In MMA there are plenty of champions within all of the different promotions in the world. So I ask you; who is currently the most dominant champion in all of MMA? Who above all others has completely shut out their competition and won every fight unquestionably?
When I think of this question I also think of people asking, "Who is the best pound-for-pound fighter of the world?" They are very similar to each other depending on what the fighter does throughout his career. I will start off with some of my favorite dominant champions (not in any particular order) and finish off with the most dominant champion of all MMA.
My first guy is Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor is the WAMMA heavyweight champion (206-265lbs). (I would call it a made up belt, but that is my opinion. WAMMA stands for World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts. WAMMA is supposedly the unified and undisputed champion of the world, but UFC would not agree to use or even acknowledge the belts exist. WAMMA still decided to use the belt though.)
Fedor has an outstanding MMA record of 31-1-1 (all fights have been at heavyweight). Fedor won the WAMMA heavyweight belt in July of 2008. Fedor is currently on an 11 fight win streak. He has only lost one fight at heavyweight and he later revenged that only loss. Fedor has not been defeated since 2000. He has defended his WAMMA belt twice and both fights ending in knock out.
Unfortunately, Fedor has not fought great competition in his past eight fights. Fedor has only fought two top ten current heavyweights (and I do not consider Rogers to be one, so honestly only one, and that is Nogueira, and he fought him back in 2003).
The last three promotions that Fedor has fought for are now out of business. If Fedor would have fought at one place his entire career he could have very well been the most dominant champion of all time. Fedor has only defended his belt twice, has not had immense competition, only fights twice a year (if we're lucky), and in his past two fights he was tested very heavily; until they met his fist that is. With all of that being said, he is not the most dominant. (I do not consider Sylvia, Rogers, or Arlovski top ten opponents).
Our next superior fighter is Georges St. Pierre (GSP). GSP is the current UFC Welterweight Champion (170lbs) and has a MMA record of 19-2 (all fights have been at welterweight). GSP lost only two fights in his career and has revenged both of his losses (he even avenged Hughes twice).
Unlike most fighters GSP has fought 75% of his fights in the UFC. Most MMA fans have watched GSP progress into the supreme fighter he is today. GSP won the welterweight belt for the second time in December of 2008 and has defended his belt four times. He lost the welterweight title the first time to Matt Serra. This loss is considered the upset of the decade, in which Serra caught GSP with a punch then unleashed a flurry of punches to get his TKO victory.
GSP is currently on a six fight win streak and has dominated his last four title defenses. GSP has fought four current top ten welterweights and is scheduled to fight a fifth in March. GSP has fought the best in his division and conquered them all. GSP might be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world; however, he had a bad loss to Matt Serra and does not always finish his opponents (this might just be to his level of competition, but nevertheless). He will continue his slaughter of the division until he moves up weight classes or tries out for the Olympics in wrestling (which he will have to decide this year).
Next we have Anderson Silva. Silva is the current UFC middleweight champion (185lbs) with a MMA record of 25-4 overall and a middleweight record of 23-4. (Note: One loss was a DQ.) Silva has lost four times in his division and after being defeated, he has yet to fight any of those four again. Silva is on a current 11 fight win streak and 10 of those being at the UFC (Silva has the longest winning streak in the UFC).
Anderson Silva won the UFC Middleweight Championship in October of 2006 and has defended his belt five times since then. He also has had one non-title fight and two fights at light heavyweight (205lbs) since being the middleweight champion. All but one of his fights were stopped (not going to the judges). The only fight that went to the judges was against Thales Leites, who ran from Silva and through himself on the ground the entire fight (shortly thereafter the UFC released Leites).
Anderson Silva has fought four current top ten middleweight opponents and one top ten light heavyweight opponent while holding his middleweight belt (he even fought Rich Franklin twice). It has been said, since Silva has been in the UFC he has only lost one round (a regular match consist of three five-minute rounds and a championship fight consist of five 5-minute rounds). If you add them up, he has fought 19 total rounds in the UFC. To have only lost one round and to have fought in two different weight classes Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
However, that does not make him the most dominating champion. Silva has had three men beat him in his division and has not revenged his losses. Silva finishes fights, almost always looks impressive, and fights the best in his division. Silva has only three fights left on his contract and has said he is retiring (But that is what they all say). I know plenty will think he is the most dominant fighter of his division and in my opinion it was very close between Silva and my top fighter, but Silva does not get the award.
