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#4. Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is arguably the greatest women's fighter of all time. The strength of her legacy is owed to countless reasons. She is the reigning women's featherweight and bantamweight champion, having defended both titles against the best challengers in her divisions. Furthermore, she has the most wins across all of the UFC's female divisions.
Her list of records is almost endless, but perhaps the most impressive statistic of her career is her performance against other champions, be they current or former. Nunes defeated Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (2x), Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm, Germaine de Randamie (2x), and Julianna Peña. All seven women are either former or current world champions, with Cyborg, Rousey, and Shevchenko being widely regarded among the greatest-ever women's fighters.
Stylistically, Nunes weaponizes her length and seismic knockout power by operating from a distance that causes her foes to overextend. 'The Lioness' makes consistent use of her jab-right cross combination. Opponents who try countering her jab with a looping punch over the top are interrupted by her thunderous right cross. Furthermore, Nunes destabilizes her foes' stances by slamming hard low kicks into their thighs.
Opponents who try to wrestle her quickly find that 'The Lioness' possesses a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and effective wrestling skills. Since her foes are often preoccupied with the massive threat of her crushing knockout power, many underestimate her grappling, allowing Nunes to create openings for takedowns by flicking out a jab and ducking under her opponent's counter.
#3. Royce Gracie
Mixed martial arts was founded due to a universal desire to unearth the best martial arts style in the world. At UFC 1, fighters from countless disciplines and all corners of the globe were invited to participate in an interstylistic open weight tournament under a less restricted rule set than any other. Wrestlers, kickboxers, and men from other disciplines arrived en masse. Many were hulking phenoms, while Royce Gracie was far smaller.
Despite his unassuming appearance, Gracie made short work of all three of his opponents, including future Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. None of the Brazilian's opponents survived longer than two minutes in the first round before surrendering to a submission. Royce Gracie emerged victorious, and the world of martial arts soon realized it had much more to learn as Gracie's Brazilian jiu-jitsu took the combat sports world by storm.
The Brazilian legend not only won UFC 1, but he claimed victory in the subsequent three tournaments, defeating another UFC Hall of Famer in Dan Severn, before earning a draw at UFC 5 against Shamrock. Gracie's unbeaten UFC run finally ended when he returned ten years later at UFC 60. By then, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu martial art he introduced to the world was well-known, and he lost via TKO to future welterweight champion Matt Hughes.
The existence of Brazilian jiu-jitsu forever changed the complexion of MMA and made the Gracie family part of MMA royalty.
