The fastest developing sport- MMA (mixed martial arts), every day he has more and more fans. This sport is only a quarter of a century old, but there are already many eminent athletes in it who are proud of their titles and awards. It's hard to stay in this sport for a long time, so it is quite possible that old champions will be replaced by new talents. In the meantime, we present you a rating - best MMA fighters for 2017.

Georges Saint-Pierre

Georges Saint-Pierre is the undefeated MMA champion, Anderson Silva lost this title to him after a recent hit. Georges is at the peak of his physical capabilities and, apparently, is not going to give up his place on the throne to anyone. Without a doubt, welterweight is the category in which he is the best, in battle Georges shows excellent physical and psychological characteristics, unbalancing his opponents with his behavior in the ring. Saint-Pierre is also a participant in UFC (absolute fighting championship) tournaments, where he has two defeats (after a rematch, he won up) and twenty-four victories. UFC champion twice, set a record for victories, by decision of the judges -11 victories. Matt Hughes, closest UFC wins opponent - 18 wins. Each of these records is likely to be broken by Saint-Pierre himself, fans of the fighter are waiting for this moment, monitoring the fights of Georges. Young age and physical data give him the opportunity to achieve new records.

Anderson Silva

He was originally a member of the Chute Boxe Academy, but due to problems with leadership and other factors, he founded his own organization, the Muay Thai Dream Team. Anderson Silva, better known as "The Spider", lost his title after being defeated by Chris Weidman, but still retains the title of the best MMA fighter in the ring. Silva's homeland is Brazil, he defended his title and the honor of his homeland, record number times - 10. He made his debut in MMA in 2000, with Kazyukin Denis - a Russian fighter, with whom, later, they became close friends. Kazyukin defeated Andre Galvao with a submission to the hand, while Anderson was defeated by his teammate Luis Azered. After knocking out Claudinor Fontinellier and Jose Barreto, he regained his name. UFC champion, middle weight category, in this place he held out for a long eight years. 2013 - fight with Chris Weidman (loss), demanding revenge, his demand was satisfied. In the rematch, unfortunately, the fans broke his leg in the second round.

Randy Couture

Randy Couture has a couple of aliases: "Natural" and "Captain America". Most Popular Fighter Ever mixed martial arts- Chuck Liddell, may soon lose this title, as Randy steps on his heels. By the way, in the battle between Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, the latter got a landslide victory. Couture is a three-time champion, heavyweight, in the history of MMA. Also participated in martial arts competitions, light heavyweight. He is also associated with the UFC - five-time champion this discipline. Daring and unfounded statements, by boxer James Toney, that MMA, and in particular Randy, is a frivolous and temporary phenomenon, were refuted by Randy himself, in a fight with a boxer, which ended with a confident victory for Couture. James Toney put himself in an unattractive light after this fight, without ceasing to discuss this topic, but his words sound ridiculous after the defeat. Randy had some problems with MMA: litigation related to the non-payment of the organization of funds and the conduct of fights.

Chuck Liddell

MMA considers Chuck Liddell, who is Shaquille O'Neal for basketball, Ronaldinho for football and Michael Phelps for swimming - a world star! It is considered the most popular MMA fighter and in general, the best fighter in the history of martial arts in general.
Defeating Tito Ortiz, he received the champion belt in the light heavyweight category and defended this title 4 times in two years. But there is nothing eternal, and at the end of his career he lost several times, to the chagrin of those who are not indifferent to his skill. At the very dawn of mixed martial arts, he was his treasure, which triumphed over many worthy and more experienced opponents. It was he who drew the attention of the American public to MMA, making these competitions the top-ranked among other similar shows. And after the end of his career, he keeps himself in shape. He also owns a gift shop and participates in various popular TV shows. Also released an autobiographical book - "Ice. My fighting life. "

Bas Rutten

Bas Ryutten, better known as "Handsome", is a professional athlete who contributed to the very birth of MMA. Dutch by birth, he was previously a professional kickboxer and had a black belt in karate, easily switched to mixed martial arts. A huge quality, already by its appearance inspired fear in rivals, plus a good technical base - these two components helped him become a champion, who made his invaluable contribution to the development of MMA at the time of its inception. Scoring one victory after another, he literally swept away opponents with his trademark low kicks and knee strikes to the head. He finished professional career without a single defeat, having participated in twenty-two battles. His favorite move was a blow to the liver, which usually paralyzed the opponent and Ryutten won. Bass's natural charisma and his demeanor in the ring made him a favorite of the audience. Now he has finished his career, but despite this he continues to work in MMA, however, already as a commentator. He also starred in several films and became a character in games.

