(Editor's note: Yahoo Sports will be rolling out a new list of its favorite moments and figures each weekday in anticipation for UFC 200. First up: Top 10 best fighters.)
In the nearly seven years since UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, there have been 227 events held and hundreds of fighters have fought at least one time.
There remains little doubt, however, about the greatest among them.
Jon Jones fought at UFC 100 and will meet Daniel Cormier on July 9 in the main event of UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the undisputed light heavyweight title.
Jones had an eventful six-plus years, as he moved up the rankings, feuded with a former teammate who had been a mentor, was blamed for the first cancelation of an event in history, failed a drug test, spent time in jail, lost his major corporate sponsor, was stripped of his world title and brawled with Cormier in the lobby of a hotel following a news conference.
What’s most remarkable about all that is that the controversy had no impact upon his performance in the Octagon. Since UFC 100 and heading into his bout next month against Cormier, Jones had 14 bouts.
It began with a match against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 5, 2009, and concluded with a one-sided victory over Ovince Saint Preux on April 23 at UFC 197, a win which gave him the interim light heavyweight belt.
Jones was disqualified for an illegal elbow against Hamill in a bout he was on the verge of winning. The disqualification remains hotly disputed to this day, which UFC president Dana White among the many who believe referee Steve Mazzagatti’s decision was wrong.
Regardless, a quick look at the record reveals that Jones is easily the greatest fighter in the UFC since UFC 100. This list will only include UFC bouts and only those held after UFC 100, which means fights at UFC 100 are not included. Fights from other promotions are not considered, including those such as the World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce which were owned by Zuffa during this period.
Jones was 13-1 with seven finishes in that span and was 10-0 in title fights.
In choosing the 10 best fighters since UFC 100, I gave weight to championship bouts, a larger body of work, dominance and caliber of opposition. Those who had positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs weren’t eliminated, but were knocked down if they were close with another fighter for a spot.
Here is my list, from 10 to 1, of the greatest fighters since UFC 100:
10. Anderson Silva, 7-3, six finishes with one no contest – Many regard Silva as the greatest fighter of all-time, and while I disagree, I won’t argue too much. He was dominant in the early part of this period, winning his first seven bouts with six finishes.
His late submission victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 remains one of the most memorable bouts in the sport’s history. His kick to the face of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 remains one of the most memorable knockouts ever.
Silva lost back-to-back fights to Chris Weidman, then defeated Nick Diaz after a return from a broken leg suffered in the second Weidman fight. But that win was changed to a no contest after Silva tested positive for PEDs. After his suspension, he was beaten in a great fight with Michael Bisping.
9. Robbie Lawler, 8-1, four finishes – Lawler didn’t return to the UFC until UFC 157 on Feb. 23, 2013, in Anaheim, Calif., when he viciously knocked out Josh Koscheck.
It was the beginning of a strong streak, though there was little indication it was coming. Lawler returned to the UFC for that bout having lost three of his past four and five of his previous eight.
He won three in a row upon his return to the UFC, earning a shot at the vacant welterweight title against Johny Hendricks at UFC 171. It was a Fight of the Night and the result could have gone either way, but Hendricks won the razor-thin decision.
Since then, Lawler won five more in succession, and won the title by beating Hendricks in a rematch at UFC 181. He has since made two successful defenses, against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit, both of which were Fight of the Night.
His bout with MacDonald at UFC 189 remains one of the great fights in the sport’s history.
8. Jose Aldo, 7-1, two finishes – Aldo was in the WEC until April 30, 2011, when he defeated Mark Hominick at UFC 129 before more than 55,000 fans at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
He wasn’t quite the devastating knockout artist he’d been in the WEC, but he kept his winning ways. After best Hominick, Aldo scored wins over Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes (twice), Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung, aka “The Korean Zombie,” and Ricardo Lamas.
He lost his belt at UFC 194 to Conor McGregor. Aldo rushed McGregor at the bell and was caught with a counter shot and knocked cold. It was his first loss in more than 10 years.
7. Conor McGregor, 7-1, six finishes – McGregor made his UFC debut on April 6, 2013, stopping Marcus Brimage just 67 seconds into the first round. It was an indication of what was to come, as McGregor reeled off seven consecutive wins, won the featherweight title and became one of the sport’s biggest stars.
He seriously injured a knee against Max Holloway in his second UFC bout and would later knee surgery, but went on to win that match. It was the only fight he’d win by decision.
