10. (Tie) Rickson Gracie
The most skilled practitioner of his generation in Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s royal family cracks the Top 10, though a younger sibling is set to appear later in this list. Rickson has a lot in common with the man he tied with for 10th place, Vovchanchyn. Both were utterly unbeatable during the 90s but were penalized by voters for a lack of competition. In Rickson's case, he was the best BJJ practitioner by far in 90s MMA and submitted all his opponents. However, his competition was even lighter than Vovchanchyn's, and by far the weakest of anyone on this list; his best win is likely Yuki Nakai, who was 150 pounds soaking wet and already blind in one eye by the time he fought 185-pound Rickson in the finals. After that is heavyweight Japanese journeyman Yoshihisa Yamamoto, which was likely Rickson's toughest win, requiring just under 24 minutes to get the tap.
Despite this, I put Rickson fifth on my own list. How can I justify that? For the simple fact that he was instrumental in developing MMA in Japan. In particular, his two meetings against popular pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada carried Pride Fighting Championships in its early days the same way his younger brother Royce carried the Ultimate Fighting Championship. I can't even begin to describe how important and essential that was to the entire sport, especially since I consider Pride the greatest promotion of all time. Certainly, all MMA fans owe a debt of gratitude to the legendary Rickson.
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