Top 5 MMA fighters of All Time!!!

[chimba]

Since we have the top 5 MMA fighters today...lets do an all time list based on significance and abilities

Mine goes like this ..in no particular order

I am eliminating bias from this list..Never been a fan of Randy for example

Sakuraba
Fedor
Frank Shamrock
Royce
Couture (Barely)

Just outside
BJ
Tito
Bas
GSP
Anderson
Chuck
Rickson
Hughes

[Vanboxingfan]

Haven't watched enough of the early days to the sport to have an informed opinion, but based on what I've watched and/or read about I'd say

Royce
Coulture
Liddell
Hughes
Silva Anderson (maybe not yet, but he's coming on strong as is GSP)


Interesting note about Frank Shamrock, he was the first MMA I ever saw and I was extremely impressed, but for some reason, he seems to get overshadowed by Ken Shamrock, who I don't particularly like.

[mistat94]

couture
fedor
royce
hughes
liddell

[chimba]

Hughes is often overlooked because of his atittude but the man can vie a place in the top 5..He was near unstoppable in his prime..I believe than even when he beat St.Pierre the first time he was a bit past his peak..His peak was I would say against Sakurai, when he just manhandled him

[everblast]

Royce
Rickson
Fedor
F. Shamrock
A. Silva

6. Hughes

but what about good ol' Don Frye

[jimmie]

Fedor
Dan Henderson
Randy Couture
Anderson Silva
Matt Hughes

Thats just me of course. I need to have Couture and Henderson in there because no 2 fighters have the accomplishments as far as titles or tournaments go.

[doefler182]

Sakuraba
Couture
Fedor
Hughes
Royce

and BJ or GSP in the future maybe

[sugarngold]

Rickson Gracie
Royce Gracie
Sakuraba
Randy Couture
Fedor

[québecwarrior]

Fedor need to be in that top 5 for me.

[papke26]

1.Fedor
2.chuck
3.hughes
4.couture[hes of french ancestory like me]
5.griffen

[J_Roth]

1.Fedor
2.chuck
3.hughes
4.couture[hes of french ancestory like me]
5.griffenGriffin? How long have you been watching MMA?

[papke26]

Griffin? How long have you been watching MMA?

He beat quinton jackson, that for me says hes a top fighter.

[Polymath]

He beat quinton jackson, that for me says hes a top fighter.

one of the top 5 of all time?:blood

[Mob]

1. Royce Gracie- I know, I know..if he had come around 10 years later he wouldn't have been as dominant. BUT, he was singlehandedly responsible for introducing the MMA world to submission grappling.

2. Chuck Liddell- In his prime was successful against top notch opposition and effective against all styles. Maybe the best takedown defense ever.

3. Matt Hughes- In his prime was just like Liddell, top notch oppositiion and just as effective against a variety of styles.

4. Wanderlei Silva- In his prime was as ferocious as any MMA fighter of alltime. Top notch opposition and a variety of styles litter his record, and he was brutally successful for the most part. Losses to Belfort and Ortiz in the UFC rank him a bit lower than he would otherwise be.

5. Randy Couture- Ageless and twice the Heavyweight champ and twice the Light Heavyweight Champion make it hard to not put him in the top five.....even with a mediocre record.

[rydersonthestorm]

1. Royce Gracie- I know, I know..if he had come around 10 years later he wouldn't have been as dominant. BUT, he was singlehandedly responsible for introducing the MMA world to submission grappling.

2. Chuck Liddell- In his prime was successful against top notch opposition and effective against all styles. Maybe the best takedown defense ever.

3. Matt Hughes- In his prime was just like Liddell, top notch oppositiion and just as effective against a variety of styles.

4. Wanderlei Silva- In his prime was as ferocious as any MMA fighter of alltime. Top notch opposition and a variety of styles litter his record, and he was brutally successful for the most part. Losses to Belfort and Ortiz in the UFC rank him a bit lower than he would otherwise be.

5. Randy Couture- Ageless and twice the Heavyweight champ and twice the Light Heavyweight Champion make it hard to not put him in the top five.....even with a mediocre record.
wheres fedor :?

[Mob]

wheres fedor :?

Fedor is a heavyweight ...who, I feel...is a victim of inactivity and lower class opposition, minus Big Nog and Cro Cop.

[rydersonthestorm]

Fedor is a heavyweight ...who, I feel...is a victim of inactivity and lower class opposition, minus Big Nog and Cro Cop.
yes but he is alot better than anyone on the list and is maybe the greatest fighter of all time.

[J_Roth]

He beat quinton jackson, that for me says hes a top fighter.No offense but his record does not indicate top 5 all time.

[boxingcar]

Fedor is a heavyweight ...who, I feel...is a victim of inactivity and lower class opposition, minus Big Nog and Cro Cop.

actually he's in no way the victim of lower class opposition. I'd argue that some of the most talented are actually in the HW division too. There's no such thing as a small version of josh barnett for example. (maybe Sean Sherk ? but his submissions suck compared to barnett)

There's real talents a bit everywhere...same goes in the LHW division for example , they have nothing to envy from the guys of the ww division.

