The 10 Best MMA fighters from the 2000s

2. Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre embodied everything that a Martial Artist was and is still today, toughness and grit to go along with a humble approach to the fight game.

But when St-Pierre faced challengers inside the Octagon, he made the extraordinary look rather ordinary.

St-Pierre made his UFC debut back at UFC 46, as he blitzed a top contender in Karo Parisyan by unanimous decision. He would then earn his first knockout in the promotion against Jay Hieron at UFC 48.

St-Pierre’s first title shot would come against Matt Hughes, and he would fall short by submission. But, St-Pierre would be motivated by the defeat and win five-straight fights over the likes of Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, and BJ Penn before getting his revenge by knockout against Hughes at UFC 65.

Another misstep would come in St-Pierre’s career against Matt Serra at UFC 69, as he lost by first-round knockout in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. It wouldn’t take long for St-Pierre to get back to the title, and he would once again get revenge and dominate Serra in the rematch.

This would be the start of a long title reign for St-Pierre, he defended the belt nine straight times before eventually walking away from the sport after his close win against Johny Hendricks. During his time with the belt, St-Pierre took on top challengers such as Dan Hardy, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz and made all of them look levels below his skillset.

St-Pierre was mostly known for his incredible grappling and his vicious takedowns, but his striking was also dangerous. He would leave the fight game with the most takedowns in UFC history (90).

St-Pierre would eventually be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but his dominance during the 2000s is likely something only a few athletes will be able to replicate.