Hughes is a future UFC Hall of Famer and the best, or second best, welterweight in the history of the organization. In the 16-year history of UFC, only 11 fighters have defended their title more.

• Who Is The Best Fighter In Ufc History
• Who Is The Best Fighter In Nhl History

• A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.
• History's Greatest Sword Fighters. Ancient History Weapons Medieval History. Forged in Fire’s contestants might claim to be some of America’s top bladesmiths, respected the world over for their ability to carve lethal weapons out of effectively any materials they can get their hands on.

Humans have always been confronted with the issue of certain humans being oppressed due to various different social factors. Such oppression and cruel behavior on the part of humans makes a big question mark in our minds. Are they really “humans” who try to destroy humanity? In such cases, some righteous and courageous people fight for rights. They are themselves oppressed and beaten up for their freedom fight. But eventual success find its way for their relentless and righteous efforts. History notes down their name as the greatest freedom fighters ever like in the following rundown:

11-Bhagat Singh

His revolutionary activities and heroism established during the opposition of the subcontinent against British Rule and the British-found, East India Company. Shaheed Bhagat Singh belonged to a Sikh family. He was a diligent person who didn’t simply go to war. He first studied several different revolutionists biographies then tactically applied it to his own struggle. His part in the Indian Independence Movement started by his revenge for killing of Lala Rajpat Rai. Bhagat played an important role in assassinating a British Police officer. He gave himself under custody for the murder of the police officer. Remarkably, his freedom fight didn’t even end while he was in jail.

He started a hunger strike that lasted 116 days. During this strike, he raised the awareness of the dire need for Indian prisoners to be treated equally well as European prisoners. However, he was put under trial for the assassination. With the proofs of the assassination being undoubtedly clear, he was executed at a very young age. He lived for just 23 years, but played an important role in The Independence Movement. Bhagat Singh is one of the most prominent patriot in the list of Indian freedom fighters.

10-Frederick Douglass

Frederic Douglass started the journey of his life in an environment of oppression and captivity. He was born in 1818 in Maryland. As he grew up and gained maturity, he was confronted by the slavery and oppression of his masters. He strives hard even under such circumstances. He used every possible way to get the knowledge of writing and reading. After being successful in the escape from slavery, he continued his quest of writing and reading. Frederick Douglass took the way of writing as his voice and began outsourcing to many government and local dignitaries. He emphasized on topics like opposition to slavery, equal rights, saying no to racism and women’s rights. This popularity and keen interest led him to publish some autobiographies and narratives like “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave“.

He became a famous anti-oppression instructor. He gained huge fame to the point of even advising presidential authorities regarding abolition of slavery. His opposition to the 15th amendment which banned suffrage discrimination based on race while upholding sex-based restrictions is a proof of his support for women. Moreover, he stood up firmly against casting his vote if women weren’t given equal rights for voting. For this he was even mocked and beaten up by angry mobs. However, eventual success followed his way when in 1847, he returned to USA as an independent and massively celebrated personality.

9-Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist priest and social dissident. He assumed a key part in the American social liberties development from the mid-1950s until his death in 1968. Despite being born in an area full of racist opposition, King found his way. He gained a PhD degree from Boston University in systematic theology. Motivated by supporters of peacefulness, King dreamt for social balance for African Americans. He eagerly took up this challenge with great zeal. During this journey of righteousness, he was imprisoned 30 times! He was the main thrust behind notable occasions. Enraged by the imprisonment of an African-American girl over racism in public transport, he mobilized a vast number of people.

They all boycotted public transport system unless equal rights were granted for all races. This helped to finally bring about a change and a landmark enactment such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was another landmark achieved due to his remarkable efforts. His renowned speech “I have a dream” is till this date celebrated as one of the most astounding speeches ever. He was recompensed the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

8-Che Guevara

Che Guevara a very famous freedom fighter, was born in 1928 in Argentina. He grew up with the interest in medicine and therefore pursued his education in this field. During this journey of gaining medical education, he got shocked with the extreme hardships of hunger and poverty he witnessed. It was this point where his freedom fight for Cuban Revolution started. Due to his keen interest in freedom fighting, he abandoned the field of medicine.

He went on long voyages across South America to gain popularity amongst the oppressed. They supported him eagerly to overthrow the “Batista Government”. After his marriage, he traveled to Mexico, where he grouped up with Fidel Castro. They made joint strategic plans to overthrow Batista’s government to bring justice for South Americans. They attacked Cuba several times to crumble the Batista regime. By 1959, they succeeded in overthrowing the oppressive government. He was later appointed as president of the national bank and minister of industry. His assistance in the country’s transformation into a communist state can not be forgotten.

