The UFC has been around for a very long time—27 years to be exact. During this time, more than 100 athletes were able to call themselves champions of the promotion.
But the question still remains - who is the greatest fighter of this organization of all time? Given all the changes in the UFC and MMA in general, answering this question is a difficult task.
However, it is clear that a few names stand above the rest. So without further ado, here are the ten best UFC fighters of all time, ranked from #10 to #1.
#10 Frank Shamrock
The name Frank Shamrock is familiar mainly to fans of the old-school Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, despite promotion president Dana White making the fighter persona non grata, there is absolutely no doubt that Frank should be considered one of the MMA “icons” of all time.
Frank is the adopted brother of UFC legend Ken Shamrock. He made his UFC debut in 1997 after a distinguished career in the Japanese Pancrase Promotion.
In his UFC debut, he managed to armbar Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson in just 16 seconds. At the same time, he became the promotion's first middleweight champion.
His debut title defense was no less devastating. Shamrock knocked out his opponent Igor Zinoviev with a powerful slam in just 22 seconds. After that, Zinoviev broke his collarbone and never entered the Octagon again.
This was followed by two more successful defenses against Jeremy Horn and John Lober.
But Shamrock's biggest triumph came in 1999 at UFC 22. At the time, the UFC's average weight limit was 200 pounds, and Frank weighed about 185 pounds. At this tournament he faced his main rival, Tito Ortiz - a young and powerful fighter who outweighed the champion by about 30 pounds.
The fight turned out to be titanic, as Ortiz took Shamrock to the ground and pummeled him for three rounds. By the fourth round, Tito had exhausted all his strength, which was just what Shamrock had been waiting for - he suddenly joined the fight and began to mercilessly put pressure on Ortiz with punches until he completely turned off his defense in the last ten seconds of the round.
This victory was Shamrock's last in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He decided to hang up his gloves with an undefeated 5-0 UFC record, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that at 200 pounds he was the best fighter on the planet.
It is unlikely that the UFC Hall of Fame will honor him, but this does not mean that Frank Shamrock does not deserve respect and honor.
#9 BJ Penn
BJ Penn was one of the first two-division UFC champions
At one point, it was believed that BJ would go down in history as a classic example of wasted potential. The Hilo, Hawaii native made his UFC debut in 2001 with a reputation as one of the best grapplers in the world - but it was his incredible striking that quickly set him apart.
In just seven months, Penn scored three wins in three fights. He became the first contender for the lightweight division title. But his UFC title fight against Jens Pulver ended in defeat. The second chance at the championship also did not produce results - he fought back in a draw with Caol Uno, leaving the title vacant, which Pulver refused.
But Penn later shocked the whole world - he rose to welterweight and beat Matt Hughes, winning the title of champion of this division. The victory was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, as Hughes had been completely dominant up to this point, successfully defending his belt five times in a row.
However, BJ never got a chance to defend his newly acquired title. Failed contract negotiations forced him to leave the UFC in mid-2004. He became a kind of nomadic fighter. For two years, Penn fought in various fight promotions around the world and at one point even moved up to heavyweight.
In 2006, Penn returned to the UFC. And when an attempt to regain the UFC welterweight crown ended in failure, the fighter decided to focus on the lightweight division. His old rival Pulver became the first victim and from that very moment BJ began to destroy everyone in his path.
In 2008, Penn won the UFC lightweight title by defeating Joe Stevenson and then defended his belt against Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez.
But the Hawaiian’s triumph at the top of the UFC did not last so long - in 2010 he was overthrown by Frankie Edgar. Penn's momentum waned after that, and the great fighter eventually retired after a tough loss to Nick Diaz in 2011.
Penn has repeatedly tried to revive his career, but his attempts have been unsuccessful, to put it mildly - his record now stands at a disappointing 16-14-2. However, with his accomplishments in his prime and his status as one of the few fighters to hold UFC titles in two separate weight classes, he can definitely be counted among the greats.
19 March 2012 1067
Top 10 Sharp MMA Tongues
Blood&Sweat brings to your attention the material from the February issue of the magazine of the same name, which contains the 10 best wits in the history of MMA and their best quotes.
Ken Shamrock
Character: aggressor
Vocabulary: limited
Features: Slight Tito Ortiz fixation
Best quotes:
On his personal contribution to the development of MMA: “I built this sport to the state it is in today”
Thanks, Cap: “You got kicked in the head. With your foot"
To Tito Ortiz: “I will beat you alive to death!”
To Tito Ortiz: “I’ll knock you out until your hair turns black!”
To Tito Ortiz: "I'll punch a hole in your head!"
To Tito Ortiz: “Little bitch monkey!”
To Tito Ortiz: "I'll smash your little head in!"
Before losing to Tito Ortiz: "I'll beat you like a brat because that's what you are, a brat!"
