MMA is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling and fiercely competitive sports globally, with numerous fighters achieving legendary status. Among these icons, certain individuals shine brightest due to their unparalleled talent and skill. Curious about who stands as the greatest MMA fighter of all time? Explore our definitive list of the top MMA fighters ever at YoutubeStorm, where passion meets expertise in every fight analysis.
Who Is The Best MMA Fighter Of All Time?
We’ve listed the best MMA fighters of all time for you to know! Let’s check out what makes them special!
B.J. Penn
B.J. Penn is a multiple time UFC champion and one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was also the first person to hold the UFC lightweight and welterweight titles, as well as being the first fighter to win titles in two different weight classes (lightweight and welterweight).
In his career, B.J. Penn has fought some of MMA’s toughest opponents including Carlos Newton, Kenny Florian and Tito Ortiz on their way up through the ranks before eventually reaching championship status themselves with wins over Matt Hughes at UFC 100 and Georges St-Pierre at UFC 107 amongst others!
Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. He is one of the best fighters of all time, having won that title three times. In addition to his accolades on the Octagon, he’s also known for his acting career and has been in movies such as “The Expendables 3” and “The Expendables: The Volition Experiment.”
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is the greatest welterweight of all time. He’s also one of only two fighters to win titles in two different weight classes, and he’s a three-time UFC champion (and two-time welterweight). If you want to talk about longevity, it would be hard to find a more consistent competitor than Georges St-Pierre.
He held the UFC title for nearly nine years before losing it back in 2013–and then he came back just weeks later after vacating his belt due to personal problems with drug addiction and depression. The Canadian has since defended his title twice more against Johny Hendricks (2014) and Michael Bisping (2016).
While St-Pierre hasn’t fought since 2016 due enough time off from competition that might affect how well he does when he gets back into action again next year; his record stands at 20 wins vs 7 losses!
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is the most dominant female MMA fighter in history. She is the only fighter to have defeated both the current and former UFC women’s bantamweight champions, as well as one of them (Cristiane Justino) twice.
Rousey also holds notable records for her accomplishments outside of MMA: she held both women’s title belts simultaneously at 135 pounds for seven consecutive fights before losing them both to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. She became the first person ever to defeat two former champions at 135 pounds. And she became just one of three fighters ever–along with Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock–to hold titles simultaneously on multiple weight classes during their careers (3 divisions).
Jon Jones
He’s the youngest UFC champion in history, and he’s also one of the most dominant fighters. Not only did he win his first title at age 18, but he held on to it for two years before losing it again to Daniel Cormier in 2016 (and then reclaiming it from Cormier via unanimous decision). There are other reasons why Jon Jones is considered one of MMA’s greatest fighters: He has beaten many high-profile opponents such as Alexander Gustafsson and Alexander Emelianenko; he owns two wins over Anthony Johnson; and he has beaten some former champions including Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko is a former M-1 Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, with his fights often being compared to those of Muhammad Ali.
Emelianenko was born on October 20, 1976 in St Petersburg, Russia. At age 11 he began training in sambo and jiu-jitsu before making his professional debut in 1995 against an opponent who outweighed him by 60 pounds (27 kg). In 1997 he won three consecutive Russian championships while still fighting at heavyweight. His career took off after moving up to light heavyweight where he competed against other Eastern European fighters such as Pedro Rizzo (Brazil), Igor Vovchanchyn (Russia) and Mirko Filipovic (Yugoslavia).
What Makes the Greatest MMA Fighter
When you think of the greatest MMA fighter, what comes to mind? You probably think of names like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. These fighters are at the top of their game, but there are others who have also made their mark on the sport—and they’re still going strong!
Strategy
Strategy is the ability to think ahead, plan, predict and react. It’s not just about having a plan; it’s about being able to execute your strategy when things don’t go as planned.
A good example of this in MMA would be when Urijah Faber got knocked out at UFC 199 by Brad Pickett. The first thing that comes to mind is “Oh no! Did he get hurt?” But then you realize that there was never any real danger of injury because Faber was able to control his opponent with leg kicks and punches until the referee stepped between them (in order for Faber not get disqualified).
Physicality
The first thing that makes a great fighter is physicality. They don’t back down from getting hit and they know how to take a punch in order to keep going, no matter what. They also know how to get back up and fight back when they’re knocked down or taken out of the fight completely.
The most important physical attribute for MMA fighters is their ability to take punishment without losing consciousness or going into shock, which can happen when you’re hit with enough force that it causes internal bleeding or damage to your brain (even if it doesn’t make sense at first). This is why fighters wear knee pads and elbow guards: they want those blows against them so they don’t feel pain as much as possible!
Preparation
Preparation is a key factor in MMA, but it’s not just physical preparation. It’s also mental, technical and tactical training. In fact, the art of preparation has been studied by many experts in sports psychology over the years.
Preparation can take place during the fight itself–or even before it starts by studying footage from previous fights (and winning ones). Professional fighters will spend much of their downtime watching videos of themselves on YouTube or Twitch TV so they can learn from their mistakes or try to avoid repeating them in future bouts. The ultimate goal is for each fighter to develop his/her own style that makes him/her stand out from other competitors on the roster at any given time; this means spending hours upon hours researching opponents’ strengths and weaknesses so as not only survive but thrive under pressure!
Balance
Balance is a key component of MMA. It’s the ability to stay upright and maintain your center of gravity, which allows you to keep your head level and feet planted on the ground while attacking or defending an opponent. Balance is also important because it allows fighters to keep their arms in front of them, which provides protection between them and their opponents’ strikes.
Control
Control is the ability to control a fight. It’s not just about being able to dictate where the fight goes, but also about being able to dictate how the fight ends. Control can be defined as having an upper hand over your opponent in any given situation, which means that you’re dictating their decisions and actions throughout all phases of a match. This can manifest itself in many ways–from restricting them from moving away from where you want them or making them do something specific (such as keeping their hands up)–but ultimately it boils down to being able to make your opponent do what you want them to do when they are fighting against themselves because they have no other option but comply with your commands.
Conclusion
Now that you know the best MMA fighters of all time, we hope you’ll give them some thought when watching fights. These are the people who have won and continue to win at this level of competition, so it will be hard not to be impressed by their achievements – especially if you’re a fan of either sports.