Recently discussed with a couple of friends about the evolution of MMA and MMA Fighter, and as usual we ended disusing about who’s the best fighter, what would happen if this guy was fighting now, etc etc. We ended with a list of what we called the greatest of all time. Here is the list:
What do you think?
I’m not sure what all aspects you are taking into consideration with this list. Placing Big Nog below Randy is just silly, when Nog has beat Sylvia too as well as beating two people who beat Randy. No Dan Henderson?
We disussed the following:
Fedor or Anderson Silva. Not sure how you could really choose anyone else.
Gomi I always thought was slightly overrated. His ground game is/was pretty bad.
I like Randy, I think he is a very intelligent fighter, and he was accomplished a lot in his career, but I just can’t rank him up there among the “best of the best”. Maybe those two KOs from Chuck stick out in my mind too much but I can’t get on the Randy bandwagon.
BJ and Rampage could probably beat anyone if they had a better work ethic when it comes to training. In my mind they are the two most naturally gifted guys in MMA.
Chuck Norris!!
among mortals, Royce Gracie(in his prime)
Tank Abbott lol
Up until this point, two days out from his biggest fight in a couple of years, this list begins and ends with Fedor. You can argue all you want about pound for pound and lack of competition, but it is impossible to ignore the accomplishments of one Fedor Emelianenko in the Heavyweight division where pound for pound means small fuckers who don’t have a prayer in hell of hanging with him.
Win, lose, or draw on Saturday, Fedor’s legacy is secure as the greatest fighter we have seen up until this point in this sport.
Sakuraba. Maybe he wasn’t the “best”, but he was damn good as well as being one of the ballsiest and most entertaining fighters to ever glove up.
It has to be Fedor. I like Anderson Silva, and he absolutely destroys people in the UFC, but I don’t know how you could consider him “the best”. I might be short changing him, but aside from Franklin who else has he beaten? Making Chris Leben look like a blind five year old with no arms doesn’t count.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
It has to be Fedor. I like Anderson Silva, and he absolutely destroys people in the UFC, but I don’t know how you could consider him “the best”. I might be short changing him, but aside from Franklin who else has he beaten? Making Chris Leben look like a blind five year old with no arms doesn’t count.[/quote]
Dan Henderson? One of the greatest MMA fighters in history? Jesus, Google before you post.
No doubt, Saku…
He is just 1 of those fighters that everyone admires! There is a WONDERFUL video tribute to him on youtube. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6940049719594947338&q=kazushi+sakuraba&ei=sMN_SKeaEImi-QG03bCYBw&hl=en
ALL around, he is just the best…
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
I like Anderson Silva, and he absolutely destroys people in the UFC… I might be short changing him, but aside from Franklin who else has he beaten? [/quote]
what?
It’s so badass we get to see a couple of the best fighters in history this Sat.
[quote]diefighting wrote:
Recently discussed with a couple of friends about the evolution of MMA and MMA Fighter, and as usual we ended disusing about who’s the best fighter, what would happen if this guy was fighting now, etc etc. We ended with a list of what we called the greatest of all time. Here is the list:
What do you think?
[/quote]
While the spider has smashed all in his path recently I don’t feel he has faced the same quality as the likes of Fedor. Since your talking about what would happen if this guy was fighting now. Inactivity should play no part.
Honourable mention for The smashing machine in his prime. Pity he wasn’t doing it clean.
OMC
Such an excellent and difficult question. This is always tough because no matter how thorough, there are always 2 or 3 that should make it (see BCS in college football). I think its hard to keep Chuck Liddell off because of the length of his reign, same with Matt Hughes (I’d have him a couple spots higher).
Also hard to have Big Nog that low with the quality of his competition throughout his career. Same with Sakuraba there. I respect Bas so much, and he was great, but he never fought anybody like Fedor, Crocop, Shogun, and Sylvia like Nog has. Even though he lost to two of those opponents, he took them the distance and it was a war. I also like Saku’s quality of competition over Gomi’s.
Also gotta look at vovchanchyn… Hardest hands ever in mma, with what I think is the highest win streak, of what like 31 wins in a row…
p4p it is Fedor aka 10101110101011001010101
Gotta say Fedor is #1. Not only because he only has 1 loss in his career (from a cut stoppage), but because of how he beat the people he beat.
Everything from chasing Cro Cop all around the ring and outstriking him, to pounding Nog into the ground from Nog’s guard, to getting slammed on his head by Randleman and then immediately reversing him and submitting him, and the list goes on.
Basically the guy dominated people at their own game. That’s no joke.
After that though, it’s gets a little tougher to call IMO.
Anderson is a phenomenal striker and makes people look stupid on the feet. But he’s got weaknesses and usually wins by making his opponents fight his fight.
BJ Penn is one of the most gifted athletes in MMA history and pound for pound might be the best MMA fighter out there. Maybe GSP and Yamamoto might come close though.
Hughes was the most dominant champion that the UFC ever had in any weight class.
Randy has been world champ in two weight classes.
Nog has beat a lot of stiff competition.
Henderson has beat some of the best light heavyweights and heavyweights in the world.
You’ve gotta love Bas.
Then you’ve got kind of a grab bag of Wandy, Chuck, Lindland, Cro Cop, Tito in his prime, Frank in his prime, Coleman in his prime, and maybe Saku or Royce in his prime.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
It has to be Fedor. I like Anderson Silva, and he absolutely destroys people in the UFC, but I don’t know how you could consider him “the best”. I might be short changing him, but aside from Franklin who else has he beaten? Making Chris Leben look like a blind five year old with no arms doesn’t count.
Dan Henderson? One of the greatest MMA fighters in history? Jesus, Google before you post.[/quote]
Sorry, I completely forgot about that. I actually watched that fight.
Fedor is a great fighter, and always will be remembered, I think i will also give props to Rickson Gracie as well. I think he and Bas were some of the best fighters around in their time.