In this list, we honor the 10 fighters with the best records of all time. Matt Hughes' remarkable record, technical fighting skills, and his victory over Georges St-Pierre have earned him a well-deserved place in the UFC Hall of Fame. His impeccable and practically invincible professional career has made him one of the most renowned MMA fighters in history. Anderson Silva is widely recognized as one of the best strikers of all time, with a 17-0 streak and 10 wins defending the championship title at the peak of his career.
St-Pierre, also known as “GSP”, is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, and for good reason. Only two opponents have ever defeated GSP, and he fought them both again and won. He dominated for years and won many UFC world titles in several weight categories, including his second belt after a four-year absence from the sport. To determine who was the best fighter, a voting system was used.
Every time a fighter was voted No. 1, they were awarded three points. Two points were given for second place, while third place yielded one point. The final ranking was determined by the total number of points each fighter scored.
Cain Velásquez has achieved a lot to date, but it's nothing compared to Fedor Emelianenko's accomplishments. However, the current UFC champion is still a real threat to one day overtake No. 1.At his peak performance, he has established himself as the best heavyweight fighter today, convincingly defeating No. 2.Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is now in the twilight of his career, but he still remains a solid heavyweight fighter.
Although he will not receive any more praise for his achievements, Big Nog has done enough to secure No. 3 on this list. It's hard to believe that Jon Jones is already considered the best light heavyweight of all time at 26 years old, but it's even harder to argue that he doesn't deserve this recognition. The American has already achieved a lot and there is a feeling that stars like Mauricio Rua, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida are just the beginning for him. Whether he stays at 205 pounds or moves up to heavyweight, his future looks as promising as his past is impressive. Although Pride FC legend Mirko Cro Cop was never able to replicate his success inside the Octagon, his undefeated streak of 17 fights in Japan will forever be remembered as one of the most dominant reigns in sports history.
Rich Franklin may not appear on many pound-for-pound lists but his work in middleweight makes him a comfortable choice for No. 5.In addition to winning the Pride title at 185 pounds, he also won the award for being the last 205-pound champion of the now defunct promotion. He has a 25-2 record and avenged both defeats. Few can match Canadian legend Georges St-Pierre's talent, credentials or star power. From start to finish, St-Pierre was a dangerous and dynamic athlete inside the cage and a perfect gentleman outside of it.
His rise to fame came at Matt Hughes' expense who was previously considered the best welterweight before Rush started climbing up the ladder. It may seem strange to put someone with a 16-9-2 record at No. 8 but Frankie Edgar's achievements against other competitors don't quite match up to BJ Penn's two losses against him. Edgar ascended to lightweight throne during one of the most competitive periods in division history. In addition to taking Penn's belt and then defending it from him twice, Edgar also retained his title twice against Gray Maynard (one win and one draw). Even though his reign as champion wasn't particularly long, his consecutive losses by decision to Benson Henderson demonstrate how close Edgar came to establishing a longer reign. He will look to bounce back from a controversial loss against Diego Sanchez at UFC 172 in April and although he may never regain his former position in MMA, he has been performing consistently lately which suggests that he hasn't quite finished making his mark. Regardless of how long Jose Aldo stays with featherweight division, he is still considered as the best featherweight fighter ever and it's not even close.
Urijah Faber may have lost twice against Aldo but that doesn't take away from what he has achieved so far. Time may be running out for Faber's aspirations for UFC title but whether it comes or not, it's clear that he deserves No. 9 on this list. Although Mike Brown only has 4-2 record as flyweight competitor but adding that record to his bantamweight workforce makes him a fair candidate for No. 10. As long as Aldo continues to dominate 145 pounds division, Brown is likely to maintain his place here but it won't be long before someone replaces him.
Renan Barao has won 32 fights in a row which is an impressive feat considering that five of those wins came against top competition. Miguel Torres had an unfortunate moment of being considered as best bantamweight on planet until interest in division exploded and 135 began receiving recognition they deserved. Torres' submission skills and penchant for letting go of hands were critical in drawing attention to smaller fighters specifically bantamweight division. If he were still as successful as five years ago then he would be big star today but three voting panel members chose not to provide bantamweight ratings which cost him No. 10 spot on this list. Joseph Benavidez may only have 4-2 record as flyweight competitor but adding that record to bantamweight workforce makes him fair candidate for No. 10 spot on this list.
With kind of power not commonly seen in flyweight division plus equally powerful fight IQ makes Benavidez deserving candidate for No 10 spot on this list.
