A History of MMA's Pound-for-Pound Best

The Pound-for-Pound Best Fighter in MMA is always in question, and is always a wild debate. The following list shows the Pound-for-Pound Best Fighter on an annual basis from 1993-2009. Below is a more thorough descriptive timeline of the history of the Pound-for-Pound Best MMA fighter.

MMA: History of the Pound-for-Pound Best

1993 - Royce Gracie - UFC 1 Open-Weight Tournament Champion
1994 - Royce Gracie - UFC 2 and UFC 4 Open-Weight Tournament Champion
1995 - Rickson Gracie - Vale Tudo '95 Open-Weight Tournament Champion
1996 - Mark Coleman - UFC 10 and UFC 11 Heavyweight Tournament Champion
1997 - Mark Kerr - UFC 14 and UFC 15 Heavyweight Tournament Champion,
            World Vale Tudo 3 Champion
1998 - Mark Kerr - Undefeated 10-0
1999 - Bas Rutten - UFC Heavyweight Champion
2000 - Randy Couture - UFC Heavyweight Champion
2001 - Matt Hughes - UFC Welterweight Champion
2002 - Matt Hughes - UFC Welterweight Champion
2003 - Matt Hughes - UFC Welterweight Champion
2004 - Fedor Emelianenko - Pride Heavyweight Champion,
            Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion
2005 - Mauricio Rua - Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
2006 - Chuck Liddell - UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
2007 - Anderson Silva - UFC Welterweight Champion
2008 - Anderson Silva - UFC Middleweight Champion
2009 - Fedor Emelianenko - WAMMA Heavyweight Champion

Starting in 1993, Royce Gracie wins the Ultimate Fighting Championship's inaugural 8-Man Open-Weight Tournament. UFC 1 took place on Nov. 12, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. This event marked the birth of the modern era of Mixed Martial Arts.

Royce Gracie continues to dominate the MMA world throughout 1994, winning both UFC 2 and UFC 4. Gracie's record stood at 11-1, with the only blemish coming from pulling out of a tournament due to injury. Royce breaks ties from the UFC in 1995; he does not fight again for five years.

In 1994 and 1995, Royce Gracie's half brother Rickson Gracie wins the Vale Tudo Open-Weight Tournament in Japan. Rickson dominates all challengers. He leaves Vale Tudo with a record of 8-0. Rickson does not fight again until 1997.

The UFC returns to a Tournament structure in 1996. Mark Coleman wins both UFC 10 and UFC 11 Heavyweight Tournaments. Mark Coleman's record peaked at 6-0 defeating Dan Severn in February of 1997. He then went on to lose four straight.

Undefeated Mark Kerr makes waves in 1997. He wins the World Vale Tudo 3 Tournament, and both UFC 14 and UFC 15 Heavyweight Tournaments. In 1998, Kerr has continued success in the Pride Fighting Championship. His 1998 record stood at 10-0. Kerr would not loose a contest until May of 2000.

In 1999, Bas Rutten stole the spotlight by winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Bas's 1999 record stood at 27-4-1. He was undefeated in his last 22 fights. Bas would retire from MMA in 1999 due to an injured knee and biceps.

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