Canada has been a hot bed for elite level mixed martial artists and has been the host location of countless great fights throughout the years.
It is well known that MMA is being extremely popular among fans of betting and gambling. Since MMA events are postponed, MMA fighters train at home and participate in online broadcasts organized by different gambling providers. So, while events are currently on hold, fans don’t have many options left, to play MMA slots in one the best online casino in Canada to or to check out the list of the top five Canadian MMA fighters of all time, that we’ve put together.
#1 Georges St Pierre (26 – 2)
Top of our list of course is Georges St Pierre. The 38-year-old from Montreal is far and away the greatest Canadian fighter of time. He is also for our money the greatest fighter of all-time full stop. Throughout his 28-fight career he has done it all. ‘GSP’ dominated the welterweight division for almost a decade. He made 10 consecutive defences of his 170lb title between 2008-2013 and beat a bunch of elite level fighters including Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Johny Henricks and Jake Shields. ‘GSP’ only lost twice in his career to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, both of which he avenged in emphatic fashion. The Canadian MMA legend even came back to the sport four years after retiring to dethrone middleweight champion Michael Bisping in an epic fight at UFC 217 in November 2017.
#2 Rory MacDonald (21 – 6 – 1)
Former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald is second on our list of great Canadian fighters. He burst onto the scene as a UFC prospect over a decade ago and was touted as the heir to St Pierre’s welterweight throne. His record is littered with big-name wins over BJ Penn, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Douglas Lima. However, he is most known for his Fight of the Decade with Robbie Lawler. MacDonald came up short in lone UFC title shot suffering a fifth-round TKO loss against Lawler. ‘The Red King’ is currently signed to PFL and at just 30-years-old still has plenty of time to build on his already great MMA legacy.
#3 TJ Grant (21 – 5)
Lightweight contender TJ Grant is a sad story of wasted potential, but he nonetheless goes down as our third greatest Canadian MMA fighter of all time. Grant looked unimpressive during his first six fights in the UFC. He won three fights and lost three fights against some of the best fighters at welterweight. Grant decided to drop down to 155lbs and never lost again inside the octagon. He won five straight including a highlight-reel knockout over former title challenger Gray Maynard. The fight earned him a shot at lightweight champion Benson Henderson, but Grant was never able to take it. He suffered a concussion in 2013 and never managed to recover. Grant was still a great fighter and it was a pleasure watching him representing Canada during his rise through the ranks at lightweight.
#4 Carlos Newton (16 – 14)
Despite his less than pretty record it’s impossible for us to leave out Carlos Newton from this list. He was a pioneer for Canadian MMA. Starting his career in 1996 he fought and beat the best fighters of his era. He captured the UFC lightweight (now welterweight) title by beating Pat Miletich in 2001. By doing so he became the first Canadian UFC champion and etched his name in MMA history forever.
#5 Patrick Cote (23 – 11)
Last but by no means least is Patrick Cote – one of the hardest hitters in Canadian history. Throughout his 15-year professional MMA career, Cote came so close to achieving greatness but always missed out. He finished runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter, before falling short in against Anderson Silva in his lone shot at UFC gold. Despite that, he beat a bunch of great fighters including Josh Burkman, Ben Saunders, Kyle Noke, Ricardo Almeida, Kendall Grove, and many more. A Canadian MMA list without him wouldn’t be worth reading. Hat’s off on a hell of a career Mr. Cote.