Who was the best fighter in MMA every year since 1993.

[JKS]

Anderson Silva in 2011???

Considering Jones went Bader, Shogun, Rampage and Machida?

 

[mraa1]

Bas Rutten over Frank Shamrock in 99?

 

[Bork Neslar]

No thanks.

 

[don't ask]

2026-2031 - Chase Hooper

@Poirierfan punching things in house house for the next six years

 

[don't ask]

This is a rough estimate only.

Feel free to do yours.

1993 - Royce Gracie
1994 - Bas Rutten
1995 - Bas Rutten
1996 - Bas Rutten
1997 - Masakatsu Funaki
1998 - Semmy Schilt
1999 - Bas Rutten
2000 - Tito Ortiz
2001 - Antonio Nogueira
2002 - Fedor Emelianenko
2003 - Fedor Emelianenko
2004 - Fedor Emelianenko
2005 - Fedor Emelianenko
2006 - Fedor Emelianenko
2007 - Fedor Emelianenko
2008 - Fedor Emelianenko
2009 - Fedor Emelianenko
2010 - GSP
2011 - Anderson Silva
2012 - Anderson Silva
2013 - Anderson Silva
2014 - Jon Jones
2015 - Jon Jones
2016 - Jon Jones
2017 - Jon Jones
2018 - Demetrious Johnson
2019 - Khabib Nurmagomedov
2020 - Khabib Nurmagomedov
2021 - Alexander Volkanovski
2022 - Alexander Volkanovski
2023 - Islam Makhachev
2024 - Islam Makhachev
2025 - Ilia Topuria

Good list. I'm not sure if Bas should be chosen for some of those years considering he lost to both Shamrocks and I'm now sure what Islam has done to wow like this list implies, but I like the rest of it.

I had to go looking up when Anderson fought Cote/Leities/Maia and was the most hated person in the sport for his squirrel-shitting performances.

 

[r-harper-1]

GSP for 2009 was my only real difference of opinion with the list. His dominance in those two fights was arguably his peak. Thiago Alves was a monster when they fought, and he dismantled him.

Yeah it was a great list ….had to nitpick to find something to debate lol

 

[mkt]

Incredibly biased, anti-American, anti-UFC list. You realize Bas lost to Ken Shamrock in 1994 and 1995 and lost to Frank Shamrock in that period as well, right? And he arguably lost to Randleman in 1999. If Randleman could hold him down like that, what would Kerr, Coleman, Tom Erickson, Couture and maybe even Dan Severn do? Erickson destroyed Randleman in like 1-2 minutes before Kevin fought Bas.

I like Bas as much as anyone but that's ridiculous. And Funkaki, lol? No mention of Frye, Ruas, Coleman, Frank Shamrock, Kerr, Couture or other UFC fighters?

I'll just do the 1990s.

93 - Royce
94 - Ken Shamrock
95 - Ken Shamrock
96 - Dan Severn
97 - Randy Couture
98 - Mark Kerr
99 - Tom Erickson

A few notes

• Shamrock had a draw with Royce in 1995 but would've won if there were judges. He also beat Severn that year. I think Shamrock would've had the same kind of fight with Royce in 1994 at UFC 3. By then, he'd learned enough about BJJ submissions and how to fight someone wearing a gi.
• Erickson wasn't very active, but word on the street is that Coleman and Kerr didn't want to fight him. He looked really good in the late 90s after a few fights. He was probably as big or bigger than Lesnar with even better wrestling creds, though not as jacked. He went back to wrestling mostly in 98-99 but did have one fight.

 

[mkt]

Yeah it was a great list ….had to nitpick to find something to debate lol

It was a horrible list. See my post just above this. No one who actually watched NHB in the 90s objectively would agree with it.

 

[mkt]

2029 - Erik Silva if he continues to progress like he is. He will be 18 by then and ready to show the world

2029 will be between Silva and the Fighter Kevin Lee, who will finally get his head straight and win the LW and WW belts.

 

[r-harper-1]

It was a horrible list. See my post just above this. No one who actually watched NHB in the 90s objectively would agree with it.

I only watched ufc during the 90’s ….. a few other shows thst were put out on vhs

 

[mkt]

I only watched ufc during the 90’s ….. a few other shows thst were put out on vhs

If you watched UFC and at least kept up with the bigger events in Japan and Brazil back then, you know that Bas Rutten wasn't the best fighter in 94-95 and 99. Or Funaki in 97. Laughable.

 

[r-harper-1]

If you watched UFC and at least kept up with the bigger events in Japan and Brazil back then, you know that Bas Rutten wasn't the best fighter in 94-95 and 99. Or Funaki in 97. Laughable.

