Who is your favorite fighter from each weight class?

[CapnKabuki]

I know this thread has been done quite a bit, and if there's already another one like this on here, my apologies.

Pretty self explanitory, of all the weight classes, who is your favorite fighter from each one? This doesn't have to include the Flyweight division, but if you want to say who, you're more than welcome to. And if you have more than one favorite, list them all! They can be from any organization, any time period, retired or not, doesn't matter.

This isn't a popularity contest or a "who's the greatest fighter" poll, it's a personal opinion thread, and let's not start any arguments over choices. This isn't Sherdog after all.

Here's my picks:
Heavyweight: Frank Mir
Light Heavyweight: Three way tie between Babalu Sobral, Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua
Middleweight: Dan Henderson
Welterweight: Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann
Lightweight: Clay Guida and Cowboy Cerrone
Featherweight: Jose Aldo
Bantamweight: Miguel Torres

Now, onward to your picks!

 

[jmt225]

Heavyweight: Fedor Emelianenko - I know he's currently on the down side of his career, but that doesn't make me love or admire him any less. The fact is, this man gave us the greatest streak we've seen to this point for ten years straight, and it should always be praised and admired, no matter what happens from here on out. Fedor's style of fighting, plus the way he carries himself outside the ring/cage... I mean, honestly, I just don't see how anyone could not love this dude.

Light Heavyweight: Shogun Rua - His Light Heavyweight Grand Prix win is still the most incredible tournament win I've ever seen. It still blows my mind how he ran through that thing. Plus, like Fedor, his fighting style and how he carries himself outside the ring/cage is everything a fighter should inspire to be.

Middleweight: Anderson Silva - It was a toss up between he and Mayhem Miller, but I went with the best fighter alive, Anderson Silva. I just admire this guys striking skills so much. Everything about him on the feet is amazing... his accuracy, speed, punching power, clinch, head movement, etc... I mean, if someone is as good as Anderson is at just one of those things, then it makes him a very good stand-up fighter, but to be that great at all of them? Simply mind-blowing.

Welterweight: Nick Diaz - The most entertaining and bad ass fighter in the sport. This guy will fight anyone at any time, and he will do so like a warrior. He goes in there to knock your fucking head off or tear off a limp. And he talks shit while he does it. What's not to love about him?

Lightweight: Takanori Gomi - The Fireball Kid... it's just amazing how someone his size can legitimately punch as hard as a fucking Heavyweight. And the way he throws said punches... it's so fun to witness. Like Fedor, he's currently on the downside of his career, but it doesn't make me love the dude any less. He has fought the absolute best at 155, and he has given us some of the greatest fights and knockouts in MMA history. He should always be admired for that.

Featherweight: Hatsu Hioki - Watch his fight with Marlon Sandro and that'll tell you why. His performance in that fight is the greatest all around MMA performance I've ever seen. He used EVERYTHING in that fight to perfection, and it was against one of the best fighters in the entire division. I'll always be in awe of his performance in that fight.

Bantamweight: Vacant - Don't care for anyone in this division at this point in time.

 

[Fizzy]

Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar The definition of a fighter, the heart, the perseverance, the attitude, and the willingness to fight the best to be the best. Say what you want about the man, but you cannot deny he has the biggest set of balls of any fighter in the UFC. He comes into the organization with one fight to his name, against a former champion and very well rounded Frank Mir and proceeds to kick his ass across the octagon until he gets caught in a submission by making a rookie mistake. Aside from his first fight he hasn't fought one can in his career. He comes back from a life threatening illness to get his ass kicked for five minutes only to survive and win. Now, he is coming back from a second bout with the illness to fight Overeem. He always comes to fight and to finish. The gutsiest fighter in MMA history.

Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones I love this guy. From the way he carries himself to his fighting style, I love everything about him. He's just so fucking good at such a young age it amazes me. I don't have a single bad thing to say about him yet and until he gives me something to say, he's my favorite current LHW.

Middleweight: Anderson Silva Surprising I chose him right? What can I say, he's the best ever. He's a fantastic champion for the UFC and MMA not just because of his fighting style, but because of how personable and approachable he seems. He just seems like a normal black guy when you look at him. Fuck GSP, he deserves to be the face of the UFC. He deserves to be the face of MMA for fucks sake. Everything about him screams excellence and excitement. We're blessed to live in the Anderson Silva era.

Welterweight: BJ Penn Don't have a bad thing to say about him. He comes to fight every single fight and would fight anybody, anywhere, at any time. He's gone up to heavyweight against Machida and gave him one of his toughest fights of his entire career. The guy just screams fighter and I love watching him.

