Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has existed for a long time. During the past few decades, we have seen a gigantic rise in its popularity all over the world, and the credit goes to the UFC and other MMA promotions. There have been many brilliant MMA fighters over the years, but one question that stays in everyone’s mind is: who is the greatest of all time? The answer to this question is still very difficult, but in this article we will tell you about some of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA who took the sport to an amazing level.(Note:- the fighters mentioned are not in any particular rank order)
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is mainly known as a gossip icon, but all the showy stuff aside, there is no doubt that he is a serious top MMA fighter. One of McGregor’s epic fights was against Jose Aldo, when he knocked him out in the first 13 rounds, which made it the fastest UFC title fight in history. Conor has other notable victories to his name, such as his fights with Max Holloway, Chad Mendes, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez. Conor has played a huge part in popularizing the sport. He also became the first simultaneous twondivision champion to hold the featherweight and lightweight belts. In 2021, he was the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Known as “The Eagle,” Khabib retired with a perfect record of 29 fights and 29 wins, which is known by very few. He was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Division Champion, and his extraordinary grappling made him win many bouts and established him as one of the best fighters in MMA history. The Eagle has defeated some of the greatest fighters in MMA, such as Michael Johnson, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Conor McGregor. His impeccable ground game was the best, which brought many of his opponents down. There is no doubt that during his career, Khabib was at his peak and retired with an undefeated record.
Anderson Silva
In his prime, Anderson Silva was the greatest striker and was the middleweight champion for a total of 2457 days, which is the record for the longest title reign in UFC history. This is a record that will probably never be broken. “The Spider” won 16 fights straight, defending his title ten times. In every fight, Silva would destroy his opponent, but after breaking his fibula and tibia, the striker was never the same. He retired with an MMA record of 46 fights, which included 34 wins and 11 losses. His fights were always the best sight for fans, and even though the spider has retired, he still remains one of the best in MMA history.
Jon Jones
Jon Jones, also called Bones,” was a prominent fighter. He made great strides as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and won 11 title defences. Bones holds the record for being the youngest UFC champion, having won the title at just 23 years old. During his career, Jon has defeated players like Jackson, Rashad Evans, Daniel Cormier, and Vitor Belfort. He has been part of 29 fights, out of which he only lost one by disqualification because he threw an illegal elbow. Despite this, he remains one of the most dominant fighters in history. Recently, he has also made a jump to the heavyweight division and defeated Cyril Game for the Vacant championship belt. After becoming the two-division champion, there’s only been a rise in Jones’ legacy.
George St-Pierre
George St-Pierre is not only a great MMA fighter, but his life story is inspiring too. He used to get bullied at school by kids, after which he decided to learn karate, and through the suffering he found his goal. Pierre’s time as UFC welterweight Champion was golden, and during his peak, George had a winning streak of 13 fights. He once gave up his middleweight title due to ulcerative colitis, and not only has he recorded the most takedowns in history, but even after giving up titles and leaving the ring for four years, he made a remarkable comeback and won the Middleweight title. Before retiring in 2013, St-Pierre was also ranked as the No. 1 welterweight champion with a record of 28 fights, which included 26 wins and 2 losses.
Demetrious Johnson
“The Mighty House” is arguably the best flyweight champion in the UFC. He has defended the title ever since he ascended the throne and is tied for 11 consecutive title defences. Johnson earned some remarkable wins against fighters like Henry Cejudo, Miguel Torres, and Joseph Benavidez. His record of 36 fights includes 31 wins, 4 losses, and one draw. Johnson was an amazing grappler, and his ground-and-pound style razed his opponents. He was dethroned in 2018 and currently fights in Singapore-based MMA promotion ONE Championship.
Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic was especially known for his supreme-level boxing ability and advanced wrestling techniques. He holds a record of 24 fights, including 20 wins out of which 15 were knockouts and four losses. Stipe had some big losses, but Miocic turned things around after making one of the best Streaks in the history of the UFC. He was a two-time UFC heavyweight Champion and has removed some of the biggest names from the sport. MMA is not the only thing Stipe is good at, he used to play baseball in college, he is a former Golden Glove boxing champion, and he is also a firefighter paramedic in Oakwood, Valley View, and Ohio, which makes him a true athlete.
Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is the second fighter in UFC history to defend titles in two different weight classes, as he was successful in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In every promotion fight he has ever fought, Cormier has won the World Championship. Some of his noteworthy wins were against Josh Barnett, Alexander Gustafsson, and Dan Henderson. Daniel used to dominate every opponent he ever faced and wreak havoc in the UFC. Cormier retired after consecutive losses against Stipe Miocic. He retired with a record of 26 fights and 22 wins. Three losses and one no contest Currently, Daniel is emerging as a commentator at the UFC.