Now for the most dominating fighter of his division: B.J. Penn. Penn is the current UFC Lightweight Champion (155lbs) and has a MMA record of 15-5-1 overall, but his lightweight record is 10-1-1 (when you consider the people he has fought that's impressive). Penn stands out among most because he made his MMA debut in the UFC and has fought 80 percent of his fights with the UFC.
lthough we seen him lose recently to Georges St. Pierre (fought at 170lbs), we are talking about division champions and how dominant they have been inside there division. Penn has only lost one lightweight fight in his career. He lost the fight to Jens Pulver and he later revenged his only loss at lightweight. With that being said, B.J. Penn has not tasted defeat at lightweight since 2002.
Penn won the UFC lightweight belt in January of 2008 and has defended his belt four times. In his reign as lightweight champion, a fighter has never gone the distance (five 5-min rounds) with him, he has finished them all. At lightweight, Penn seems to be untouchable and in a class of his own. The best possible test for B.J. Penn would be to fight Shinya Aoki, and that is not happening anytime soon. Even though his MMA record shows his blemishes at welterweight, he is very dominant at 155lbs.
Penn has fought great competition consisting of five top ten lightweights and he has stopped each and every one (NO decision victories). Penn has never had an "off night" at lightweight and he always goes out to not just win, but win impressively. With all of these things combined he is currently the most dominating champion. Although B.J. Penn might not be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, he is a very dangerous man at 155lbs. Every time Penn steps in the cage he dictates his opponent to a stoppage and he will continue his supremacy of the lightweight division for quite some time.
Sorry, Lyoto Machida did not make the list; he has only defended his belt once. I know individuals will disagree with whom I chose. Let me know who you think should be on the list, who should not be, and your top dominant fighter(s). Please fill free to leave me comments at the MMATorch website and I will respond to each one of your comments.
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A couple notes on Fedor. First, I think you are really undervaluing the
status that both Arlovski (in particular) and Sylvia (less so) had a
heavyweights when they fought Fedor. Second, and more importantly, you are
placing far too much emphasis on Fedor's loss. Which, if the fight hadn't
occurred in a tournament and therefore required a winner/loser so someone
could advance, wouldn't be a loss by any standard in the sport. There is no
debate about Penn's defeat. I'm not the biggest Fedor fan personally, but
when speaking in terms of "dominance" I think when considering the screwy
nature of Fedor's "loss," he edges Penn in this discussion.
It's pretty clear that these 4 men (yes I did not include Machida) are the
kings of their division. But this author appears to be a little biased
towards the UFC. (constantly repeating that this and that fighter fought
XX% of his fights in the UFC. UFC did not become the top dog organization
until late 2007)
To say that Rogers, AA, and Sylvia are not top 10 opponents when Fedor
fought them is pretty silly. Look at all MMA websites BEFORE they fought
Fedor and see where those 3 were ranked. Fedor has defeated 3 out of the
current 9 top 10 heavyweights. Who has BJ defeated besides Kenny Florian
that is a current top 10 lightweight fighter? You forgot to mention that
Jens Pulvor did take BJ 5 rounds and won via majority decision. (but that
was 8 years ago and BJ has evolved into a whole new fighter)
The most dominant fighter of their weight class right now would be either
GSP or Fedor. (Fedor with the slight advantage in my opinion) I feel that
Anderson Silva should be fighting at LHW. The guy is 6 foot 2 and walks
around at 215-220 and cuts nearly 40-45 pounds for his fights.
Regardless, I enjoy watching all 4 guys fight and they are all on another
level in their respective weight classes.
You did mention Jens Pulvor... but you said no one has taken BJ to the
distance via 5 rounds...
