Most Famous Ufc Fighters

 

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. Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. Ortiz and Coleman tie for the #10 position on the list of the most successful UFC fighters. A former Light Heavyweight Champion, Ortiz drew in the largest crowds for his fights with other big names like Ken Shamrock, Forrest Griffin, and Chuck Liddell. For fighters desperately trying to push themselves into the public eye and become bigger stars, Instagram is arguably the perfect platform – and these 10 UFC fighters have taken advantage of it. Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament (s).

The sport of MMA has grown tremendously since the UFC burst on the scene in
1993. Over the next two decades, MMA has become a global attraction that has
spawned numerous promotions and dozens of great fighters. Some of these athletic
combatants have gone on to transcend the sport and even help MMA grow to
unimaginable heights.

This list of the most famous MMA fighters is just a starting point; an
entrance into a fight world with personalities and athletes that have become
larger than life. By no means is this a complete or ultimate “All-Time Best”
list. In fact, if you feel that a fighter is missing from below, then reach out
to us.

List of the Most Famous MMA Fighters

Anderson Silva

Anderson “The Spider” Silva was at one point the best pound for pound fighter
in the world. He dominated the middleweight division for nearly seven years and
was the longest reigning champion in the history of the UFC. Some people believe
that Silva is the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, but that’s a debate for
another day and another list.

Silva unified the UFC and Pride middleweight titles and, at one point, held
the record for most successful title defenses with 16. He won the UFC
middleweight title in his 2nd fight with the promotion and dominated
for another 2,457 days. Anderson would also go on to hold multiple striking
records with the promotion.

Silva will also be remembered for his gruesome broken leg suffered during a
rematch fight against Chris Weidman.

Georges St-Pierre

If there’s another fighter on this list that could rival Silva as the
greatest MMA fighter of all-time, it would be Georges St-Pierre. More commonly
known as GSP, the Canadian MMA superstar was a 2-division champion and widely
considered as the greatest welterweight fighter of all-time.

GSP suffered two losses within the first three years of his UFC career.
However, since then, St-Pierre has won every fight. He’s defeated some of the
sport’s all-time greats like BJ Penn and Matt Hughes. He’s taken out some of the
top fighters of this era too, like Nick Diaz and Michael Bisping.

During the peak of his career, GSP was also the top PPV draw for the UFC.
Although others have passed him in this category, GSP will always be remembered
as one of the greatest ever.

Ronda Rousey

You can’t think of women’s MMA without thinking of the name Ronda Rousey. The
two will be synonymous forever. Rousey did more for women’s MMA than anyone
before her. In fact, it will be hard for any female MMA star to surpass Ronda’s
accomplishments.

Rousey was the first-ever American woman to win an Olympic medal in Judo when
she won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2010, she turned
professional and had a few successful MMA fights for various promotions. She
would become Strikeforce’s Women’s Bantamweight Champ before moving on to the
UFC in 2012.

In the UFC, Rousey would become the biggest star in the company during her
heyday. She became the company’s first ever female champ and went undefeated for
nearly three years. Rousey had six successful title defenses before finally
losing. During that streak, she was the main event for PPV, patented her arm-bar
submission, and revolutionized the sport for female fighters.

Rousey would become the first ever female fighter to be inducted into the UFC
Hall of Fame. She’s also enjoyed a modest Hollywood career and has gone on to
become a megastar in the WWE.

Randy Couture

I don’t think there’s a fighter at the level of Couture who has retired more
times than Randy has. With that in mind, Couture continued to come out of
retirement and win championships. Randy was one of the first fighters to win
titles in two divisions: the light heavyweight and the heavyweight. Nicknamed
“The Natural,” Couture is a former 3-time UFC heavyweight champ and a former
2-time UFC light heavyweight champ.

Randy is well known for fighting into his late 40’s and doing so at a high
level. In fact, there aren’t many 40-year-olds who have won championships in any
sport, especially MMA. But, Couture did it. His last fight came in 2011. Since
then, Randy has enjoyed retirement.

Couture will go down as one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time. He will
also hold UFC records that will probably never be passed, like winning a fight
at the age of 46. During his retirement, Couture has become a steady actor with
popular roles in The Expendables movie franchise and on the TV show
Hawaii 5-0. It’s clear, whatever the former U.S. Army Sargent sets his mind
to, he succeeds at.

