has the most wins in UFC history with 16.
4.) Fedor Emelianenko: (31-3-1) Fedor was the greatest heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade. He holds two victories over Nogueira and he dominated Mirko Cro Cop at the peak of his career. He has won the bulk of his fights by finishing his opponent. His streak was very impressive and the main reason he isn't higher is due to the fact that his level competition has not been particularly impressive the past four years and his mystique has gone after two straight losses and a seeming unwillingness to expand his game and shore up any deficiencies he has.
3.) Randy Couture: (19-10) Don't judge Randy by his record. His accomplishments in the sport and the fact he is so competitive as he nears 50 are no joke. He is the first man to win titles in two divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) and came out of retirement to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2007. He was the first man in four years to defeat Chuck Liddell, as well as being the first in four years to defeat Tito Ortiz. Randy has been in some of the biggest fights in the history of MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport. The fact that he did all this while in his early 40s when fighting is a young man's game is all the more amazing.
2.) Georges St. Pierre: (21-2) GSP is the biggest star in MMA today. He has endorsement deals with Gatorade and UnderArmous, thus making him the highest profile person in the sport. He has held the UFC Welterweight title for nearly three years. He hasn't even lost a round since losing the first round against Josh Koscheck in August 2007. He has been the second most dominant fighter in the UFC over the past decade and holds wins over BJ Penn, John Fitch, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. The only man to be more dominant than him is the man ranked number one.
1.) Anderson Silva: (28-4) Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champ and hasn't lost since he joined the company in 2006. If you discount his disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006, he hasn't lost since December 2004. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with 13 and the most title defenses with seven. He is the greatest striker in MMA and has shown an ability to submit people. He is a once in a generation athlete and performer, the equivalent of Michael Jordan. At some point, there will be at least one whole article on this site devoted to Anderson Silva.
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