Lightweight: N/A Nobody sticks out to me currently that i'd want to call my favorite. Melendez is on his way though.

Featherweight: Jose Aldo Been high on him since his WEC days. Fucking deadly striker and the most exciting fighter in MMA when he actually lets his strikes fly. Unfortunately, people seem to forget that after a few lackluster performances.

 

[INDYjon22]

Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski. I've loved the guy since about 2004, which is when I first began to get into MMA. He is my favorite fighter of all time and I remember the first time I saw his picture. I was in Orlando, Florida and they had a big ass promotional poster for AA vs. Sylvie 2 I think. Both guys stuck out to me, Timmy because of his mohawk and facial har and AA because of his crazy ass hair and fangs. When I finally saw him fight I loved his balls to the ball, always come forward style. Clearly it hasn't been effective as of late, but with a step down in competition hopefully AA can get his groove back for one last run.

Light Heavyweight: Forrest Griffin. Been a fan since TUF 1. I love his brawling style and I think he is a great character for MMA. Some people think he is a prick, but I just think he is really sarcastic. His style has changed as of late, but he still pretty much always puts on entertaining fights. When he won the LHW title it was the single happiest moment for me in MMA.

Middleweight: Vitor Belfort. I really enjoy his speed and knowing that when he fights it can literally end in the blink of an eye, if he is motivated. I have a trend of liking great strikers I guess.

Welterweight: Jon Fitch. I was a wrestler in high school so I can appreciate a good grinder, and Fitch is the best at grinding out wins. I do think he gets a bum rap, but that's not something I feel like arguing about anymore. We are also both from the same home town.

Lightweight: Takanori Gomi. I am a big fan of work in Japan. Such an exciting fighter, I just wish he had better submission defense. His best days are behind him, but I could watch his 2005 run at anytime and love every second of it.

Featherweight: Jose Aldo. Not much to say, the guy is impressive as hell. It would have been Faber but he is no longer in the division.

Bantamweight: Kid Yamamoto. Same as Gomi. I love his fights from Japan. Dude is a beast, but unfortunately I don't think his skills will translate well in the UFC. I hope to God I am wrong though.

 

[JWGunslinger]

HeavyweightShane Carwin:No man has every blown my mind with his immense power like Shane, the man is the biggest and baddest wrecking ball of a man with two sledgehammers for hands. On top of that he's one of the most humble and unassuming guys in the sport, the guy is a monster in the cage and a quiet engineer outside, he's such a cool guy and a great role model.

Light HeavyweightTito Ortiz: Tito headlined the very first UFC PPV I saw against Patrick Cote, that day I became a fan of the master of Ground and Pound(not Coleman). I love his agressive style, his cocky adittude and his never say die mentality, and one of the things that really made me a fan was watching him on season 3 of TUF. Tito is in my mind, the greatest coach that has every been on TUF because he really cares about his guys, he teaches them well and takes care of them. It was very hard being a Tito fan during his losing streak but when Tito upset Ryan Bader it was one of my favorite moments as a fan ever, I was so happy for him and I really hope that he can continue to deliver against Nog.

MiddleweightBrian Stann:Even though he just lost to Chael at 136, Brian is still my #1 boy and my favorite fighter to watch at work. The guy's stand up is a thing of beauty, his angles are perfect and the way he throws is just goddamn fun to watch. On top of that the guy is the perfect American Soldier poster boy, a captain in the Marines, Silver Star recipient and respected vet, and he's an amazing fighter on top of that. I love the MW division so I also have to give shout outs to Sonnen and Belfort, I love you guys too.

WelterweightCarlos Condit: The Natural Born Killer, former WEC Welterweight Champion and (god willing) the next UFC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit. I loved watching Carlos wreck guys in the WEC, and when he came to the UFC I was very excited but he has grown and become 5 times the fighter he was back then, he is constantly improving and always finishing, I mean when you've gone to a decision once out of 27 wins I think you take Kenflo's line of "I finish fights". Not only that but aside from a very close split decision to Martin Kampmann, Condit hasn't lost since 2006 and he's won bonuses for his last 3 fights(2 KO, 1 FOTN). I believe that he is going in to his fight with GSP with a very good mindset and I do believe with the combo of that and his excellent skills he will be able to end the reign of GSP, hopefully. Shout out to Nick Diaz and Matt Hughes.