His speech in the United Nations condemning US foreign policy was a huge landmark achieved. He went on to explore more states where oppression existed. It was during one of these conquests that he found himself in the hands of the Bolivian army. He was eventually executed by the Bolivian army in 1967. Indeed, one of the greatest freedom fighters in the world!

7-Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle was a military personnel by profession. He is renowned as a notable figure in French history and politics. His struggle of freedom established during the Cold War. He worked as a military officer during the First World War and Second World War and was wounded several times. He himself found in trouble when he was arrested during 1st World War. At the end of the war he was released. He was a commander of tank regime. Due to his accomplishments and diligence, he was appointed as the Under Secretary for War by the French Government.

A turning point in his life was the moment when France surrendered to Germany in 1940. He couldn’t accept this defeat and escaped to England. There he established a Free French Movement, which was the real start of his freedom struggle. With the help of England’s Prime Minister, he started voicing his ideas publicly about gaining freedom. He urged upon the need to act as one nation and gain back the occupied areas under German control. Not only just voicing his ideas, but also he simultaneously started gathering troops to fight the oppression. Eventually he became president of France’s provisional government.

However, at the end of 1950’s, the crumbling French system became a serious worry and so he returned to France. He aided in the formation of a new government, thus taking over from the oppression of Germany. He became the President of France in 1959 and established an intelligent approach by keeping France away from super-powers. Thus, he proved to be a vital personality in the recovery of France and its people for freedom.

See Also: 10 Longest Hunger Strikes In History That Shocked The World

6-William Wallace

Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight. He gained fame as one of the pioneers amid the Wars of Scottish Independence. Despite knowing the consequences of standing up against the English men, he kept on working hard for the Scottish. Wallace defeated an English armed force at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297. He worked together with Andrew Moray. He was designated Guardian of Scotland and served until his demise at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298.

English king offered a large sum of money to anyone who killed or captured him. Wallace was seized in August 1305, and transported to London. He was charged and tried with treason. William denied all charges. He was executed in 1305. His body was cut off after execution and the head was placed on London Bridge. His limbs were put on display in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth. Since his death, Wallace has acquired a famous status all around the UK specifically Scotland.

5-Vladimir Lenin

A Russian communist by nature, he developed his revolutionist nature after seeing the execution of his brother in 1887. He studied law and eventually moved to St. Petersburg. This led him to meet many oppressed, exiled Russians. He grouped up with some revolutionists and began a campaign. The campaign included the spreading of communist ideas by paper to even going openly against the government physically. He leaded the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

This led to the formation of Russia and afterward the more extensive Soviet Union turned into a one-party comrade state represented by the Russian Communist Party. Lenin is regarded by many as the most significant political leader of the century. Not only in the former Soviet Union but also among many non-Communist states, he has been noted as a greatest revolutionary leader, thinker and indeed one of the greatest freedom fighters of all time.

Who Is The Best Fighter In Ufc History

4-Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was one of the pioneers to lead the Cuban Revolution and was the head of Cuba’s government until 2008. Starting in 1958, Castro started a crusade of guerrilla fighting to effectively topple Cuban despot Fulgencio Batista. Castro turned into the nation’s new pioneer. His comrade household arrangements and military and monetary relations with the Soviet Union prompted strained relations with the United States.

Under Castro, changes were made to social policies and health and education were established with great attention. In January 1966, Castro established the Organization for Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This helped promote revolution and communists ideas. In 1967, he therefore framed the Latin American Solidarity Organization to encourage revolutions for the oppression in several Latin American nations.

3-Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China. He established his ideas for communism in China by watching the success of the Russian Revolution. Mao therefore joined as one of the first members of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. He established an alliance with the Chinese leader Sun Yat-sen. However, Sun Yat-Sen’s successor proved to be against communism so he broke the alliance. So Mao Zedong led a small army of farmers for the sake of freedom and communism in China.

However, they got easily defeated. Upon several small uprisings by the communists, they realized that it was time to act wisely. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, in a short period of time, almost 10 small states were established influenced by communism. This enraged the government and they decided to attack. At this time Mao Zedong led a Long March to retreat from the government’s attacks. It was here when he gained popularity from the Long March. He emerged as the Communist Leader. He led the Chinese against war with Japan and introduced revolutionary steps to build a modern China. Due to leading such a large nation with diligence, he is 3rd on the list of the top 10 greatest freedom fighters of the world.

