My inspiration is simple for this one. I saw an exchange on Twitter where FrontRowBrian responded to the fan question: "Is Mauricio Rua a top 10-15 greatest MMA fighter of all time?" with "DEFINITELY". My initial response was to reflect on some of the most prolific and influential fighters in the modern day era, so I was surprised at Brian's apparent knee-jerk reaction here, especially since he seemed to respond in a similar impulsive manner to the same question about Quinton Jackson with an emphatic "HELL NO".

These exchanges got me thinking about how I would rank my own top 15 fighters throughout modern MMA history. Now, bear with me, I am going to make this list pretty much on the fly to see whether or not I agree with the impulsive assessments of Brian. So I'll set up some parameters for myself. First, I'll be starting with the UFC era, including pre-Zuffa. This is because it is the era of MMA I'm most familiar with and including much beyond that would be beyond the comfort zone of my knowledge. Second, my choices will not be limited to on-paper record accomplishment, because some fighters have been very influential to the sport without having spotless records. Third, I'm not putting any emphasis on the particular number of the rankings. I'm not interested in arguing for a definitive top 15 PFP Awesomenessocity contest. This will simply be a chronicle of my thoughts when considering who belongs on this list.

Initially, I intended to pop off a quick list of who I thought deserved to be on this list. In retrospect, I think this topic deserves to be more well thought out. So, I implore all of you to leave your comments and suggestions. Please save your judgements until I actually compile the list.

Please follow the development of the list at Head Kick Legend