The 5 most dominant champions in UFC history
So what does it take to be cut out for the Gold?Oftentimes I find myself wondering what makes a champion? Is it just the grinding work ethic and persistence of will or is it talent and innate ability which some may call "the genius" of the champion?Is it just about satisfying the pop myth of investing 10,000 hours of your life in an endeavour or effectively juggling different pursuits in your life so that your sense of well-being and self-worth are not tied up to only one activity?"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way and the only way, it does not exist." - Friedrich NietzscheThere exists no single way to reach a goal, in fact, every different perspective brings forth a new path and who's to say it is not the right path unless you tread along and find out?It takes more than just hard work to be a champion, yes. But Champions come and go. In every moment of time, the most worthy athlete has earned the right to bask in the glory of being called a "champion", but will the athlete add anything more to his legacy than just being addressed by a title that countless men before him have been addressed with as well?In the world of mixed martial arts, there have been few, among far too many champions, who have left such a lasting impression on us that merely calling them a "Champion" would not do justice to their legacy.Let's take a look at these phenomenal athletes who received more than one could hope for from a sport which is still its infancy but the one thing that makes them stand out from the rest is how much they gave back.
#1 Jose Aldo Jr.
You may know Jose Aldo Jr. as the man who is going to face Conor Mcgregor at UFC 194 in what is going to be, arguably the biggest UFC event in History.
But if that's all you know about Aldo, then it is a shame because the man is much more than just a false antagonist in a false narrative that has been painted to promote UFC 194.
The reason he made it on this list is not solely because he hasn't lost a fight in more than 10 years or because he is the number 1 ranked pound for pound mixed martial artist in the world. Or because he holds the longest winning streak in all of UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/Pride history with 15 wins.
It is because Jose Aldo Jr. is a person who you could serve a role model for your son as his achievements fall short in front of his will when you consider how hard it was for him to merely make it into the fight business because of his extremely poor background.
When Aldo used to show up at the gym, his trainer was almost always certain that the kid was hungry from past few days and they would grab some food before they would train. Gun fires were commonplace where Aldo hailed from. Aldo's biggest motivation was not a belt or vain glory but simply to have a roof over his head.
When a man emerges victorious from such conditions which are hard to even imagine for a regular Joe, you immediately recognize a man who's cut out to be a champion. Now the second most popular mixed martial artist in Brazil, Aldo has come a long way and it is scary when you consider he's only touched his prime.
Looking at Jose Aldo's highlight reel, one may make the obvious mistake that he comes from a kickboxing background even though his background is in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For 10 years now, Aldo has been stacking victories by simply employing little more than fundamentally excellent kickboxing and an array of damaging knees and kicks, hard punches, agile footwork and extremely slick head movement.
It takes more than just physical ability to pull that off. The only Featherweight champion UFC has ever had, Aldo's illustrious run is far from over.