Editorial

TOP 10: MOST EXCITING FIGHTERS IN MMA HISTORY

#10 - Donald Cerrone

This guy has the most bonuses in UFC history, with 18. His 18 bonuses consist of 6 Fight of the Nights, 3 Knockouts of the Night, 2 Submissions of the Night, and 7 Performances of the Night. He’s had great scraps against Jamie Varner, Melvin Guillard, Alexander Hernandez, Anthony Pettis, Matt Brown, and Tony Ferguson.

#9 - Carlos Condit

The “Natural Born Killer” was known for always bringing on the scrap, and looking for the finish, with his ferocious and technical kickboxing. His first 15 wins were by 1st round finish, and his fights that lasted long were some of the best ever. His finishes of Dong Hyun Kim and Dan Hardy were amazing, and his scraps with Johny Hendricks, Martin Kampmann, Rory MacDonald, and especially Robbie Lawler are among the greatest fights in UFC Welterweight history.

#8 - Dustin Poirier

In his last 9 fights, he racked up 7 bonuses. He’s had wars with Chan Sung Jung, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, and Dan Hooker. Recently coming off a huge upset win over Conor McGregor, it’s extremely hard to find a fighter who produces award-winning bouts against the elite, at the rate that Dustin Poirier does.

#7 - Chuck Liddell

“The Iceman” was known for his ferocious brawling style, and using his wrestling to keep the fight standing. Always looking for the knockout finish, he’s had impressive KO’s over Kevin Randleman, Guy Mezger, Renato Sobral, and Alistair Overeem. He has additionally went to war with Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn, and Wanderlei Silva. Chuck fought into his 40’s, and had to retire because because he physically couldn’t brawl anymore. I don’t think anymore needs to be said.

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#6 - Wanderlei Silva

The Axe Murderer’s style got more terrifying as his career progressed. He had the aggression level of Khabib Nurmagomedov, but with an exciting style instead, filled with stand-up striking until the end. He fought like he was a barbarian, rather than a mixed martial artist. He literally put his own well-being on the line to achieve a knockout finish, as whenever wanted a fight to last long. Wanderlei has ran through the likes of Guy Mezger, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Rampage Jackson, Yuki Kondo, and Keith Jardine. He additionally had awesome fights with Ricardo Arona, Mark Hunt, Chuck Liddell, and Brian Stann.

#5 - Mauricio Rua

Throughout his whole career, Shogun has been quite the attraction. Whether it was in his prime in Pride FC, or his later career in UFC, you wouldn’t wanna miss a Shogun fight. Shogun is tied with Jon Jones for most bonuses in UFC Light Heavyweight history, with 3 Knockouts of the Night, 4 Fights of the Night, and 1 Performance of the Night. His finishes against Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Ricardo Arona, Kevin Randleman, Chuck Liddell, James Te Huna, Tyson Pedro, Forrest Griffin, and Lyoto Machida were quite the highlights. He also went to war with Little Nog, Dan Henderson, and Mark Coleman. His first fight with Dan Henderson is arguably the best in UFC history.

#4 - Yoel Romero

A total freak of nature, Yoel has 8 bonuses, consisting of 1 Knockout of the Night, 2 Performances of the Night, and 5 Fights of the Night. With the exception of his boring fight with Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero has always been worth watching. An Olympic Silver Medalist in Freestyle Wrestling, Yoel never wrestles. Instead, he looks for the flashy knockout finish, with his hammer-fists. His knockouts of Lyoto Machida, Chris Weidman, and Luke Rockhold are some of the most vicious finishes you’ll ever see. He’s additionally had great fights with Derek Brunson & Tim Kennedy, and Romero went to absolute war with Paulo Costa, and Robert Whittaker twice.

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#3 - Robbie Lawler

Also known as “Ruthless Robbie Lawler”, there is very good reason why he has that nickname. He has been fighting like a barbarian since he was 19 years old. Having little to no success early in his career, he managed to produce one of the most successful & exciting runs that you’ll ever see. He’s butchered the likes of Josh Koscheck, Bobby Voelker, Melvin Manhoef, Matt Lindland, and Jake Ellenberger. Moreover, he’s went to absolute war with Matt Brown, Johny Hendricks twice, Rory MacDonald, and Carlos Condit. His fights with Rory MacDonald & Carlos Condit are THE best fights in UFC Welterweight history, and arguably the best fights in UFC history, regardless of division.

#2 - Justin Gaethje

He’s literally nicknamed “The Highlight”, and deservingly so. He’s had 8 fights in the UFC, with 9 bonuses, and that is thanks to his aggressive stand-up, consisting of power punches that could turn your lights out, and brutalizing leg kicks, which could immobilize you to the point where you most certainly won’t be walking for a while. Even though he has a wrestling background, he decided to never incorporate it into his MMA career, similar to Yoel Romero. He mentions that wrestling & grappling in general are boring, and that he just absolutely loves to scrap. Not only has he earned 4 Performances of the Night, and 5 Fights of the Night, he also won 3 Fights of the Year in his first 3 UFC fights.

#1 - Tony Ferguson

“The Boogeyman” is the most insane fighter in MMA history, just because of the many wars he’s been in, and the amount of blood he has bled . With 11 bonuses. he’s won 6 Fights of the Night, 3 Performances of the Night, and 1 Submission & 1 Knockout of the Night. When he was in his prime, everyone that faced him ended up in a bloody mess after their fight with him. That was something his opponents had to simply accept when going up against him. Always looking for ways to cause the most damage possible, he uses a combination of his fists and sharpened elbows to ensure he causes the most damage to his opponent. And the crazy thing is, he’ll always willingly put himself in a dangerous situation just for the sake of fighting. He’s went to THE most brutal wars in UFC AND MMA history, against the likes of Edson Barboza, Lando Vannata, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, and Justin Gaethje. While Tony’s particular style of fighting is obviously not the smartest, it is most certainly the most exhilarating, and that is why he is the Number 1 Most Exciting Fighter in History.


Tell us what you think! Where do we have it right, and where do you think we got it wrong? Comment below with your top 10, and don’t forget to bookmark our page and check back often for more top 10s, predictions and fight coverage. If you like what you see, go ahead and give our Facebook page a like and follow us on Twitter & Instagram @fightsportfocus. Also, subscribe to the Fight Sport Focus podcast on Anchor.fm, Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

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