Before Losing to Tito Ortiz: "I'll Show Tito Ortiz Who Ken Shamrock Is, Who He Was, and Who He Is Now"
Before losing to Tito Ortiz: 'I'll teach him a lesson in humiliation'
After losing to Tito Ortiz: “Our plan was to push him forward, to show that he hurt me. Then, when it grows, destroy it."
Josh Koscheck
Character: provocateur
Vocabulary: standard
Features: strained relationships with fans
Best quotes:
Addressing the fans: “Everyone who hates me, go to hell”
On the attitude of fans: “In short, whether they love you or hate you... I’m only interested in the money I get. If you have to be a bad guy to make money, then I'll be the bad guy."
On being a bad boy: “I know what I am. My loved ones know what I am like. And I’m here not to make friends, but to make money. I have enough friends"
On being a bad guy: “I always draw the analogy to Dennis Rodman. He was one of the best rebounders in the NBA, but no one noticed him until he started acting like a nut."
About Paul Daly: “Paul Daly talks a lot. I'm going to redesign his mouth. He already has braces on his ugly teeth, so I'll probably add a couple of sleeper rivets to them."
On Diego Sanchez: “He can't find time to do an interview in his fucking home state. What a disgrace. This shows that he is a real dickhead who doesn’t respect his fans and doesn’t respect himself.”
Before losing to Georges St. Pierre: "The first time he and I locked eyes, I thought, 'This guy is still a karateka.' I don't think he has any chance of knocking me to the ground."
On St. Pierre's injury: “I hope that Georges St. Pierre won't be able to fight for another ten months, so I can fight the winner of the Nick Diaz-Carlos Condit fight for the interim champion belt. I hope that George never returns to the sport."
Phil Baroni
Personality: narcissist
Vocabulary: standard
Features: unstable career
Best quotes:
When asked about the reasons for joining MMA: “I fight because I can’t sing, I can’t dance and I can’t stand working from morning to evening. Now ask me a less stupid question."
About idols: “My favorite fighter is Phil Baroni. I suspect yours does too."
About PRIDE and Brazilians: “Who cares about PRIDE anyway? They don't even have weight categories. This organization worries some Brazilians. They already live in a third world country, so they are ready to go anywhere for pennies. And I’m an American and I want to be a champion in an American organization.”
On Amar Suloev: “I've never faced anyone who was better than me in exchanges, but Amar Suloev hits hard. This guy can hit. But you know what? Fuck that disgusting Russian faggot. I don't like him and I'm glad I broke his head."
About myself: “I am becoming a better fighter. My skills have improved and I am strong! I'm a real athlete. Look at this body. I look like a 22-year-old Olympian."
Before losing to Yoshiyuki Yoshida: “I’ll tap dance on Yoshida’s head. I will test his chin, his heart and his spirit. My advice to him? Get yourself great dental insurance. Say "banzai" and prepare to pass out. At your funeral you will be honored for agreeing to this fight."
On the ONE FC Tournament: “I was put on Earth to do two things: kick ass and chew gum. Obviously, I didn't come to Singapore to chew gum."
Frank Mir
Personality: narcissist
Vocabulary: expert
Features: Master level of Jiu-Jitsu
Best quotes:
Breaking Tim Sylvia's arm: "If the audience wants me to rip the guy's arm off by the roots, I'll rip it off"
On competition with PRIDE and Fedor Emelianenko: “For a long time we didn’t have the opportunity to compare ourselves with the guys from PRIDE. Then Nogueira and Mirko came to the UFC. I managed both. Fedor? I don’t even want to hear about it.”
Before the fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in which Mir almost got knocked out: “I could go into the cage completely sick, but I would still be able to work on the learned techniques and avoid trouble thanks to them. Nogueira lost the first fight because my striking technique was better than his. Perhaps because of this he will lose in the rematch."
Breaking Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's arm: "When I took Nogueira's arm and started twisting it, it just burst like a bag of potato chips"
On fighting Brock Lesnar: “I can’t stand him as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person to die in the octagon from his injuries."
On Brock Lesnar's Jiu-Jitsu Level: "I'm working on the nuances of the details of moves that he doesn't even know what they're called"
Before Alistair Overeem's win over Brock Lesnar: “Overeem is not a black belt in jiu-jitsu and has not wrestled at the All-American level. Are you saying he's going to fight the national champion for five minutes? He'll definitely get hooked. I’ve seen guys with muscles like that, it’s because of them that he’ll fizzle out.”
On his striking technique: “I’m much bigger than Junior dos Santos and my punch is harder. One of my punches sent Cheick Kongo flying across the Octagon."
Michael Bisping
Character: provocateur
Vocabulary: standard
Features: colorful British accent
Best quotes:
About myself: “I’ve been fighting in the UFC for a long time and I’ve only really lost one fight. Seven or eight of my last opponents were taken to the hospital after the fight. I finished 80% of my fights in the UFC ahead of schedule. I'm definitely one of the best fighters in the world."
