1. Royce Gracie Susumu Nagao's Photograph
This would be a contentious ranking since like the pioneers described above Royce probably couldn’t defeat most of the champs today. With that being stated Royce and his family not only developed the UFC but also invented the most dominating martial art in the sport, brazilian jiujitsu.
There is nothing that can be written about Royce that wasn’t directly proved by him at UFC1. At a period when there were no regulations and no weight classifications he confronted opponents who should have been in two or three weight classes above him and defeated them. He won the UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4 competitions. He also fought in the longest battle in UFC history at UFC 5 against Ken Shamrock, who he had defeated in seconds at UFC 1.
Showing how swiftly this martial art gained on in the MMAworld. For establishing the idea of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the martial art that has come to dominate the sport Royce Gracie receives the number 1 place.
2. Anderson Silva
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Widely regarded the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Silva is also considered the best UFC fighter of all time. He is the Michael Phelps of the MMA world. Almost as if he was developed in a lab to be the greatest combatant. His long reach, his endurance, his suppleness and knock out abilitymakes him the finest. He is also regarded the most thrilling fighter to watch, being a knock-out artist and/or dominating bouts to the point where his opponents run out of the ring, as at UFC 101 when he beat Forrest Griffin. He has overcome every opponent that has come up and there is basically no one who can defeat him now.
3. Matt Hughes
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Coming in at number 3 is a numerous record breaker in the UFC. An exceptional wrestler he is one of just two persons to beat GSP. He owns the most winsever in the UFC with 18 and is tied at second with the most championship defenses with 9. He was generally regarded to be invincible and usually rated the best pound-for-pound fighter during his heyday as a welterweight. He makes various rankings as one of the best MMA fighters of all time. Like GSP he is recognised for his unrivalled work ethic and determination. He defeated every single possible opponent in his heyday. Like Coleman, Couture, Ortiz, and Shamrock he is now in the UFC Hall of Fame leaving a legacy and still records to surpass.
4. Georges St. Pierre georges-stpierre-ufc
Also known as GSP is a world level wrestler and regarded by many either the number 1 or number 2 pound for pound fighter in the world. He owns 16 victories in the UFC with just 2 defeats. Both of which he redeemed later in his career. His elite wrestling is deemed so strong he has even been considered for the Canadian Olympic squad. He has earned Canadian Athlete of the Year on three distinct times.
His style is unrivalled, with exceptional wrestling, amazing stand-up, and a remarkable endurance. He is one of the most modest and charming fighters out there, both in the cage and out. He has defended the championship 9 times and 6 of them consecutively. GSP is coming out of an injury and is scheduled to make his return at UFC 154. If he comes back as well as before the 31 year old will maintain dominating the welterweight category for some time to come.
5. Mark Coleman
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Another inventor of the sport, a wrestler, Mark Coleman brought the Ground-and-Pound into MMA. He’s perhaps the second most significant guy in MMA owing to this groundbreaking feat. He won the UFC Heavy-weight competition on three different times back when there was no title belt. He boasts major victories against Dan Severn, Don Frye, and Shogun Rua breaking his arm and initiating an all out melee afterwards. His method opened the path for fighters like Emilianenko, Couture, Dan Henderson and many more who have employed an improved his technique.