Sherdog’s Top 10: Current Corners

Rafael Cordeiro was behind much of the success at Chute Boxe. | Photo: Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com

5. Rafael Cordeiro | Kings MMA

More than any other coach on this list, Cordeiro has seen it all and done it all. The former Brazilian muay Thai champion had a second career as an MMA fighter in the no-holds-barred days of the sport and quickly transitioned to coaching under the banner of the feared Chute Boxe team.

Cordeiro was responsible for much of the intimidation factor behind the vaunted Chute Boxe name. He was the primary trainer for such luminaries as Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Rua, Mauricio Rua and Anderson Silva -- who once plotted to kill Cordeiro in response to a perceived insult, no joke, although the two remain friends today. He helped develop the vicious striking style for which that camp was known in its heyday.

While other coaches have struggled to adapt to the constantly shifting technical game of MMA and have either left the sport or faded away, Cordeiro has constantly evolved and grown with the times. A style that once placed most of its emphasis on the Thai clinch and volleys of hooks at close range has given way to clean punch-kick combinations and increased use of counters. A new generation of skilled strikers, most notably Rafael dos Anjos, Fabricio Werdum, Lyoto Machida and up-and-comers like Beneil Dariush and Pedro Munhoz, has joined the long list of accomplishments and laurels on Cordeiro’s record. He has assembled a talented team of coaches, including wrestling impresario Kenny Johnson and Renato Sobral.

Cordeiro has come a long way from Curitiba and the early days of Chute Boxe, and he does not appear to be slowing down after 15 years as one of MMA’s best trainers.

Number 4 » His command of the fundamentals of striking, a skill born of his decades of professional experience as a kickboxer and trainer, along with his ability to communicate and teach those mechanics, surpasses practically every other coach in the business with the possible exception of the Blackzilians’ Henri Hooft.