Mixed martial arts (MMA) is arguably the fastest growing sport in the world. Every day the number of his fans is growing inexorably. Despite the fact that this sport is only about 25 years old, for this a short time there were many great champions. It is possible that this list of the best MMA fighters in another 25 years will look very different, but today it looks like this.

Known by the nickname "Vigor", St. Pierre is one of the most promising fighters in the world of MMA. Canadian competitor, former UFC welterweight champion. He is still in his prime (born 1981) and looking at his superior athleticism and wrestling skills, this is far from the limit. During participation in UFC fights welterweight weight category Georges Saint-Pierre fought 27 battles, of which he won 25 and only 2 defeats, for both he avenged. In 2008 and 2009 he was recognized the best athlete of the Year in Canada, and Wrestling Observer Magazine's Best Fighter of 2009.

Anderson Silva, also known by the nickname "Spider" (born 1975) - Brazilian member mixed martial arts... He recently lost his title to the younger and stronger Chris Weidman. Still, Silva remains one of the best fighters to participate in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian master held the title for the longest in UFC history, defending it in 10 straight bouts. UFC President Dane White has named Silva the strongest mixed martial arts fighter in history.

Five-time UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion (a record three times). Randy (known by the nickname "Natural", "Captain America") became the first fighter to win two UFC championship belts in two different weight classes. Randy Couture (born 1963) is known not only as an American fighter who fought in Greco-Roman wrestling and MMA, but also as an actor and showman.

Chuck Liddell for MMA, someone like Michael Jordan for basketball, David Beckham for football, in a word "SUPERSTAR". It's no exaggeration to say that he is considered the most popular UFC fighter of all time to this day, and probably one of the best. Charles David Liddell, nicknamed "Ice" was born in 1969 - a professional kickboxer, world champion in the light heavyweight division according to the UFC from 2005 to 2007.

The sixth place in the ranking of the best MMA fighters goes to Bas Rutten. This is a Dutch kickboxer who took part in mixed martial arts fights. UFC Heavyweight Champion. Bas Rutten (born in 1965) also known by the nickname "Handsome", ended his career without losing, he had 22 fights, of which 21 wins and 1 draw. Rutten's favorite tactic is to attack the liver with both his arm and leg. His charisma, inside and outside the "Octagon", has helped the Dutch athlete become a celebrity. To date, the former champion is a television commentator and has also starred in several films and video games.

Royce Gracie (born December 12, 1966) is a Brazilian fighter, master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His name tops the list in the UFC Hall of Fame. Considered one of the most influential figures in MMA history. He gained his fame thanks to victories over more major opponents with the help of wrestling techniques, thereby drawing the attention of athletes participating in MMA to study more wrestling on the ground. During his career, which ended in 2007, Gracie fought 16 fights, winning 14 of them.

Matt Hughes (born October 13, 1973) - American mixed martial artist, former two-time champion UFC welterweight title. He defended his title a total of seven times, a record for the welterweight division. In his prime, Matt Hughes was literally invincible. During his career, he spent 54 fights, of which he won 45.

Dan Henderson

Words aren't enough to describe Dan Henderson's greatness. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest and toughest MMA fighters of all time. Even more impressive is that he still fights younger athletes to this day. Dan Henderson (born August 24, 1970) nicknamed "Hendo" became the first fighter to win the Pride Championship in multiple weight divisions (welterweight and middleweight). Former Olympic wrestler. He has won more titles than any other fighter in MMA history.

Igor Vovchanchin (born June 8, 1973) - former Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter, winner and medalist of many tournaments mixed style... Igor (born 1973) is known by the nickname "Cold-blooded" was one of the most dominant fighters of all time, from 1995 to 2000 fought 32 fights in a row without losing. In total, the kickboxer fought 87 fights, of which he won 76 fights. Igor Vovchanchin was also one of the shortest (174 cm) heavyweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.

