Fighting without rules is a combat sport that allows the use of a wide variety of techniques and techniques from various. This sport received the greatest recognition in Russia, Japan, Holland, the USA, and Brazil.
Who is stronger: Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee?
Fighting without rules is more often called MMA - Mixed Martial Arts. Classic boxing fans have gotten a little bored lately. In this sport, the strongest fighter in the world is a native of Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko. Together with his brother Vladimir, they have held the leading position in the heavyweight division for many years. In MMA, on the contrary, new stars are constantly appearing. Thus, the ratings for broadcasts of ultimate fights in the United States are already significantly ahead of the ratings for broadcasts of classic boxing. Moreover, the audience is interested not only in who is the strongest fighter in the world, but also in what type of martial arts will “win” this time.
Many organizations have appeared that organize competitions and enter into contracts with athletes, as well as many versions of titles. Therefore, the very concept of “the strongest fighter without rules” is very subjective. Moreover, often the contract with the athlete prohibits him from participating in open championships
Features of MMA
In MMA, athletes can use any techniques, throws, grabs and use their arms, legs, elbows, and knees. But the battle does not at all look like a bloody scene from a feature film. Contrary to the name, no-holds-barred combat has its own rules, namely: you cannot hit in the groin, throat, spine and back of the head, and it is also forbidden to gouge out your eyes. It is not killers who compete with each other, but athletes. Death during a fight is a very rare phenomenon, most likely due to the negligence of sports doctors who released an athlete with health problems into the ring. In rare cases, a knockout routine for athletes and their fans can lead to sudden death, for example, from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Male athletes are protected by a mouth guard, a groin bandage, and gloves specially designed for MMA that allow free movement of the fingers. The torso remains naked, and there are no shoes on the legs. It is permissible to bandage the shins with an elastic bandage. Women, in addition to the above, use protective bras.
The most powerful fighter in MMA history
And although it is difficult to objectively name the absolute MMA record holder, few would argue that the strongest fighter in the world is Anderson da Silva.
He was born in 1975 in Brazil. Silva is 188 cm tall and competes in the middle weight category. Before starting to fight in the ring of fights without rules, he came a long way and made a brilliant sports career. Silva has earned black and jiu-jitsu, and he is also great at Muay Thai. In sports circles he is known as the Spider. Anderson da Silva was lucky enough to sign a contract with the UFC MMA organization. As an MMA fighter, he suffered only 4 defeats and had 35 fights.
The most powerful fighter in the world is also a bit of a showman. The fights with his participation are always very spectacular, like scenes from a movie, and his victories are very impressive. Fans adore Silva for her unique style. Spider's fights always promise to be a great show.
Other prominent athletes
There are other stars in MMA. For example, the Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem has not left Olympus for 10 years. There are quite a few boxing representatives in MMA. One of them is Brazilian heavyweight Junior Dos Santos. An excellent athlete who competes for Russia, “heavyweight” Sergei Kharitonov, had 24 fights, of which he won 19.
The youngest winner of the UFC light heavyweight championship is a black fighter, American Jon Jones. It is famous for its magnificent combinations of Greco-Roman wrestling, Muay Thai and judo.
An MMA fight is a beautiful spectacle that demonstrates masculinity and strength, the beauty and grace of the human body, endurance and courage, as well as spectacular combinations of elements of various martial arts.
The names of these fighters will be remembered forever, because no one has ever deserved their merits in the history of sports.
Georges Saint-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is a Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA) and former UFC welterweight champion. St-Pierre is widely considered one of the best MMA fighters in the world: the largest publications covering MMA unanimously recognize him as the best welterweight and among the best fighters regardless of weight category.
Watch a promotional video with Georges' best fights:
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist and UFC featherweight champion. Shorty impresses with his tattoos and arrogance and ability to fight skillfully.
Muhammad Ali
This is the most recognizable fighter in the history of 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);
- winner of the title “Boxer of the Year” (five times - 1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978);
- "Boxer of the Decade" (1970s) according to The Ring magazine;
- 2nd boxer in history to be awarded Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated (1974);
- was recognized as “Sportsman of the Century” by several sports publications.
At the end of his career, he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame (1987) and the International Boxing Hall of Fame (1990). Watch the video with Mohammed's top ten knockouts:
Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, UFC heavyweight world champion, and two-time world heavyweight champion in European jiu-jitsu. He holds 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 promo video with Fabricio's best fights:
Sugar Ray Robinson
200 fights. 173 victories. This American professional boxer, who competed in the light, first welterweight, welterweight, first middle, middle, second middle and light heavy weight categories, usually leaves no hope of victory to his opponents. Today Sugar is the World Champion in the welterweight and middle weight categories in boxing. Watch his best fights:
Ronda Rousey
The young lady also entered the chart of the best fighters. Ronda Rousey is an American MMA fighter and judo fighter, actress. The first UFC champion, former Strikeforce bantamweight champion (today the young lady weighs 61 kg).