Laramey
13 Jan 2010, 20:59
Lostronin, I know that a lot of people will always think that Fedor is the
most dominant. When it comes to Arlovski, Sylvia, and Rogers I know that
they were ranked in the top ten of their division when they fought Fedor. I
just believe that they were over ranked. Not so much Arlovski, but I think
that Sylvia and Rogers are over ranked. Sylvia is 2-4 in the past three
years, that along speaks for itself. Rogers on the other hand has an
amazing record, but has only fought one or two notable fighters (I think
that Rogers is in the top 15, he needs a couple more quality fighters and
he will more than deserving of his placement).
I did not mean to put a lot of emphasis on Fedors only loss, I know there
is controversy within the loss itself. My biggest criticism about Fedor is
his lack of competition (I know it is not his fault) and his past two
fights he was not exactly dominating. With pertaining to GSP, Silva, and
Penn they have fought top ten opponents, they fight more than twice a year,
and they normally (not always) dominate the entire fight. If Fedor fights
at Werdum and Overeem next and demolishes them I promise I will rewrite the
article!
There is no debate what so ever when it comes to Jens Pulver beating Penn,
but he is only one of two men to take Penn the distance in this weight
class. I just believe that currently BJ Penn has been more dominant at
lightweight than Fedor has been at heavyweight.
lostronin
13 Jan 2010, 21:19
Laramey, could you please define what time frame you mean by the word
"currently" the most dominate? If we are comparing the most recent fights
of Penn and Fedor then you are probably correct. However, my understanding
is that we were discussing dominance over the course of their careers in
their respective weight classes. Taking nothing away from the great B.J.
Penn, but over the course of their careers (the time frame I was talking
about above) Fedor edges him. The list of names that Fedor has beaten is
hard to match.
One other note, on Fedor not looking dominant is his last two wins, that's
always been his fighting style. Fedor lets opponents beat on him until he
figures out their timing and/or they make a mistake and then he finishes
them quick.
lostronin
13 Jan 2010, 21:37
Please pardon my typos in my last post. I need to proofread next time.
Laramey
13 Jan 2010, 21:45
Lostronin, unfortunately MMATorch’s Editor changed my title. Sorry for
the misunderstanding! My title was supposed to be “Who is currently the
most dominant champion.” I was writing the article basically within the
past couple of years or however long the fighters have had their titles.
Then I wanted to give people some insight to their careers so casual fans
will know where I am coming from. I was trying not to be biased with any
comments I made and was strictly using my own opinion mixed in with some
facts. That way I can help each individual fighter make him claim of
dominance.
I understand how Fedor fights and love watching him fight. He is a great
fighter, but needs to fight people with as much potential as he has. Fedor
does not fight the same as the others and does like to let his opponent
make the moves, so it is very hard to show his dominance in comparing, but
nevertheless he is dominating.
Laramey
13 Jan 2010, 22:35
Marlo, I would not say that I am completely prejudiced against other
promotions. However I do believe that the UFC has majority of the best
fighters in the world. I agree UFC did not become the power house they are
today until late 2006. Currently there is only one dominant champion
outside of the UFC. I do believe that some are starting to form in other
promotions, but none there at this moment.
I know exactly where Arlovski, Sylvia, and Rogers were ranked when they
fought Fedor. I know they were all ranked within the top ten, but I am
saying that they are undeserving of their ranking. (Arlovski, not so much,
but he has not had a victory in almost a year and a half). Look at my first
comment to Lostronin for my reasoning of devaluing these fighters.
Currently BJ Penn has fought Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez who are both
currently ranked in the top ten. But since you mentioned in your comment,
“Look at all MMA websites BEFORE they fought Fedor and see where those 3
were ranked look where his opponents where ranked BEFORE he fought them.”
I will show you the three fighters that are on Penn’s record that were on
the top ten BEFORE they fought Penn. The three fighters are Sean Sherk,
Joe Stevenson, and Takanori Gomi (He fought Sherk and Stevenson in his
current reign as champion).
