Ranking the 20 greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history.
20. Cain Velasquez: The native Arizonan's legacy as one of the UFC's greatest heavyweights is undeniable, thanks to a brawling, relentless style that made him among the sport's most feared and popular fighters. He won 13-of 15-fights and defeated opponents including Brock Lesnar. But injuries have been a major obstacle.
19. Brock Lesnar: Though he's perhaps best known for a stint in WWE, Lesnar nevertheless made an immediate impact in MMA in a 69-second debut win over Min Soo Kim in 2007. A Division I champion in collegiate wrestling, Lesnar, at UFC 91 in November of 2008, showed why he is one of the most feared fighters in the sport when he defeated Randy Couture to win the UFC heavyweight championship. He then headlined the company's biggest pay-per-view at UFC 100 when he successfully defended his belt against Frank Mir.
18. Ronda Rousey: Rousey isn't just the most recognizable woman in the UFC. Even with a career-stalling defeat against
Holly Holm at the end of 2015, she's still one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Rousey broke barriers in the UFC, becoming the first women's bantamweight champion when she joined from Strikeforce and defeating Liz Carmouche in the main event of UFC 157. Since making her UFC debut in 2013, she emerged as an author, actress, magazine cover model, fashion icon and sought-after TV guest.
17. Mark Coleman: A UFC hall of famer, Coleman was a prototype for the phrase "ground and pound" during a run as one of the octagon's pioneers from 1996 to 1999. He resurrected his career in the Pride organization, won its Grand Prix finals in 2000, and re-established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world before ultimately returning to the UFC in 2009.
16. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson: Jackson arrived in 2006 and won the light heavyweight title with a knockout of Chuck Liddell en route to becoming a crossover star. He also defeated Dan Henderson by decision at UFC 75 before settling an old score with Wanderlei Silva by a knockout at UFC 92. Another defeat of Lyoto Machida ran his victory total to four over former UFC or Pride champs.
15. Ken Shamrock: Another of the original stars who helped build the sport and then returned to bridge a gap in eras. He was one of the UFC's first signature names, won a championship at UFC 6 and then took his persona to the WWE before returning for another successful run. A long-running feud with Tito Ortiz remains a signature rivalry in octagon history.
14. Rich Franklin: Not an all-timer compared to some contemporaries, but an important competitor because of intangibles. The former math teacher was an ideal spokesman and became helpful in taking the edge off the sport's rugged reputation. He managed a middleweight championship with a win at UFC 53 and frequently jumped weight classes and took bouts on short notice.
13. Frank Shamrock: A star long before the pay-per-view count reached triple digits, this Shamrock was the adopted brother of the Shamrock positioned at No. 15 and defeated his sibling's nemesis, Tito Ortiz, at UFC 22. His all-around conditioning helped get him past the challenge of Ortiz and he was among the first in the cage to have mastered more than a single fighting style.
12. Conor McGregor: Love him or hate him, there's little argument that McGregor is a unique performer in the UFC's history. The Irishman is a lightning rod, but he's backed up his chatter with skilled offense and an ability to draw fans. Scoring the
fastest title fight KO in UFC history against Jose Aldo elevated him to the stratosphere, but a subsequent loss to Nate Diaz has necessitated a UFC 202 rematch that'll surely be a huge seller.
11. Jose Aldo: Even with a lightning-fast stoppage loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194, the Brazilian remains one of the sport's deities. He entered UFC as featherweight champion in 2011 and defended seven times before encountering the Irishman. In a country that's produced stars like Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, he's a fitting continuation in the lineage.
10. Dan Henderson: Still grinding away as a middleweight at age 45, Henderson possessed both the 183- and 205-pound titles in the Pride organization in 2007 after a KO of Wanderlei Silva. He's also earned wins over Vitor Belfort, Ryo Chonan, Antonio Nogueira, Fedor Emeilanenko and Yuki Kondo. Prior to entering the octagon, he was a 1992 Olympian and 2000 Pan American Games champion.
9. Tito Ortiz: Another of the early faces of the UFC, Ortiz was a top-notch light heavyweight and perhaps an even better salesperson while selling a feud with Ken Shamrock. He beat Shamrock at UFC 40 and, in the words of Dana White, "There's no question that in his prime, he was a huge star and one of the greats of his era. You can't write the story of this era of mixed martial arts without Tito Ortiz."
8. Royce Gracie: Considered by some to be the real-life incarnation of martial arts movie star Bruce Lee, Gracie used his jiu-jitsu-based grappling style to great success against all opponents in the UFC's initial series of events. He submitted Dan Severn in a memorable match at UFC 4 and was a three-time tournament champion before stepping away with a record of 14-2-3.
7. Randy Couture: The first man to win championships in two UFC weight classes, Couture was in a title match in just his fourth fight and spent a career facing the octagon's best opponents. By the time he stepped away for good, he'd been a three-time heavyweight champion, a two-time light heavyweight champion and was the winner of a heavyweight tournament way back at UFC 13.
6. Matt Hughes: A star on The Ultimate Fighter and the winner of one of the promotion's signature matches by choke over Frank Trigg at UFC 52, Hughes defeated six reigning or former UFC champions during his run - including Royce Gracie at UFC 60. He succeeded by evolving his repertoire, adding boxing and submission ability to what had been simply a premier wrestling style.
5. BJ Penn: A former champion at both lightweight and welterweight, Penn at his best was among the most dominant forces the octagon has ever hosted. He's perhaps best remembered for a UFC 46 defeat of Matt Hughes that earned him the welterweight belt - and his jiu-jitsu skills are the stuff of legend. His 16th and final win came against Hughes by first-round stoppage in 2010.
4. Chuck Liddell: Ask a long-time UFC fan about which fighter was the initial spark to their passion, and there's a solid chance the reply comes back as "The Ice Man." His Mohawk and head tattoo were signature elements of the sport in the early days and he became UFC's first crossover star while menacingly stoking pay-per-view revenue numbers with rival Tito Ortiz.
3. Jon Jones: Re-compile this list during the run-up to UFC 300 and there's an excellent chance Jones, now 28, will have moved up. The Rochester, New York native has had some recent issues away from the octagon, but his standing as the world's premier light heavyweight is beyond reasonable doubt - thanks to striking that bamboozles grapplers and wrestling that punishes strikers. Jones' only loss in the octagon he technically beat himself, getting disqualified at The Ultimate Fighter finale for a 12-6 elbow. He is the closest person to breaking Anderson Silva's consecutive win streak, currently sitting at 13.
2. Georges St-Pierre: The best welterweight during his time in what was arguably the UFC's top weight class, St-Pierre ran over a list of significant opponents with a style that resembled a whirling dervish. He won the belt with a head-kick defeat of Matt Hughes at UFC 65 and recovered from a devastating knee injury to continue a prolonged run of dominance. Though he has recently said he wants to return to the octagon, GSP went out as a champion, winning 12 consecutive fights and defending the welterweight crown successfully 11 times.
1. Anderson Silva: A recent run of UFC pay-per-views has seen favorites dropping like flies. But Anderson Silva was different. He won 16 consecutive bouts with a blend of athleticism and power -- not to mention a villainous stripe or two -- that was almost unfair for foes. In fact, the octagonal equivalent of boxing's Roy Jones Jr. landed a face-kick on Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 still warrants shudders. He's still considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time and holds just about every significant championship record in UFC history including: most consecutive title defenses (10), most finishes in title fights (9), most finishes in the UFC (14), most consecutive wins in UFC (16) and longest title reign (2,457 days).