On alcohol: “I stay away from booze during the 12 weeks of training for the fight. It can’t be easy!”
Before the fight with Wanderlei Silva: “Wanderlei is going to use Dan Henderson's notes to knock me out? Well, I'm going to use these notes to knock him out. Henderson knocked him out just as hard as he knocked me out."
On Jason Miller: "Here's the facts: For the last 6 years, while I've been fighting the best of the best in fighting talent, he's been running around the world fighting ragamuffins, and not with much confidence."
On Jason Miller's intelligence: “Miller's brain is smaller than his mouth. I easily replayed him throughout the entire TUF season. We’re not talking about the fights of our players, I’m talking exclusively about communicating with him one-on-one.”
About Chael Sonnen's fights: “I fell asleep watching Sonnen fights. I had to fast forward the recordings to get anything out of them.”
On the Chael Sonnen doping scandal: “Sonnen had problems with doping. I don't know what's going on there. Apparently he only has one testicle. He'll need more than one egg to fight me next weekend!"
Quinton Jackson
Personality: humorist
Vocabulary: limited
Features: penchant for toilet jokes
Best quotes:
On winning: “I like it when they raise my hand at the end of the fight. That's why I shave my armpits."
Before the fight with Wanderlei Silva: "When I beat Wanderlei, I will take his belt, pull down his pants and spank him for being so ugly"
In response to Chuck Liddell's statement about being knocked out in the first round: "If Chuck plans to get knocked out in the first round, then that's his business."
About his style: “My style is called “kick that ass.” Have you ever gotten your ass kicked by a black guy? It hurts!"
On Wanderlei Silva's fight: “What do I think of his fight? I hope he wins and he wins quickly because I need to take a shit."
On money and children: “Man, I need money. I have a million children. A new one appears every 30 seconds. What time is it now? Holy shit, another one"
On MMA: “When one of my friends told me about MMA, I said, “Wow, can you beat up white guys and not go to jail for it?”
On Ricardo Aron: “I want to fight him because I don’t know him and he’s in the video game and I’m not there.”
On the Japanese public: “The fans in Japan are so quiet. One time I heard a cute girl in the second row fart.”
About the future: “What do I see in the crystal ball? I don't have a crystal ball, I only have two ordinary ones."
Jason Miller
Personality: humorist
Vocabulary: standard
Features: unbridled energy, artistry
Best quotes:
On how he plans to finish the fight against Michael Bisping: “I would rather choke Bisping from behind. Choking someone from behind is such a mental process. You're behind him, whispering a lullaby in his ear. That would be a great picture."
About the brand of children's products for girls "Hello Kitty": "Everyone loves Hello Kitty... And if you don't like it, then I will kill you!"
After Losing to Georges St-Pierre: "Looks like I got my ass kicked!"
On Nick Diaz: “I liked Nick Diaz in the same sense that I like George Bush. Both are so stupid you'll laugh."
On fight negotiations with Nick Diaz's camp: “No, I haven't talked to anyone from Nick Diaz's camp. Yes, they don’t speak English, they communicate in a mumbling, mumbling language.”
On the Japanese public: “Fighting in Japan is like fighting in a library, it’s so quiet. I showed piss during one of my fights because some kid in the 13th row yelled “Mayhem Milla!” Actually it was a chick"
About Hawaiians: “When Hawaiians come at you, for some reason there are always a lot of their friends around them.”
To Jake Shields: "Jake, the biggest damage you can do to me is a staph infection, you pimply bastard."
On motivation: “I fight because I haven’t learned to read!”
On photos given to him for autograph signing: “This is my worst photo, it doesn’t make my chest hair look manly enough.”
Nick Diaz
Character: provocateur
Vocabulary: limited
Features: strong addiction to marijuana, “difficult teenager” mentality
Best quotes:
On the fight with Takanori Gomi: “I hit him and he came out with some karate crap. This little dick hit me with a Hadouken or something and fucked my eye."
On his hometown of Stockton: “Stockton is a great city for fighting. If you drive these roads long enough, you'll probably see some pretty good street fighting."
On swearing: “If people hate me just because I say the word “f**k”, then fuck them, I don’t have time to bother myself with marketing and that kind of crap.”
Addressing journalist Ariel Helwani: “I feel like you’re a little bit inciting people to fight each other... I mean, it’s your job, but where I come from, people like that get screwed.”
About his team: “If you're not on my team, then fuck off! If you are not one of us, then you are against us."
On smoking marijuana: “I think someone should come forward and say: weed is good for MMA. It's a new day and a new century, it's... uh... a new fucking year, right? I don’t know, because I work out and smoke as much as I’m supposed to, instead of being interested in something else.”
