Throughout the rich history of combat sports, many-a-great-fighter have come and gone, and some will be even remembered for expanding the perception of human limitation. The ability to create defines the word genius, and what truly sets apart the greats from the greatest, is not only their ability to break the rules, but to create their own.
5) Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist and film actor. His awe-inspiring speed and movement, along with his charisma and insightful philosophies, helped rocket him to superstardom in the 70’s. If becoming an international icon and the face of martial arts wasn’t enough, he also developed his own fighting style, Jeet Kune Do, which is said to be the origin of mixed martial arts! He would be higher on the list, but most of his incredible feats were seen during demonstrations, film or television, as opposed to competition.
4) Mike Tyson
Spawn from the rough streets of New York, Mike Tyson was very much a product of his surroundings and quickly became known as the most feared heavyweight in the sport of boxing— also becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever at only 18 years of age! Incredibly fast and explosive, he also boasted some of the most crippling power in boxing history and racked up 44 knockouts throughout his storied career. His lighting quick reflexes and perfectly honed peek-a-boo boxing style, which was taught to him by legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, was an often-overlooked aspect of his potent ring generalship.
3) Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr. is an American professional boxer, Olympic silver medalist, and the only boxer in history to begin at middleweight and go on to capture the heavyweight crown. His style relied heavily on his natural physical prowess. With incredible speed and some of the most creative movement ever seen, he dominated his opponents so convincingly they may as well have competed in a different sport. Jones barely lost a round in the prime of his career— a 50-fight massacre that spanned from 1989 to 2003. It would not be uncommon to see him slip half a dozen punches with his hands down, before throwing a combination that consisted of 7 lighting left hooks and inevitably capping the night off with a KO— with his hands behind his back beforehand no less.
2) Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the most dominant UFC Middleweight Champion in UFC history. With a staggering 10 title defenses, Silva cut a swath through the UFC Middleweight Division of which the likes has never been seen— going undefeated in the organization for seven straight years before eventually succumbing to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in 2013. With roots in Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Silva became known as a living-highlight reel and recorded some of the most impressive stoppages in mixed martial arts history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
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1) Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former heavyweight boxer. Of course, he really needs no introduction when considering that he is the most celebrated name in the history of the sport. Dubbed as The Greatest, Ali’s style in the ring confounded onlookers as he maintained the speed and dexterity of a middleweight— all while actually being a heavyweight! On top of lighting quick slips and punches, Ali danced around the ring with some of the most adept foot movement of all time. He somehow found incredible success in the ring despite seldomly throwing a body shot and even allowed his opponents to pound on him— utilizing his patented rope-a-dope. He didn’t need any rules. He made his own.
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