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie, nicknamed "The King painful techniques", Quite deservedly. He is a pioneer in MMA, one of the first professional athletes who switched from academic sports to mixed martial arts. A master of Brazilian jiu - jitsu, he won a victory over much larger opponents with the help of painful and suffocating techniques. While still performing as a teenager in jiu-jitsu competitions, he had a record amateur score of 51 wins and only 3 losses. Fans have always loved Gracie: in one fight, when his elbow hit the opponent's "triangle", he was ready to walk with a broken arm, but not admit defeat. The scandals associated with prohibited substances did not affect his career - steroids were found in Royce's blood. Nandrolone - a stereoid, the presence of which is allowed in the blood in the amount of 2ng / mg testosterone, was exceeded three times, which caused a scandal and the cancellation of the results of the fight, in which Gracie won a landslide victory. He also starred in films and music videos (for example, the clip Attitude, the Brazilian band Sepultura).

Matt Hughes

Hughes was the strongest welterweight champion until Georges St-Pierre came along. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and has won the UFC welterweight title twice. Participated in fights, at a small show at Madonna High School, in the Chicago area. For his debut fight he received only one hundred dollars. A year later, he performed on the same show, winning, as in his first fight. Then he began performing in different cities and countries: including the UK, Japan, Kuwait and Hawaii, etc. When his MMA career began, he won the welterweight title twice, and for that he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This continued until Georges Saint-Pierre came into martial arts. Hughes has defended his title a record seven times. Most famous fight Matt vs. Carlos Newton was his greatest fight. He used this opportunity one hundred percent, and knocked out Carlos, receiving the welterweight title.

Dan Henderson

The Dan Henderson phenomenon is beyond description. Despite his age and professional injuries, he still faces off against younger fighters using his experience and prowess. Starting her career at Pride Fighting Championship s ", he moved to the UFC, almost immediately becoming a world-class fighter. By participating in Olympic Games, in the middle and welterweight categories, he has won titles in both weights. He won 17 UFC tournaments in the middle weight category, and became the first to win the Pride championship, in 2 weight categories at once (middle and welterweight). According to Strikeforce, he won the light heavyweight title and won the 1999 Kings of Kings competition. The most titled fighter in the world, he has so many awards that the media cannot even count their number. He fought and defeated such eminent fighters as: Vitor Belfort, Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva, Antonia Rodrigue Nogueira. It is also noteworthy that he defeated the Russian hero - Fedor Emelianenko.

Igor Vovchanchin

Was born in Ukraine, in the city of Kharkov. Igor Vovchanin, according to experts, is the most underestimated fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. Have the most long streak victories in this series of disciplines - 37 fights, at his peak, he was the best fighter in the history of MMA. With a small height for MMA (only 174 cm), he won victories over taller rivals, which made his fights something akin to the fight between David and Goliath, with a similar ending. The most interesting were the victories over Mark Kerry, Edilson Lima (two wins), Kazushi Sakuraba, and also Valentine Overeem. Now he is the president of the promotion company "Honor of the Warrior", holds the tournament of the same name, where he acts as a judge and vice-president of the "Oriental" martial arts association, which has a business in hometown... He starred in the series "Capital Measure" as a fighter who acts in a semi-professional ring. He ended his career only due to a hand injury, but did not give up sports - now he trains young guys.

