TBerg's Top Ten 09.11.09: Week 1 - MMA's Top 10 Strikers

Posted by Todd Bergman on 09.11.2009

Fedor, Anderson Silva, Cro Cop, Wandy, Rampage or even Machida? Who is MMA’s Best Striker? 411’s Todd Bergman presents his list of MMA’s Top Ten Strikers in the debut edition of TBerg’s Top Ten. Click inside to find out who topped the list.

It's a new format to my weekly column and I've decided to take on the role of Top 10 writer here at 411. I'm going to go out on a limb and tell everyone that I will be doing some pretty crazy lists in the future, and this column should look and feel different than any other Top 10 column that you will see on the net. This week, I'm tackling the 10 best strikers in MMA today. I've got to admit that this wasn't an easy task; however, I think that the list I've compiled is credible and accurate. I'm sure that plenty of you will see otherwise and that's what the "add a comment" button down below is good for. As far as rules go for the judging of the numbers, I don't really have one. This list is about great strikers who mix accuracy with knockouts and have had at least ten professional fights to their credit. Therefore, you won't see guys like Chris Leben or Brock Lesnar included because, while they have KO power, they aren't very accurate, and Brock hasn't really fought enough to claim the title of being one of the best strikers in the world. So, without any hesitation let's have a look.


1.) Anderson "The Spider" Silva


Best KO/TKO Victory: Defeated Tony Fryklund by back elbow

It's not very often that a freak athlete like Anderson Silva shows up. The Spider's ability to mix devastating Muay Thai strikes with tremendous head movement is a rarity in MMA. His most recently destruction of Forrest Griffin showed that no matter the weight class, Silva's pinpoint accuracy can put anyone down at anytime. A lot of people don't talk about it, but I think that Silva's biggest gift is his confidence in his own abilities. It seems that many MMA fighters begin to question their abilities when something doesn't go their way. Yet, you never see Anderson get careless when something doesn't go his way. Even in those fights with Cote and Lei when his opponents basically ran from him the entire match, Silva never got away from his game plan. MMA fans should love Silva while they can because all signs point to the king of the 185lbs division leaving MMA after his current UFC contract expires. From there, it's heavily rumored that Silva will take on an aging Roy Jones Jr. in what will surely become a walking disaster for Jones. All MMA knockout reels have to feature the destructive ways of The Spider.



2.) Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko


Best KO/TKO Victory: Defeated Andrei Arlovski by mid flight hook

I will concede that Fedor‘s striking might look a little wild at any given time, but his strikes are insanely accurate and open up his ground game. Fedor's ground game and Sambo have been his calling card for the longest time. However, Fedor's ability to be spot on with his ground strikes lands him in the number two spot. It's an overlooked skill in MMA, but Fedor's ability to constantly pressure his opponents when they are on their back leads to a lot of the submission victories that he has acquired over his vast MMA career. I'm not trying to take away from Fedor's striking power, because he has a great deal of that, but no one can strike opponents on the ground like the Russian import. Watch the Big Nog fight if you don't believe me. Anyway, I really hate that Fedor didn't sign with the UFC because I don't think that he will be tested in Strikeforce. Yes, Brett Rogers is a gifted striker, but he's going to be a fish out of water on his back and Fedor will finish him within three minutes of the fight starting.



3.) Mirko Cro Cop


Best KO/TKO Victory: Defeated Wandy Silva by right leg hospital, left leg cemetery

For some of you, this pick might be a reach. However, everyone must remember the lethal abilities that Cro Cop still presents on any given day. The move to the UFC has benefited Cro Cop financially more so than professionally. Mirko still doesn't look comfortable inside the Octagon, but he has stated that he has been injured for a huge majority of his run inside the UFC and is finally healthy. Whenever Mirko is fighting, victory is simply one head-kick away, which is why he earned this spot on the countdown. Very few fighters present the ability to change a fight with a blink of an eye. Cro Cop is a former K-1 kick boxer who has used his legs to dish out some of the most brutal KO victories in MMA history. Whether it was Alex Emelianenko or Wandy Silva, the hits just keep on coming. No one has ever questioned the striking abilities of the Croatian Cop, and with a new UFC contract in hand, Mirko has the world at his disposal.



