DarkKnight81
08-27-2006, 09:06 PM
I understand that this is a timeless topic and an almost impossible thing to decipher but I wanted to get some feedback from the public eye. The only stipulation I want to add is that this is referring to a fighter in his very prime. I think most will jump on Royce or Rickson Gracie, and while you cant deny their records and ability, keep in mind that when MMA started to become popular they caught most of the world off guard with jiu jitsu and once people were aware of it, it lost its edge. Ken Shamrock may be the most well known but has taken a dive late in his career. He was beaten by Gracie in UFC 1 but came back and lasted 45 minutes with him and Gracie was thought to be invincible at that time. On top of that Ken destroyed Dan Severn and Bas Rutten in his prime. Tito Ortiz has handed his ass to him lately but I dont think that would be the case 10 years ago. Just look at what happened to Tito when he fought Frank Shamrock, almost the same fighter as Ken just younger. Frank was great for a while but never really beat anyone worth noting. Bas Rutten made him look like an idiot but Bas was taken out by Ken in about a minute, so I think Ken takes Frank. I've heard a lot about this guy Fedor, and while he looked mighty impressive I havent seen him beat anyone noteworthy either. But beating Tsuyoshi Kosaka's face into a bloody pulp was amazing to watch. Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, and Chuck Liddell are all great fighters but they have that "engineered fighter" feel to them they are so damn well rounded. Marco Ruas was maybe the most impressive fighter I have ever seen, unfortunately I havent seen enough of him nor i have I seen him beat any big names to call him the best. In the end I think I have to go with Ken Shamrock, in his prime when he went with Gracie for 45 minutes he had a mixture of stand up skills, submissions, and pure strength to probably beat anyone. If I see Fedor take out some more big names I might change my mind. What do you all think?