Fedor Emelianenko

"Terminator", "Russian Experiment", "The Last Emperor" - all these nicknames Fedor received on his sports career. Fedor, according to the majority and the results of social surveys, is the best fighter in MMA. Alexander Karelin is the only one who can compare with Fedor in terms of the number of titles and achievements. For ten years and more than three dozen fights, Emelianenko remains undefeated and began to lose only when his age no longer allowed him to be in the same shape as in his youth. If opponents had met with him, in the ring, a few years ago, the Russian would have shown what an absolute victory is. The heavyweight champion, in several fights, almost killed some of the champions, after the fight they needed an urgent health care... He is considered the king of MMA and the pride of his homeland. The most significant were his victories over Mark Hunt, Pedro Rezz, Andrei Orlovsky, Matt Linland, Heath Herring, Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman, Semmy Schilt and many other great athletes.

The names of these fighters will be remembered forever, because no one has yet deserved their merits in the history of sports.

Georges Saint-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is a Canadian mixed rules (MMA) competitor and a former UFC welterweight champion. Saint-Pierre is widely recognized as one of the best MMA fighters in the world: the largest MMA publications unanimously recognize him as the best in welterweight and among the best fighters regardless of weight category.

Watch a promo video with the best fights of Georges:

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist and UFC featherweight champion. The shorty impresses with his tattoos and arrogance, and the ability to skillfully fight.

Mohammed Ali

This is the most recognizable fighter in history. american boxing... His name has almost become a household name today. Merits of Ali (real name - Cassius Clay):

• absolute world heavyweight champion (1964-1966, 1974-1978);
• holder of the title "Boxer of the Year" (five times - 1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978);
• The Boxer of the Decade (1970s) by The Ring;
• 2nd ever boxer to win the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award (1974);
• was recognized as the "Sportsman of the Century" by several sports publications.

Upon retirement, he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame (1987) and the International Boxing Hall of Fame (1990). Watch the video with the top ten best knockouts Mohammed:

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum - Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, UFC World Heavyweight Champion, two-time champion the world in heavyweight champion in European jiu-jitsu. Has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a black belt in judo. With this, it's not scary to wander around unfamiliar areas late at night.

Watch a promo video of Fabricio's best fights:

Sugar Ray Robinson

200 fights. 173 wins. This American professional boxer, who has competed in the light, first welterweight, welterweight, first middle, middle, second middle and light heavyweight divisions, usually leaves no hope of victory for his rivals. Today Sugar is the World Champion in boxing welterweight and middleweight categories. Watch his best fights:

Rhonda Rosie

The young lady also entered the chart of the best fighters. Rhonda Rousey - American MMA fighter and judo fighter, actress. The first UFC champion, former Strikeforce bantamweight champion (today the young lady weighs 61 kg).

See one of best fights Rhonda:

Anderson Silva

From October 14, 2006 to July 6, 2013, Brazilian mixed martial artist Anderson Silva was the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion of the largest MMA organization in the world. He has made 10 successful title defenses, which is an absolute record in UFC history. Silva also has a streak of 16 victories in a row in this organization, which is also a record figure.

Many famous fighters are known. Among them are the best and most titled ones. In addition, you can find out who is the most strong fighter in the world and who is the highest paid.

The best MMA fighters

There are many ratings that determine the best MMA fighters. All such reports can be called correct, someone agrees with them, but someone does not. One of the best is undoubtedly Fedor Emelianenko. His career in ultimate fighting began in 2000, and in 2001, according to the Rings, he was already the world champion. Two years later, Fedor won the same Pride title. Over the years of his career, the athlete has repeatedly been called the strongest man on the planet. Numerous fans have nicknamed him “ The last emperor". He spent ten years without a single loss, which is unique for fights without rules and for MMA. This unique athlete ended his career in 2012.

Fedor's brother is also a famous fighter without rules - this is Alexander Emelianenko. His career began in 2003. He has four defeats out of twenty-one fights. In 2009, the athlete tried himself in professional boxing, however, limited himself to only one fight, which ended in a draw.

Mike Zambidis is one of the strongest fighters, whose name appears in the Guinness Book of Records. His record is forty-eight knockouts out of sixty fights. His name was known in Europe back in 1998. According to the latest data, the athlete fought one hundred and sixty fights, of which only seventeen were lost to him, but eighty-four were won by knockouts. Mike retired in 2011.