4.) Shogun Rua


Best KO/TKO Victory: Cubing the Iceman while rampaging Quinton Jackson

In my eyes, it's hard to compete with Rua's athletic ability when it comes to fighting. Shogun is cat-quick and possess some lethal combinations with his hands and his feet. You might be asking yourself, why, then, isn't Shogun ranked #1? Well, that's because he can't use his brutal stomps inside the UFC. It's a small margin that separates Rua from Cro Cop at #2, but it's a big enough difference to keep him from being in the Top 3. Another aspect missing from Shogun's game as of late has been his tremendous strikes while in his opponents guard. Time will most certainly tell if Shogun can regain his PRIDE form, but the current UFC form isn't too shabby when it comes to rating his striking abilities. Even with Shogun's cardio problems inside the Octagon, he's still been able to finish two of his three opponents with these lethal strikes. Former PRIDE fans certainly do love the former wunderkind, and, with a Light Heavyweight title showdown with Lyoto Machida looming in the future, Rua might be able to strike his way back into the hearts of the fans that once crowned him one of the best fighters on the planet.



5.) Lyoto Machida


Best KO/TKO Victory: A brutal finish of the dancing and prancing Rashad Evans

It's not really about punching power when it comes to Lyoto Machida; it's more about angles and punches in bunches that makes Machida our fifth-ranked striker. Once labeled as a "boring fighter", the undisputed "King Of Karate" has become an elite and, most importantly, exciting fighter in the eyes of many. Machida's ability to avoid damage while inflicting damage makes him very dangerous in any fight. Outside of his training partner, Anderson Silva, you would be hard-pressed to find any fighter in MMA who understands angles when it comes to throwing punches and kicks. The MMA tradition of throwing haymakers that resembles a bar room brawl won't work against Machida, and that makes it tough for a vast majority of fighters to prepare for him. It's hard to imagine anyone that can take out Machida, but his upcoming fight with Shogun Rua could be the deciding factor on how MMA fans will remember "The Dragon." An interesting fact about Machida that most don't talk about is that Machida is basically a protégé of wrestling legend Antonio Inoki. The ironic part is that apparently being associated with pro wrestling while an MMA fighter is a bad thing. What this really shows is that if you don't act like an oversized Grape Ape after a fight, the fans won't have a problem with you and, gasp, will actually respect you and your talents. I'm just saying, a little class goes a long way. Take some notes, Mr. Lesnar.



6.)Vitor Belfort


Best KO/TKO Victory: Knocking the stink off of Matt Lindland and turning Marvin Eastman's head into hamburger meat

The old song says something like, "I get knocked down but I get up again and you're never gonna keep me down." For some of you, that went completely over your head while some of you remember that God-awful song by the band with the God-awful name, Chumbawamba. Vitor Belfort has been to the promise land and then saw his career plummet just as fast. However, it appears that "The Phenom" has made huge strides in regaining his old form. A lot of that might have to do with him training with Xtreme Couture and some of that might have to do with him finally getting some closure on his sister's horrifying murder case. Whatever it might be, it's a fine welcome back to one of the most exciting fighters in MMA. Belfort has always been known for his boxing, but he possess some of the best knees in the sport, and his BJJ is greatly underrated. As witnessed in that brutal Muay Thai destruction of Marvin Eastman that led to a scar that rivals that of horror movies across Eastman's head. Don't sleep on Belfort's hand speed, however, as Wandy Silva ans Matt Lindland found that out first hand. Dana White has proclaimed that Belfort stands an outstanding chances of defeating Anderson Silva in the future if Belfort can get by Rich Franklin next weekend at UFC 103. Time will tell if Belfort is able to crush the long-time UFC veteran, Rich Franklin, but it is most certainly nice to see Belfort happy and fighting at such a high level.



7.) Melvin Manhoef


Best KO/TKO Victory: A scary finish of Sakuraba & the jaw dropping finish of Mark Hunt

Does any other fighter on the planet look like and fight like Mike Tyson as much as Melvin Manhoef does? Manhoef is a scary looking mass of muscle that will knock you silly if you aren't careful. Sure, Manhoef has a lot of holes in his ground game but if you stand and strike with him, you most certainly will end up dreaming of unicorns and star-shaped fruity pebbles. Manhoef's fighting strategy is greatly influenced by his background in Kickboxing, which is no big surprise because Manhoef is Dutch. I think that every single Dutch kid becomes some sort of bad-ass kick boxer. While American boys are out shooting hoops or tackling some small kid, the Dutch are out kicking each other silly. A late run in the DREAM Middleweight GP added a bit more credibility to Melvin's career. The high spot of that run was the very impressive defeat of MMA Legend, Sakuraba. From there, Melvin's MMA career has come to a crossroads after a heartbreaking submission loss to "The Steroid Donkey," Paulo Filho, back at DREAM 10, but fans of the Dutch striker should hold their heads high as 2010 could be the year of the "Marvelous" one.