The real , major problem is that all too many fighters aren't fighting under the same roof. Which delays the fights and creates problems whenever one of them wants to fight outside of his organisation (because of exclusivity contracts).

[LONE WOLF]

Any true MMA fan has to list Fedor in the top 5.

[chimba]

No love for Frank Shamrock but damn this guy was unbeatable for a few years...maybe his brilliance got lost in the UFC dark years

[jimmie]

No love for Frank Shamrock but damn this guy was unbeatable for a few years...maybe his brilliance got lost in the UFC dark years

Yeah he was unbeatable for a few years won a crap load of world titles Strikeforce,WEC,UFC,Pancrase has beat Rutten,Jackson,Tito,Horn I just cant see where he fits into a top 5.

[BewareofDawg]

The Sport has evolved:

Honestly I don't think Royce should be recognized as one of the best MMA fighters of all time....he was too one dimensional, as was Shamrock and the other pioneers.

Fedor
Chuck Liddel
Georges St Pierre - Might have the best resume of all actually
BJ Penn
Antonio Nogueira / A Silva / Randy Couture / Dan Henderson

[BewareofDawg]

1.Fedor
2.chuck
3.hughes
4.couture[hes of french ancestory like me]
5.griffen
:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl

[sugarngold]

No love for Frank Shamrock but damn this guy was unbeatable for a few years...maybe his brilliance got lost in the UFC dark years

If we were doing a top ten list as opposed to a top 5 Frank might have made his way onto the list. He was the premiere mixed martial artist after all.

[Strike]

Fedor is a heavyweight ...who, I feel...is a victim of inactivity and lower class opposition, minus Big Nog and Cro Cop.

And yet you had Couture and Gracie in your list.:huh

Fedor has fought FAR better comp than Gracie and to be honest as good comp as Courture and not lost. How anyone can not have Fedor in their top 5 is mind boggling.

[Koa]

Prime, lb for lb all time?

#1 Fedor
Then these guys when they have been on a tear.

Penn
A. Silva
Hughes
St. Pierre
Shogun
W. Silva
Liddel
F. Shamrock
Big Nog
Henderson
G. Sudo? Had some spectacular moments.

[rydersonthestorm]

top 5
fedor
hughes
Nogueira
w silva
couture

[BewareofDawg]

How anyone can have Hughes above GSP I don't understand. Because of Title Defenses? GSPs resume is as good, but probably better already and he does everything better then Hughes. There isn't one aspect of the game that Hughes is better then GSP at.

[Sweet Pea]

Frank Shamrock wouldn't crack my top 20 probably.

[rekcutnevets]

1. Fedor- 28 wins with only 1 loss, a loss that was a disputed technicality at that. This was an easy choice for me.

2. GSP- Barely edges out Silva for this spot on my list because of a few more notable names on his resume.

3. Anderson Silva

4. BJ Penn

5. Sakuraba

Royce Gracie deserves a special mention, but the sport is different now than it was when he was at his best. There are more rules and different strategies that come into play because of those rules. Royce also competed when the UFC was done as a tournament, and defeated up to 4 opponents in one night. Royce won 3 out of the first 4 UFCs and went through Ken Shamrock, Pat Smith, and Dan Severn to do it.

Randy Couture is great but has yet to dominate the way the fighters on my list have done.

[Polymath]

JEFF MONSON
Fedor
Randy
Hendo
Wandy

[AJAX]

I have to agree with Monson especially after his fight with Sylvia.

[québecwarrior]

How anyone can have Hughes above GSP I don't understand. Because of Title Defenses? GSPs resume is as good, but probably better already and he does everything better then Hughes. There isn't one aspect of the game that Hughes is better then GSP at.
Hughes is only better in trash talking and in english than GSP.

[Polymath]

I have to agree with Monson especially after his fight with Sylvia.
go lick a bald mans balls :good

[chimba]

Royce has to be in this list whether he is an archaic figure in the sport. I said in terms of significance as well..shit without Royce basically this sport would have not evolved as it is now.

As for Frank Shamrock..this guy was what i would consider the first true high level MMA guy out there with decent striking, sick submissions and adequate wrestling.. undefeated in the Octagon. One must not forget how undersized this guy was...He beat some of the best out there being a natural Middleweight

Remember that he was a contemporary of Hughes who everyone put so highly (and rightly so) but remember Hughes was primarily a wrestler when Frank was already a complete MMA artist.

What we see of him now is a shell of what he onced was due to inactivity (his own undoing) and age. Yet he is still out there being competitive in most his fights

[macp]

Fedor
Gracie
Taktarov
Severn
GSP

[Bill Butcher]

My list is based on ability & primes THEN legacy.

KASUSHI SAKURABA

EMELIANENKO FEDOR

FRANK SHAMROCK

WANDERLEI SILVA

BJ PENN or ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA (cant decide)


Ps. If Rickson Gracie had fought more times in pride then Im sure he would make this list, I dont think he is a myth at all, I see him as the greatest submission grappler of all time.