Comparing Five MMA Fighters to Other Well Known Athletes

When a certain athlete transcends their sport or establishes a reputation as one of the "greatest ever," comparisons will be made between that person and other athletes.  

This list focuses on five MMA fighters and which athletes they compare to accordingly. It can be their impact, records, status or any other quality between the two that determines the relation of the two. 

Shaquille O'Neal and Brock Lesnar

This comparison has been made often amongst MMA fans.

Both men are huge and undeniably use their size as their biggest advantage in their sports, especially since both require their competitors to have any advantage in whatever way they can.

Both are able to build a following based on their size alone, which is something that attracts attention and can build a fanbase because of their unique physical qualities. Just because you are big must mean you are good, right? They got so much attention due to their massive bodies that most ignored the faults in their skills.

Both have a clear weakness in their games—Shaq's free throws and Lesnar's ability to take a punch.

Anderson Silva and Muhammad Ali

Anderson Silva hasn't done anything outside the Octagon that can match that of Muhammad Ali's legacy, but there aren't many athletes who can. Ali changed the way people look at what professional athletes can do to influence social movements around the world.

What they do have in common is their ability to fight effectively and avoid punches while countering with their own.

Silva, who was inspired by Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali, can use his boxing alone and beat almost anyone that is put in front of him.

Georges St. Pierre and Oscar De La Hoya

Oscar De La Hoya and Georges St. Pierre have one big thing in common—drawing power. Both can draw immense amounts of attention when they fight and are known for their ability to attract big audiences.

Pierre is one of the best fighters in the UFC and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Oscar De La Hoya achieved similar success in being ranked the top pound-for-pound boxer in 1997 and 1998. He was Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1995.

Both were fairly young when they became the champion in their sport, and a long career follows Pierre as he enters a new phase in his career—his fighting prime.

Manny Pacquiao and Fedor Emelianenko

There is a huge weight difference between these two, but their achievements in their sports have put them in a position to be two of the best fighters ever to enter a ring.

Both take on the bigger fighters and use their skills and fighting instincts to defeat their opponents.

Emelianenko has since fallen off the ranks of the best heavyweights after dropping two losses in a row. What preceded that was a massive win streak—something that is familiar to Pacquiao.

Both have attracted massive followings and are superstars in their home countries.

Win or lose, both of these fighters will draw attention based on their personalities and fighting spirit.

Randy Couture and Brett Favre

No fighter and NFL player are more comparable then Brett Favre and Randy Couture.

Both retired and returned to the top of the sport, and both are in their 40s. Well beyond his hay-day, Couture still competes with some of the toughest fighters in the world. Favre officially retired on January 17, 2011, but who knows if he will return again?

Favre was just 20 years old when he set foot in the NFL, and Couture was 34 when he made his UFC and MMA debut at UFC 13.

Both have left their marks in their sports at ages most wouldn't even fantasize of being a legitimate competitor. Both defied the odds and competed among the best well past their primes.