A constant topic of discussion among those in the MMA community, Tapology have gone ahead and chosen who they believe are the 50 best fighters to grace professional MMA.
The list includes both men and women, as well as a fairly diverse lineup of nationalities.
UFC, the renowned American MMA promotion company, has catalysed a worldwide craze for the sport. Becoming one of the most valuable and lucrative brands in the world, UFC’s fanbase continues to increase, with programming reaching over 1 billion households in 163 countries.
MMA only emerged in the 90s, and to see UFC and other organisations continue to popularise the sport at an international scale is quite inspiring from a neutral sports fan’s perspective.
The growth of MMA has also seen an increased number of digital publications created by fans, including Tapology. The website shares content related to MMA, boxing and more, allowing fans to always stay up to date with anything newsworthy in the world of combat sports. The site also fosters debate between fans through forums and discussion pages.
With that, here’s who they’ve ranked as the 50 greatest fighters in MMA history.
50-31
50. Valentina Shevchenko (Kyrgyzstan)
49. Benson Henderson (USA)
48. Tyron Woodley (USA)
47. Rich Franklin (USA)
46. Frank Shamrock (USA)
45. Gegard Mousasi (The Netherlands)
44. Ronda Rousey (USA)
43. T.J. Dillashaw (USA)
42. Cris Cyborg (Brazil)
41. Chris Weidman (USA)
40. Nick Diaz (USA)
39. Michael Bisping (United Kingdom)
38. Alistair Overeem (The Netherlands)
37. Junior dos Santos (Brazil)
36. Quinton Jackson (USA)
35. Tony Ferguson (USA)
34. Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)
33. Bas Rutten (The Netherlands)
32. Urijah Faber (USA)
31. Vitor Belfort (Brazil)
50-31 Summary
Just nine of the fighters ranked 50-31 represent countries other than the USA, with Brazil and The Netherlands accounting for three each. Of the 11 Americans, the most notable is arguably Ronda Rousey, the first female UFC champion. Only two of these fighters have upcoming matches scheduled with 50th placed Valentina Shevchenko fighting Jennifer Maia on November 21, and 45th placed Gegard Mousasi fighting Douglas Lima on October 29.
As we move to the next batch, more Brazilians are now entering the fray.
30-11
30. Robbie Lawler (USA)
29. Tito Ortiz (USA)
28. Royce Gracie (Brazil)
27. Mirko Filipović (Croatia)
26. Fabrício Werdum (Brazil)
25. Maurício Rua (Brazil)
24. Lyoto Machida (Brazil)
23. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil)
22. Henry Cejudo (USA)
21. Cain Velasquez (USA)
20. Wanderlei Silva (Brazil)
19. Frankie Edgar (USA)
18. Max Holloway (USA)
17. Amanda Nunes (Brazil)
16. Conor McGregor (Ireland)
15. Dominick Cruz (USA)
14. Dan Henderson (USA)
13. BJ Penn (USA)
12. Chuck Liddell (USA)
11. Matt Hughes (USA)
30-11 Summary
Brazilians and Americans dominated the 30th-11th placed rankings. Just two fighters representing other nations: Mirko Filipović of Croatia, and none other than Conor McGregor of Ireland. Amanda Nunes is the only female in this interval, as well as the highest ranked female on this list. With 501 combined victories between the 20 fighters, each has had their fair share of glory over the years, but not enough to make it into the top 10.
10-1
10. Stipe Miocic (USA)
9. Randy Couture (USA)
8. José Aldo (Brazil)
7. Khabib Nurmagomedov (Russia)
6. Daniel Cormier (USA)
5. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia)
4. Demetrious Johnson (USA)
3. Anderson Silva (Brazil)
2. Jon Jones (USA)
1. Georges St. Pierre (Canada)
Each of these guys on their best day would be a nightmare for whoever their opponent may be. The only Canadian on the list Georges St. Pierre takes top spot on the ranking, as per the users of Tapology. Khabib and Emelianenko are the only two Russians to feature on the entire list.
It is still safe to say that, despite this ranking, the debate regarding who is indeed the greatest MMA fighter of all time will continue for years to come.