Upon his return from injury, he defeated Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver to earn a featherweight title shot. When champion Jose Aldo was injured, he agreed to fight Chad Mendes on short notice for the interim belt.
Mendes had McGregor in trouble in the first, but McGregor rallied in the second and stopped Mendes to claim the interim belt. At UFC 194, he knocked Aldo out in just 13 seconds to solidify his claim as the best featherweight in the world.
He was next set to challenge for the lightweight title at UFC 196 in March, but champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out less than two weeks before the bout with an ankle injury. He wound up fighting Nate Diaz at welterweight, but was submitted in the second.
6. Ronda Rousey, 6-1, six finishes – All of Rousey’s bouts were title bouts, as she brought her Strikeforce belt into the UFC for her debut at UFC 157 in Anaheim. She submitted Liz Carmouche late in the first round in a bout that got extraordinary attention from the mainstream media because it was the first women’s UFC fight.
Rousey submitted Miesha Tate in three rounds in her next bout, then began an incredible streak of quick finishes. She stopped Sara McMann with a knee in 66 seconds at UFC 170; knocked out Alexis Davis in 16 seconds at UFC 175; arm barred Cat Zinago in 14 seconds at UFC 184; and knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds at UFC 190.
But Rousey’s remarkable run was stopped in stunning fashion at UFC 193, when she was knocked out in the second by Holly Holm after Holm had dominated the entire fight.
5. Daniel Cormier, 5-1 three finishes – For as talented as he is, Cormier always seems underrated. He debuted in the UFC on April 20, 2013, as a heavyweight, and scored wins over Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.
He moved to light heavyweight and defeated late replacement Patrick Cummins at UFC 170 and Dan Henderson at UFC 173.
He met arch-rival Jon Jones for the title at UFC 182, and was dominated. Jones was spectacular and won a decision going away.
Not long after, Jones was stripped of the belt, so Cormier fought Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the interim title. He submitted Johnson in the third round to win the belt.
He has made one defense, defeating Alexander Gustafsson in a gritty performance at UFC 192, and is now set for the unification bout with Jones.
4. Dominick Cruz, 5-0, 1 finish – Cruz battled a series of crippling injuries that kept him out of the cage for the better part of three years.
Yet, he still beat elite competition in all five bouts, including a win over Demetrious Johnson in 2011 that wasn’t as appreciated at the time as it is now.
But Cruz also defeated Urijah Faber twice, as well as T.J. Dillashaw and Takeya Mizugaki.
His recovery from his injuries has been remarkable, and only makes one wonder what he may have accomplished had he not been injured.
3. Georges St-Pierre, 6-0, zero finishes – St-Pierre fought nothing but championship matches and won all but one going away.
His first UFC 100 bout was a dominant decision over Dan Hardy in which he nearly torqued Hardy’s arm off, but couldn’t get him to submit.
He also bested Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks. Hendricks gave him a sensational fight and many believe Hendricks deserved to win.
But St-Pierre used his wrestling and athleticism to dominate the others, making them look like ordinary opponents even though he fought the best of the best.
2. Demetrious Johnson, 12-1-1, five finishes – There are many who consider Johnson, not Jones, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Johnson certainly has the record to prove it.
He’s been more active than any other elite fighter and he wins most of them going away. He was beaten by Dominick Cruz in a bid for the bantamweight title, and a draw with Ian McCall in the opening round of the UFC flyweight tournament.
Since then, he’s won 10 in a row with five finishes. He knocked out Joseph Benavidez in 2013 in a bout that signified that he was far more than just a super quick wrestler.
Johnson set a UFC record by getting the latest finish in a title fight, submitting Kyoji Horiguchi at 4:59 of the fifth round of their bout at UFC 186.
He’s defeated Benavidez twice and John Dodson twice in his string and has clearly cleaned out his division.
1. Jon Jones, 13-1, seven finishes – Jones is one of three fighters who fought at UFC 100 who will also fight at UFC 200, along with Jim Miller and Brock Lesnar.
Jones was by far the most successful. He became the UFC’s youngest champion in 2011, when he blew out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128.
He went through a roster of ex-champions, defeating Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort after Rua. Wins over five current or former champions in succession is a UFC record and one that may not be broken any time soon.
Belfort got him in an arm bar early in their match at UFC 152, and he survived that, and his bout with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 legitimately could have gone either way. But after falling behind early in both, Jones rallied to put out the win.
Hands, down, Jones has been the best UFC fighter since UFC 100.