Fedor Emelianenko

"The last emperor", "Terminator", these are the nicknames, Fedor Emelianenko (born September 28, 1976), the greatest MMA fighter who ever walked on the "octagon". Four-time world champion in MMA in the heavy weight category, seven-time champion of Russia and four-time champion the world by combat sambo... International Master of Sports in Judo and Honored Master of Sports in Sambo.
For almost 10 years, Fedor remained invincible, having spent a total of 32 fights in this period of time, which made him the best fighter in the history of MMA.

Many famous fighters are known. Among them are the best and most titled ones. In addition, you can find out who is the strongest 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 was awarded 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.

Fyodor'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 fought. 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 - Sergei 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

One of the most popular and at the same time the most titled in the history of the UFC is recognized five-time champion Randy Couture. 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 remarkable. 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 of 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 co-authored several books on martial arts and 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 over the course of 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 ten years 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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The UFC has gained widespread popularity. The most ferocious warriors on the planet are fighting against each other, hoping to find out whose martial arts the best and who is the strongest. Best UFC fighters for 2017, according to the magazine "Big Rating":

Robert Whittaker

Robert John Whittaker, born 1990. He is an Australian fighter with New Zealand roots. Known by the nickname "The Reaper".

The fighter performs in the middle weight (his own weight is 84 kg).

We know about Robert that he was taught to sport since early childhood... Robert's father John sent the boy to karate as a kid. After eight years of study, Robert changed his qualifications to Hapkido, and in 2003 he began to study MMA.

Robert began his professional career in 2009 with the Xtreme Fight Championships in Australia.

His first fight took place on March 14, 2009 against Chris Tallowin. A devastating victory in the first round gave Robert an incredible impetus for further studies.
Then Whittaker signed up for the Cage Fighting Championships, in which he won 6 victories.
With a 9-2 record, Whittaker took part in The Ultimate Fighter. There the Australian team faced off against their opponents from England.

The first fight lasted only 19 seconds. Robert knocked out Luke Newman in the first round. Moreover - for this knockout, he received a bonus in the form of $ 25,000 for "Knockout of the Season".

At the moment, the fighter has 19 wins and 4 losses.

Jose Aldo

Brazilian fighter, nicknamed "Scarface". He stands in the floor lightweight(own weight 65 kg), sponsored by the UFC.

It is noteworthy that Aldo was the fourth and the last champion WEC Featherweight Champion and became the first UFC Featherweight Champion, immediately following the merger of the UFC and WEC.
Surprisingly, until 2015, Aldo was the leader of the list of the best fighters regardless of weight class.

Jose Aldom is a two-time featherweight champion and has 26 wins, and 2 defeats.

Michael Bisping

A fighter from England, with the aristocratic nickname "Count". He competes in the middleweight division (own weight 84 kg) in the UFC league. At the moment, he is the champion of his weight category. Also on his roster is the Cage Rage championship in the floor heavyweight and Ultimate Fighter 3.

June 4, 2016 became significant for Michael, because he won the belt UFC champion.
At the moment, the athlete has 30 wins and 7 losses.

Dominic Cruz

An American fighter of Mexican descent who has the formidable nickname "Dominator". Performs in the lightest weight category (dead weight 61 kg).
Dominic is a past two-time UFC champion and former champion WEC in its own weight category.

Currently Dominic Cruz has 22 wins and 2 defeat.

Tyrone Woodley

American mixed martial arts fighter and freestyle wrestler. Tyrone has the nickname "The Chosen One" and competes in the welterweight division (own weight 77 kg). Since 2013, he has been playing in the UFC and is the champion in his weight category.

Tyrone's first fight took place in 2013 with Jay Chiron. The fight lasted exactly 36 seconds and ended with a lightning knockout.

On November 16, 2013, Tyrone had another fight, which took place in the same vein. Woodley received the award " Best knockout evenings "for this fight.

At the moment, the fighter has 18 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw.

Daniel Cormier

The history of the ascent of the fighter with the nickname "DC" is quite fascinating. Initially, he took part in Olympic Games from the USA.