You must have misunderstood my comment about Penn and his victories. I
said, “Penn has fought great competition consisting of five top ten
lightweights and he has stopped each and every one (NO decision
victories).” He has stopped each and every top ten fighter. I did not say
that he has stopped every fighter he has fought. I know that Pulver and
Serra have both went the distance with Penn at lightweight.
I respect your opinion of who you think is the most dominant that is why I
included them in the column. My biggest criticism about Fedor is his lack
of competition (I know it is not his fault) and the fact that in his past
two fights he was not exactly dominating. With pertaining to GSP, Silva,
and Penn they have fought top ten opponents, they fight more than twice a
year, and they normally (not always) dominate the entire fight. If Fedor
fights Werdum and Overeem next and demolishes them, I promise I will
rewrite the article!
Anthony The Ruthless One
14 Jan 2010, 00:57
Ok I totally agree with the writer of this column. He is talking about the
most dominate champion as of right now and I would agree that is BJ Penn.
Now for all the Fedor lovers lets just be real and look at the facts. Who
in the hell has Fedor fought that is worthy of him to be consider the most
dominate champion or even the best heavyweight in the world. In order to be
the best you have to fight the best. Fedor does not fight the best fighters
in MMA. And I am tried of hearing people say he has beat Tim Sylvia. Who
hasn't knocked out Tim Sylvia?? Ray Mercer knocked out Tim!!! Fedor has the
WAMMA Heavyweight Championship belt and he beat, who other than Tim Sylvia
to get this made up belt. The WAMMA belt was created in 2007 by the World
Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts at Gallager's Steak House in New York by a
boxing attorney and a former Buffalo Bills coach. It's a made up belt.
Fedor had a chance to prove his dominance as a fighter when the UFC
approached him and tried to get him. He declined their offer so he declined
his chance to prove how good he really is. The UFC has the best fighters
right now in MMA. Look at the compitition in the heavyweight division at
UFC. You have Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos,
and Minotauro Nogueira and thats just a few. Are you telling me Tim Sylvia,
Brett Rogers and Andrei Arlovski are on the same level as the fighters I
just listed from the UFC ? If you would be honest with yourself , you would
say no those fighters are not on the same level. I mean the UFC let Tim
Sylvia go because he wasn't doing anything and that goes for Andrei
Arlovski too. Thats the reason UFC let them go. Let me say this, I am not
saying Fedor is not a great fighter. His record speaks for itself but for
all the Fedor lovers, he is not the best fighter in the world, most
dominate fighter or the best heavyweight in the world. Like I said before,
if you want to be considered the best you have to fight the best and Fedor
does not fight the best. Thats the facts whether you want to admit it or
not. How can you be considered the BEST if you're fighting the competition
he is fighting? Until Fedor steps up and fights real competition, he can
not be considered the best fighter, most dominate champion, or best
heavyweight.
Just a fan
14 Jan 2010, 01:11
Since this article is about current champions and there dominance why isnt
Brock Lesnar even mentioned? I know he doesnt have a lot of fights under
his belt but the only fight hes lost he avenged. And he was dominating in
that fight when he got caught. He has dominated everyone put in front of
him.
Jackson
14 Jan 2010, 01:12
i am: Just a fan accidently didnt put my name.
Jared
14 Jan 2010, 01:46
Good article with good arguments. A strong case can be made for all four
men, as they are all very dominant. Personally, I would put Silva as the
most dominant "currently". I think Silva's dominance of Franklin,
Marquardt, Henderson and Forrest is more impressive than Fedor's dominance
of Sylvia, Arlovski and Rogers, or GSP's dominance of Alves, Fitch, Hughes
and Koscheck (the victory over Penn was very impressive, but Penn is a
natural lightweight), or Penn's dominance over Sanchez, Sherk, Florian and
Stevenson.
As the article states, Fedor's dominance was more towards the earlier part
of the decade. But after his fight with Cro Cop, he hasn't fought the best
of the best; which is not to discount his victories. His victories have
still been very impressive, but I just don't think his challengers have
been quite at the level that the challengers of GSP, Penn or Silva have
been.