About computers: “After my last fight, I bought myself a computer. I have no idea how it works, and I’m not going to chat with you sluts.”
On Rich Franklin: “He lost again? See what I mean? You're promoting Rich Franklin, and this motherfucker just lets it go. This guy is a fucking teacher! He is a school teacher. If I fought him, I would be confident of victory. After all, I would fight with a teacher, not with a fighter. I know a lot of teachers I'd like to beat up."
On Georges St-Pierre: “It pissed me off the way that asshole laughed at me at the press conference. If I see him on the street and call him a bitch, I bet he won't do a damn thing. I bet you could slap him in the face on the street and he wouldn't do a damn thing. This won't happen to me. This is a reason for a fight."
Don Fry
Personality: walking charisma
Vocabulary: standard
Features: 101% machismo, best mustache in MMA
Best quotes:
About judges: “The judge is an enemy, like all other judges”
On MMA fashion: "All these idiots who paint their toenails... In the time it takes you to paint your toenails, you could run three miles."
About France: “I don’t know if France ever took part in a war... I heard that Italy just declared war on Spain, and France surrendered.”
On Keith Jardine: “He's so awkward. Looks like a rabid octopus. I always have the feeling that he’s about to catch up.”
On his rugged wrestling background: “Look at me, I'm a wrestler. My balls are so big that I have to cover them with a hat.”
About Russians: “Russians don’t like being told what to do. Especially when some fagot does it. These damned Russians are the last men on the planet. Americans have become so feminized that it’s time for them to wear heels and carry handbags.”
About marriage: “When a man gets married, the same thing always happens to his woman. He becomes angry, gains weight and stops having sex with him. Don't get married"
In response to Ken Shamrock asking if he stole his mustache from Freddie Mercury: “Ken, I respect you for ignoring the rumors and asking me directly. We all know how this shit happens out of nowhere. I just heard a rumor that Freddie Mercury took your virginity! But I spoke in your defense. I said a man took Ken Shamrock's virginity long before he started dating Freddie Mercury."
On the fight with Trevor Pranlgy immediately after: “It was like two hours of hard sex. Now I need a cigarette and tequila"
About his mustache: “I shave it off every morning. After about half an hour, new ones are already growing.”
Chael Sonnen
Personality: provocateur, humorist
Vocabulary: expert
Features: a man hated by all of Brazil, ex-politician, ex-real estate salesman, self-PR genius
Best quotes:
On UFC ring girl Ariany Celeste: “We only have one ring girl, who is Shandella. Another carries signs with her latest IQ test scores. Once at the title fight she got to 5, we were very proud of her.”
On Wanderlei Silva: “More guys have worked on this guy’s face than on pyramids. He's a walking target. Wanderlei, go fight what's left of Sakuraba in the backyard of a sushi bar in Tokyo. You’re lucky that your brother’s name is Joe and he’s a UFC matchmaker, otherwise you’d have been selling fried monkeys on the streets of Manaus a long time ago.”
To Wanderlei Silva : “Listen, Wanderlei . I'll turn off the power to your house and sneak inside. You'll hear me walking up the stairs wearing the night vision goggle I bought with Soldier of Fortune magazine. I will break down your door and take pictures of you in bed doing jiu-jitsu with the Nogueira brothers, and I will post the photos in the public domain.”
About the Nogueira Brothers: “Anderson Silva has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which was given to him by the Nogueira Brothers. A black belt from Nogueir is like a free toy in a Happy Meal. I don’t understand why everyone is so fussy about them? One of them is a whipping bag, the second is simply of no interest to anyone.”
About the Nogueira brothers: “Sad story. And true, by the way. I was in Las Vegas when the Nogueira brothers first came to the States. They saw a bus stopped at a traffic light, and little Nog was trying to feed the bus carrots, and big Nog was petting him. One of them tried to lasso the bus, apparently to take it to his home and place it in his backyard. And then you try to convince me that there are computers in Brazil?”
About Brazilian customs: “Greetings from Sao Paulo! I'm learning the local dialect. Breakdancing for disabled people is called capoeira, and cocaine is called second breakfast."
On losing to Anderson Silva: “Who said I gave up? Who do you believe, me or your lying eyes? Triangle choke is for cowards. I gave him the victory out of pity. I was ashamed that he did this."
On Lyoto Machida: “Machida is not a bad guy. He was a victim of the Brazilian education system. You don’t have to drink urine to restore electrolytes; there are other ways.”
On the ground: “Even if I could apply a painful lock or choke, I still wouldn’t be lying under a grown man with his legs spread on national television.”
On rematch with Anderson Silva: “I can drag Anderson Silva out of the hotel and beat him up at any time. I have no problem spanking him right now, just for fun, but I promised to wait until August 7th so millions of people can see it."
