Top 15 ufc fighters of all time

Anderson da Silva[1] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɐ̃deʁsõ ˈsiwvɐ]; born April 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva holds the longest title defense streak in UFC history, which ended in 2013 with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses.[5] He has 12 post-fight bonus awards.[6] Silva is ranked as the #2 middleweight in the world by multiple publications including Sherdog[7] and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter in the world according to ESPN, Sherdog, Yahoo! Sports and other publications.[8][9][10] UFC president Dana White and other publications have called Silva the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

Georges St-Pierre (French pronunciation: ​[ʒɔʁʒ sɛ̃ pjɛʁ]; born May 19, 1981), often referred to as GSP and Rush, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre has for several years been ranked as the #1 welterweight in the world according to Sherdog,[7] and numerous other publications.[8][9] [10] In 2008, 2009, and 2010 he was named the Canadian Athlete of the Year by Rogers Sportsnet.[11][12][13]

Jonathan Dwight "Jon" Jones[1][2] (born July 19, 1987),[3] is an American mixed martial artist currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. When he won the title in March 2011, he became the youngest champion in UFC history.[12] As of December 2012, he was ranked as the #1 light heavyweight fighter in the world by various media outlets.[13][14] He was also ranked the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world by multiple publications.[15][16][17]

Charles David "Chuck" Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight Champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[2] Liddell finished his career with the second most knockouts in UFC history, behind Anderson Silva. Liddell had 23 fights in the UFC, and along with Randy Couture, is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment.[3][4][5] On July 10, 2009, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.[6]

Randy Duane Couture (/koʊˈtʊər/; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, retired mixed martial artist, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Couture became a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an Interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and was the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Winner.[2] Couture is the first of only two fighters to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions (along with B.J. Penn). Couture has competed in a record 15 title fights. He holds the most title reigns in the UFC with five. His last fight with Lyoto Machida marked his 24th fight in the UFC, the third largest number of fights in the UFC (Tito Ortiz is first with 27 and Matt Hughes is second with 25). Couture is the fourth member of the UFC Hall of Fame. He is the only person over the age of 40 to have won a UFC championship fight, having done so four times. Couture was an Olympic wrestling alternate and has lived in Corvallis, Oregon, throughout much of his career, where he served as an assistant wrestling coach and a strength and conditioning coach for Oregon State University.[3] He established Team Quest with Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson, a training camp for fighters, based out of Gresham, Oregon, and headed by coach Robert Folis. In 2005, Couture moved to Las Vegas, where he opened his own extensive chain of gyms under the name Xtreme Couture. He currently trains at his Las Vegas-based gym. Couture partnered with Bas Rutten in the opening of Legends Gym in Hollywood, California. Couture is generally recognized as a clinch and ground-and-pound fighter who uses his wrestling ability to execute take downs, establish top position and successively strike the opponent on the bottom. Couture has displayed a variety of skills in boxing and catch wrestling and has submitted four opponents using different chokeholds. Couture is the only athlete in UFC history to win a championship after becoming a Hall of Fame member and is the oldest title holder ever (in the UFC and MMA).

Jay Dee "B.J." Penn (born December 13, 1978)[3] is an American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn debuted and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), as well as in K-1. Prior to fighting for the UFC, he became the first American Gold medalist of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. In mixed martial arts, Penn has competed in the Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. As a former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes.[4] Through his tenures as champion, Penn unified the UFC Lightweight Championship (against Sean Sherk)[5][6] to become the division's first Undisputed Champion;[7] as well as broke the UFC's all-time lightweight title defenses record. During his reign, Penn holds the distinction of being undefeated as a lightweight for over eight years. He is famously known for his role in the resurgence of the UFC lightweight division, as well as for taking part in many of the sport's biggest fights, most of which involved moving up in multiple weight classes.[8] In early 2004, following his back-to-back submission victories over Takanori Gomi and Matt Hughes, Penn was simultaneously ranked number one in the two different divisions; lightweight and welterweight (the only fighter to hold that honour).[9][10] UFC President, Dana White credits Penn as the man who brought popularity to the UFC's lighter weight divisions, stating that "there was a point in time when we first bought this company when people thought guys in the lighter weight divisions couldn’t be stars and couldn’t see pay-per-views. B.J. Penn was definitely that first crossover guy for us".[11][12] Widely recognized as the greatest lightweight in mixed martial arts history, Penn's domination of the division, as well as his performances in higher weight classes have him regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.[13]

