1. Wanderlei Silva
The ferocity “The Axe Murderer” brings to the table is unrivaled in MMA. Silva became synonymous with the action-packed firefight, and when he went on a historic winning streak in Pride Fighting Championships, there was no one on the planet who was more exciting. The Brazilian took pleasure in punishing opponents with knees, punches, stomps and soccer kicks. He was violence personified.
Wielding brutal power in both hands, Silva often swung wildly at his opponent, as if trying to decapitate him with every punch he threw. Nobody can shake the images of his savage knockouts against Kazushi Sakuraba and Quinton Jackson. On the few occasions when he lost, Silva often did so in spectacular fashion. His crude style left him susceptible to counters, and he paid the price more than once: Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Mirko Filipovic all felled the Brazilian. Still, everybody tuned in to see Silva, knowing a highlight-reel knockout was only a breath away.
Silva captured the Pride 205-pound title on Nov. 3, 2001 and kept it on lockdown for nearly six years. He boasts 25 knockouts among his 35 career victories and recently agreed to terms with the Bellator MMA promotion.