Top 5 Mixed Martial Artists of All Time

Mixed Martial Arts has quietly taken over as today’s premiere combat sport. Many believe the sport is barbaric; Arizona State Senator John McCain called it “human cockfighting.” Although fighting—a basic survival instinct—has been around since the beginning of time, organized fighting as sport has caught a bad image amongst mainstream America. The creation of such a sport was inevitable. With boxing skyrocketing to the spotlight in the 1960s and martial arts getting the attention of Hollywood in the 1970s, people wanted to know who would win in a fight between Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee? Which style of fighting— judo, wrestling, capoeira, or karate—was superior and more efficient? Without Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), we had no way of finding out. Today, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)—the premier MMA fighting league—generates billions of dollars yearly with its ticket sales, pay-per-view buys, and merchandise revenue.

The sport is called Mixed Martial Arts because it is an art (not solely violent/senseless brain-bashing) that incorporates various fighting techniques and styles. There are rich histories and cultures behind the styles of hand to hand combat that mixed martial artists practice. Think about it: Martial arts was the premier forms of combat before weaponry– Gladiators and soldiers around the world needed to know these art-forms to protect and defend themselves in times of battle. Additionally, the best mixed martial artists today are highly trained athletes that display world-class discipline, strategy, strength, and speed. These athletes, much like Sigma Lambda Beta men, come from all areas of the world.  And there have been certain warriors that have done it better than all others. Thus, feast your eyes and senses on the top 5 mixed martial artists of all time.

BEST OF THE BEST

5. Chuck Liddell
Born: Santa Barbara, California, United States
Style: Kempo Karate, Striking, Koei-Kan Karate
Breakdown: “The Iceman” has had a dominant MMA career. With knockout wins over Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, and Alistair Overeem, Chuck has one of the scariest right hands in all of fighting. However, he’s lost some spunk after a series of devastating losses. Regardless, Chuck can retire and hold his head high. He helped introduce MMA to the world, has held several titles, and is a UFC Hall of Famer.

4. Georges St. Pierre
Born: Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada
Style: Kyokushin, Muay Thai, Boxing, Gaidojutsu, Wrestling
Breakdown: Georges “Rush” St. Pierre is widely ranked the top pound for pound guy in all of MMA right now. He has pretty much cleaned out the entire Welterweight division in the UFC. He’s completely dominated the likes of B.J. Penn, Jon Fitch, and Josh Koscheck. He’s probably the best pure athlete on this list. The scary thing about Georges is that he does many things (striking, wrestling, submissions, you name it) well, not just one. He’s considering trying out for the Canadian national wrestling team for the 2012 Olympics. However, everyone wants to see a showdown between him and Anderson Silva. Regardless of that outcome, St. Pierre is a bad dude… and he’s pretty too. Ladies love cool/tough guys.

3. Randy Couture
Born: Everett, Washington, United States
Style: Greco-Roman Wrestling, Grappling, (Dirty) Boxing
Breakdown: Randy “The Natural” Couture is tougher than a $2.00 dollar steak (if you don’t believe me, take a look at his ears). This old man has taken on some of the biggest and baddest in MMA history (Vitor Belfort, Chuck Liddell, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Brock Lesnar). He’s fearless -he’ll fight anyone that the UFC puts in front of him. Which is why he’ll face Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida at UFC 129 this April. An Olympic Wrestler, Randy was an All-American at Division-I Oklahoma State University. In 2007, Randy became the oldest UFC Heavyweight champion in UFC history at age 43. He’s even found time to act next to some of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes in The Expendables. One thing is for sure, Couture has withstood the test of time (a lot of people think Randy can compete well into his 50s!). Look for more fights in the future from Captain America.