In the UFC, Daniel began his heavyweight career, but then moved to light heavyweight. He argued that he did not want to compete with his friend Kane Velasquez.
Rising to the top of Olympus, Daniel defeated many famous opponents, which include such fighters as Frank Mir, Josh Barnett and others.

The only fighter that was beyond Cormier's strength was John Jones. The first fight ended in defeat on points, but the second still cannot take place, because the date has already been postponed twice.

TO strengths fighter can be attributed to the Olympic training: high level wrestling, pressing and boxing.

It's funny, but outside of the octagon, Daniel is a friendly and pleasant person and also a great friend.

At the moment, the fighter has 19 wins and 2 defeats.

Cody Garbrandt

American bantamweight fighter (weighs only 61 kg). Started professional career Cody just four years ago. Of course, then no one knew him yet and the general public did not even suspect about him. However, the finest hour came in 2016. The audience saw 4 lightning victories, 3 of which came by knockout in the first round.

Now he has become the UFC bantamweight champion from an unknown upstart.
The strengths of Cody include high speed and accuracy, as well as endurance and developed fighting intelligence.

At the moment, Cody Garbrand has 11 wins and 0 losses.

Max Holloway

Jerome Max Holloway is a US Featherweight fighter. Max's own weight is 65 kg. Nicknamed "Blessed", he moved through the UFC featherweight division to a championship in that weight class.

He is now ranked as the fourth best fighter in the world, regardless of weight class, according to Sherdog.

Now Max has 17 wins and 3 losses

Stipe Miocic

American mixed martial arts fighter, originally from Croatia. Now he is performing in the heavyweight division. Now his weight is 120 kg.

The fighter with the specific nickname "Stone Cold" began his career on October 8, 2011, in a fight against Joey Beltran. The victory was awarded unanimously.

At the moment, the fighter has 17 wins and 2 losses.

Conor McGregor

A unique fighter in the history of the UFC, because he is the only owner of two championship belts at once, in different weight categories. McGregor's nickname is "The Notorious".

At the moment, he is the reigning lightweight champion and quite an extraordinary person in the UFC. Everyone knows McGregor for a very flamboyant manner of fighting, which includes various techniques and styles.

McGregor's unusual disposition is combined with a fierce character. He starts the fight long before its official start, because he always provokes his opponent in every possible way.

The cocky Irishman is just making history. What is the fight of Jose Aldo, featherweight at UFC 194. Conor just smashed his opponent in 13 seconds and got the championship title.

At the moment, the fighter has 21 wins and 3 losses.

Demetrius Johnson

The second place in our rating was taken by the famous American Demetrius Chrysna, who competes in the lightest weight category. Surprisingly, the fighter weighs only 56 kg. Now he is the reigning champion in his weight class, and he is also recognized as the most stable fighter.

A trained fighter can fight both in a standing position and in a parterre. Is different great speed and a great response. Perfectly adapts to any opponent.

Demetrius now has 26 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw.

John jones

The winner of today's rating is the famous Jonathan Dwight Jones, nicknamed "Bones". He competes in the light heavyweight category at 93 kg.
He is one of the most talented and technical fighters in the whole world. What is the light heavyweight championship at just 23 years old. He became the youngest UFC champion in the history of the organization.

All his fights end in undeniable victories. The only defeat is not very good story, because he was disqualified for elbow strikes at prohibited angles. To be honest, John Jones has never been defeated.

However, like any talent, John found himself in an awkward situation when his dark side was revealed. It's sad to realize that the UFC legend has had legal problems with drug use. This led to the loss of belts, as well as the cancellation of some contracts with sponsors.

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 his contract with Bellator, 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 was 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 both in spirit and in body, and therefore lost twice absurdly. But lightning does not strike one tree several times, which means there is something in this guy. Now he faces a series of new challenges with the defense of the title, which could 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. In recent 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.