2-Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi is the one of the greatest Indian freedom fighter of 20th century. Gandhi united the whole India in the struggle of independence of the country. His most famous non-violence methods really works and at the end British handed over the sub-continent to its people. Indian movement for independence was managed and spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi. He laid various civil rights movements for his country freedom. Gandhi stood firm in every hardness leading his nation from the front. He inspired the whole world with his strong determination and the non-violence approach.

See Also: Top 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

1-Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela spent his young life battling for the flexibility of South Africa’s dark and hued populace from mistreatment forced by the minority government. Not long after discharge, he turned into the supreme president of South Africa in which all the general population could vote regardless of race, nationality or any other social factors. For 20 years, he coordinated a peaceful rebellion against the South African government for its bigot strategies. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were together granted the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to disassemble the nation’s racial framework.

He was detained for a long span of 27 years in prison. In 1994, Mandela was appointed as South Africa’s first dark president.He always urged upon the need to work in cooperation and peace, no matter what race an individual belonged to. He was a symbol of forgiveness and peace. He came out with no bitterness, forgiving his enemies despite the extreme and excruciating hardships he was confronted with. No doubt he is the best freedom fighter of the world!

The list is incomplete without mentioned some of the other greatest freedom fighters across the world.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Who is the greatest MMA fighter of all time? It’s a question that many have tried to answer with no definitive outcome.

1/8Order UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal on ESPN Plus pay-per-view and save more than 25%3/8

Part of the problem is that since the rise of cage fighting and the launch of the UFC, eras have come and gone. How do you assess fighters who ruled over a specific time that had weaker competition in different promotions? Could one of today’s rising stars take out a dominant force like Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, Wanderlei Silva or Kazushi Sakuraba in their prime?

For our list of the 25 greatest MMA fighters of all time, we tried to balance the criteria. A fighter’s overall career resume mattered. But not as much as their performance at their peak. The eye test was important. But not as important as the competition a fighter faced and how they handled that competition.

Ultimately, we valued fighters who put together multiple wins (often in multiple divisions) over others who were considered among the greatest of all time. You might say that produced recency bias, especially considering pioneer Gracie didn’t make our list and that our No. 25 is an all-time fan favorite.

The list has also been updated to reflect high-profile wins by Stipe Miocic and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

25. Chuck Liddell

Might as well start this list with some controversy. For the record, I began watching the UFC in 2005. At the time, Chuck Liddell was the biggest star and the person most responsible for making the sport of MMA popular. He was a phenom and the fact that he barely made this list is going to upset old-school fans. Yet, it’s easy to forget Liddell’s peak run didn’t last all that long and it wasn’t against the toughest competition. During his seven-win run atop the UFC, four fights came against Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. Liddell was a human highlight reel. But was he a better mixed martial artist than Cain Velasquez, Shogun Rua, Vito Belfort, Fabricio Werdum and Rampage Jackson, who were considered for this final spot? In the end, Liddell’s peak years and the way he finished guys put him over the edge...just barely.

24. Valentina Shevchenko

Some might find it hard to rank women and men together on a list like this. Not me. Many of the male fighters on this list never faced each other either. Valentina Shevchenko is terrifying and the greatest female striker in MMA history. She’s picked apart the likes of Jessica Eye, Holly Holm, Joanna J 1/4 u0119drzejczyk and Julianna Pena. Her only two losses since joining the UFC are to Amanda Nunes, the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time. And there’s a solid case to be made that Shevchenko won that second fight.

23. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Had Big Nog stopped fighting after Pride 24, he would still be considered an all-time great. At that point, he was coming off a streak of 13 straight wins against top-notch competition. Nogueira’s only knock is that he couldn’t get past Fedor Emelianenko in his prime. But no one could. Big Nog did earn big wins over Heath Herring (to win the inaugural Pride Heavyweight Championship), Bob Sapp, Dan Henderson, Ricco Rodriguez, Mirko Cro Crop, Fabricio Werdum and Tim Sylvia (for the UFC Heavyweight Championship). Nogueira was battle-worn by the time he got to the UFC and still managed to win a title in the top promotion in the world.