Royce Gracie

In addition to being a UFC Hall of Famer, Gracie is an MMA legend and a
pioneer. He won three of the first UFC tournaments and starred in the first MMA
mega-feud with Ken Shamrock. Gracie and his family went on to perfect Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, the Gracie name is synonymous with the popular martial art.

Outside of the UFC, Gracie had one of the most memorable bouts in PRIDE
Fighting as he fought Sakuraba for over 90 minutes. Although the latter fights
of his career didn’t turn out as he and his fans had hoped, the sport and the
UFC would have never gotten off the ground if it weren’t for pioneers like
Gracie.

Ken Shamrock

You can’t mention the name of Gracie without his counterpart, Ken Shamrock.
The two were involved in a bitter feud during the early days of the UFC, which
put the company on the mat and took the MMA sport mainstream. Shamrock was the
first ever Superfight Champ, which would eventually go on to become the
heavyweight championship after the implementation of weight divisions.

Shamrock was also a big star outside of the UFC. He became the first
“foreigner” to win a major championship in Japan when he won the King of
Pancrase. During this period of time, Shamrock was considered the top MMA
fighter in the world.

Shamrock also left his mark on professional wrestling as he was a multi-time
champ in the WWE (WWF when he wrestled). Ken became an even bigger mainstream
star after his run in the WWE. With his famous MMA center known as the Lion’s
Den, Shamrock became one of the most influential MMA fighters of all-time.

Brock Lesnar

Although not as accomplished in MMA as other fighters on this list, Brock
Lesnar turned the UFC upside down when he decided to participate in mixed
martial arts. Lesnar came from the WWE world to MMA and fans refused to accept
him at first. In his 3rd fight with the UFC, Lesnar defeated Couture
to win the UFC heavyweight title. Lesnar would go on to have some of the highest
grossing fights in UFC history. He was an instant box office attraction.

Despite having little MMA experience, and a great deal of professional
wrestling experience, Lesnar was actually an accomplished amateur wrestler in
college. For his career, Lesnar went 106-5 in four years at college. He was a
two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Champ, and the 2000 NCAA
heavyweight champ.

Oh, and we can’t forget that Lesnar had a brief stint in the NFL after
leaving the WWE for other challenges. Brock continues to be one of the biggest
stars in the WWE and sends shockwaves through the sport of MMA anytime he shows
up in the UFC.

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor has transcended the sport of MMA like no other. He’s set new
records for UFC gates and PPV buys, while becoming a massive international
superstar. McGregor has become one of the best in the sport at selling a fight
with his words and tends to back it up more times than not. McGregor is one of
only a handful of 2-divisions champs and actually held those two divisional
belts at the same time.

McGregor proved his star power in 2017 when he took on Floyd Mayweather Jr.
in a boxing match. Conor went 10 rounds with one of boxing’s best fighters of
all-time. It’s gone down as the 2ndhighest grossing PPV fight of
all-time.

McGregor is widely considered to still be in his prime, but only time will
tell. Even if he retired tomorrow, McGregor would definitely be remembered for
the way he took the sport of MMA to another level.

Jon Jones

Regardless of his troubles outside of the sport, Jon Jones is regarded as one
of the best MMA fighters of all-time. In fact, some say that if Jones wasn’t his
own worst enemy, he would be the greatest MMA fighter of all-time.

Following the first loss of his pro career, in 2009, Jones would go on one of
the most impressive streaks the sport has ever seen. He won 14 straight fights
before his last one was overturned. Along the way, he beat some of the sport’s
best fighters in Cormier, Sonnen, Belfort, Evans, Rua, Bader, Machida, and
Jackson. His 13-fight win streak in the lightweight division is a record that
will probably never be broken.

At the time of winning the light heavyweight belt in 2011, Jones became the
youngest UFC champ ever. Not only does Jones have one of the most impressive
fight resumes in all of MMA, but he’s also going to go down as the greatest
light heavyweight of all-time; a huge accomplishment in itself.

B.J. Penn

Penn doesn’t have the fight record of other fighters on this list, but his
name is easily recognizable in any MMA circle. Not to mention he has a cool
website that provides some great insight, MMA news, and analysis. However, if it
wasn’t for his success in MMA, nobody would’ve turned to his site in the first
place.

