Brock Lesnar:
As the inventor of testosterone, you'd never think just by looking at him, that this monster of a man was once a mild-mannered scientist who hated all forms of violence! But after an accidental T-splosion, Brock was never the same... and emerged from the ruins of his laboratory as a human tank. But we all know the story from there, as Lesnar went on to ravage the heavy-weight fighting world for a short but dominant spree, until the zoo finally caught him and he flamed out.
His style was a cagey mix of charging at his opponent, combined with some Donkey-Kong flails and rage-pounds... and boy was it effective. There wasn't much to do against this guy except hope he gets tired before you black out, or maybe catch him slipping, and latch on for a lucky hold. And even then, chances are he'd shake you off... It's truly a shame that we never got to see Bob Sapp and Brocky Boy try to kill each other, because that would have been the wildest slug-fest of the the 21st century.
Cro Cop:
With an aura of legend surrounding his famous striking abilities ("Right leg hospital... left leg, cemetery." as some fighters put it) Mirko was a champion kick-boxer by the time he started his MMA career in earnest, and transferred the combat skills he'd gained in the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, Croatia's most elite Special Forces tactical police team, to quickly became one of the most recognizable name in the sport. In fact, that's even where he got his nickname! Croatian Cop... get it?
With a signature, lightning-quick roundhouse kick, he would regularly send his foes flying across the mat with a well place left foot. Maybe due to his talent as an unparalleled striker, Cro Cop usually tried to avoid going to the ground. He got better over time and could avoid take-downs more easily as his career progressed, but Mirko always was looking to get back up and finish the fight by duking it out... and that slight lack in overall ability keeps him from climbing higher on this list. Still, in the hall of all-time greats, Mirko Filipovic will always be known as an expert concussion administrator
Bas Rutten:
You've probably seen this face before, because unlike some of our other nominees, this dude is pretty charismatic and has done some acting. As a professional fighter, Bas was a devastating combination of speed and savvy, always delivering new rhythms and combinations of kicks and jabs to his over-matched opponents, in a way that defied traditional film-study techniques.
Adversaries were routinely left confused and battered from Rutten's ever-evolving combat style, where he'd mix Muay Thai, Karate and Taekwondo with surprising technique and strength. A pioneer and innovator of the modern "liver shot" (one of his favorite tactics) he could have been ranked higher on this list, had the brawler perfected his ground-game earlier in his career. Rutten was a stand-up fighter by trade, and although he adopted jiu-jitsu and grappling quite quickly after arriving at the professional level, it will always remain an intriguing mystery just how devastating Bas could have become, had he developed in our modern era, with youth coaches. Anderson
Silva:
The Spider, as he was known for his web-like ability to trap and submit any opponent at any time, would never shy away from striking, and could easily finish a fight with a flying shin or well-timed counter punch. So what do you do? While early in his career, Silva tended to rely more on his brute strength and speed to aggressively attack his competition and initiate the contact, Anderson eventually shifted his style towards a more measured and patient style.
This led him to become the counter-striking terror that we discovered when the Brazilian wonder burst onto (and soon dominated) the UFC scene. He could control the flow and movement of his adversary, deflecting and dodging whatever came his way, while still commanding respect by peppering in a few killer high-kicks... until it was over with a leg-bar. You just never knew how to deal with this cat, because he could do everything well. Too bad he suffered that bizarre, career-ending unjury while throwing a routing kick... I guess it was just time to hang it up.
Fedor Emilianenko:
https://youtu.be/ggcU-bXXO9Q
Fedor barely beat out the Brazilian wonder to take our top spot of "most dangerous hand-to-hand fighter, but when it comes down to it, even though Silva has him in the height and speed department "The Last Emperor" still comes out of our analysis with a better record, against better competition... and can truly claim to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
With stats like an insane 10-year winning streak, where the Russian behemoth beat everyone that stood before him while facing the best opponents that the heavyweight division could offer, Fedor Emelianenko was an unstoppable force. Imagine receiving the beating of your life by a guy who looks like a random, polish mechanic! His punches have knocked out some of the strongest humans on the planet... and if you tried to wrestle with him, it was like trying to move a fire hydrant. This is most definitely the man you want on you side, in any and every bar fight.