22. Eddie Alvarez

To truly appreciate Eddie Alvarez, you have to examine his time in both the UFC and Bellator. He was great in both and the competition Alvarez faced remains a who’s who in MMA today. Alvarez always put on a show for fans. His UFC stretch of beating Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos was as good as the lightweight division had seen. And let us not forget that Alvarez was a welterweight champion early in his career, showcasing his ability to excel in multiple divisions.

21. Robbie Lawler

Throughout his career, Robbie Lawler came to finish fights. That didn’t get him too far during his first run in the UFC once he ran into elite competition. Yet, Lawler’s second run in the promotion, which began in 2013, will put him in the Hall of Fame one day. His stretch as champion was nothing short of brilliant while holding two wins over Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks and Rory McDonald (their second fight is, in my opinion, the most entertaining battle in MMA history).

20. Israel Adesanya

Too soon for Adesanya? Maybe. But look at what he’s done since entering the UFC. In his last six fights, Adesanya has consecutive wins over Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson, Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, Robert Whitaker and Yoel Romero. Silva is an all-time great, while Whitaker and Romero would have surely made this list had they not run into Adesanya. The 30-year-old has earned his spot and will only move up from here.

19. Dan Henderson

After becoming a standout with his epic bouts in Pride, Dan Henderson’s arrival to the UFC was much anticipated. But it didn’t go as planned the first time around. Still, his KO of Michael Bisping might be the best finish in UFC history. Henderson moved on to Strikeforce, where he regained his mojo and took out the great Fedor Emelianenko. Upon his return to the UFC, Hendo gave us one of the greatest fights in MMA history against Shogun Rua.

18. B.J. Penn

We have to look past the last several years of B.J. Penn’s career, because, quite frankly, they’ve been hard watch. Yet, during his prime, Penn was one of the most exciting fighters in MMA. He made some odd career choices during his first run with the UFC. But his raw talent was unmatched. After getting bounced from welterweight by Matt Hughes in 2006, Penn moved back down to lightweight and was unstoppable. His five wins in the division (four of which came with the UFC Lightweight Championship on the line) were all finishes. Penn did attempt to go back to welterweight, losing to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94. Yet, by then he was cemented as icon.

17. Henry Cejudo

Two years ago, it’s hard to imagine we’d be putting Henry Cejudo on this list. His UFC career had been a mixed bag, beginning with two losses -- one to Demetrious Johnson and then a split decision to Joseph Benavidez after Cejudo was deducted a point for low blows. Then came one of the greatest runs in UFC history. Cejudo shocked the world and beat Johnson in their closely contested rematch. Cejudo’s last six wins are as impressive as almost any on this list, including wins over TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz. In between those fights, Cejudo became a two-division champ after KO’ing Marlon Moraes to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

16. Matt Hughes

Coming before Georges St-Pierre is no easy task from a historical standpoint. But Matt Hughes certainly made the UFC Welterweight Division. Hughes won the championship almost by accident, in a double knockout against Carlos Newton that went Hughes’ way. From then on, Hughes was a monster. He beat Newton decisively in a rematch and then scored impressive wins against Sean Sherk and Frank Trigg. BJ Penn upset Hughes at UFC 46. But Hughes would eventually go on to avenge that loss. The competition at welterweight would get better after Hughes’ run was over. But he has holds wins over two of the biggest names on this list in their prime (including Georges St-Pierre). That, and Hughes’ unprecedented dominance gets him here.

15. Randy Couture

Randy Couture had one of the greatest careers in MMA history. But it was a roller coaster ride, making it hard to determine when his prime was. Couture had as many as four great runs with the UFC. The legend of “The Natural” began with two amazing fights against Pedro Rizzo. He would go on to lose to Josh Barnett (who tested positive for banned substances) and Ricco Rodriguez the following year. Yet, Couture bounced back at light heavyweight, beating Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and splitting a two-fight series with Vitor Belfort. It wasn’t a stretch of dominance like some of the others on this list. But it was an impressive showing in two highly competitive divisions. There’s something to be said for remaining in your prime for such a long period.

14. Frankie Edgar

Everyone’s favorite underdog until he became one of the greatest fighters in history. Frankie Edgar always looked undersized. But that never stopped him from beating the best lightweights on the planet, including Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin and BJ Penn (twice). Edgar was the man who stopped Penn’s best career stretch. Two questionable decision losses to Benson Henderson pushed Edgar up to featherweight where he, again, became a title contender with wins over elite fighters. Edgar is one of the best mixed martial artists of all time in two divisions. Few can say that.