8.) Wandy Silva


Best KO/TKO Victory: Leaving Keith Jardine whining for his Mommy and nearly killing Rampage Jackson--twice

Wandy will always be known as one of the greatest strikers in MMA. He lands at #8 because I think that he's lost a lot of punching power since making the move to the UFC. I'm not hinting at anything steroid-related, but I am saying that Wandy might have lost a step when it comes to his potential striking power. However, Wandy is still one of the best strikers on the planet, and that's saying a lot since I just said that he has lost a step. You simply can't watch an MMA Knockout Reel without seeing Wandy destroy someone. Whether it is his knees or brutal hooks, Wandy always found a way to put his opponents to sleep. Obviously, Wandy's finish of Rampage Jackson I and II shows the power and technique that Silva has, but it was his UFC 84 crushing of Keith Jardine that showed that Wandy still has it. Much like Cro Cop, Wandy still has the ability to finish a fight with one, clean strike. The move to Middleweight is a smart one for the Brazilian native, but one has to wonder how many more wars Wanderlei can endure in his career. On a side note, I would like to offer up that while Wandy is a reckless beast inside the cage, he is one of the nicest MMA fighters that my wife and I have ever met.



9.) Rampage Jackson


Best KO/TKO Victory: A meltdown of Chuck Liddell and his revenge KO of Wandy Silva

I pity the fool that doesn't think that Rampage belongs in this list. Sorry, I'm just trying to imagine what Rampage Jackson will sound like when he plays Mr. T in the upcoming A-Team movie. While I loved the show as a child, I always wondered who taught these guys how to shoot? Regardless of whether they were good or bad in the show, no one could hit the broad side of a barn. Anyway, Rampage Jackson is a tremendously gifted striker who has equal power in his right or left hand. Rampage falls to #9 in this list because his striking ability isn't as refined as the gentlemen above him. That doesn't mean that Rampage isn't a great striker, it just means that he tends to get very sloppy at times in his fights and isn't always accurate. I'm gravely disappointed that Rampage won't be fighting Rashad Evans in December, but I can't blame the guy for making more money for his family. I'm sure that the A-Team movie will be trashed by the snobby film reviewers out there, but the film should be a box office beast. I do have to wonder how much desire Rampage will have to fight after making this movie. Only time will tell, but I'm certainly hoping for another drag-out brawl involving the Memphis, Tennessee native. How could you not like this guy? He's got outstanding charisma and he always comes to fight.



10.) Andrei Arlovski


Best KO/TKO Victory: Sending Roy Nelson to the back of the lunch line and his 15 second KO of Paul Buentello.

This might be a head-scratcher for some of you out there, but remember this list is about best strikers and not the best overall fighter. It's hard for anyone to compete with Arlovski's boxing pedigree. It's so highly-touted that boxing legend Freddie Roach decided to back Arvloski in his fight with Fedor. Granted, that fight didn't turn out the way that Andrei or Freddie thought, but sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail. Andrei earns this spot mainly because his striking ability is pinpoint accurate. If you watch any of his fights back when he was the UFC Heavyweight Champion, Arlovski never threw a punch that didn't connect with his opponent. It was truly poetry in motion. Andrei's more recent fights with Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson also show his accuracy as nothing is wasted. His ability to constantly push the pace and keep his fists in your face make him a deadly fighter in the ring. After Andrei's most recent KO loss to Brett Rogers, I think that it's time for Andrei to start using his leg kicks to keep the distance between him and his opponents. I also think that Andrei needs to get the long hair back. It seems that once Andrei started trying to be a pretty boy, his chin went the way of the Dodo bird. Here's to more dirty looking Arlovski and less man-model Andrei.

Honorable Mention: Igor Vovchanchyn, Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Alistair Overeem, Rich Franklin, Jens Pulver, Mike Brown, Kid Yamamoto, Gomi, Sakurai, Eddie Alvarez, Mark Hunt, Thiago Silva, and Gabe Gonzaga

So for better or worse there is your list of who I believe are the Top 10 Best Strikers in MMA. I'm always ready to read what you liked and disliked about the list in your comments below. Before, I go, I wanted to extend a special message since this is 9/11.



It's a bittersweet day for me as 9/11 is my birthday but also one of the worst days in American history. I know that a great majority of the readers aren't American, but I would like to extend my thoughts on this day for a brief moment. I'm not going to be political about anything but I do thank every single person that gave their life on that tragic day so that you and I can voice our opinions in such a public manner. If I had one birthday wish for everyone, it would be that you tell someone who is important to you that you appreciate them and thank them for being a part of your life.

I'm always up for suggestions on what kind of Top 10 lists you want to see here in the MMA Zone, so drop me any suggestions you might have. Have a great weekend and enjoy the UFN and the start of the newest season of The Ultimate Fighter and be sure to follow my advice above. Remember to support your local MMA and keep your tapping hand strong.