Another strong fighter in mixed martial arts is Batu Khasikov. He has over two hundred battles in his career. Dan Henderson, Antonio Silva and Rashad Evans are also the best fighters. Rashad managed to defeat Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Stefan Bonnard and Michael Bisping.

For the entire existence of the UFC championship, John Jones became its youngest winner. His successes are dizzying, it is possible that he will occupy leadership positions in the UFC championship.

Jeff Monson is a famous fighter who is considered one of the strongest in mixed martial arts. Heavyweight fighter for Russia - Sergey Kharitonov. Having started his professional career in 2002, the athlete is still performing. In 2004, according to the Pride version, he became the bronze medalist.

Anderson Silva is a fighter who has lost only four of thirty-five fights. The athlete is reigning champion MMA. Often he wins beautiful victories, for which his fans like him.

The biggest MMA fighters

There are huge MMA fighters. This is Emmanuel Yarborough. With an increase of two meters ten centimeters, the weight of an athlete is three hundred kilograms. For such dimensions, he received the nickname "Man of the Mountain".

When compiling the TOP-10 of the best heavyweights in the history of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko is recognized as the leader. Its weight is one hundred and six kilograms. The big one is Antonio Nogueira. The weight of the athlete is one hundred and five kilograms. In third place in the ranking is the heavy and light heavyweight fighter Randy Couture.

Big MMA fighters are also Mirko Filippovich and Josh Barnett, Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia.

Most titled fighter

Five-time champion Randy Couture is recognized as one of the most popular and at the same time the most titled in the history of the UFC. He won victories in both the heavy and light heavyweight divisions.

Randy Couture has been named Natural and Captain America. His career and accomplishments are truly outstanding. It should be noted that Randy became the only fighter who managed to become a champion in two weight categories at once.

Highest paid fighter

Some fighters are not limited to prize money from battles. They also make money on advertising, movie roles, and some kind of investment. The heavyweight champion at one time was a fighter named Brock Lesnar. He is recognized as the highest paid in MMA in 2010. In the list of the highest paid athletes, Lesnar took the thirteenth position. His current state exceeds twelve and a half million dollars.

Chuck Liddell's income is estimated at thirteen million dollars, and Randy Couture managed to earn fourteen million. Titus Ortizu can boast a fortune of fifteen million dollars, and Bee Jane Penn owns a fortune of twenty million. I must say that most of Pena's fortune was not earned by him in battles. He has co-authored several books on martial arts and also wrote his autobiography. The athlete starred in the movie Never Give Up.

The strongest fighter in the world

The most powerful fighter in the world is Fyodor Emelianenko. He was called "Russian Experiment", "Terminator" and "The Last Emperor". In mixed martial arts, he is second to none. The athlete became famous for the fact that for ten years, having spent thirty-two fights, he never lost.

Defeats in his career began to appear only when he was not young enough. For a decade in his prime, he remained the heavyweight champion, defeating several UFC and Pride champions. No one has yet been able to defeat more champions than Emelianenko did. Most experts consider him the king of MMA.

And the strongest person in the world is not engaged in boxing, but in another sport ..
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MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) - mixed martial arts - rooted deep in ancient times. Good drummers and wrestlers were indispensable participants in both sporting events and spectacular performances. Martial arts have been developing all the time, subdivided into types. Sometimes the elements different types intricately mixed, creating a new direction.

This is exactly the result that Japanese wrestler Kanji Inoki expected, who in the 1970s organized a series of fights in Japan in which fighters of various fighting directions were to take part. And although one of the central fights was Inoki's meeting with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, this fight could not be called spectacular: having missed a few blows from Ali, Inoki lay on the mat for the rest of the fight and fought off his opponent with his feet. Nevertheless, these competitions can be considered, in fact, the birth of the modern MMA movement. However, the hearts of spectators and fans of fighting arts were finally conquered in the 1990s, when sports organizations PFC (Pride Fighting Championships) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). From that moment on, the popularity of this format of competitions began to grow rapidly.