12. Max Holloway

Recent losses shouldn’t taint what Max Holloway has accomplished over the past six years. Since losing back-to-back fights to Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor early in his career, Holloway has 14 wins with most of them are against strong competition. That list includes Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo (twice), Anthony Pettis, Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stevens, Charles Oliveira and Cub Swanson. You could say he over-reached in trying to become a two-division champ against Dustin Poirier. But Holloway has a chance to avenge his recent loss at featherweight against Alexander Volkanovski. Should he do that, Holloway’s legacy as the greatest featherweight of all time could be guaranteed.

12. Dominick Cruz

If it weren’t for injuries, Dominick Cruz might have the greatest career of any MMA fighter. And yet, it’s still quite impressive the way it is. Upon Cruz’s return to the WEC in 2008, he became a well-rounded force, beating future UFC title contenders like Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall before getting his rematch against Urijah Faber and winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 132. Cruz dominated that fight. But the crown jewel of his career may be his win over Demetrious Johnson at bantamweight. It’s the only clear cut win someone has over Johnson in his prime.

11. Daniel Cormier

Is easy to focus on Cormier’s career as him being the greatest light heavyweight in UFC history not named Jon Jones. But consider before Cormier joined the UFC he was dominating heavyweights like Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett in Strikeforce. Cormier’s coming-out party was a dominant performance against Frank Mir in Cormier’s UFC debut. Cormier never coasted on his wrestling, even though he could have, becoming a formidable striker. If he beats Stipe Miocic at UFC 241, Cormier will go down as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. It’s hard to get past the two losses to Jon Jones (granted, one was overturned due to a positive drug test by Jones). And maybe we’re short-changing Cormier because of them. But he still makes the top-10.

10. Amanda Nunes

Some MMA purists won’t want to see a woman this high on the list. They’ll say Amanda Nunes didn’t face the same level of competition as the men. But take the greatest female MMA fighters of all time and Nunes has beaten all that were willing to face her, usually in spectacular fashion. That includes Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko (twice). After an uneven start to her career, the past half-decade has seen Nunes be as dominant as any fighter – male or female – in UFC history. Oh, and she’s a double champion who has successfully defended BOTH of her titles.

9. Jose Aldo

When you think of Jose Aldo, it’s easy to picture his 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194. Sure, it would have been nice to see Aldo try and avenge that loss. But what he accomplished before that fight was astonishing. Aldo was an assassin during his early days at WEC, with his breakthrough performance coming when he TKO’d Cub Swanson with a flying knee at WEC 41. Aldo then dominated the promotion’s mega-stars Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. When he joined the UFC, Aldo all but closed out the featherweight division until he ran into McGregor’s fist. There are some people high enough on Aldo to put him atop of this list. I’m not quite as sold on the strength his competition, especially after losses to Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. But that’s just me.

Who Is The Best Fighter In Nhl History

8. Stipe Miocic

From a career standpoint, a TKO loss to Stefan Struve hurts Stipe Miocic’s resume a bit. But he became a different fighter after that. After losing a close war to Junior dos Santos in 2014, Miocic fine-tuned his skills and went on the greatest run in the history for a UFC Heavyweight Division that is as competitive as its ever been. Miocic is a quiet guy. But his wins from 2015 on speak for themselves: Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos (in a decisive rematch). Those are all Hall of Fame level names. Miocic also beat Francis Ngannou at UFC 220, controlling a seemingly unstoppable force that may very well be the future of the heavyweight division. Miocic’s trilogy fight win over Cormier now cements him as an all-time great.

7. Conor McGregor

Is Conor McGregor really retired? If he is, he’s is an icon. No question. Don’t let the hype and showmanship fool you. McGregor was a dominant force possessing a left-hand for the ages. Following the momentum of an early win against Max Holloway in 2013, McGregor beat Diego Brandao (a former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner), tough veteran Dennis Siver, longtime contender Chad Mendes and put Jose Aldo’s lights out. McGregor then lost to Nate Diaz in a fight the former was winning until he ran out of gas. McGregor would avenge that loss in a classic rematch before beating Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division champion. If McGregor wants to move into the top five on this list, he’ll need to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov again and win. But there’s no denying his greatness even without that rematch.

