5 best MMA analysts of all time

In the intricate world of mixed martial arts that we reside in, it is imperative to have an in-depth analysis of the action, both inside and outside the Octagon. From its inception, the mixed martial arts community has been fortunate enough to realize great minds who dabble with the science behind the sport. The prime focus of this article will be to revolve around some of the very best mixed martial arts analysts, in the business.

Here is a look at the top 5 most influential and widely spoken about analysts in regards to the sport of mixed martial arts.

#5 Chael Sonnen

The Good Ol' Days: Chael Sonnen is an American mixed martial artist who competed in promotions and avenues such as the World Extreme Cagefighting, Pancrase, and the UFC. He began training in wrestling and boxing from a very young age and later went on to compete in the middleweight division for WEC and the light-heavyweight division for the UFC. He is widely recognized for his controversial saga with the great, Anderson Silva.

Let's Get Down To Business: After leaving the UFC, Chael Sonnen was hired by ESPN as an analyst. He made his debut as a critic of the sport during the UFC 180 event preview. In early April 2018, Chael Sonnen was set to co-host a show with renowned Canadian MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani. The show is labeled "Ariel & The Bad Guy", and runs for a weekly 30-minute feature where latest developments, top stories, and upcoming fights are scrutinized.

Below is a snippet from the "Ariel & The Bad Guy" special

Chael Sonnen also handles a YouTube channel called the "Bad Guy Inc.", where he analyzes the nitty-gritty details from the MMA world, in his own afresh style. Here is a video clipping of one of the episodes from the "Bad Guy Inc".

#4 Dan Hardy

The Good Ol' Days: Dan Hardy was a former English mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division for the UFC. He is also known to have competed for various other promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors before signing a contract with the UFC in 2008. He was a student of Taekwondo and started fighting at the mere age of 7. He also learned other martial art disciplines such as Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Wushu, for which he traveled to China to train with Shaolin monks for several months.

Let's Get Down To Business: Dan Hardy is currently an MMA analyst and commentator. He served as a commentator for UFC's Fight Pass events and works as an analyst for FOX Sports. In August 2017, Hardy joined Sky Sports as an analyst for the biggest fighting event in combat sports history, Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor. He is also known for calling fights and providing analysis for Fox Sports for fights such as Alexander Gustafsson vs Glover Teixeira, Stephen Thompson vs Darren Till, and Fabricio Werdum vs Marcin Tybura.

During his work for Sky Sports, covering the Mayweather-McGregor bout, Hardy joined former Boxing World Champions, Carl Froch and Johnny Nelson in the studio and commentary booth. In an interview before the big fight, this is what the head of Boxing for Sky Sports, had to say about Dan Hardy:

“It’s great to add someone with Dan’s knowledge of MMA to our coverage. McGregor’s legendary status in UFC and the intricacies of the sport itself are two incredibly important stories to tell - I’m sure Dan will do that brilliantly.”

Here is an in-depth analysis for FOX, by the man himself

#3 Brendan Schaub

The Good Ol' Days: Brendan Schaub is a former American mixed martial artist who began training in Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu before his football endeavor. After retiring from football, Schaub decided to train in the sport of mixed martial arts. He went on to represent the UFC in the heavyweight division and beat big names in the business such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Cro Cop and Matt Mitrione.

Let's Get Down To Business: Alongside being an MMA analyst, Brendan Schaub is also a comedian and web series host. He co-hosts "The Fighter and the Kid", a twice-weekly podcast with fellow comedian Bryan Callen. In December 2016, Schaub also launched a solo podcast titled "Big Brown Breakdown", where he primarily discussed topics related to MMA and UFC events. He is also a frequent guest on the Joe Rogan Experience. Schaub also provided insight and analysis for Bellator MMA as a part of the pre-show for Bellator 180 and the Bellator NYC pay-per-view.

Here is a full-length podcast from the "Big Brown Breakdown", with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Brendan Schaub was elected to be the representative voice for MMA for the commentary surrounding the Mayweather-McGregor bout on August 26th, 2017. Schaub was alongside Mauro Ranallo, Paulie Malignaggi, and Brian Custer, providing analysis to large crowds in places like Toronto and New York. In February 2018, Schaub entered into a partnership deal with Showtime to launch his podcast, "Below The Belt". The show features Brendan Schaub and some of the biggest names in combat sports, mainly inclusive of MMA and Boxing.

Here is a conversational episode on "Below The Belt", with UFC bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw

#2 Robin Black

The Good Ol' Days: Robin Black is a retired mixed martial artist with a professional record of 4 wins and 5 losses. He was and still is an ardent practitioner of Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As an analyst of the sport, Robin Black found himself on a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel called Much. Under this channel, he featured on a MuchMusic program titled, "Robin Black: Cage Fighter". On this program, he trained with MMA artists such as Georges St-Pierre, Dan Smith, Mark Hominick, Sam Stout, Charlotte Savage, and Andrew Bradbury.

Let's Get Down To Business: Robin Black did color commentary for a show in Montreal called XMMA. Since his first appearance, he has interviewed fighters between rounds at Warrior-1 MMA Inception, WRECK MMA, CFC, to name a few. Along with previewing upcoming fights, he also has a podcast called "Enjoy The Hostilities". The podcast is an amalgamation of Black's most popular segments which include Fighting Is About Fighting, Championship Rounds, Mentality Of Combat Sports, Artists Of Life, and Ask Robin Black. His variety draws in fans from across the world as he has something to offer to everyone. Black also conducts a "One Minute Breakdown" for fight fans who want to get quick updates on the latest movements in combat sports.

Here is an episode from Robin Black's podcast, "Enjoy The Hostilities"

Robin Black has worked with various promotions such as TSN, ESPN, FS1, and the UFC. He also addresses live audiences and by seeking inspiration from fellow analysts in Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub, he provides philosophical insight based on the knowledge he possesses in the sport of MMA.

Here is a snippet of his "One Minute Breakdown" series

#1 Dominick Cruz

The Good Ol' Days: Dominick Cruz is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 22 wins and 2 losses. He is a two-time bantamweight division titleholder at the UFC and also the final bantamweight titleholder for World Extreme Cagefighting. Cruz is well renowned for beating elite level bantamweight fighters such as Demetrious Johnson and Urijah Faber. Unfortunately, due to multiple injuries, Cruz remained outside competition and was stripped of his UFC bantamweight title in 2014. Following this, he has been noted to be one of the leading analysts for FOX Sports.

Let's Get Down To Business: Dominick Cruz is a play-by-play analyst for FOX and FS1 UFC Fight Nights, as well as a UFC pay-per-view broadcaster. He has previously also worked as a FOX Sports UFC Studio Analyst for UFC weigh-ins, prefight, prelims, and postfight shows. He is a well-rounded analyst and has given his insight and inputs alongside fighters and fellow analysts such as Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping, for events such as UFC on FOX 28. During the show, he provided analysis on the controversial finish to the card's main event between Jeremy Stephens and Josh Emmett.

Here is a snippet of Dominick Cruz analyzing some ring action during "The Rich Eisen Show"

Dominick Cruz has also appeared on the famous "Monday Morning Analyst" show, hosted by American MMA journalist and analyst, Luke Thomas. During the episode, he was heard breaking down all the action from the UFC 226 event and the TUF 27 Finale. He provided audiences with a thorough analysis of Daniel Cormier's KO win against Stipe Miocic, and Israel Adesanya's win over Brad Tavares.

Here is the episode of the "Monday Morning Analyst" show with Luke Thomas, featuring Dominick Cruz