2. Anderson Silva
Born: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Style: Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Judo
Breakdown: “The Spider” is the coolest, most effortless champion in UFC history. I’ve seen this man win 13 consecutive fights in the UFC– in both the Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight divisions– with a UFC record 7 straight title defenses.  He’s made the likes of Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, and Damien Maia look utterly silly. Often times toying with his opponents, Anderson Silva’s biggest enemy can be himself. Everyone thought Silva was flawless until he met Chael Sonnen in 2010. After being dominated for 5 rounds, Silva pulled out one of the most dramatic submissions in UFC history (It was later revealed that Sonnen used performance enhancing drugs during that fight). Nonetheless, the only fight anyone wants to see is Silva vs. St. Pierre. The only question is when? Will Silva retire as the most dominant and enigmatic star MMA has ever seen? Only time can answer these questions. All the same, keep your eyes on my top pound for pound guy– as I don’t think he’ll be losing any time soon.

1. Royce Gracie
Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Breakdown: Easily the best Mixed Martist Artist and pound for pound guy of all time, in my book. Here’s why: at UFC 1, he defeated 3 guys in 1 night—tournament style—one of whom was UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. At UFC 2, he defeated 4 guys in 1 night. At UFC 3, he defeated 6’1” 240 pound bad-ass Kimo Leopoldo in one of the greatest UFC fights of all time. At UFC 4, he defeated 3 guys in one night—one of whom was UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. By the way, did I mention that in these UFC’s there were no time limits, less rules, and no weight limits. Today’s fighters train for about 4 months for one fight; during Royce’s day, he fought numerous fights in one night! Worth mentioning: Royce only weighed 176 pounds! Up to this point, he hadn’t lost a fight. Taking about 6 years off, he then fought in Pride, taking on Japanese fighter Kazushi Sakuraba. This fight lasted 90 minutes! Due to a cracked shin, Gracie couldn’t stand and his corner eventually threw in the towel (it should be noted that Gracie later avenged this defeat in a rematch). However at this point, Gracie’s contributions to MMA had already been cemented. Gracie may have proven that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the superior fighting style, with all things considered. And today, every Mixed Martial Artist pays homage to the Gracie family.

There is a popular debate about which sport is better: MMA or Boxing? The short answer to this question is there is no comparison. Boxing only displays one style of combat, while MMA displays numerous styles. The two sports are completely different. Boxing is a sweet science, while MMA is truly Mixed Martial Arts. And if you look hard enough, you’ll find the art. The aforementioned individuals practice that art the best.

BEST OF THE REST

B. J. Penn
Breakdown: The Prodigy is all heart. He’s fought some of the best: Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, and Matt Hughes. Considered by some, the greatest Lightweight in MMA/UFC history. Tough as nails. But age could be catching up with him. Let’s see what he’s got left in store to enhance his legacy.

Fedor Emelianenko
Breakdown: Fierce competitor. Very humble. And amazingly athletic/agile for a man his size. He’s dominated a lot of guys and lost only twice. Although he catches a lot of bad flack for not being in the UFC, he still has a lot of upside. Let’s see if he can win against Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem to take his place as “the man” again. I’d bet on him.

Quinton Jackson
Breakdown: Straight beast. Aggressive. Look at his fight history: nearly 40 fights against the who’s who in MMA history. Not all wins, but highly competitive in the losses. One word to describe this guy: Rampage! This is a guy who has a chance in any fight, against anyone. And I wouldn’t want to fight him.

UP AND COMERS

Junior Dos Santos
Breakdown: Crazy fast hands, big, and skilled. Facing Brock Lesnar later this year for the #1 contender position to take on Cain Velasquez. Nonetheless, this guy has the tools to be one of the best ever.

Jon Jones
Breakdown: Scary athlete. Tall and lanky. This guy could be one of the best of all time—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’d like to see him move up to Heavyweight and challenge some of the big boys, which would show “Bones” capabilities. This guy’s a freak. Period. If continues on at this pace, he could be one of the most dominant since Anderson Silva.

Cain Velasquez
Breakdown: Why is the current UFC Champion on this list? In my mind, he still has a lot to prove.  I’d like to see what he can do against Junior Dos Santos, but only time will reveal that. Regardless, with his athletic ability and endurance, Cain could be one of the best in MMA history.

Photo found via Flickr.

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