Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Bellator MMA Fighters

Welcome again folks, this time to Sherdog's list of the ten greatest Bellator MMA fighters ever. This was compiled as an average of many different Sherdog contributors' lists, and I will note where my own views deviated considerably. Personally though, the appeal of any such lists isn't the exact ordering, or who was included versus excluded, but the actual discussion below each entry. Anyone can come up with a list with no further commentary and it's not any more “right” than another. However, the best such lists have entertaining and informative explanations, which is a goal I hope to accomplish.

Now, a word about criteria. These rankings are based solely on a fighter’s achievements in Bellator, and my main measure was greatness for one's era and how long it lasted. I believe the majority of other contributors used a similar rubric. Ranking historical fighters based on who would beat whom doesn’t make sense, since fighters keep improving and evolving. Nevertheless, fighters from earlier eras may be penalized for how uncompetitive their division or era was. That is especially relevant for Bellator, which has been in operation since 2009 but has seen a large influx of quality talent in the past few years.

By way of honorable mention, our poll featured a number of current and former Bellator champs who received at least one vote, but not quite enough to crack the Top 10. In descending order, they are: Phil Davis, Douglas Lima, Hector Lombard, Eduardo Dantas, Sergio Pettis, Cole Konrad, Joe Warren and Johnny Eblen.

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