Sherdog’s Top 10: Most Aggressive Fighters

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1. Wanderlei Silva

Silva is the unanimous choice of the Sherdog.com staff as the most aggressive fighter in the history of the sport. From the thousand-yard stare and the picture-perfect “Axe Murderer” nickname to the volleys of brutal hooks and potent knees in the clinch, no fighter has ever embodied aggressiveness in MMA quite like Silva.

No group of fighters has ever upheld the commitment to aggression quite like Chute Boxe during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and no Chute Boxe fighter was a better representative of that commitment than Silva. Winging hooks in the pocket, knee after knee from the double-collar tie and flurries of soccer kicks were the hallmarks of his style. They powered him to a 16-fight unbeaten streak to open his Pride career and only four losses in 24 total fights inside the Japanese promotion.

By the time he reached the UFC, Silva’s prime was clearly over, and his chin could no longer absorb the kinds of shots he had once eaten without trouble. Even then, however, Silva’s aggressiveness hardly dampened. Chris Leben knocked him out in less than 30 seconds. What was Silva doing when he was finished? He was charging forward, trying to land punches of his own. He showed unusual patience in fights with Michael Bisping and Cung Le but turned up the aggression at the proper moments. His final fight with Brian Stann was a war of epic proportions and showcased even a faded Silva’s longstanding violent streak.

Now effectively retired in semi-disgrace, Silva’s legendary aggressiveness still stands as the ideal to which all future fighters will aspire.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS: Paul Daley, Shinya Aoki, Diego Sanchez, Cristiane Justino, Carlos Condit, Igor Vovchanchyn, Joseph Benavidez

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