10 greatest and best MMA fighters of all time
When one talks about combat sports—discusses Mixed Martial Arts, boxing, Muay Thai or any other major sporting contest in the hurt business for that matter, the vast majority of fans and pundits have varied opinions as to who takes the cake as the GOAT of the sport.
Did someone say GOAT? Yep!
Although several great Shifus of old have panned the very concept of the Greatest Fighter Of All Time (GOAT) as a myth — an illusion— that hasn’t seemed to discourage admirers of the art of combat from according the position of The Greatest to a man/woman who they feel is…well, the greatest, very best fighter of all time.
Our sport of MMA has been witness to several such debates and discussions over the years, with the GOAT tag being attached to everyone right from the once invincible Fedor Emelianenko to the current critic-poster boy Jon Jones.
Now mind you, I’m a firm believer in the ancient teachings handed down to us by the world’s most respected martial arts gurus — the concept of GOAT is a myth, a lie, a façade. Why then do we choose to brand someone as the best fighter of all time? Well, because that’s what fans do! So, here goes:
#10 Randy Couture
Randy Couture is one of the smallest Heavyweight MMA combatants in the sport's young history. Did that deter him from bagging championship gold in the division of giants? Nope!
'The Natural' competed with the best of the best well into his forties and was more often than not the one standing tall at the end of the bout. Regardless of his inconsistent winning streaks, he has a strong case for being one of the best ever.
His wrestling was second to none, and the fact that he was able to attain unimaginable heights of success relatively late in his athletic career makes his accomplishments even more admirable. His army boxing background and Greco-Roman wrestling skills bag him the 10th spot on our MMA GOAT list.