Magomedov (19 wins (8 by knockout, 1 reception), 2 losses) is perhaps the most underestimated Russian fighter. Rashid rarely ends fights ahead of schedule, but shows himself to be a very confident and stable fighter. In Russia, he managed to beat everyone he could - from Frodo Khasbulaev and Alexander Yakovlev to Shamil Zavurov and Yasubei Enomoto.

They talk and write less about his fights in the UFC than about the fights of Oleinik or Nurmagomedov, although there is something to see: in the opening, Rashid endured the elbow lever, which looked almost fatal, and in the fight against Elias, Silverio managed to knock out the opponent 3 seconds before the final bell ...

9. ALEXEY OLEINIK

Among his Russian colleagues, Oleinik (51 wins (5 by knockout, 41 receptions), 10 defeats, 1 draw) stands out for his grappling skills and his ability to choke opponents. Oleinik began performing during the "fighting without rules" and continues now, when MMA is controlled by athletic commissions, anti-doping laboratories and sponsored by global brands.

For five years now, Oleinik has been performing in the status of a veteran - an elderly fighter who has seen a lot. It was the achievements of this period that became decisive for Alexei's status as one of the best Russian fighters... During this time, he managed to win victories over Jeff Monson and Mirko Filipovich, seemingly leave MMA and return to the UFC, where he received a couple of awards for best performance evenings and became the first person in UFC history to defeat the rare and technically challenging stranglehold of Ezekiel.

8. ALEXANDER VOLKOV

The two-meter heavyweight Volkov (27 wins (18 by knockout, 3 receptions), 6 defeats) is similar at the same time to an excellent student and cousin Ivan Drago, trained specifically for MMA. Alexander's main trump cards are blow, character and learning. Surprisingly, he became a really good fighter after he lost to Vitaly Minakov by knockout and lost the Bellator champion title. After that, Volkov's fangs seemed to cut through, and he began to fight more ferociously and meaningfully. Progress after defeat is the quality of a truly good fighter. If we single out one victory, then this is a strangulation from the back of the world SAMBO champion Blagoy Ivanov. Drummer Volkov left his comfort zone here and defeated an unbeaten opponent. Alexander remains one of the most promising Russian heavyweights and most recently made his UFC debut.

7. ALI BAGAUTINOV

Bagautinov's path (14 wins (5 by knockout, 4 receptions), 5 losses) in the UFC from the first fight to the title looked exemplary. In his debut, Ali knocked out the Brazilian fighter with his home arena, then convincingly dealt with top-contenders Tim Elliott and John Lineker. Bagautinov's hands were fast, the fight was flawless, the plans for the fight were meaningful and even witty (Lineker lost the fight, and did not understand what to do in principle with Ali, who suddenly got into a left-handed stance).

The shine ended before the fight with champion Demitrius Johnson - Ali was convicted of doping and lost main battle his life, losing on points with a crushing score. In fairness, it should be said that Johnson is rightfully considered the best MMA fighter, regardless of weight. After losing to Demetrius, Ali's career began to decline, but becoming the first Russian to fight for the UFC title in the 21st century is a major achievement.

6. VITALY MINAKOV

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov (19 wins (10 by knockout, 7 receptions), 0 losses) is fast, agile and coordinated, equally dangerous both in standing and on the ground. Minakov is capable of throwing knockout blows, the power of which was admired by world boxing champion Grigory Drozd, and holding armmbars, for which neither Fedor Emelianenko nor Ronda Rousey would be ashamed. 19 battles won in a row speak for themselves.

Paradoxically, the most unconvincing fights of Vitaly are those where he showed will and character - he fought against the background of fatigue with Cheyk Kongo and caught the fat Linderman for a blow. These opponents were supposed to be torn apart by Minakov, but fights with them called into question the degree of his endurance and made him wonder whether he would last winning streak against stronger opponents. We should know the answers soon. Minakov assures that he is about to return to Bellator, and this is a good promise of competitive fights in which you can realize your potential.