LightweightDonald Cerrone:There are alot of guys I like at LW, you've got Bendo, Guida, Melendez on his way to the UFC and Miller. But one man stands out from this bunch to me and his name is Don "Cowboy" Cerrone, I first saw him fight at WEC 34 when he Armbarred Danny Castillo, and the rest is history. I've never been bored with his fights, I try to model myself after guys like Cerrone and Nate Diaz when can throw whatever they want on the feet with no reservations because they have such excellent game off their backs. I'm a big fan of Don and I have been loving the winning streak he's on, Im hoping and praying he can continue it against Siver at 137. And ofcourse shout out to Nate Diaz.

FeatherweightMike Brown:Not much to say other than I love watching him fight, he's a tough son of a bitch and he's built like an ox. I like Faber but for some reason when he beat Faber those two times I enjoyed it, maybe because it shut up the bandwagon Faber fans, but either way I love Mike Brown and I hope that he can continue his winning ways, those loses to Yahya and Nunes hurt.

BantamweightBrian Bowles:This guy is a fireball, his fights are fast paced and a blast to watch. His knockout over Miguel Torres was crazy and he's subbed Damacio Page with a Guillotine at 3:30 in the first round....twice. I really enjoy his fights, unfortunatly I think he's gonna drop one to Faber but I really hope that he can pull in off and catch Faber.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Heavyweight

I guess it's Lesnar. By default. Nobody else really grabs me - Stefan Strevue is cool, but he's a bit of a side show. He's popular for reasons Andre the Giant was discovered, but without Andre's affable persona. Lesnar is just one of only a handful of guys I HAVE to watch. I also like Shane Carwin, and despise Roy Nelson.

Light Heavyweight

It's still Forrest Griffin. It was, breifly, Ryan Bader. And I'm a huge Jon Jones fan. But Griffin is and always will be the reason most of today's fans watch the UFC< myself included. He's got heart and humor, and somehow manages not to be uncontrollably full of himself the way guys like Tito do.

Middleweight

Nate Marquart. Always liked the guy, despite the big spot losses. I'm not a huge Silva fan - I respect the guy but don't consider myself a 'fan.' This is a division I watch everybody equally in if only because they are a great combination of speed, technique, and power.

Welterweight

Josh Koscheck. I know 90% of fans despise him, he's been on my radar since season 1. Always liked the guy, and him as a coach opposite GSP a few TUF seasons ago was brilliant. I like his brash nature, his work ethic, and his ability to be a bad guy. I also like the wrestling background. My wife remains devoted to Diego Sanchez, but his inability to close out in the clutch has tested even her interest.

Lightweight

Clay Guida. The dude is super exciting, likable, and never gets KO'd because his chin is made of diamond-coated granite mixed with titanium alloy. I fully expect him to be the next real challenger to Frankie's belt.

Featherweight

Gotta love Jose Aldo. Dude is exciting. He somehow managed to make a Kenny Florian fight watchable. I've also enjoyed watching Leonard Garcia - I'm a Nam Pham fan, but watching their two fights certainly heightened my interest in Garcia.

Bantamweight.

Faber by default, because he's the only one I'm familiar with.

 

[The Crock]

Heavyweight

I've gotta go with Brock Lesnar here. I loved him in the WWE and that continued on into MMA. The guy's a force, no doubt. He may not be the most technically sound, but he's so freakishly strong, it just looks like he tosses people around the octagon. I'm really looking forward to his fight with Alistair Overeem, where he can (hopefully) pick up the win.

Light Heavyweight

Jon Jones, plain and simple. He's a star. At 24 years old, this guy could very well be the future of MMA. I mean, not only is he an amazing athlete with a great work ethic, nobody seems to know how to stop the guy. The way he has run through Shogun and Rampage astounds me and really speaks volumes about his abilities. His next fight against Machida looks to be a great test of his abilities, but he should win it.

Another reason I'm a big fan of Jones is just the way he behaves. He's laid back, not too full of himself, a family man. You couldn't really ask for a better guy to be the new "face" of the UFC and of MMA in general.

Middleweight

Close one here, it was almost Mayhem Miller, but there's only one guy who stacks up as my favorite -- Chael Sonnen. The guy is a loud mouth, but he's hilarious and he backs it up. The man cuts pro wrestling promos on Anderson Silva, a guy who is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, and then goes out and nearly takes the title from him, losing on a triangle choke in the fifth round. Then after a year of sitting out, he puts on the best performance of his career, demolishing Brian Stann, and challenges Silva AGAIN. There's nothing I don't love about the guy. I cannot wait for Sonnen - Silva II. To me, it just seems that Chael Sonnen has Anderson Silva's number. I don't want to get into a debate about that here, but he honestly seems like the only guy out there.

