Evan Tanner USWF (heavyweight) UFC champion, 9-2 in title fights
Jose "Pele" Landis Johns 1-3 vs UFC champs
Jake Shields Gladiator Challenge (welterweight), Shooto, ROTR, EliteXC (welterweight), Strikeforce
champion 9-3 in title fights
Murilo Bustamente UFC champion, 1-2 in title fights
5. Rich FranklinRecord: 29-7-1
Years Active: 1999-present
Championships Held: UFC
Title Fight Record: 3-2-1
Against UFC/Pride Champions Record: 6-6
I was a fan of MMA before TUF. Not a huge fan, but I had an appreciation and passing knowledge of the sport. I knew the big names, the Gracies, Chuck, Tito, Randy, Wanderlei, Ken Shamrock. So, when the TUF 1 Finale I just KNEW that Ken Shamrock was going to smash this jacked Jim Carrey looking dude. Well.... I was wrong on that one. Rich Franklin was the consummate UFC company man after that fight. He was exactly what Uncle Dana ordered: a good-looking, well-spoken, math teacher that quoted Bible verses and could throw down. Not only is he considered one of the nicest guys in the sport, he has long had a reputation as a tough all around fighter who never has a boring fight. In his 37 pro fights, only 6 of them have seen the final bell. Two of those were FOTN performance. After a solid run atop the middleweight division, Franklin ran into the inhuman Anderson Silva. After kissing Silva's knees for the second time at UFC 77, Franklin has been a ronin. He was a pioneer of the non-existent 195 lb weight class and is now seemingly performing solely on the "Legends" circuit.
4. Dan Henderson
Record: 29-9
Years Active: 1997-PresentMiddleweight Championships Held: UFC 17, Pride
Middleweight Title Fight Record: 2-2
Against UFC/Pride Champions Record: 10-6
Dan Henderson receives votes for the greatest fighter of all time. Deserved votes. However, his resume has been put together over three different weight classes, so it is difficult to rank him in any one weight class. Hendo only has four title fights at middleweight, but twice that number in total title fights. One thing is that Henderson has two more wins than anyone against UFC or Pride champions. The former US Olympic wrestling representative has become known more for his right hand than his takedowns. Henderson has taken part of some of the most exciting fights and moments in MMA history. He won the 2011 fight of the year against Shogun Rua. His KO of Michael Bisping was the 2009 KO of the year. His knockout of Fedor Emelianenko had me up off of my couch. Dan Henderson is easily in my top 5 fighters of all time but his middleweight only accomplishments put him at 4 on my middleweight list.
3. Kazushi Sakuraba
Record: 26-16-1-2
Championship Held: UFCJ
Title Fight Record: 1-2
Against UFC/Pride Champions Record: 6-5
Saku might actually have only fought a handful of fights in his career where both men were actually between 171 and 185 pounds. He made his name by being the first man to beat a Gracie in MMA competition. Not only did he do that, he was also the first man to beat Royce Gracie in a special rules 90 minute epic. Later that night he went out and lasted 15 minutes with the man that was considered to be the top heavyweight in the world, Igor Vovchanchyn. Saku even endured the earth shattering slams of a young Quinton Jackson to pull off the submission. In the late 90s and early 2000s he was the probably the top pound for pound fighter and easily the most fun fighter to watch. Sadly, he has become the model of a fighter fighting well past the point that they should be. However, I'll always prefer to think of the guy that would double palm strike opponents from within their guard or jumped on Vitor Belfort
2. Royce Gracie
Record: 14-2-3
Years Active: 1993-2007
Championships Held: UFC1, 2, 4
Against UFC/Pride Champion Record: 3-2-1
The man that started it all. More than any other single person, Royce Gracie is responsible for the sport of MMA today. Although he never wanted it to be a sport, leading to him leaving the UFC and some funky rules in his later fights, he is still the reason I have a blog to write. Royce shut down all of the theories that were held that a big muscle bound man would smash the scrawny 178 pound Brazilian guy in his pajamas. He smashed the notion that the best fighters would either a muscle laden killer like Ken Shamrock or an Asian man with a secret technique were the best fighters in the world. Because of Royce Gracie, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became a recognized art. Royce won UFC1,2, and 4 while confounding all of his opponents with his chokes and joint locks. He did not lose in UFC competition until 2006, when he passed the torch to Matt Hughes. His other loss, to Kazushi Sakuraba came because he not answer the bell after 90 minutes of fighting. If you're going to lose, those aren't bad ways to do it. Simply put, Royce Gracie is the most important fighter in MMA history. However, as his fight with Matt Hughes showed, he was not the most talented. That probably goes to our next entrant.
1. Anderson Silva
Record: 33-4
Years Active: 1997-PresentChampionships Held: Shooto, Cage Rage, UFC
Title Fight Record: 17-0
Against UFC/Pride Champion Record: 6-0
Just look back through this list. Some of the greatest all time fighters and yet, this man stands head and shoulders above them. He has nearly twice as many title fight wins as everyone else on this list combined. Silva is 16-0 in the UFC. This is not Royce Gracie's UFC, there are no Harold Howards to build your career on. Not only has Anderson won all of his UFC fights, he has only once looked mortal. And yet, he still won that fight. We are lucky enough to be witnesses to greatness. Like our fathers told us about watching Muhammad Ali fight in his prime, we will be able to tell about how we watched Silva go up a weight class and KO a former champ with a walking backwards jab. It seems all about interest now. What fights interest Anderson and how much longer can he keep this up before age and his body betray him?
The next weight class is the toughest, light heavyweights.
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