The Top American MMA Fighters of All-Time

[sugarngold]

Originally Posted by Stoo

Why Randy fella? Id have a hard time making a case for him being no 1 personally

For winning titles at heavyweight, lightheavyweight and back at heavyweight again and for dethroning that sunuvabitch Tim Sylvia and in effect sending him out of the UFC. He hung tough with Nogueira - the number two heavyweight of all time. Couture would have given Fedor fits with his Greco Roman style and possibly defeated him if they had ever fought - but of course that's just conjecture.

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by sugarngold

For winning titles at heavyweight, lightheavyweight and back at heavyweight again and for dethroning that sunuvabitch Tim Sylvia and in effect sending him out of the UFC. He hung tough with Nogueira - the number two heavyweight of all time. Couture would have given Fedor fits with his Greco Roman style and possibly defeated him if they had ever fought - but of course that's just conjecture.

Brilliant, cant argue with that

[Stoo]

Not one vote for Hughes yet, a little bit surprised by this

[Popkins]

Originally Posted by Stoo

This is an article from Bloody Elbow, but who would you voted the best of all time and why?
1. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (45- - Hughes, in my mind, is the obvious number one. Nine UFC title victories over two, long title reigns. Though losing both trilogies, he has victories over both B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre. His losses to [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] are eyebrow-raisers, but the dominance more than makes up for it, and he had his own little Randy Couture moment when he submitted [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] at UFC 117. Hughes may no longer rightfully be the "Greatest Welterweight in UFC History" (GSP pretty much locked that title down when he started lapping the field at 170), but in my eyes, he's the greatest MMA fighter America has produced to date.

2. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (21- - Chuck was the last guy to defend the light heavyweight belt more than once. He held the belt for two years, and defended it four times after KOing Couture at UFC 52. In addition to his title reign, Chuck had two streaks of seven or more straight victories. He hit a sharp decline after losing the belt to Jackson at UFC 71, and a reduced Liddell still should have beaten [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] at UFC 76. In the middle of that decline, however, he looked like the Chuck of old in his legacy fight with [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], one of the more underrated fights in history.

3. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (28- - Like the two men before him, Henderson was a two-division champ, winning both the welter- and middleweight belts in Pride plus currently holding [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]'s light heavyweight strap. He also owns tournament title for UFC 17 and the 1999 Rings King of Kings. Henderson, in my mind, has only one questionable blemish -- his 2006 decision loss to Kazuo Misaki. His propensity for non-decisive decisions (he has eight non-unanimous decision wins) might give others pause as well. Otherwise you go through his losses -- the Nogueiras, Anderson Silva, Rampage -- and you see the biggest names in the sport. You'll find the same thing in his wins, though, including his huge legacy victory over [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

4. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (19-11) - The first two-division champ in UFC history. Nine victories in UFC title fights. Winner of the UFC 13 title tournament. Wins over Chuck Liddell, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], and [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. The only thing holding Couture back at the number four spot? Embarrassing losses to [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], Mikhail Illoukhine, and [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Those losses are more palatable if Couture had a long run of dominance (see: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and Ryo Chonan/Daiju Takase, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], or the guy at the top of the list), but, like Penn, Couture never won more than four fights consecutively. Unlike Penn, Couture took a solid wrestling game and an average overall skill set and turned it into one of the better careers in the sport.

5. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (16-7-2) - Penn is the most talented fighter on the list, but his career has been plagued by issues with motivation, as evidenced by losses to [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Those losses aren't "bad," per se, but it's worth noting that Penn has never won more than four fights consecutively. What Penn has done, however, is win belts in two different divisions, including defending the lightweight strap three times after defeating [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] for the vacant title in 2008. At 32 years of age, Penn is still relatively young, and with under 30 professional bouts, he hasn't become "fight old" either, despite entering his 11th year in the sport.

1.Penn
2.Henderson
3.Hughes
4.Liddell
5.Rampage

[Stoo]

Rampage over Randy, what's the thinking behind that Popkins?

[Koa]

I think it has to go to Henderson. Not only has he done it in multiple weight classes, he has done it with a style that tends to not endear fighters of his extraordinary longevity. He may not always be the best fighter, but he's a guy who always has a shot to win because of the tools and background he has.

I think 2 needs to go to Hughes. He had and Penn had a great rivalry, but Penn fell off the planet while Hughes defended his title for years. That being said I think Penn was the better fighter when he was focused and in shape, but Hughes had what it took to be champ for quite a while.

Rampage is next for me. He has wins over Liddell who is a hometown boy who I'm a fan of. He's a lot like Henderson, and seemed to peak late.

Liddell- Guy was able to utilize a striking game against grapplers, great counter puncher and at his peak really understood distance control, how to stuff shots, and on the occasion he did find himself on the ground, was able to get back to his feet most of the time. He forced some of the greatest wrestlers in MMA to stand with him in a game and rule set that has a strong bias for wrestlers. In his prime he was known for a solid chin, but like all good things that aspect of his strengths faded and allowed far lesser fighters like Franklin to take advantage. Talk about a fighter who went out on his shield.

Penn- Super talented guy, probably the #1 guy if I were going to imagine him at his absolute prime peak. A focused, in shape, young, peak Penn is something that probably never existed because he was so talented he seemed to half ass his way through everything, but if there was a guy who had all the potential in the world it was a young B.J. Penn. BJJ skills out he ass, black belt in Judo, a natural at boxing, uncanny balance, flexibility with good striking power and an innate killer instinct. Guy was an absolute beast.

[thewinfella]

Great list , great thread Stoo well done

1. Matt Hughes
2. Dan Henderson
3. BJ Penn
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Randy Couture
6. Frank Shamrock
7. Quinton Jackson
8. Tito Ortiz
9. Rich Franklin
10. Rashad Evans

[Stoo]

good lists Koa and winfella

[thewinfella]

Duplicate

[MetalMandible]

Koa, the only thing I don't agree with is you speaking of Penn in the past tense. He's still a fucking beast as evidenced by the fact that he's the only guy outside of GSP that Fitch can't beat and he's a natural LW.

[(PimpThaSystem)]

Originally Posted by MetalMandible

Koa, the only thing I don't agree with is you speaking of Penn in the past tense. He's still a fucking beast as evidenced by the fact that he's the only guy outside of GSP that Fitch can't beat and he's a natural LW.

Fitch hasn't fought enough of the top welterweights for you to make that claim.

[rusty nails]

such a tough list. as soon as you start thinking one guy you look at his losses then have to start again.

[Stoo]

Just realised Frank Mir isnt in the honourable mentions even

[rusty nails]

Originally Posted by Stoo

Just realised Frank Mir isnt in the honourable mentions even

typical. the guy gets no respect whatsoever. probably the most underappreciated fighter in all of MMA

[Stoo]

Bump