In Russia, MMA enjoyed success, but at the same time it did not develop so quickly, which was partly due to the perestroika times and the inability to create a full-fledged structure that would host such championships. However, in the 2000s, the Japanese organization RINGS came to Russia, which is also the organizer of the MMA format competitions. She helped many Russian fighters become famous, for example, such as Fedor Emelianenko, Mikhail Ilyukhin, Bozigit Ataev and Nikolai Zuev. Since then, our athletes have declared themselves to the whole world, and many sports organizations have signed contracts with them. It is noteworthy that the pupils became the best fighters. sports clubs from certain regions and even cities.

So, what nationalities in Russia turned out to be the strongest, strongest, dexterous and hardy. The list contains only those athletes who have taken or are taking part in the fights of the most authoritative organization for today's ultimate fighting, the UFC.

Dagestani fighters

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov is perhaps the most famous fighter at the moment. Is an UFC champion v lightweight and the first UFC champion from Russia. He also holds the titles of Eurasian and Russian champion hand-to-hand combat, two-time world champion in combat sambo, in grappling, world champion in pankration. Khabib was born in the village of Sildi, Tsumadinsky district of Dagestan.

2. Zabit Magomedsharipov is another popular fighter in the UFC. Performs at featherweight. Within the framework of the organization, he had three fights, in two of which he received the title "Performance of the Evening", and in the last - " Best fight evenings ”. Is an former champion Russian promoter organization ASV Featherweight Champion.
Originally from the Dagestan city of Khasavyurt.

3. Abubakar Nurmagomedov is a cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Participated in competitions within the WSOF. After a streak of victories, he signed a contract with the UFC to perform in the welterweight division. He is the champion of Russia in combat sambo and a bronze medalist of the World Championship. Born in the capital of the Republic of Dagestan - the city of Makhachkala.

4. Rustam Khabilov is a Russian fighter from Dagestan who has been in the UFC lightweight division since 2012. He took part in 10 competitions, of which he won eight. He won the titles of champion of Eurasia in hand-to-hand fighting, champion of Russia and the world in combat sambo. Born in the village of Goksuv-otar of the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan. He maintains friendly relations with the Nurmagomedov family, trained with his father Khabib, honing sambo techniques.

5. Gadzhimurat Antigulov is a Russian light heavyweight fighter who has participated in competitions organized by the UFC since 2016. Already won two fights, one of which was nominated for "Performance of the Evening". He performed in the framework of M-1 Global organizations, ASV, holder of the ASV light heavyweight title. Was born in Makhachkala.

Chechen fighters

1. Adlan Amagov is the first Chechen fighter to compete in the UFC in welterweight division. Out of two fights, he emerged victorious. He is the owner of the titles of the champion of Russia in combat sambo, the champion of the world and Europe in universal combat. Born in the capital of the Republic of Chechnya - the city of Grozny.

2. Abdulkerim Edilov is a Russian light heavyweight fighter. Performs in the UFC format. He has the titles of the champion of Russia in combined martial arts, the world champion in universal combat, the champion of Moscow in combat sambo. In 2015 he was named the best Russian fighter. Born in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

3. Magomed Bibulatov - participant of the UFC fights in the lightest weight category. Fought for the champion title in 2017, but lost.
He is a four-time world champion in kikjitsu and kempo.
Originally from the village of Achkhoy-Martan in the Chechen Republic.

4. Mayrbek Taysumov - Russian lightweight fighter. He made his UFC debut in 2014, fought seven fights, of which only one lost, and three competitions with his participation became “Performance of the Night”. Has Austrian citizenship. Prior to that, he performed in various fighting organizations, incl. and in M-1 Global. Born in the city of Grozny.

5. Zubaira Tukhugov - Russian fighter, featherweight. Has been performing in the UFC format since 2014. He had four fights, of which he won three. Sambo champion of Moscow. Born in the city of Grozny.

Russian fighters

1. Alexey Oleinik is a Russian heavyweight fighter. Member of UFC fights since 2014. He had six fights, in which he won four victories. He has the titles of the world champion according to the FFF, ProFC, IAFC versions, the champion of Russia (according to PRMMAF) and the Russian Cup in pankration. Born in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR.