On holding a rematch against Anderson Silva in Brazil: “If they really sell 100,000 tickets in Brazil, they should put them all together, roll them into one ball, turn around and shove them up their ass. We will fight in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the biggest rematch in sports history. Man "The True Champion" Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva with 12 Pounds of Scrap Metal."
On Brock Lesnar: “If Brock Lesnar were here right now, I would take off my shoe and throw it at him so he could polish it. The most evil guy in the UFC? Brock, stop with raw eggs and push-ups, they ruin your sense of reality."
On boot camps: “I don’t do “camps.” I don’t sleep in tents or roast marshmallows over a fire. Camps for children"
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#8 Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo connected his life with MMA even before his debut in the UFC. A 2008 Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling, Henry made his mixed martial arts debut in 2013. Cejudo signed a contract with the UFC only a year later, already having a record of 6-0.
Cejudo needed just four fights to qualify for his first UFC title shot, having previously beaten Dustin Kimura, Chris Cariaso, Chico Camus and Jussier Formiga. But in fact, it was still too early for Henry to meet UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson - Cejudo was defeated in the first round by technical knockout.
He later returned in much better shape in 2021, showcasing excellent striking combined with his world-class wrestling. And after a controversial decision loss in a fight with Joseph Benavidez, he went through Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis, expecting to get another chance to fight Johnson.
Henry put up a better fight this time and ended up beating “Mighty Mouse” via split decision, becoming the first man to defeat Demetrius since 2010.
But for Cejudo it was all just beginning. It was in the next two years that the fighter truly revealed his potential. First, he faced current UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who specifically moved down one division to deal with Cejudo. But Henry dealt with Dillashaw in a record time - he beat his opponent in 32 seconds until the referee stopped the fight. And when Dillashaw was stripped of his title due to doping, Cejudo decided to move up to the bantamweight division, intending to become a two-time UFC champion.
At UFC 238, he did just that - in the final seconds of the third round, he managed to defeat high-ranking opponent Marlon Moraes and become the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. In 2021, Cejudo added even more star power to himself by becoming the first man to stop legendary former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz via TKO.
After this fight, Cejudo decided to retire, and many believe that he has no place in the UFC elite due to his short time in the promotion. But that's just an opinion - in fact, Henry managed to cram more accomplishments into his short UFC career than most fighters in decades, so he has every right to be on this list.
Famous quotes from world-famous boxers
“The fight should last 13 seconds. 2 seconds to approach, 1 second to strike and 10 seconds for the referee to count.” - Muhammad Ali.
The truth, from the lips of a person who sees a goal and strives for it, not paying attention to anything.
“Boxing best reflects what happens in life: when you get knocked down, you have to get up! Everyone in their life, one way or another, gets knocked down, but we have to get up and move on, fight to the end!” - Roy Jones.
Listen to Roy and be stronger than yourself, stop feeling sorry for yourself and you will get what you want.
“They often tell me that I don’t know how to box, but only know how to chop. I do not understand this. Boxing is not fencing. If you get hit, you need to get hit back. And it's better to hit it several times. You can knock me down, but I will still get up and fight back” - Arturo Gatti.
Indeed, how could it be otherwise? This is the only way to become the best, and sayings about boxing help with this - motivation to become the best version of yourself!
“The fight will last as long as I want it to, and then I will knock him out.”
Lennox Lewis, World Boxing Champion, who clearly knows what he is doing and how he is doing it. Stubbornly. Confident. Strongly!
Boxing quotes from Mike Tyson. Video 2 minutes
This approach is simply necessary to keep yourself on your toes and not become too self-confident.
“I train the same way I always trained, even before I became a champion. One thing that sets me apart is that I train as if I were a contender." - Joe Calzaghe.
“When you train for years, you have nothing to regret, even if you failed to become a champion. You're still a better person." - Evander Holyfield.
We believe in the famous champion and train year after year.
“The opponent may be courageous, he may have a stronger punch and he may be more powerful, but there is no fighter who is smarter than me.” - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Precise and motivating boxing statements can give that necessary first impetus to the beginning of big changes in life!
Quotes about boxing from Kostya Tszyu.
Look, only 2 minutes!
#7 Amanda Nunes
If this list consisted solely of female UFC fighters, Amanda Nunes would confidently top it. “Lioness” is one of four UFC fighters to hold UFC titles in two different weight divisions at the same time, and she has defeated a total of six (former) UFC champions.
The Brazil native made her UFC debut back in 2013 and defeated Sheila Gaff before posting a 5-1 record to challenge current UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. In this fight, “Lioness” simply dismantled Tate, which won her first title.
This was followed by successful belt defenses against former champion Ronda Rousey, future UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and top contender Raquel Pennington. Then Nunes moved up to featherweight to meet the current UFC champion of this division, Cris Cyborg.