Matthew Allen Hughes (born October 13, 1973)[4] is an American retired mixed martial artist, NJCAA and UFC Hall of Fame inductee, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion.[5] During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks, defeated all the available opposition in the welterweight division, defended the belt a then-record seven times (Georges St-Pierre later broke his record), and was currently surpassed by GSP for the record of most wins in the UFC. He remains the first of only two men to ever defeat Georges St-Pierre. During his reign, Hughes was widely considered the #1 pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world.[6] Hughes was also regarded by many analysts and several media outlets as the greatest welterweight fighter of all time until the rise of Georges St.Pierre, as well as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the sport's history.[7][8][9][10] He has also had the second-most number of fights in the UFC with 25,[11] behind Tito Ortiz (27). However, Hughes is tied with St-Pierre for the record of most UFC wins with 18.[12] Hughes was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in May 2010 during the UFC Fan Expo in conjunction with UFC 114.[13][14][15] A long-time member of Miletich Fighting Systems, Hughes left the Miletich camp in late 2007 to start Team Hughes.[1] In 2008, Hughes published his autobiography, Made in America, which made the New York Times bestseller list. In 2011, Hughes became host of Outdoor Channel's Trophy Hunters TV. Matt Hughes has officially retired after consecutive losses and is now the Vice President of Athletic Development and Government Relations for the UFC.

Royce Gracie (/ˈrɔɪs ˈɡreɪsiː/; Portuguese: [ˈʁɔjsi ˈɡɾejsi]; born December 12, 1966) is a retired [2]Brazilian professional mixed martial artist,[3] a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is considered by some to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.[4][5] Gracie gained fame for his domination in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He became known for beating opponents much larger than he was, and between 1993 and 1994, he was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2, UFC 4, and fought to a draw with Ken Shamrock in the championship match in the Superfight at UFC 5.[6] Gracie popularized Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and revolutionized mixed martial arts with his results contributing to the movement towards grappling and cross-training in the sport. He holds the most consecutive submission victories in UFC history with 11, which he earned between UFC 1 and UFC 4.

Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974)[1] is an American mixed martial artist currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion.

Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (English: /tɪtɵ ɔərtɪs/;[2] born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and occasional professional wrestling personality currently fighting for Bellator MMA with infrequent appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In the MMA world, he is known for his stint with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion,[3] having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003.[4] Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars. Ortiz ultimately became the biggest pay-per-view draw of 2006 for his fights with Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Ken Shamrock.[5] Outside of his fighting career, Ortiz is the CEO of the Punishment Athletics MMA equipment and clothing line. He also owns an MMA training gym called Punishment Training Center, which is located in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California.[6] On July 7, 2012, Ortiz became the ninth inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Cain Ramirez Velasquez[2] (born July 28, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a two-time and current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is currently ranked the No. 1 heavyweight in the world by Sherdog.[3]

Lyoto Carvalho Machida (Portuguese pronunciation: [liˈotu maˈʃidɐ]) (born May 30, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist from Salvador, Brazil who fights as a Middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He is currently ranked as the #5 Middleweight contender in the official UFC fighter rankings.[2]

Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979)[3] is an American mixed martial artist from Niagara Falls, New York, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Evans was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2. As of June 2013, Evans is currently ranked as the #3 Light Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog.[4]

Vitor Vieira Belfort[2] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvitoʁ viˈejɾɐ bɛwˈfɔʁ]; born April 1, 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Belfort was born in Rio de Janeiro and studied jiu-jitsu with the Gracie family, namely Carlson Gracie. As of March 2013, Belfort is ranked the #2 middleweight in the world.

Francisco Santos Mir, III[3][4] (born May 24, 1979), better known as Frank Mir, is a Cuban-American mixed martial artist. Mir is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently holds the record for most victories and submissions in the history of the UFC Heavyweight division and is also the only man in UFC history to win a bout by a toe hold submission.[5] Mir has the record for most UFC fights in the Heavyweight division. As of September 23, 2013, he is ranked the #7 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog, and #7 in UFC's official heavyweight rankings.[6][7]