GSP's victories have been dominant, but without any "killer" instinct.
GSP's victories over Alves, Fitch and Koscheck were decision victories. He
seems to be a little gun shy since losing to Serra, and would rather just
play it safe and out-wrestle his opponents.
With Fedor's competition not being as good as the others', and GSP just
doing enough to win, I think it comes down to Penn or Silva. Penn has been
very dominant, but the reason I put Silva above him is because I think his
dominance is higher. Penn made Stevenson, Sherk, Florian and Sanchez look
like they don't belong in the cage with him. And while Silva did the same
with Henderson and Marquardt, he also made Franklin and Forrest look like
they shouldn't be in a cage at all.
That's what I think separates Silva from everyone else. He hasn't just
dominated fighters like Penn (or GSP or Fedor), but he has embarrassed
them. To dominate Franklin and Griffin is one thing; to make them look like
they are not professional fighters is another. Add to the fact that Silva
is the only person, not named Nogueira, to submit Henderson (another very,
very good fighter) and that is one impressive string of victories.
skorepin
14 Jan 2010, 12:17
The fact that Fedor never really lost and Anderson has a few losses, makes
Fedor best ever (his one loss was a stoppage due to illegal strike,
resulting in bleeding, tournament had to go on). With 1 NC, the man’s on
a 27 fight winning streak! Also, we now think of Arlovski as a has-been,
but that’s only because Fedor destroyed his chin! Also, he was a true
Pride Champ! At least for now, Fedor is in my mind clearly #1.
Jared
14 Jan 2010, 13:59
Except it's not "best ever", it's most dominant currently (as in the last
couple of years). Fedor's victory over Arlovski was impressive, but
Arlovski had a glass jaw before fighting Fedor (Sylvia-Arlovski 2).
If you're comparing entire careers, then Fedor is above Silva. But if
you're comparing currently, from about 2006/2007 to the present, Silva's
been more dominant. In the last 3 or 4 years, no one's dominated top tier
opponents like Silva.
David
14 Jan 2010, 15:11
Nobody, and I mean nobody , has dominated the competition in front of them
in a MMA fight, like Anderson Silva. IMO he's the greatest fighter I've
ever seen. Nobody takes as much out of their opponent than Anderson Silva.
He is literally making guys question whether they will fight again. Forrest
Griffin was a top 3-5 fighter in his class, beat top 1-5 in the world
Rampage Jackson, and Silva made him look like a amateur. Like he didn't
even have a puncher's chance to win. Rich Franklin, I've never felt sorrier
for a guy in a MMA fight in my life, like I felt sorry for Franklin when he
was in Anderson's clinch. The look on Rich's face told the story. BJ Penn
is the only comparable fighter. Fedor has knocked guys out, of course, but
he wasn't dominating those fights. I'm sure most of those guys he beat,
kinda fell that if they didn't get caught, they were winnig the fight. GSP
is a wrestling bully. I like the guy, but watching guys struggle against a
takedown ALL FIGHT LONG, is boring to me.
Mike T.
14 Jan 2010, 22:55
Understandable that Spider hasn't avenged his 4 losses. Too bad those guys
aren't in his level for a rematch anymore. Seems like he vastly improved
from losses to them while they just deteriorated after winning to him.
Funny that you bring Shinya Aoki as a hardcore challenger to BJ Penn. I
remember Aoki not too long ago getting the crap beaten out of him by Hayato
"Mach" Sakurai. He hasn't avenged that loss from less than a year
ago...have you excused that? Maybe 'cos "Mach" is on a losing streak,
right?
Marlo
15 Jan 2010, 01:37
Mike T: Sakurai did beat the crap out of Aoki, but Sakurai is a WW. Aoki
is a LW. To hold that loss against Aoki, you should do the same with BJ
Penn losing to GSP and Hughes.
And a quick question to some of yall... How is defeating Irvin, Cote,
Leites, and Griffin any better than defeating HMC, Sylvia, AA, and Rogers?