Agreed …. I honestly don’t respect pancrese much

 

[Mpower]

Incredibly biased, anti-American, anti-UFC list. You realize Bas lost to Ken Shamrock in 1994 and 1995 and lost to Frank Shamrock in that period as well, right? And he arguably lost to Randleman in 1999. If Randleman could hold him down like that, what would Kerr, Coleman, Tom Erickson, Couture and maybe even Dan Severn do? Erickson destroyed Randleman in like 1-2 minutes before Kevin fought Bas.

I like Bas as much as anyone but that's ridiculous. And Funkaki, lol? No mention of Frye, Ruas, Coleman, Frank Shamrock, Kerr, Couture or other UFC fighters?

I'll just do the 1990s.

93 - Royce
94 - Ken Shamrock
95 - Ken Shamrock
96 - Dan Severn
97 - Randy Couture
98 - Mark Kerr
99 - Tom Erickson

A few notes

• Shamrock had a draw with Royce in 1995 but would've won if there were judges. He also beat Severn that year. I think Shamrock would've had the same kind of fight with Royce in 1994 at UFC 3. By then, he'd learned enough about BJJ submissions and how to fight someone wearing a gi.
• Erickson wasn't very active, but word on the street is that Coleman and Kerr didn't want to fight him. He looked really good in the late 90s after a few fights. He was probably as big or bigger than Lesnar with even better wrestling creds, though not as jacked. He went back to wrestling mostly in 98-99 but did have one fight.

Not the Big Cat Erikson....Next name I'm gonna hear is Gary Goodridge

 

[mkt]

Not the Big Cat Erikson....Next name I'm gonna hear is Gary Goodridge

Who would beat Erickson in 1999? Bas Rutten, who was held down the entire fight by LHW Randleman? Erickson demolished Randleman a few years earlier.

Try to use a few brain cells here. Erickson takes Bas down and he's not getting up...and he'll get pounded a lot worse than he did by Randleman.

 

[Mpower]

Who would beat Erickson in 1999? Bas Rutten, who was held down the entire fight by LHW Randleman? Erickson demolished Randleman a few years earlier.

Try to use a few brain cells here. Erickson takes Bas down and he's not getting up...and he'll get pounded a lot worse than he did by Randleman.

The op's criteria doesnt seem to be MMAth. Him listing Topuria and DJ was kinda a dead giveaway.

 

[Elvis.]

By the time the year 2000 ended Tito had victory’s over
Bohlander
Mezger
Wand
Kondo


Sakuraba had defeated
Conan Silveira (a heavyweight)
White
Newton
Belfort
Mezger
Baraga
Royler
Royce
Ryan
Renzo

I give it to Sakuraba in 2000

 

[pankrat]

Way too much 90s Pancrase bias in that AI shit. Semmy Shilt and Tito are ridicilous

Even if its hard to tell from back then, the best fighter came from the BJJ/vale tudo scene in Brazil maybe the Japanese Shooto circuit, not a couple kickboxers from Netherlands.
By '99 Frank Shamrock had a legit case, as his older brother had in '95.

Sakuraba was the best fighter in year 2000.
I think Silva was widely regarded as p4p best after finishing Hendo and Griffin in '08-09. So was Jones by '12-13 already.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Incredibly biased, anti-American, anti-UFC list. You realize Bas lost to Ken Shamrock in 1994 and 1995 and lost to Frank Shamrock in that period as well, right? And he arguably lost to Randleman in 1999. If Randleman could hold him down like that, what would Kerr, Coleman, Tom Erickson, Couture and maybe even Dan Severn do? Erickson destroyed Randleman in like 1-2 minutes before Kevin fought Bas.

I like Bas as much as anyone but that's ridiculous. And Funkaki, lol? No mention of Frye, Ruas, Coleman, Frank Shamrock, Kerr, Couture or other UFC fighters?

I'll just do the 1990s.

93 - Royce
94 - Ken Shamrock
95 - Ken Shamrock
96 - Dan Severn
97 - Randy Couture
98 - Mark Kerr
99 - Tom Erickson

A few notes

• Shamrock had a draw with Royce in 1995 but would've won if there were judges. He also beat Severn that year. I think Shamrock would've had the same kind of fight with Royce in 1994 at UFC 3. By then, he'd learned enough about BJJ submissions and how to fight someone wearing a gi.
• Erickson wasn't very active, but word on the street is that Coleman and Kerr didn't want to fight him. He looked really good in the late 90s after a few fights. He was probably as big or bigger than Lesnar with even better wrestling creds, though not as jacked. He went back to wrestling mostly in 98-99 but did have one fight.

I Agree with most of the list, but you're definitely right regarding 94 and perhaps 95. Ken was definitely the 1994 fighter of the year over Bas.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Bas fought in Hybrid wrestling (Pancrase) imo it's not mma.

 

[mkt]

The op's criteria doesnt seem to be MMAth. Him listing Topuria and DJ was kinda a dead giveaway.

Neither is mine, but if you don't consider common opponents, you're kind of braindead. Tom also beats Bas easily according to "styles make fights."