Watch one of Ronda's best fights:
Anderson Silva
From October 14, 2006 to July 6, 2013, Brazilian mixed martial artist Anderson Silva was the middleweight champion of the largest MMA organization in the world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He made 10 successful title defenses, which is an absolute record in UFC history. Silva also has a streak of 16 wins in a row in this organization, which is also a record figure.
Reading time: 9 min.
The UFC has gained widespread popularity. The most ferocious warriors on the planet fight against each other, hoping to find out whose martial arts are better and who is the strongest. The best UFC fighters for 2017, according to the Big Rating magazine:
Robert Whittaker
Robert John Whittaker, born in 1990. He is an Australian fighter with New Zealand roots. Known by the nickname "The Reaper".
The fighter competes in the middle weight (his own weight is 84 kg).
What we know about Robert is that he was taught sports from early childhood. Robert's father John sent the boy to karate when he was still a toddler. After eight years of training, Robert changed his qualifications to Hapkido, and in 2003 he began training in MMA.
Robert began his professional career in 2009 with the Xtreme Fight Championships promotion in Australia.
His first fight took place on March 14, 2009 against Chris Tullowin. A crushing victory in the first round gave Robert an incredible impetus for further studies.
Whittaker then signed up for the Cage Fighting Championships, where he won 6 victories.
With a 9-2 record, Whittaker competed on The Ultimate Fighter. There the Australian team faced their English opponents.
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 the “Knockout of the Season.”
At the moment the fighter 19 wins and 4 losses.
Jose Aldo
Brazilian fighter, nicknamed "Scarface". He competes in the featherweight division (body weight 65 kg), under the auspices of the UFC.
Notably, Aldo turned out to be the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion and became the first UFC Featherweight Champion immediately after the UFC and WEC merged.
Surprisingly, until 2015, Aldo was the leader of the list of the best fighters regardless of weight category.
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 middle weight (body weight 84 kg) in the UFC league. At the moment he is the champion of his weight category. His resume also includes the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Championship and the Ultimate Fighter 3 Championship.
June 4, 2016 was significant for Michael, because he won the UFC champion belt.
Currently the athlete has 30 wins And 7 defeats.
Dominic Cruz
An American fighter of Mexican origin, who has the formidable nickname “The Dominator.” He competes in the bantamweight category (own weight 61 kg).
Dominic is a former two-time UFC champion and former WEC champion in his own weight class.
Currently Dominick Cruz has 22 wins and 2 defeats.
Tyron Woodley
American mixed martial artist 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 competing in the UFC and is a 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-fast knockout.
On November 16, 2013, Tyrone had another fight, which went in the same vein. Woodley received the "Best Knockout of the Night" award for this fight.
At the moment the fighter 18 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw.
Daniel Cormier
The story of the rise of the fighter nicknamed “DC” is quite fascinating. Initially, he took part in the Olympic Games from the USA.
In the UFC, Daniel began his career as a heavyweight, but then moved to light heavyweight. He justified this by saying that he did not want to compete with his friend Cain 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 who was beyond Cormier’s strength was Jon Jones. The first match ended in defeat on points, but the second still cannot take place, because the date has already been postponed twice.
The fighter's strengths include Olympic training: a high level of wrestling, pressing and boxing.
It's funny, but outside of the octagon, Daniel is a friendly and pleasant person, as well as a great friend.
At the moment the fighter has 19 wins And 2 defeats.
Cody Garbrandt
American fighter, bantamweight category (he weighs only 61 kg). Cody's professional career started 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 public saw 4 lightning victories, 3 of which occurred by knockout in the first round.
Now he has gone from being an unknown upstart to becoming the UFC bantamweight champion.
Cody's strengths include high speed and accuracy, endurance and developed fighting intelligence.
Currently Cody Garbrand has 11 wins and 0 losses.
Max Holloway
Jerome Max Holloway is a fighter from the United States who competes in the featherweight category. Max's own weight is 65 kg. Nicknamed "The Blessed One," he worked his way through the UFC's featherweight division to become a champion in that weight class.
Now he is listed as the fourth best fighter in the world, regardless of weight category, according to Sherdog.
