Top 5 Brazilian MMA Fighters of All Time

Read Time:2 Minute, 54 Second

UFC 301 will go down in Rio de Janeiro. The card has some exciting Brazilian fighters ready to put on a show for their people. Brazil has given us some of the best fighters that we have ever seen in the sport. In honor of their rich MMA history, we decided to look at some of the country’s top fighters.

Check out our Top 5 Brazilian MMA Fighters of all time:

#5. Wanderlei Silva

Despite never capturing a UFC championship, Wanderlei’s run in Pride was an all-time great. “The Axe Murderer” won the Pride Light Heavyweight Championship in 2001. He also won the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament in 2003. Silva quickly built up a reputation as the scariest man in the entire sport. He took out names like Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, and other MMA legends.

#4. Amanda Nunes

It would be impossible to exclude the greatest female fighter in the history of the sport. Amanda Nunes is on a very short list of all-time great fighters to win a UFC championship in two weight classes. She’s the first woman to ever do so. Nunes has defeated some of the very best females of all time too. Her resume consists of names like Cris Cyborg, Valentina Shevchenko, and Ronda Rousey. Not only is Amanda the best female fighter ever… She is one of the best fighters we’ve seen, regardless of gender.

#3. José Aldo

The legendary rise of Jose Aldo truly kicked off in his early days as WEC Featherweight Champion. When the UFC merged with the WEC, Aldo became the first ever UFC Featherweight Champion. From 2005 to 2014, he would amass an 18-fight unbeaten streak. That included a half-decade run as the undisputed UFC 145-pound champion. Even at the back end of his career, Aldo made the stunning move of dropping another 10 pounds to compete at bantamweight. Needless to say, he thrived in the division. It has been an incredible career for perhaps the greatest featherweight of all time who returns at UFC 301.

#2. Royce Gracie

At #1, we have a true MMA pioneer who has helped elevate the sport to the heights it has reached. Royce Gracie competed in the first five UFC events ever in an era with no time limit, no weight classes, and the possibility of facing multiple men in the same night. Not only has Royce played a critical role in the development of MMA, he has the entire Gracie family for that matter. As far as skill level, Royce is not even close to the other candidates on this list. But, he had a huge impact early in the sport. That alone lands him high on this list.

#1. Anderson Silva

To no surprise, Anderson Silva seems to be at the top of most of these lists. Let’s be honest, why wouldn’t he be? Silva is not only the greatest Brazilian MMA fighter to ever grace the sport. He is perhaps the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Period. To this day, Anderson holds the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history at 16. From 2006 to 2012, Silva would go on a legendary run that will ever be duplicated again. “The Spider” emerged as a household name in combat sports at a time when the UFC was not nearly as big as it is today.

Who is on your Top 5 list? Let us know in the comments.