Issue 064
July 2010
To find out who really is the World’s Toughest Fighter, we’ve assessed and scored five of the toughest men in MMA (representing Russia, America, Canada, Japan and Brazil), awarding them up to ten points in each category.
FEDOR EMELIANENKO
DURABILITY
Kevin Randleman’s monster slam in 2004 would have killed most humans. Less than a minute later, Fedor won by Kimura.
9
JOB
Former firefighter in the Russian Army.
7
LENGTH OF CAREER
A decade. Slack schedule in recent years.
6
NUMBER OF FIGHTS
34
7
ROUGH BEGINNINGS
Brought up in a tough mining town in Soviet Russia.
7
HARD TRAINING REGIME
Spartan fight camps in his hometown, Stary Oskol.
7
STREET FIGHTING PEDIGREE
Has alluded to some scraps when in the military.
7
RUTHLESSNESS
All but a handful of his fights have finished early. His last opponent, Brett Rogers, was the only one to get through the first round for three years.
9
OVERCOME ADVERSITY
Badly rocked by Kazuyuki Fujita and cuts up regularly. Always comes through to win.
8
GAMENESS
Cool and unflappable, but if the music’s playing he’ll dance.
7
TOTAL
74
NICK DIAZ
DURABILITY
Throws more punches than anyone in the game, but takes plenty too. Went to the canvas briefly against Marius Zaromskis – one of the few times his chin has let him down.
7
JOB
Started fighting at 18 and never looked back.
7
LENGTH OF CAREER
Eight years. A veteran at just 26, he has his best years ahead of him.
7
NUMBER OF FIGHTS
29
7
ROUGH BEGINNINGS
Grew up poor in Stockton, California (America’s fifth most dangerous city). His father wasn’t on the scene and Diaz took up martial arts to defend himself on the
rough streets.
7
HARD TRAINING REGIME
The self-styled hardest-working fighter in MMA, his training partners include fellow Strikeforce champs Shields and Melendez, plus brother Nate. To relax, he enjoys competing in triathlons.
9
STREET FIGHTING PEDIGREE
The police were called when Diaz decided to continue his UFC 57 fight with Joe Riggs later that evening when both were being treated at the hospital.
7
RUTHLESSNESS
Since dropping a series of thin decisions in the UFC, Diaz has got meaner and his opponents have started falling. His first-round destruction of Zaromskis sums up what he’s about these days.
8
OVERCOME ADVERSITY
Dripping blood is an integral part of any Nick Diaz fight. His tendency to cut easily never discourages him.
7
GAMENESS
Despite being a jiu-jitsu black belt, Nick will stand and trade with anyone. His brawls with Robbie Lawler and Takanori Gomi are as thrilling as any in MMA history.
9
TOTAL
75
GEORGES ST-PIERRE
DURABILITY
His KO loss at the hands of Matt Serra has made many fans question his chin.
5
JOB
Like many fighters, GSP used to supplement his income by working as a nightclub bouncer.
7
LENGTH OF CAREER
Eight years and counting. Has many years ahead of him if he stays focused.
7
NUMBER OF FIGHTS
22
7
ROUGH BEGINNINGS
Grew up in one of Montreal’s toughest neighborhoods. Attended a high school notorious for gang activity.
8
HARD TRAINING REGIME
Famous for traveling far and wide to learn from the best.
7
STREET FIGHTING PEDIGREE
The suave image belies his hard background. As a youngster he was stabbed in the leg during one confrontation.
8
RUTHLESSNESS
Content to control with his wrestling and leave it to the judges. Some fans see his risk-averse approach as a hangover from the Serra shock.
5
OVERCOME ADVERSITY
Tore his abductor muscle during his UFC 100 fight with Thiago Alves, but hung in there to take a unanimous decision.
8
GAMENESS
Dominates with a mixture of speed, athleticism and technical mastery. Doesn’t feel the need to mix it up.
6
TOTAL
68
SHINYA AOKI
DURABILITY
Has been stopped a few times. Was blitzed inside 30 seconds by the rapid-fire knees of Hayato Sakurai.
5
JOB
Former police trainee.
7
LENGTH OF CAREER
Seven years. Started relatively early, so time for plenty more.
7
NUMBER OF FIGHTS
29. Very active in the last couple of years.
7
ROUGH BEGINNINGS
Solid family background. His parents still look after his financial affairs.
3
HARD TRAINING REGIME
Schooled under legendary hard man Yuki Nakai at Paraestra Tokyo.
8
STREET FIGHTING PEDIGREE
When he was training as a police officer he often joked about being scared of physical confrontation.
3
RUTHLESSNESS
Last December, Mizuto Hirota refused to tap to a hammerlock. Aoki reacted by snapping the arm then flipping off his distressed opponent.
10
OVERCOME ADVERSITY
Came through a few hairy moments to defeat Olympic judo silver medalist Jung Bu-Kyung on New Year’s Eve 2007.
7
GAMENESS
Attacking, all-action grappling style, but has a tendency to look to the referee for help when things get rough.
6
TOTAL
64
ANDERSON SILVA
DURABILITY
Has never been knocked out or badly rocked.
9
JOB
‘The Spider’ is a former McDonald’s employee.
3
LENGTH OF CAREER
Ten years.
7
NUMBER OF FIGHTS
30
7
ROUGH BEGINNINGS
Money was tight in the Silva household in Curitiba.
8
HARD TRAINING REGIME
The Black House stable has a reputation for producing badass fighters.
8
STREET FIGHTING PEDIGREE
Anyone who goes head to head with Lee Murray and forces him backwards, as Silva did at a Cage Rage press conference, has little fear in his heart.
7
RUTHLESSNESS
Although he is responsible for some of the most devastating finishes in UFC history, he has preferred clowning to bombing recently.
6
OVERCOME ADVERSITY
Rarely in trouble due to his exceptional ability. In mild peril against Hendo and Travis Lutter early on but soon got the upper hand.
7
GAMENESS
His back-pedaling performances suggest he has fallen out of love with the game. The cruise to a unanimous decision over Demian Maia outraged his fans
and his employers.
5
TOTAL
67