Jared
15 Jan 2010, 04:13
Of the fights you mentioned, I think Silva was more dominant. AA and Rogers
had moments where they had an advantage on Fedor, but no one you mentioned
above ever had any type of advantage over Silva. Destroying Griffin is more
impressive than beating Syliva or Arlovski, especially in the fashion he
did it.
Also, if you go a few fights prior, Fedor beat Lindland, Hunt and Coleman,
while Silva beat Henderson, Franklin and Marquardt. The last time Silva
showed any type of vulnerability was against Henderson, and Henderson is a
higher caliber fighter than AA, Rogers or anyone else Fedor's fought in the
last 4+ years. Fedor's last top tier opponent was Cro Cop in 2005, and
while his competition has decreased, Silva's beaten Henderson and Marquardt
and destroyed Franklin (twice) and Forrest. Silva's been on a tear since
2006, while Fedor's competition has taken a dip.
Silvas competition has taken a dip. While Fedor has taken a rise.
Choi/Lindland/Hunt < Sylvia/AA/Rogers
Nate/Rich/Dan > Irvin/Leites/Cote/Griff
The Forrest Griffin match was taylor made for AS. Forrest is a brawler
with no head movement. No wresting or take down gnp. Put that against a
elite striker like Silva and we all saw what happened.
How can you say that defeating Henderson is any better than defeating AA?
They were both ranked #2 in their respective weight class when they fought
AS and Fedor.
Again as stated before, Silva should vacate his MW weight belt and start
fighting at LHW... look at him
http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/albums/102309ufc/1080.jpg
that does not look like a guy that should be fighting at middle weight.
But this is not to bash AS at all. I think he would easily be a top 3
fighter in the UFC LHW...
Jared
15 Jan 2010, 14:51
The dip in Fedor's competition was in reference to the last four years, not
the last two years. Since 2006, Silva has been on a tear, defeating higher
caliber opponents than Fedor. And I do think beating Henderson is more
impressive than beating AA because Henderson doesn't have a glaring
weakness, where a punch to the face puts him out cold.
Even though the immediate past has Silva fighting lower competition
(Leites, Cote), he's still at the top of his game. Silva's never been in
danger at all in the last couple of years. Fedor, on the other hand, has
been in risky situations with Arlovski and Rogers; there were definite
moments where both had the upper hand. Fedor beat AA and Rogers, Silva
destroyed Forrest. Fedor didn't make Rogers and AA look like they had no
business fighting, while Silva did just that to Forrest.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a Silva-Marquardt rematch, but after Belfort
and Marquardt there's nothing left for Silva at MW. Technically there's
Bisping, Wanderlei or Maia, but those aren't nearly as interesting as
Rashad or Shogun; so I agree that he should move up to LHW.
Laramey
15 Jan 2010, 15:53
JustAFan, sorry I could not put in Brock in this category. He has only had
one title defense and only had a total of five fights. He just does not
have the experience to be in this discussion. If he is able to get healthy
and come back to the heavyweight division like he was before, he will be in
the discussion soon.
Laramey
15 Jan 2010, 16:04
Jared, I really like all of your comments that you left me. I agree with
you on every single topic and comment that you posted. I had a hard time
writing the article and choosing the most dominant. I thought it really
only came down to Penn and Silva. The only thing that Penn has over Silva
is only one loss at lightweight, but currently Silva has just blown up his
opponents. I did not add Forrest and Irvin since these fights were at light
heavyweight, but you bring up good points. (That is why I consider Silva
the best pound-for-pound fighter.) But even without those fights being
said Silva has wiped out his division and that is the only reason why his
past two fights at middleweight have been so weak. He will fight Belfort
next and I am sure Marquardt is on the horizon.
Sorry Fedor fans, he just has not looked as impressive as the others
listed. With that situation and the fact that his competition has been at
a low level, he does not make the cut for the number one spot of domination
Mike
23 Jan 2010, 07:19
Marlo:
Thanks for the clarification on Mach...didn't know he's a WW. I guess then
that Aoki is at BJ's level!