5. ANDREY KORESHKOV

Koreshkov (19 wins (10 KO, 3 receptions), 2 losses) became Bellator champion, winning two Organization Welterweight Grand Prix and defeating strong Brazilian Douglas Lima. The Bellator Grand Prix was a very tough test - 3 fights in three months, without any indulgences or rest. Koreshkov's victories were brought by his ability to fight in a variety of positions and to adhere to the plans for the fight, invented by his coach Alexander Shlemenko. Koreshkov is Shlemenko's most successful student and one of the most dangerous drummers among Russian MMA fighters.

Andrey has a victory over ex-UFC champion Ben Henderson in the asset, in the liability there is one serious debt - to recoup the defeat to the Brazilian Douglas Lima in last fight... While the score of their meetings: 1-1.

4. SERGEY KHARITONOV

Kharitonov (23 wins (13 by knockout, 9 receptions), 6 defeats) became famous for his boxing skills, the ability to knock out people and a protracted conflict with Alexander Emelianenko. Sergei has one of the most impressive scalp collections among Russian MMA fighters. He defeated Andrei Orlovsky, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Throw in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, whom he lost to, for a list of the most famous heavyweights of his time. Sometimes he was let down by gaps in wrestling technique and excessive self-confidence in the stance, but when he hit, people fell.

Perhaps Kharitonov could have achieved even more by focusing entirely on MMA. But Sergei fought in parallel according to the kickboxing rules and during world series boxing (World Series Boxing) for the Azerbaijan team. It is said that when he played at the WSB, special gloves had to be ordered for him. Regular models didn't fit on his fists.

3. KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV

Khabib (24 (8 by knockout, 8 receptions), 0 losses) is the strongest fighter from our country right now. And he is the brightest representative of the young generation of Russian MMA fighters - he trains with the UFC champions, speaks great English, masterfully knows how to present himself and bring people to their feet. The latter, as we know from the example of Conor McGregor, is one of the key skills in modern MMA. Nurmagomedov managed to create a recognizable brand with his own recognizable elements - the fight with the bear, the hat and the treshtok.

Khabib marketer recent times outshines Khabib the fighter. This is not entirely fair. His winning streak of 24 fights is the longest of any active fighter. His forceful manner, built on constant pressure and use of struggle, has not misfired so far. On March 3, Eagle fights for the belt of the interim UFC champion, and if the fight is successful, then all of Nurmagomedov's previous achievements will turn out to be a preface to something greater.

2. ALEXANDER SHLEMENKO

Shlemenko (54 wins (30 by knockout, 9 receptions), 9 defeats, 1 fight was declared invalid) is one of the most spectacular Russian fighters, due to the lack of fear of reaching the edge. "Storm" prefers to lose consciousness, rather than surrender, falling for a chokehold, and more than once staged a battle against opponents whom he could outwit.

As a hero of a computer game, Shlemenko has a signature technique - a backfist. His side blows to the head and body are no less dangerous. He is one of those fighters who like to exacerbate fights and strive for victory by knockout. Alexander literally chewed out the Bellator middleweight title and beat rivals such as Kendall Grove, Melvin Manhoef and Michael Falcao. His dilogy with Vyacheslav Vasilevsky is perhaps the loudest and most powerful confrontation with the participation of Russian fighters.

1. FEDOR EMELYANENKO

The popularity of Emelianenko (36 wins (11 knockouts, 17 receptions), 4 losses, 1 fight was declared invalid) has long stepped over the sphere of fights. The main thing is to say: even if you take on the ten best MMA fighters from around the world, and not just from Russia, Emelianenko will still be in first place. The fighter from Stary Oskol did not lose for 10 years, beat everyone he could, and mixed SAMBO and unpredictable striking technique into a completely cocky cocktail that turned out to be too strong for Mirko Filipovich, Kevin Randallman, Andrey Orlovsky, Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The modern Emelianenko, who has survived several severe defeats, is not at all like Fedor of the Japanese period, a man with the eyes of a watchdog from the times of performances in Pride. This should not cast a shadow over his old victories. Now Fedor looks like a relic of another era, but that was the most fun and cruel era in the history of heavy weight.