The 10 Best MMA fighters from the 2000s

1. Anderson Silva

When Anderson Silva fought, fans knew they were in for quite the show. His illustrious career not only needs to be pointed out on this list but deserves to be at the very top of it.

Silva is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time regardless of the decade and is the best of the 2000s.

From his UFC debut against Chris Leben in 2006, UFC president Dana White knew he had something special with Silva. He went on to win 16 straight fights, which at the time was the longest win streak in the promotion’s history.

In just his second fight in the UFC, Silva faced Rich Franklin for the middleweight championship. Many believed that Silva was rushed to the title shot a bit too quickly over more veteran challengers, but he silenced the critics with a first-round knee knockout that earned him the 185-pound belt.

After earning the title, he defended it 10 straight times over big names such as Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, and Dan Henderson. In between middleweight title defenses, he also took a couple of light heavyweight bouts, knocking out former champion Forrest Griffin in the process.

Before ultimately losing the belt to Chris Weidman, Silva had already set a plethora of UFC records during his dominant reign. He earned a record seven “Knockout of the Night” awards, held a UFC belt for the longest reign in UFC history, earned nine finishes in title fights, and made it look easy along the way.

Silva’s kickboxing was a sight to behold inside the Octagon. He overwhelmed his opponents and made the most elite strikers look like novices.

While Silva’s end to his UFC career left a lot to be desired, he was the most dominant fighter of the 2000s and arguably the best to ever compete inside the octagon.