On top of all that, as much as he thinks his own shit doesn't stink, he's not one to shy away from fan interaction -- and I like that. The fans should be given some attention, some appreciation, shouldn't we?

Welterweight

Nick Diaz takes the cake here. He's the type of guy who a lot of fans hate, but I can't help but like him. As much of a jackass as he is outside of the cage, I've been impressed by his abilities inside of it. He's a damn good fighter and I'd love to see his fight with BJ Penn go his way, he should still be in line for GSP (or Condit, who I adore as well) after that. Plus, he's hilarious. His Youtube videos kill me.

Lightweight

Shinya Aoki. I've been a fan of him for a while now, but he's been on a tear for six straight fights. I'm hoping he gets some higher profile opponents soon, as I'd love to see him get the credit he truly deserves. Most fighters don't amaze me, but some of the stuff he does just floors me. You've gotta love a guy like that.

Featherweight

Jose Aldo. He, much like Aoki, amazes me. I'll never forget his quick knockout of Cub Swanson. He sprinted, planted the knee, and called it a day. The guy is so exciting to watch and it seems like he puts a lot of himself into fighting, it seems like it's his number one priority. I've watched some of his older fights and his strikes, under more relaxed rules, are even more lethal. That said, he's gotten so much better with time that I would not want to see him be allowed to soccer kick someone, for fear of him legitimately killing someone.

The guy's a star.

Bantamweight

Urijah Faber is one of my favorite fighters altogether, so this was an easy choice. He was the face of the WEC and one of the most dominant champions, if not THE most dominant champion, in the company's history. He's a likeable guy, but what most impresses me is the way he manhandled some great competition as champion. I loved some of his fights, but the Jens Pulver fight was stellar. They went five rounds and just slugged it out, they both showed massive amounts of heart there. Faber's always trying hard to get the win and I respect that.

 

[mosuembi]

Heavyweight

Mirko Cro Cop. I've been a long term fan. I know he has fallen on hard times, but Cro Cop got me into MMA. He managed to be intimidating, but still respectful and his style of patient counterpunching with excellent TDD was a great innovation for standup in MMA overall. If Cro Cop has actualy retired, I'm going with JDS - he looks so damn happy to be beating people up.

Light Heavyweight

Rashad Evans. Showed he was a great coach on TUF 10, and he seems like an all around likeable guy. It's a shame he got screwed over by Jackson's MMA, and I think he will have a reasonable chance against Jones.

Middleweight

Anderson Silva. For Roy Jones Jr. levels of MMA excellence. I love watching him decide when he is going to put a beating on someone. I might be the only one that loved the Demian Maia fight - it looked as though Silva was bored of being so much better than the competition.

Welterweight

John Hathaway. Such a humble (real humble, not Jon Jones humble) guy at 24, and a Brit as well. If you look at his record now, he has already beaten two contenders in Rick Story and Diego Sanchez. He's my fave for being a Brit with good wrestling alone. If he works hard and puts good camps together, I reckon contender status in 2013 is not unrealistic.

Lightweight

Frankie Edgar. I like the fact that he has built up a rep as a Rocky type character that always performs over expectations. The two latest Maynard fights converted me.

Featherweight

KenFlo. Although Kenny Florian is starting to look like the Charlie Brown of MMA, I am going to keep on supporting him. His work ethic and intelligent punditry are also plusses.

Oh also...Hi all! (first post)

 

[LegendKiller716]

Heavyweight - Brock Lesnar - He's the reason I started watching UFC. The fact that he has been so dominate so early in his career is amazing. The fact he did it all with a life threatening disease is even more amazing. As soon as he steps up his striking game, he'll be one of the most complete fighters I've ever seen.

Light Heavyweight - Randy "The Natural" Couture - The best game planner in MMA. He was able to work in two different weight classes and win belts in both. He may be the greatest of all time.

Middleweight - Chris "The Crippler" Leben - He may be my favorite fighter today. He's not the most technically sound fighter but he's always ready to put on a show. I don't think he'll ever win a belt in UFC, but I'll watch every fight he has. He's that exciting.

Welterweight - Chris "Lights Out" Lytle - I haven't seen a whole lot out of him, but I tend to notice that he puts on the best fight every time he goes out there. This guy has a bright future in the sport.

Lightweight - "The Prodigy" BJ Penn - I love BJ's unique style. He always puts on a show, and he really doesn't have a weakness, except for age at this point. Class act, awesome fighter.