Earlier in 2020, Conor McGregor made the bold claim that he was, essentially, MMA’s greatest ever fighter. And this got me thinking. There have been several top MMA stars who have put on some incredible fights over the years, including Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. These fighters have offered great entertainment (like this slots lv casino review), and ranking them is tough, but below I assembled a list of the top three MMA fighter of all time – in my opinion of course.
Number Three – Fedor Emelianenko
Russian MMA fighter Emelianenko is widely considered as one of the greatest MMA stars of all time. Between 2001 and 2010, the Russian won 28 consecutive fights, gaining accolade after accolade in the meantime. He was the FIAS World Combat Sambo Championship Heavyweight Champion on three occasions – in 2002, 2005, 2007, and also was the MMA Pride Fighting Championships champion between 2003-2007 in the same weight category.
Although Emelianenko isn’t the biggest MMA fighter out there (standing six feet tall and 101kg), fellow fighters and critics have noted his fighting versatility. He’s dynamic, aggressive, and is impressive using ground-and-pound. In 46 professional matches, he’s recorded 39 wins – 15 of those coming by knockout, and his reputation is only matched by a few select MMA stars.
Number Two – Jon Jones
Jon Jones has been a controversial figure in MMA, especially between 2015 and 2017. However, you can’t argue with Jones’ ability. In 2011, aged only 23, Jones’ victory over Maurício Rua at UFC 128 saw him become the youngest champion in UFC history. Jones holds several records in UFC, including the most title defenses, most title wins, longest win streak, and most submission victories – all by the age of 33.
Jones’ fighting style is described as ‘innovative’, and critics single out his incredible ‘flawless’ technique in the cage. He utilizes his great range against opponents, and this, combined with his ‘high adaptability’ makes him a formidable opponent for any MMA fighter out there. Jones has spoken of Bruce Lee as one of his fighting inspirations.
Number One – George St. Pierre
Much like Emelianenko, George St. Pierre isn’t the biggest MMA fighter but that didn’t stop him from becoming the greatest welterweight MMA has ever seen. He won the UFC Welterweight title twice and defended it nine times against various adversaries. During this time, he held the record for the most wins in title bouts and the second longest combined title streak in UFC history. One of the reasons that St. Pierre was such as great fighter was because, on the two occasions he was beaten (by Matt Hughes and Matt Serra respectively), he more than proved his worth in the rematches and showed that he was the superior fighter.
In 2017, he became only the fourth fighter in UFC history to be a multi-division champion and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in May 2020. Many rate St. Pierre as the greatest fighter in MMA history even though he’s fought substantially fewer times than some of the other top MMA fighters.