Fedor Emelianenko
Conor McGregor
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Fedor Emelianenko leads 3 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Fedor Emelianenko at #7 and Conor McGregor at #11.
Head-to-head FAQ
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The case for Fedor Emelianenko
'The Last Emperor' was the consensus best heavyweight in the world through the mid-2000s and the defining icon of Japan's PRIDE era. A master of combat sambo, he combined unorthodox looping punches with slick submissions and an unshakable calm, going undefeated for nearly a decade — a run of 28 fights without a legitimate loss from 2000 to 2010. As PRIDE heavyweight champion he beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman and a young Andrei Arlovski, whom he stopped with a flying-punch knockout. He never competed in the UFC, which fuels endless debate about his placement, and his level of competition in some later fights is questioned. But at his peak, against the best heavyweights alive, he was untouchable, and he retired around 40-7 as one of the most beloved and mythologized figures the sport has produced.
The case for Conor McGregor
The biggest star the sport has ever produced, McGregor changed MMA's economics and reach while backing it up in the cage during his prime. He became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, knocking out featherweight king José Aldo in a record 13 seconds at UFC 194 in 2015 and stopping Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt at UFC 205 in 2016. His left hand was one of the most feared weapons in the sport, and his self-promotion filled arenas and drove the two biggest pay-per-views in company history. He also crossed into boxing for a blockbuster loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Injuries, inactivity and losses to Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov, plus a leg break against Dustin Poirier in 2021, clouded his later years. He sits around 22-6, but his peak dominance and cultural impact are undeniable.