Now Max has 17 wins and 3 losses
Stipe Miocic
American mixed martial arts fighter, originally from Croatia. Now he competes 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, fighting 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 UFC history, because he is the only holder of two championship belts at once, in different weight categories. McGregor's nickname is "The Notorious".
At the moment, he is the current lightweight champion and a very extraordinary person in the UFC. Everyone knows McGregor for his very striking fighting style, 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 brash Irishman is simply making history. Just look at the fight of Jose Aldo in the featherweight division at UFC 194. Conor simply crushed his opponent in 13 seconds and received the championship title.
At the moment the fighter 21 wins and 3 losses.
Demetrius Johnson
The second place in our ranking was taken by the famous American Demetrius Chrysna, who competes in the lightest weight category. Surprisingly, the fighter weighs only 56 kg. He is now the current champion in his weight class and is also recognized as the most consistent fighter.
A trained fighter can fight both standing and on the ground. It is distinguished by great speed and excellent reaction. Ideally adapts to any opponent.
Now Demetrius has 26 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw.
Jon Jones
The winner of today's ranking is the famous Jonathan Dwight Jones, nicknamed "Bones". He competes in the light heavyweight category at 93 kg.
This is one of the most talented and technical fighters in the whole world. What is the light heavyweight championship worth 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 does not have a very good history, because he was disqualified for striking with his elbows at prohibited angles. To be honest, Jon Jones has no defeats.
However, like any talent, John found himself in an awkward situation when his dark side was revealed. It's sad to say, but the UFC legend had problems with the law due to drug use. This led to the stripping of belts, as well as the refusal of some contracts with sponsors.
Magomedov (19 wins (8 by knockout, 1 submission), 2 losses) is perhaps the most underrated Russian fighter. Rashid doesn't often finish fights early, but he shows himself to be a very confident and stable fighter. In Russia, he managed to beat everyone he could - from Frodo Khasbulaev to Shamil Zavurov and Yasubei Enomoto.
Less is said and written about his fights in the UFC than about the fights of Oleynik or Nurmagomedov, although there is something to see: in the debut, Rashid suffered an elbow lever that looked almost fatal, and in the fight against Elias Silverio he managed to knock out his opponent 3 seconds before the final bell .
9. ALEXEY OLEINIK
Among his Russian colleagues, Oleinik (51 wins (5 by knockout, 41 submissions), 10 losses, 1 draw) stands out for his grappling skills and his ability to choke opponents. Oleinik began performing during the times of “fights without rules” and continues now, when MMA is controlled by athletic commissions, anti-doping laboratories and sponsored by world brands.
For about five years now, Oleinik has been performing in the status of a veteran - not young, but a fighter who has seen a lot. It was the achievements of this period that became decisive for Alexey’s status as one of the best Russian fighters. During this time, he managed to win victories over Jeff Monson and Mirko Filipovic, seemingly leave MMA and return to the UFC, where he received a couple of awards for the best performance of the evening and became the first person in UFC history to win with a rare and technically difficult technique “Ezekiel choke” "
8. ALEXANDER VOLKOV
The two-meter heavyweight Volkov (27 wins (18 by knockout, 3 techniques, 6 losses) looks like both an excellent student and a cousin of Ivan Drago, trained specifically for MMA. Alexander's main trump cards are punch, character and learning ability. Surprisingly, he became a truly good fighter after he lost to Vitaly Minakov by knockout and lost the Bellator title. After that, Volkov seemed to have fangs, and he began to fight more fiercely and meaningfully. Progress after defeat is the quality of a truly good fighter. If we single out one victory, it would be the strangulation from the back of the world sambo champion Blagoy Ivanov. Drummer Volkov stepped out of his comfort zone here and defeated a previously undefeated opponent. Alexander remains one of the most promising Russian heavyweights and recently made his debut in the UFC.
7. ALI BAGAUTINOV
Bagautinov’s path (14 wins (5 by knockout, 4 submissions), 5 losses) in the UFC from his first fight to the title fight looked exemplary. In his debut, Ali knocked out the Brazilian fighter in his home arena, then convincingly dealt with top contenders Tim Elliott and John Lineker. Bagautinov’s hands were fast, his wrestling was impeccable, his plans for the fight were meaningful and even witty (Lineker lost the fight, not understanding what to do with Ali, who suddenly took a left-handed stance).
The shine ended before the fight with champion Demitrious Johnson - Ali was caught doping and lost the main fight of his life, losing on points with a devastating score. To be fair, Johnson is now considered the best MMA fighter regardless of weight. After the defeat to Demetrius, Ali's career began to decline, but becoming the first Russian to fight for the UFC champion title in the 21st century is a serious achievement.
