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Who Are the Greatest MMA Fighters Ever to Take the Ring?
Are you an MMA fan? Do you want to know who the greatest MMA fighters of all time are? Mixed martial arts (popularly known as the MMA) hasn’t been around for long but has already seen a share of some of the most insane fighters on the planet. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was only founded in 1993, before which cross-combat fighting tournaments were extremely rare even in the western world. UFC has now grown to become the biggest brand of MMA all over the world and, therefore, attracts some of the greatest fighters ever born. The list might be long, but we can pick out the best UFC champions for you.
Who Are the Greatest MMA Fighters Ever to Step Into the Ring?
Over the years, we have seen numerous MMA fighters, but one question that all of us have on our minds is who is the greatest MMA fighter of all time? The answer is, however, very simple. There is no MMA fighter to claim that spot singularly. What we can do instead is to look at who our greatest UFC fighters of all time are, who have taken mixed-martial arts to a whole new level with their insane fighting skills and mental fortitude. We considered many different aspects of a fighter, like the number of fights played, their accomplishments, how good they were in their prime form, and so on, while picking our best fighters.
Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko easily stands out as the most elite female fighter in the history of MMA. She has a long history of winning world championships in Muay Thai, where she has won 8 gold medals while representing both Kyrgyzstan and Peru. She has an MMA record of 23 fights with 20 wins and three losses. Shevchenko has defeated the likes of Julianna Pena, Holly Holm, and Jessica Eye while only losing twice to Amanda Nunes, the greatest female MMA fighter ever.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
Believe it or not, Johnson is the only flyweight UFC champion to date. He has successfully defended his title to become the man with “most consecutive title defenses.” He also holds the record of “most takedowns in flyweight history of UFC.” Johnson has fought 34 fights, winning 30 and losing 3 with one draw. He has some notable wins against Miguel Torres, Joseph Benavidez, and a few more.
Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes
Nunes is the first female MMA fighter to clinch championships in two divisions (bantamweight and featherweight) and only the 3rd fighter in UFC history to do so, along with Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier. Her astonishing fighting record of successfully defending her two titles while actively holding them (she is the only UFC fighter to do so) and winning against the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, and Ronda Rousey easily earns her the best female MMA fighter of all time.
Conor McGregor
Who doesn’t know Conor McGregor? Although widely regarded as a trash-talking icon on social media, none can deny that McGregor is one of the most reckoned fighters. His left hand is one of the best in the sport, and he is most notable for defeating Jose Aldo by knockout within 13 seconds to earn the title of the “fastest UFC championship fight in history.” McGregor also became the first fighter to defend UFC titles in two different weight classes.
Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov
The longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion of all time, Khabib has cemented himself as one of the best MMA fighters in history. Khabib retired early with a perfect record of 29 wins from 29 fights, something never heard before in MMA. He has defeated some of the most dominant faces in the sport, such as Conor McGregor, Michael Johnson, and Rafael dos Anjos. He was ranked #1 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of March 2021.
Georges “Rush” St-Pierre
Probably the most insanely skilled fighter in the history of MMA, St-Pierre won UFC championships in both welterweight and middleweight divisions and is hailed by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Before retiring in 2013, he held the record of “most wins in title bouts” and also the second-longest combined title streak in UFC. St-Pierre has a record of 26 wins and two losses from 28 fights.
Conclusion
Picking the all-time best is undoubtedly a tough call, but our list of the greatest fighters of all time does contain the names of those worthy of that coveted title.