Chris hadn't lost a fight in 13 years - but Nunes literally ran over her, finishing Cyborg with a series of punches in just 51 seconds. It was a stunning victory that left no doubt as to who was the greatest female fighter on the planet.
Since then, Nunes has successfully defended her UFC lightweight and featherweight belts, defeating two other former UFC lightweight champions, Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
It's difficult to rank her higher on this list - compared to some of her peers, she fights in two relatively easy divisions. But this certainly does not detract from Nunes' achievements. Simply put, she is also an all-time UFC legend.
#6 Daniel Cormier
Another of the four fighters to simultaneously hold UFC titles in two different weight classes, Daniel Cormier hung up his gloves at the start of 2021 after compiling a truly phenomenal record. The fighter finished his career with 22 wins and four losses, with two of those losses being highly controversial.
Cormier's MMA journey began in 2009, the end of a highly successful freestyle wrestling career that culminated with spots on the U.S. National Team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Cormier joined the UFC in 2013 as the current StrikeForce heavyweight champion. The title of the competitive promotion was earned by defeating serious opponents - Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett. Already in the UFC, the short heavyweight Daniel defeated Frank Mir and Roy Nelson without any complications. After that, Cormier decided to move down one division in order to win the UFC light heavyweight title, which was then held by Jon Jones.
Along the way, Daniel passed through Patrick Cummins and Dan Henderson, which ultimately led him to a title shot against Jones. But Cormier failed to defeat him - the title remained with the previous owner. However, just a few months later, Daniel had the chance to compete for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title when Jones was stripped of the belt due to personal problems not related to sports.
Cormier won his first UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 and then defended it against Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson in a rematch.
Later, Daniel's old “friend” Jones took back his title again - but due to a positive doping test, the belt was returned to Cormier and the fight was declared a no contest.
After his third successful defense of the UFC light heavyweight title, Cormier set his sights on becoming a two-time champion and returned to the heavyweight division. There he was waiting for a fight with the top dog of this weight category, Stipe Miocic. At UFC 226, Cormier got his wish - he knocked out Miocic and became a double UFC champion.
Daniel defended his new belt against Derrick Lewis, but later returned it to Miocic in a rematch. In the third fight, he was also defeated by Stipe, but by this time Cormier was already 41 years old, and his legacy was no longer in danger.
Daniel may not have been able to beat Jones, but he still deserves to be in the top ten fighters.
#5 Demetrius Johnson
The UFC's top flyweight contender from 2012 to 2021, Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has already been recognized as the UFC's best pound-for-pound fighter. To date, competing in Singapore's ONE FC promotion, Johnson still holds the record for the most successful UFC title defenses (11), finishing his career with the promotion with a record of 15-2-1.
Johnson made his UFC debut in 2011 as a bantamweight fighter. Then he managed to defeat the legendary Japanese opponent “Kid” Yamamoto, as well as former WEC champion Miguel Torres. Next in the title fight came the first defeat of “The Mouse” against a larger opponent, Dominick Cruz.
But for Johnson, this only became a reason to move to his natural flyweight. After defeating Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez, Demetrius became the first UFC flyweight champion. From that moment on, it was almost impossible to stop him.
Underrated for his “boring” fights (despite all the victories), Johnson soon quieted his critics when he began to practice finishing most of his opponents. He knocked out Cejudo and Benavidez, and finished fights with Ray Borg, Wilson Reis and Kyoji Horiguchi early.
But in the end, in a 2021 rematch, “The Little Mouse” was dethroned by his old rival Henry Cejudo. This was a close fight and it could easily have ended differently. Following the loss, Demetrius made a surprise move to rival promotion One FC. The UFC received another fighter in return - One FC welterweight division champion Ben Askren.
While Johnson never truly captured the imagination of casual fans of the cards he headlined, and his fight viewing figures were poor in sales, there can be no doubt about his greatness. In fact, the only thing keeping “Mighty Mouse” from ranking higher on this list is the fact that the flyweight division didn't have as many talented fighters as some of the UFC's other weight divisions.
#4 Anderson Silva
If this article had been published in 2010, almost no one would have disputed the fact that Anderson Silva is the greatest UFC fighter of all time.
Before his UFC middleweight title reign was ended by Chris Weidman, Silva not only held the belt for nearly seven years, but also made ten successful defenses of it and won an incredible sixteen straight UFC fights.
The Brazilian made his debut in the promotion in 2006. After a successful career in Japan and the UK, he immediately rocked the MMA world by becoming the first man in the UFC to defeat the powerful Chris Leben. This was enough to earn him a shot at the UFC middleweight title, in which he destroyed Rich Franklin.
From there, Silva continued to tightly control the entire 84kg division. Cunning opponents such as Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen flew past without stopping - sometimes with the help of the Brazilian's unique and inventive techniques.