6. Anderson Silva

From April 2006 through October 2012, Silva recorded 17 consecutive wins, 16 in the UFC. But it wasn’t just that streak (bested only by Jones in terms of UFC wins), it was the way Silva destroyed people. In his UFC debut, Silva brutalized Chris Leben, one of the toughest guys in the promotion’s history. Four months later, he would KO Rich Franklin to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. Franklin, a future Hall of Famer, was unstoppable for two years before Silva made him look like a scrub. Most of Silva’s fights weren’t close to competitive. He made fighters like Dan Henderson, Patrick Cote and Franklin (again) look average. Silva answered a close call to Chael Sonnen with dominating wins against Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami and Sonnen in a quick rematch. And when Silva got bored during that time, he beat up and embarrassed light heavyweights like Stephan Bonnar, Forrest Griffin and James Irvin. Yes, Silva was dominant in an era where the competition wasn’t as strong as it is now. But was that just because Silva made those guys look so bad?

5. Demetrious Johnson

Johnson’s peak period may still be ongoing. His one loss since 2013 was a split decision to Henry Cejudo (a fighter he TKO’d during their first fight) that could have gone either way. Johnson left no question about who was the best in the world during his fights, dominating each opponent in every aspect of MMA. The only knock against Johnson is that he never went up a division after clearing out flyweight. Could he have captured two UFC belts while still in his prime? We can assume yes. But we may never know.

4. Fedor Emelianenko

There’s this idea that Fedor Emelianenko’s all-time rating takes a hit because he never fought in the UFC. In terms of looking at an entire career resume, perhaps that is true. But if we’re just looking at fighters’ prime periods, Emelianenko lays claim to the most impressive streak in MMA history with 27 consecutive wins. And he did it against some of the all-time greats, including Mark Coleman (twice), Kevin Randleman, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Mirko Cro Cop and Mark Hunt. Emelianenko’s dominance ran from 2000-2009. During that time, there isn’t a UFC champion that would have been favored in a fight against him. Yes, it would have been nice to see him take out all of the UFC’s elite during that time (Though, he beat several of them in other promotions). But it shouldn’t take away from his Mt. Rushmore of MMA status.

3. Khabib Nurmagomedov

If he is done, Nurmagomedov will go out undefeated with the answer to the question of whether anyone can beat him being no. His first true test, at least on paper, came against Rafael dos Anjos at a UFC event in 2014. That fight was not competitive. In fact, none of Nurmagomedov’s fights in the UFC have been, despite top-notch opponents like Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. It’s hard to argue with Nurmagomedov’s dominance up until this point. His stretch against McGregor, Poirier and most recently Justin Gaethje ranks as, perhaps, the best three-fight run in UFC history. We may be a bit emotional with Khabib declaring he’s retiring, but he’s earned this spot.

2. Jon Jones

Jon “Bones” Jones didn’t waste any time making a name for himself in the UFC. His spinning back elbow against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 is a star-is-born moment. But Jones’ first truly great performance was technically a loss. He demolished Matt Hamill only to be disqualified for using illegal downward elbows. Hamill could barely stand to awarded the victory. From that point on, Jones was unstoppable. He didn’t just beat people. He demolished them, including seven (yes, seven!) surefire, future UFC Hall of Famers. Most of those victories coming via finishes. You could maybe make the case Jones wasn’t the same after his classic fight with Alexander Gustafsson. Yet, he went on to beat Glover Teixeira and Ovince Saint Preux (without surrendering around to either) and scored two wins over Daniel Cormier (Though, one was overturned due to a positive drug test). Jones’ recent fights haven’t been all that entertaining, especially his razor-close decision win against Dominick Reyes. Jones is moving up to heavyweight. If he wins a title there, it would be hard to argue with his GOAT status.

1. Georges St. Pierre

St. Pierre won the UFC Welterweight Championship from Matt Hughes in impressive fashion (TKO) in 2006. He took his first challenger for that belt – a game Matt Serra – lightly, leading to one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. However, Pierre’s next run with the title was flawless, showcasing the most well-rounded skill set of any fighter in MMA history. From his second win over Hughes and retribution against Serra on, Pierre barely lost a round, dominating Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Fields, Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz in their prime. And dominate isn’t a strong enough word. Most of those fights were barely competitive against fighters who were among the division’s elite. By the time Pierre got to Johny Hendricks, a fight he won controversially, Pierre had one foot out the door. Yet, during his peak, he was easily the greatest athlete the UFC. His return bout against Michael Bisping to win the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2017 was just the icing on the cake. You can’t go wrong with any of the fighters in this top-three. But for us, GSP was the total package.

———

©2020 The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

Visit The Plain Dealer, Cleveland at www.cleveland.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.