Penn was first noticed in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship where he became
the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division. He also finished high in
other prominent Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, leading to him signing with the UFC. From
there, Penn would take on some of the sport’s all-time greats, like GSP and Matt
Hughes.

B.J. Penn wasn’t afraid to take on other fighters in different weight
classes. He also didn’t have a problem fighting in other promotions. No MMA list
is complete without Penn.

Chuck Liddell

Known as “The Iceman,” Chuck Liddell was the most feared striker on the
planet during his peak. From early 1999 to late 2006, Liddell went 18-2, won the
UFC light heavyweight belt, and defeated fighters like Ortiz, Belfort, Overeem,
and Couture. His feuds with Ortiz and Couture took the UFC to new heights.

Liddell’s personality and look helped him to stand apart from other fighters.
He’s considered one of the promotion’s first true superstars and easily earned
UFC Hall of Fame honors. It’s hard to imagine where the company or the sport
would be without Chuck Liddell. The Iceman certainly did things his way, which
includes going down swinging on his way to retirement.

Quinton Jackson

“Rampage,” became a fan favorite due to his exciting fight style and his
colorful personality. He was a star in Pride Fighting, winning the middleweight
title. Jackson had a highly memorable feud with Wanderlei Silva in the Pride
promotion before eventually heading to the UFC in 2006. Within his first few
fights, Jackson KO’d Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight title. From there,
Jackson became one of the most dynamic fighters in the UFC.

Quinton’s final years with the UFC were up and down due to controversy,
losses, and a few title wins. In 2013, Jackson left for Bellator and helped
establish that promotion as a reputable brand. Additionally, Rampage decided to
try his luck at pro wrestling when he joined TNA in 2013.

Outside of the octagon, Jackson is best known for his role as B.A. Baracus in
the hit movies The A-Team.

Fedor Emelianenko

Unlike the majority of fighters on this list, Fedor had most of his success
prior to entering the UFC. Emelianenko dominated Pride Fighting and also saw
success in M-1 Global and Affliction. For over eight years (2001 through 2009),
Emelianenko went undefeated as he won 28 straight fights. During that span, he
defeated Nogueira, Mirko Filipovic, and Alrovski to name a few. He didn’t need
the UFC to become a superstar. The UFC chased after Fedor because he was already
an international star.

Once he signed with Strikeforce, Fedor lost a few fights, and the mystique
wore off. Eventually, he retired as a legend of the sport. However, like other
MMA legends, Fedor came out of retirement for a few fights in various promotions
before ending up in Bellator. Regardless of his record and latter fights, “The
Last Emperor” was truly one of the last legit international MMA stars outside of
the UFC.

Tito Ortiz

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was a force to be reckoned with during his
peak run from 2000 to 2006. Over that period of time, Ortiz wen 11-2 and won the
UFC light heavyweight title and defended it five times. His feud with Liddell is
considered one of the greatest MMA feuds of all-time, right up there with Gracie
vs. Shamrock.

Tito fought during an era where the sport was still growing. Ortiz definitely
helped to bring more fans to the sport and became a star. Tito also had a few
retirements along the way but came back to the sport he loved and was very
successful at.

Ortiz tried his hand at acting and pro wrestling, but nothing really took off
for him in either industry. Outside of his legendary fight career, Tito is also
famous for his relationship with the super popular adult film star Jenna
Jameson.

Chael Sonnen

Sonnen has certainly tasted defeat in his career, but it’s his showmanship
that helped Chael stand apart. Furthermore, it’s his trash talking that has
become an art form where other fighters have tried to emulate him. In fact,
Sonnen might be the only MMA star that can out-trash talk Conor McGregor.

Chael might also be the only fighter on this list that’s more famous for his
talking and entertaining than his actual fighting. Chael doesn’t really have any
major titles on his resume, but he always seems to land big fights in every
promotion that he’s a part of.

Sonnen has worked with ESPN for several years as an MMA analyst.
He’s never short on words or insults. If you are questioning why he’s on this
list of famous MMA fighters, go check out some video clips of his greatest
promos.

Honorable Mentions

There are certainly dozens of fighters we could add to the famous MMA
fighters list above, but then we might as well just write a book on this topic.
Other fighters that could be included on this list and any other legit MMA list
are Jose Aldo, Takanori Gomi, Rich Franklin, Matt Hughes, Wanderlei Silva,
Mauricio Rua, Demetrious Johnson, The Diaz brothers, Daniel Cormier, Urijah
Faber, Bas Rutten and many more.

