There are few countries which have done more for the development of mixed martial arts than Brazil.
Many would trace the roots of the modern sport to the Vale Tudo tournaments of the early 20th century which saw jiu-jitsu—in particular, the style developed by the Gracie family—as the nation’s dominant martial art.
With such a deep history and the sport’s growing popularity in the country, it’s not surprising that almost half the UFC’s current title holders are Brazilian, including its heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos.
In nine fights in the UFC, Dos Santos has decimated every opponent put before him, anointing himself the moniker “the baddest man on the planet” in the process. He’s earned that title in an era when the sport is the most popular and most competitive it’s ever been.
And, as with any sport where the money keeps pouring in, the modern MMA athletes are the best in the sport’s history. Which is why, when ranking the top Brazilian fighters ever in this list, you’ll see a conspicuous absence of mixed martial artists from the sport’s nascent days.
Men like Royce Gracie, for example, which many consider responsible for introducing the world to MMA, cannot be counted as a pound-for-pound equal to the likes of Dos Santos, even when differing eras are taken into account.
Gracie’s record speaks for itself—ascendant against rank amateurs without a clue about submissions, as soon as professionalism came into the sport, the Brazilian was quickly surpassed and left by the wayside.
The men of the last decade are the best MMA has ever seen, and this list poses the question as to where Dos Santos stands among these Brazilians.