Even his temporary rise to light heavyweight didn't diminish the champion's agility, as he easily dispatched James Irvin before taking on former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, whom he knocked out in 2009.
There was no sign of trouble until Weidman, who knocked out Anderson in July 2013 and then repeated the victory in a rematch five months later. In that fight, Silva suffered a terrible leg fracture - perhaps even then he should have chosen a calmer job. But instead, Anderson returned to fight the likes of Nick Diaz, Michael Bisping and Israel Adesanya - with “The Spider” losing five of his last six fights.
A string of bad luck late in a career isn't usually a big deal, but when you have a lot of them back to back (and two positive drug tests), it all has to be taken into account. This leaves Silva among the top five fighters in UFC history, but nothing more.
Motivation from athletes and celebrities
- “Sport is not violence, but positive emotions,” Gigi Hadid.
In one of the interviews, the model said that she does sports that fill her with a good mood.
You shouldn’t go to the gym and exercise forcefully, choose what you like. This way you can keep your body in shape and stay in a good mood.
- “Failure is part of success,” says Michael Jordan.
Stumbling does not mean losing; you learn from mistakes. You need to figure out what exactly you did wrong, and then do it better. The ability to learn from wrong actions or decisions leads to victory.
Michael said about himself: “In all the games I missed 9,000 times. In 300 games I have failed. Other players counted on me 26 times - and I missed. Made a lot of mistakes. And he succeeded."
- “If health is a symbol of freedom, then sport is a symbol of health,” said Piotr Kwiatkowski.
Physical activity normalizes not only the body, but also health. To achieve your goals, health is simply necessary - after all, it is the key to success.
- Alexander Ovechkin was convinced: “My character needs constant strengthening. That’s why I never stop working on myself, because I want to be better.”
Improve your personality, don't stop there. The more you work, the more you will get. Work hard to win.
- Michael Jordan said in an interview: “What moves me forward is weakness, which I hate, so I turn it into strength.”
Your flaws can become the highlight that helps you move. Learn to present yourself, show negative qualities on the good side, look for the positives in everything.
#3 Jon Jones
In a world without USADA and drug testing, it would be fair to say Jon Jones is at the top of this list. After all, he's been fighting in the UFC for over a decade and has only lost one fight via disqualification. This athlete's victories span a long list of legendary fighters, most of which he overcame in devastating fashion.
But his positive drug tests - three if you count the cocaine found in his blood in 2015, and four if you remember the strange incident before UFC 232 - greatly slowed down the champion's entire run. He's certainly a great fighter, but it's hard to rank him higher than his current position.
However, Jones had a truly incredible UFC career. He made his promotional debut in 2008 and quickly demolished all of his early opponents. And when he scored his sixth UFC victory over Ryan Bader in February 2011, it became clear that he was ready to fight for the belt.
In the next fight, Jones unilaterally defeated UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua, took his belt and from that moment became the “master” of the division. “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida - none could withstand John's pressure. The champion with the same confidence beat more titled fighters - Alexander Gustafsson and Daniel Cormier.
However, since 2015, Jones' UFC career has taken a strange turn, to say the least. In his first five years as champion, John won 12 fights, but after 2015, he fought just six times.
And although the fighter easily won almost all of his fights, his recent victories were not as impressive as his previous ones. And of course, don't forget 2021 and 2021, when he was suspended from fighting for positive drug tests.
Jones could still move higher on this list if his move up to heavyweight is successful, but despite his high level, it's hard to forget about his wild past.
Quotes about sports
- “God gave a body capable of many things. You just have to convince the mind of this,” Vincent Lombardi.
- Mike Tyson said: “If a person gets up after a fall, it’s not physics, it’s character.”
- “It’s not the speed of progress that’s important. The important thing is that you keep going.” - Bruce Lee.
- “If you are not prepared to work, then prepare to fail,” Michael Spitz.
- Billie Jean King believed: “Winners play until they get what they want.”
Your success depends directly on you. If you want to achieve good results, you will have to work hard, because any rewards are obtained through hard work.
#2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
Very few fighters - if any - manage to navigate the shark-filled waters of the UFC and go undefeated. Even fewer have been lucky enough to rise all the way to the UFC title without suffering a single loss. In fact, there are very few such people, and one of them is Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The former UFC lightweight champion may have hung up his gloves after defeating Justin Gaethje in October 2021, but his shadow still looms over the UFC's lightweight division. It is likely that until Khabib’s retirement drags on for at least two years, the contenders for the vacant title will not feel like real champions.
This is an undeniable sign of Khabib's greatness. “The Eagle” made his UFC debut already with a stellar 16-0 record, and by the end of 2013, he increased it to 21-0. Then the road to the title opened for him.
But over the next two years, the athlete received many injuries, which significantly slowed down his path - between 2014 and 2021, he fought only four times, but still won.