UFC fights stand for Ultimate Fighting Championship owned by WME–IMG and based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today I am going to list the best UFC fights of all time that are recognized as the most memorable fights in UFC history.

UFC has interned for over 20 years which is a form of American mixed martial arts and when these superior fights happened, the TRPs got way high, so get ready to know about these ten best UFC fights ever.

Fighters

UFC is famous for the brutal fights since it was opened first and some of those fights accreted the moments that can never forget by anyone because of the incidents happened there that make those fights best UFC fights of all time.

Most Famous Ufc Fighters

Top 10 Best UFC Fights of All Time

So let’s continue reading these ten greatest fights here if you haven’t seen them and if you have, then you can feel them again through my list of best fights in UFC history.

1). Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture

As per the records, Couture stated his retirement in February 2006 when he lost the match with Liddell happened at UFC 52. But, in 2007, he returned to fight against Tim Sylvia who is 13 years younger than Randy.

In the ring, Sylvia took full advantage of height which was more than Randy by six-inches and his weight was 40.5 pounds more than Randy at that time. So you can understand how Randy faced disadvantages of being sorter, order and lighter than Tim.

But who knew that all these advantages and disadvantages were only the paper things because, in the first ten seconds, Couture attacked Sylvia and defeated him.

He knocked him down hard with his right hand and waited for his action back and in this one great move, that round finished.

In the second round, Sylvia was unable for any action against his opponent and Couture took the entire control in this round as well.

In the final round, Couture used all his disadvantages and defeated Kim on his feet, so Sylvia’s all advantages were of no use and same happened in the fourth and fifth rounds and at last, Couture got that big title of the victory.

2). Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida

These both great fighters are known for the most intense fights whenever they faced each other in that Octagon with the MMA skills. In this memorable fight, they both jumped the center of the Octagon and started punching each other without wasting any time

They both started unloading their power at each other even before the commentator’s action whistle and he was just saying ‘Oh my God’ in the entire game.

They both were full of aggression for each other and it was well-viewed by all the attendants there in just the first minute of the great UFC.

At the moment when they got a chance to stand, Sanchez didn’t show any patience and he used a head kick and it made Guida grounded. But Guida didn’t lose anything and he stood back against Sanchez, but again he only got some really hard punches and moves by Sanchez.

This fight went the same for the second round and the third and final round; these two fighters were raining the aggression on each other. At last, the bad intentions ended and Sanchez became the winner of that “Fight of the Night.”

3). Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II

Most Famous Mma Fighter

It was the most exciting fight among these best UFC fights of all time between Matt and Frank. This fight took these both against each other on the met for the second time after their first fight.

In the first round of this fight, Frank took the aggression and he pushed Matt all over his face and head. He made Matt dropped on the mat and still emptying his aggression on all over Matt’s body.

In the entire round, Matt was defending himself from the hard shots of Frank. As this was the second fight, both were full of aggression and in the beginning Trigg seemed to take the command over Matt.

But then Hughes came up with all his power and separated himself from the choking of Trigg and then he tied up Trigg with all his power unloading all the aggression on Trigg’s face.

Matt didn’t allow slipping his choking and he continued with the punches and a few kicks which make these both spreading across the mat. Lastly, Matt used his elbows and grounded Trigg in the rear-naked choke which made Trigg to stop the fight.

4). Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva 1

With no further discussion, this is recognized as one of the best UFC fights of all time. It was a fight between two Hulks with a lot of knocks and kicks on the entire body. If you wish to see a really hard fight, you should see this one between these two large and strong fighters.

In the first round, no one got to the ground, but they unloaded lots of punches and kicks on each other and in the second round, there was enough action to see where the rage started getting high with each round and with the fight going on, they got on the mat.

In the second round, Silva seemed to suffer a lot because of the quick punches unloaded by Hunt where Silva also made some brutal leg kicks to Hunt’s calf.

The third round was almost same with some more aggression of the Hunt to Silva and Silva got the ground. After a few more seconds, Silva seemed like he is not capable of fighting anymore and out of energy.

In the next round, he managed some hard leg kicks that got Hunt on the ground and Silva struck with heavy hands. But in the end, Saliva lose the fight as he failed the post-fight drug test, so it is a worth watching among these best UFC fights of all time.

5). Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

If you have seen this Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson match, you know why it is known as one of the best UFC fights of all time. This fight was between two tall fighters who fought most of the time standing on the mat using kicks and punches against each other.

In the initial rounds, Alexander seemed like running away from getting grounded and he took Jon to the ground 2-3 times easily using his long legs and strong punches.

So Alexander played well in taking Jon down because it was hard for many of Jon’s opponents even after several attempts which Alexander made possible in just a few seconds.

Alexander used his right hand and took Jon down and by the rounds, Jon’s face was all bloody and full of mess, but Jon remained aggressive and tough that made him a winner of this fight at last.

This fight cleared those minds who were confused Jones’ and Gustafsson toughness, so this was the one in all these best UFC fights of all time.

6). Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III

They both already have fought against each other twice, but the mind-blowing fight was the third one that was considered among the best UFC fights of all time. The first fight was in 2008 when fighting against all odd, Maynard took the belt through the winning decision in favor of him.

After 10 months of that fight, these two met again on the mat when it was UFC 136. The fight started and in the first round, Edgar held strong and tried to stand on the mat, then Maynard came up with an uppercut move and landed Edgar.

In the next round, things felt worse and more aggressive, Edgar got landed on the met by Maynard’s harsh moves. Maynard went all in rage with all the power and he was like unloading punches that made Edgar like really bloody.

Next, Edgar was trying to recover himself by staying away from Maynard’s moves, so Edgar didn’t get any closer to Maynard due to the serious beating he received in previous round.

In the next coming rounds, Edgar took the position and he started unloading punches and kicks on his opponent.

7). Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua

It was also one of the best UFC fights where both of these opponents struck each other till they got their pants full of blood. It was the most aggressive five-round war between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua.

Dan was good in initial rounds that got Rua all messed up with blood and left him grounded. In next rounds, Rua took his power and he came up with his aggression that you can easily see after third round.

It was a total knockout for Dan because Rua continued defending himself and keeping his pace which later took Dan to ground with a lot of damage.

Henderson used all his energy and by the third round he got all empty and Rua took advantage of it in the fifth and final round, but Henderson was strong enough and he survived that ticking clock that got him victory.

8). Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2

It was indeed one of the best fights in UFC history; this was the second fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald, just like a rematch.

These two fought first in 2013 in which Lawyer was announced as the winner of that match. In 2015, these two again came in front of each other and that first round began.

Lawler played the match wisely from beginning to end, he used his rage efficiently and it got Rory all bloody. Lawler focused on Rory’s nose and covered him with the brutal punches. In next rounds, MacDonald also turned him quite good and hurt Lawler badly using a head kick and punches.

But Lawler stayed strong in the entire game and no one got on the mat, but at last, MacDonald seemed like giving up and he caught the mat after Lawler’s hard punches, kicks, and elbows. MacDonald was in all pain and Rory won that “Fight of the Night.”

9). Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

It seems a wise fight where Sonnen used his strength and Silva used his brain power and won the fight with minimum blood on his face. Sonnen was harsh from the beginning and he started unloading punches on Silva without stopping for a moment.

Silva seems like losing the match initially, but this guy was in complete control that made Sonnen meeting with blood all over. In the last minutes, Sonnen was unlucky because of that slipping that allowed Silva to choke him up making it a triangle choke.

Sonnen was caught hard that it was impossible for him to be released from that choke and by the time Sonnen lost the fight and made Silva a winner. So the title went around the waist of Silva, this was surely one of the best UFC fights of all time.

Old Ufc Fighters Names

10). Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

This fight was matched up between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar and this historical fight made it the best UFC fight ever. It was the most exciting one where these two heavyweights knocked each other till the last moment without getting on the mat.

They both fought with all their energies so in the third round their energies got stuck and they both were in slow paces. Both fought using all the strategies that made it hard to decide that who should win.

Lastly, the result came and it made Forrest Griffin to win the match and meanwhile, Bonnar fell on the mat, so ultimately this one comes with all these best UFC fights of all time.

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Conclusion

Here I listed all the best UFC fight ever that many figures made against each other. These fights are worth watching as these were an epic time in UFC fighting history. So you can watch the best UFC fights of all time by reading out this article here and let’s make any of these your favorite one.