6. VITALY MINAKOV
Former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov (19 wins (10 by knockout, 7 submissions), 0 losses) is fast, agile and coordinated, equally dangerous both on the stand and on the ground. Minakov is capable of throwing knockout punches, the power of which was admired by world boxing champion Grigory Drozd, and carrying out armbars for which neither Ronda Rousey nor Ronda Rousey would be ashamed. 19 fights won in a row speak for themselves.
Paradoxically, Vitaly’s most unconvincing fights are those where he showed will and character - he fought against the background of fatigue with Cheick Kongo and caught the fat man Linderman in a blow. These were opponents Minakov should have torn apart, but the fights with them called into question the extent of his endurance and made him wonder whether his winning streak would last 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 he can realize his potential.
5. ANDREY KORESHKOV
Koreshkov (19 wins (10 by knockout, 3 submissions, 2 losses) became the Bellator champion, winning two of the organization's welterweight Grand Prix and defeating strong Brazilian Douglas Lima. The Bellator Grand Prix was a very serious test - 3 fights in three months, without any concessions or rest. Koreshkov's victories were brought by his ability to fight in a variety of ways in a standing position and strictly 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 strikers among Russian MMA fighters.
Andrey has a victory over ex-UFC champion Ben Henderson to his credit, and one serious debt to his debt – to avenge his defeat to Brazilian Douglas Lima in his last fight. So far the score of their meetings is 1-1.
4. SERGEY KHARITONOV
Kharitonov (23 wins (13 by knockout, 9 submissions), 6 losses) became famous for his boxing skills, ability to knock people out and a protracted conflict with. Sergei has one of the most impressive collections of scalps among Russian MMA fighters. He defeated Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Add in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, all of whom he lost to, and you have a list of the most famous heavyweights of his time. Sometimes he was let down by gaps in his wrestling technique and overconfidence in his stance, but when he hit, people fell.
Perhaps Kharitonov could have achieved even more by focusing entirely on MMA. But Sergey simultaneously fought according to the rules of kickboxing and in the World Series Boxing for the Azerbaijani team. They say that when he performed at WSB, special gloves had to be ordered for him. Regular models did not fit his fists.
3. KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV
Khabib (24 (8 knockouts, 8 submissions), 0 defeats) 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 UFC champions, speaks excellent English, masterfully knows how to present himself and drive people crazy. 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 its own recognizable elements - wrestling with a bear, papakha and trash talk.
Khabib the marketer has lately overshadowed Khabib the fighter. This is not entirely fair. His winning streak of 24 fights is the longest among active fighters. His style of force, built on constant pressure and the use of wrestling, has not yet misfired. On March 3, “The Eagle” fights for the UFC interim champion belt, and if the fight is successful, then all of Nurmagomedov’s previous achievements will be a preface to something greater.
2. ALEXANDER SHLEMENKO
Shlemenko (54 wins (30 by knockout, 9 techniques), 9 defeats, 1 fight declared invalid) is one of the most spectacular Russian fighters, thanks to the lack of fear of reaching the edge. “Storm” prefers to lose consciousness rather than surrender when caught in a choke hold, and has more than once staged carnage against opponents whom he could outwit.
Like a computer game hero, Shlemenko’s signature move is the backfist. His side blows to the head and body are no less dangerous. He is one of those fighters who likes to escalate fights and strives for a knockout victory. Alexander literally clawed out the Bellator middleweight title and defeated opponents such as Kendall Grove, Melvin Manhoef and Maikel Falcao. His duology with Vyacheslav Vasilevsky is perhaps the loudest and most powerful confrontation involving Russian fighters.
1. FEDOR EMELYANENKO
Emelianenko’s popularity (36 victories (11 knockouts, 17 techniques), 4 defeats, 1 fight declared invalid) has long transcended the field of fighting. The main thing that is worth saying is: even if we undertake to name the ten best MMA fighters from all over the world, and not just from Russia, Emelianenko will still be in first place. The fighter from Stary Oskol went undefeated for 10 years, beat everyone he could, and mixed sambo and unpredictable striking techniques into a completely overpowering cocktail that turned out to be too strong for Mirko Filipovic, Kevin Randleman, Andrei Orlovsky, Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
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 time of his performances in Pride. This should not cast a shadow on his old victories. Now Fedor looks like a relic of another era, but it was the most fun and brutal era in the history of the heavyweight division.