2. Alexander Volkov is a Russian heavyweight fighter. He plays in the UFC organization, had four fights, won everything. Moscow champion in karate, three-time Moscow champion in pankration, Bellator heavyweight champion. Was born in Moscow.

3. Alexander Yakovlev is a Russian welterweight fighter. He plays in the UFC organization, had five fights, of which he won two.
He is a master of sports in sambo, combat sambo, freestyle wrestling and hand-to-hand combat. Was born in Novgorod.

4. Dmitry Smolyakov is a Russian heavyweight fighter. Since 2016 in the UFC, he had two fights, but lost in both. Served at ProFC and IMAT organizations. Was born in Kaliningrad.

5. Andrey Semenov is a Russian middleweight fighter. He played in the UFC in 2002, showed 50% performance in two fights. He has 40 professional fights in MMA, of which he won in 31. In addition, he starred in 13 domestic films. Born in the city of Kineshma, Ivanovo region.

Of course, not all fighters are represented on this list, regardless of ethnicity. However, from the above, we can conclude that the inhabitants of the Caucasian part of Russia are more predisposed to practicing martial arts than the Slavic peoples of the country. Moreover, among the residents of Chechnya there are more of those who prefer percussion single combats, among the inhabitants of Dagestan there are more fighters, while the Slavs are "universals", i.e. they master both striking and wrestling techniques equally well.

Meanwhile, it is too early to make any specific conclusions about the genetic characteristics of certain peoples - too little time has passed to judge this. In this case, there is also a dependence on the development and domination in one place or another of the fighting schools of certain directions.

All undefeated fighters' careers start the same way and end differently. Some are ending their careers ahead of schedule, like Cole Konrad, without waiting for real tests. Others go through fire and water, victories and defeats and remain forever in the history of sports. Still others burst like soap bubbles and after the first misfire they never return to their former level. Almost no one is destined to stay on top and leave undefeated. In the elite of modern MMA, there are quite bright fighters, whose records are still adorned with a wonderful zero in the column of defeats, and therefore it is especially interesting to watch their fates.

(Russia), 29 years old, over 93 kg, 14-0

Four-time world sambo champion Vitaly Minakov, representing the FN team, took three years to get used to MMA and systematically move from amateur sports into a professional one. He burst into the elite of mixed martial arts quickly. He scattered his rivals in the Grand Prix with lightning, then, almost without noticing resistance, crushed Alexander Volkov and, finally, passed the maturity exam to Sheikh Congo. Now he will have several more fights under the Bellator contract, including a rematch with Volkov or a meeting with another unbeaten titled sambist Blagoy Ivanov. Soon, Vitaly will be faced with a choice - to go to the UFC and take risks or stay in Bellator without a chance to become a world legend.

Chris Wademan (USA), 29 years old, up to 84 kg, 11-0

One of the best American wrestlers Chris Wademan became the first champion after Lyotu Machida with a clear record (John Jones managed to spoil him by disqualification). The path to the top turned out to be surprisingly short. Through the championship in the Ring of Combat personnel forge, Wademan got into the UFC, where he went to the title fight in five fights. Many believe that he was very lucky that by that time the king of the middle weight of the last decade, Anderson Silva, was tired in both body and soul, and therefore lost twice ridiculously. But lightning does not strike one tree several times, which means there is something in this guy. Now he will face a series of new challenges with the defense of the title, which can drag on for years. The first in line are compatriots Silva Machida and Vitor Belfort.

(Russia), 25 years old, up to 70 kg, 22-0

Before joining the UFC, only a few knew the Russian, who had almost no serious rivals. Now Nurmagomedov is one of best fighters of his division, having confidently won all six fights in best league the world. V last battles he left no chances for rating Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjus, but he is not progressing so fast so far. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the competition in the division is as strong as anywhere else, and for title fight an impressive queue lined up, and secondly, Khabib is still little known in America, and not every MMA lover will consider his style spectacular. Finally, sudden injuries and refusals of opponents make their contribution. We hope that Nurmagomedov will get a big fight this year.