By 2021, it was clear that the fighter had earned a title shot. And when another top contender, Tony Ferguson, was injured, “The Eagle” defeated Al Iaquinta to finally claim the UFC lightweight crown. But later that year, the athlete won his biggest victory.
Conor McGregor, who gave up the UFC lightweight title to fight Floyd Mayweather, has returned to MMA. His rivalry with Khabib grew into such hype that the pay-per-view for the fight they headlined broke every imaginable record. In this fight, Khabib defeated the Irishman in the fourth round.
Even at that point, the Eagle's legend could have been etched in stone, but he has since added to his accomplishments with major wins over Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. At this point, there is simply no doubt that he is the greatest lightweight in UFC history, and the fact that he retired at 29-0 without losing his title makes him the second greatest fighter in the UFC.
Quotes from Great Warriors (50 Quotes)
Wars are an integral part of human existence. And there are people whose tactical and strategic genius is fully revealed only during military operations. They are called the best commanders in history. Wars occurred across much of the globe, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. You will find quotes from great warriors in our selection.
A real warrior not only has friends, but also enemies must be worthy. Such that they inspire respect, not pity.
To hunt hares you need many dogs; to defeat enemies you need many warriors; Who, having reason, would execute his subjects without reason!
An army of rams led by a lion will always win over an army of lions led by a ram.
... no one in the world loves peace as much as warriors who have been in battle.
How worthy of envy is He who, losing his power, loses his life as a warrior, And how fateful is the brave man who lived for a long time and outlived his time!
Happiness is always on the side of the brave.
Persecution makes even the wise fool.
The perfection of a warrior lies in vigilance, constant combat readiness, rigor, sincerity, and impenetrable calm.
What is required of a soldier, first of all, is endurance and patience; courage is the second thing.
First we need to win, and after the war there will be a council.
Love is an occupation for an idle man, a pastime for a warrior, and a pitfall for a sovereign.
Obedience, training, discipline, cleanliness, health, neatness, cheerfulness, courage, courage - victory.
One skilled healer is worth hundreds of warriors.
Only he is worthy of being a leader, to whom the warrior gives both honor and life.
Courage is absolutely necessary in war, but it is no less important in peacetime, when it is necessary to stand uncompromisingly against lies, the routine of military service, ignorance, shortcomings and the calming influence of the environment.
A warrior can change his armor, but not his intentions.
A warrior who died in battle is more valiant than one who escaped.
Combat success is guaranteed only to an army that is imbued with the spirit of initiative.
You have many slaves, Xerxes, but few warriors!
Every warrior must understand his maneuver.
The Russian army is invincible in battles and inimitable in generosity and peaceful virtues.
There is only one warrior in the field if he knows that he is alone.
Every lover is a warrior.
No matter how bad things get, never despair, hold on as long as you have strength.
Death is the last act, and often the main one. People don’t remember everything that a warrior did, but even in a hundred years they will tell about everyone how they died.
The warrior acts. And the fool protests.
The highest and final goal of military education is the art of defeating the enemy.
Fear is the warrior's first enemy. Fear is the main enemy of a warrior. By conquering yourself, you will conquer fear. By defeating fear inside, you will defeat the enemy outside. If you can't conquer fear, make it your friend. Let it drive the blood faster, let it spur your body and clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts. This is also a victory. You are a warrior. You rule by fear, not by fear...
For a warrior, the main thing is to remain impeccable in his own eyes.
Love for the homeland is the first dignity of a civilized person.
Knowing how to fight doesn't make you a hero.
A warrior's intention is stronger than any obstacle.
Easy to learn - hard to travel, difficult to learn - easy to travel.
The warrior acts. And the fool protests.
We make a choice only once. We choose to be a warrior or to be an ordinary person. There is simply no other choice. Not on this earth.
They study the great examples of military science not in order to literally imitate them, but in order to be imbued with their spirit.
A warrior must prepare for everything in advance.
The Path of the Warrior is a decisive, final and absolute acceptance of death.
Idleness is the root of all evil, especially for a military man.
The military law does not allow us to pass by indifferently those who are in danger of death. If we can help, we must do so, otherwise what is our military honor worth?
A warrior may perish, but not his ideas.
War consists of unforeseen events.
For us to win, every warrior must strictly follow orders. Anyone who does not follow orders is helping the enemy, and this is treason.
Kantor was afraid as befits a brave warrior: his whole appearance expressed his readiness to die on the spot, with his teeth closed on the enemy’s throat.
First get acquainted, study, and then act.
To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of martial art. To defeat the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle.
It is good to be a scientist, a poet, a warrior, a legislator, etc., but it is bad not to be a human being.
Upbringing is more important than education, because military affairs are to a large extent more strong-willed than intellectual.
There are no undaunted people among those who have something to lose.
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